Treatment of primary sjögren's syndrome-related interstitial lung disease: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common complication of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). Because there is a paucity of literature on the management of pSS-associated ILD (pSS-ILD), this retrospective cohort study assessed the efficacy of azathioprine and mycophenolate therapy in adult patients with pSS-ILD. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed using electronic health records to identify adults meeting the 2016 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria for pSS. The presence of pSS-ILD was confirmed by characteristic high-resolution computed tomography and/or histopathology findings. Sociodemographic, clinical, and pulmonary function test (PFT) data were abstracted for patients meeting the criteria and followed longitudinally from the date of their ILD diagnosis. PFT values were anchored on time of treatment start, and linear mixed-effects modeling was used to analyze changes in diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) and forced vital capacity (FVC) before and after treatment initiation. RESULTS: We identified 19 subjects who had pSS-ILD, of whom seven were treated with azathioprine and seven were treated with mycophenolate. Within the azathioprine treated group, FVC% slope change trended toward improvement from a rate of -9.8% per month pre-treatment to 2.1% per month post-treatment (p = 0.13). Within the mycophenolate treated group, FVC% slope change improved from a rate of 1.5% per month pre-treatment to 4.3% per month post-treatment (p = 0.02) and DLCO% slope changed from a rate of -3.8% to -1.3% per month (p = 0.01) after therapy start. CONCLUSIONS: Mycophenolate treatment was associated with significant improvement in PFTs of pSS-ILD patients over time, and azathioprine treatment followed a similar non-significanttrend. Additional prospective studies are needed to further evaluate these findings. (Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis 2020; 37 (2): 136-147).

Assessment of dynamic changes in cardiac function during resuscitation of patients with suspected septic shock: A prospective, observational, cohort study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To describe changes in cardiac function throughout the course of resuscitation of patients with suspected septic shock. METHODS: Prospective observational cohort study of Point-of-Care Transthoracic Echocardiograms (TTE) obtained in Emergency Department (ED) patients with a presumed infectious cause of hypotension within one hour of initiating IV fluid resuscitation. Findings of this pre-resuscitation TTE were compared to mid-resuscitation TTE (obtained upon disposition from the ED), and post-resuscitation TTE (obtained after admission to hospital). RESULTS: 22 enrolled patients had a second TTE available for comparison to the initial, pre-resuscitation TTE. 12 patients had a mid-resuscitation TTE and 16 patients had a post-resuscitation TTE. We observed a high incidence of changes on TTE during the clinical course of resuscitation (14/22 [64%]). Patients who developed LV or RV dysfunction during resuscitation were more likely to require vasopressor infusion and ICU admission (Spearman's coefficients [95% CI] of 0.68 [0.36-0.86] and 0.47 [0.04;0.75] respectively). Development of RV dysfunction alone was associated with increased use of positive pressure ventilation and vasopressor infusion (Spearman's coefficients [95% CI] of 0.43 [0;0.72] and 0.47 [0.05,0.75] respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac function changes assessed by TTE are common during the resuscitation of patients with septic shock. These changes likely reflect the underlying physiology of patients with septic shock and correlate with need for interventions and higher level of care. Further work is required to characterize these changes and to elucidate how to use these physiologic data to guide management.

Amiodarone-induced thyrotoxic thyroiditis: a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.

Amiodarone is an iodine-based, potent antiarrhythmic drug bearing a structural resemblance to thyroxine (T4). It is known to produce thyroid abnormalities ranging from abnormal thyroid function testing to overt hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. These adverse effects may occur in patients with or without preexisting thyroid disease. Amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT) is a clinically recognized condition commonly due to iodine-induced excessive synthesis of thyroid, also known as type 1 AIT. In rare instances, AIT is caused by amiodarone-induced inflammation of thyroid tissue, resulting in release of preformed thyroid hormones and a hyperthyroid state, known as type 2 AIT. Distinguishing between the two states is important, as both conditions have different treatment implications; however, a mixed presentation is not uncommon, posing diagnostic and treatment challenges. We describe a case of a patient with amiodarone-induced type 2 hyperthyroidism and review the current literature on the best practices for diagnostic and treatment approaches.