Does the use of Surgicel affect postsurgical radiological follow-up of kidney tumors?

Remaining Surgicel in the body can be mistaken for complications such as hematoma, abscess, or tumor recurrence in paraclinical examinations after surgery. We have presented the case of kidney cancer who underwent radical nephrectomy. In radiological follow-ups, hematoma was reported in the surgery site. The typical appearance of Surgicel on a postoperative CT scan is characterized by air trapped bubbles. Surgicel exhibits a short relaxation time on T2-weighted images. It is important to differentiate the remaining Surgicel from cases such as hematoma, abscess and tumor recurrence. T2MRI images will be most accurate in the correct diagnosis of Surgicel.

Extra-peritoneal vs. Trans-peritoneal Radical Cystectomy pros and cons.

One of the most common cancers of the urinary tract is bladder tumors. Bladder cancers are divided into two groups: non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive bladder cancer. (1)  Trans-Peritoneal  Radical Cystectomy (RC) with  pelvic lymphadenectomy is the standard technique in muscle invasive and high risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (2). and Urologist around the world are more familiar with trans-peritoneal technique. In some articles extra-peritoneal Radical Cystectomy (RC) implied as an decreased  postoperative  complications techniques. In this letter we want to compare these two techniques and find out the pros and cons of these techniques.

Tele-Urology in the Era of COVID-19: an Experience of the Reconstructive Urology Department in Iran.

INTRODUCTION: The outbreak of coronavirus has put additional pressure on the health care systems of many countries; but telemedicine can be an important way to deal with it, especially for people whose health has been affected by the virus. The present study aims to investigate the Implementation of a Tele-urology Program for Reconstructive Urologic Referrals: Initial Results and Patient Satisfaction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All patients with a history of a urethral reconstructive surgery during last year was entered to our study and two nurses collected data of demographic and past medical history of patients by existed. Telephone visits:Fellowship of reconstructive urology was connected to patients during a phone call and filled the USS-PROM and COVID-19 questionnaires. Face to face visits: All patients were asked to answer the questionnaire about recent exposure and infection by corona virus, recent travel and other risk factors of COVID-19. RESULTS: Mean of USSPROM scale was calculated as 1.65 (+2.91) with a range of 0-15. Based on categorization for USSPROM scale, 74 patients (94.8%) had mild symptoms while 4 patients (5.1%) had moderate symptoms and needed further medical attention. Four patients with moderate USSPROM score were required to cystoscopic evaluation, which one patient with moderate USSPROM score had severe stricture and candidate for redo urethroplasty. Two other patients need for urethral stricture dilatation. Cost was calculated based on taxi-service fee. Accordingly, the average (+SD) cost for in-person visits to the physician was estimated as 4.80 + 4.32 million Rials. In terms of distance, the average distance for receiving medical services according to the patient`s residence area was 373.2 +348.79 kilometres.In terms of the patient`s opinion regarding virtual examination, inappropriateness of virtual visits for physical examination, and patient`s inability to explain the problem correctly, patient`s condition at the time of the virtual visit were the main challenges reported by the respondent. CONCLUSION: Considering that the present COVID-19 emergency will likely last for months, telehealth could be the safest way to deliver urological care for a large percentage of the patients, such as those who are more at risk of unfavorable outcomes of COVID-19.

Evaluation of pharmacist-led transition of care program in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Guideline-directed medical therapies (GDMTs), initiated in-hospital and continued during the transition to outpatient care, are paramount to successful outcomes for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Incomplete discharge medication prescribing and delayed follow-up lead to worse cardiovascular outcomes. OBJECTIVES: We investigated a system of care using inpatient and outpatient clinical pharmacists to close GDMT gaps, ensure seamless transition to outpatient care, improve patient education, and optimize therapies. METHODS: We conducted a pre-post cohort analysis of patients with ACS pre- versus post-intervention to compare process metrics and key outcomes using electronic health record data. RESULTS: There were 181 and 135 patients in the pre- and post-intervention cohorts, respectively. Patients post-intervention were significantly more likely to have appropriately-timed follow-up visits scheduled with cardiology (79% vs. 51%, P < 0.0001) and primary care (57% vs. 43%, P = 0.01), to be discharged with prescriptions for P2Y12 inhibitors (87% vs. 64%, P < 0.0001), high dose statins (86% vs. 70%, P = 0.001), and beta blockers (87% vs. 76%, P = 0.01), and significantly less likely to have 30-day all-cause hospital readmissions (4% vs. 12%, P = 0.02) and emergency department (ED) visits (10% vs. 18%, P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The integration of advanced practicing pharmacists into a cardiology team at transition and post-hospitalization resulted in improved rates of posthospital follow-up visits, optimization of GDMT medications, and significantly lower 30-day hospital readmission and ED utilization.

Primary malignant melanoma of the female urethra A rare histopathology case report.

Malignant melanoma in the urethra is a rare tumor that is difficult to diagnose and treat, leading to a poor prognosis. In this paper, we present the case of a 36-year-old woman with history of invasive rectal adenocarcinoma (PT2N0Mx) who was tumor free for 5 years presented to urology outpatient with history of poor stream, dysuria, and dyspareuria. On examination, there was a huge mass in the meatus of urethra. Urethral malignant melanoma shows a high rate of local recurrence, about 60 % in 1 year. Overall survival in a series of 11 cases at 3 years was 27 %.

Acute liver failure secondary to ABVD use.

Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) is a type of cancer originating in the lymph nodes. The preferred therapy for advanced HL is a combination of chemotherapies including doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine (ABVD). ABVD has been standard therapy for advanced HL. It is generally considered as safe and rarely has been reported to cause acute liver failure. We present a case of 79-year-old woman with HL, who developed acute liver failure secondary to first cycle of ABVD chemotherapy.

Accuracy of pediatric residents in determination of dehydration in children with gastroenteritis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to determine the accuracy of pediatric residents in diagnosis of dehydration in children with gastroenteritis. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in Dr. Sheikh Hospital, affiliated with Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (Mashhad, Iran), in 2016. One hundred fifteen children aged 1 month to 14 years with gastroenteritis were included according to easy sampling. All patients were weighed. Dehydration was scored as mild, moderate and severe by pediatric residents according to Nelson standard table including pulse rate, blood pressure, blood skin supplement, skin turgor, fontanel, mucus membrane, tear respiration and urine output criteria. Patients were rehydrated and reweighed consequently. Percent loss of body weight (PLBW) was calculated and compared with dehydration score. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS windows program version 19 (SPSS Institute, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS: Of the115 children, 65 patients were male (56.5%) with the median age of 14.5 months. The Kendall's tau-b and Spearman correlation coefficient for residents' estimation and PLBW were 0.18 and 0.23 respectively (p=0.01 and 0.12 respectively). The ICC between estimated dehydration and PLBW was 0.47. According to residents' estimation and gold standard, PLBW was 6.76% and 1.33%, respectively. The serum level of sodium, potassium, urea and creatinine were 141.8 mEq/L, 4.6 mEq/L, 34.45 mg/dL and 0.6 mg/dL, respectively. CONCLUSION: There is positive but weak correlation between residents' estimation and PLBW in patients with dehydration. It is necessary to enhance the educational level of pediatric residents to increase the accuracy of physical examination and decrease medical errors.

Low triiodothyronine (T3) state: a predictor of outcome in respiratory failure? Results of a clinical pilot study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Various low triiodothyronine (T3) states have been described in severe nonthyroidal diseases and associated with a poor prognosis in cardiovascular disease patients. We assessed thyroid function in patients with severe respiratory failure from pulmonary disorders, and needing invasive or noninvasive mechanical ventilation, in order to evaluate the prognostic value of nonthyroidal illness syndrome. METHODS: We studied 32 consecutive patients with acute or acute-on-chronic respiratory failure. Measured variables upon admission included APACHE II score, the ratio of the partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood to the fraction of oxygen in inspired gas (PaO(2)/FiO(2)), and plasma levels of free T3 (fT3) and free thyroxine (fT4), and TSH levels. Thyroid function was further evaluated at discharge. RESULTS: Plasma levels of fT3 were below normal in 17 patients (53%). Plasma fT3 was correlated with PaO(2)/FiO(2) (P<0.001), and with APACHE II score (P=0.003). In four patients (12.5%) who died, fT3 levels were significantly lower (P=0.002) than in patients who survived. In univariate logistic regression analysis, fT3 was the only factor significantly associated with an increased risk of death (odds ratio, 64.23; 95% confidence interval, 1.78-2316.86, P=0.023). Normalization of thyroid function was observed at discharge with a significant correlation between the percent increase in both fT3 and PaO(2)/FiO(2) (P=0.015). P values were calculated using Spearman's Correlation Coefficient. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary data suggest that the low T3 state is a predictor of outcome in pulmonary patients with respiratory failure.

Treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic respiratory failure: integrated use of negative pressure ventilation and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Acute respiratory failure (ARF) can be treated with either invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) or noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV), which can spare the complications of artificial airways. To evaluate the efficacy of an integrated approach using negative pressure ventilation (NPV) with iron lung and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV), we performed a prospective study in a group of patients admitted to our respiratory ICU (RICU) for ARF due to exacerbation of chronic respiratory failure (CRF). SETTING: RICU at "R. Silvestrini" Hospital in Perugia, Italy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred fifty-two consecutive patients were included in the study and treated with iron lung as first choice or, when contraindicated or not tolerated, with NPPV using a nasal or facial mask. After 2 h of noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV), the patients were reevaluated; in case of clinical deterioration, patients receiving NPV were switched to NPPV. When NPPV as a first or second line of treatment failed the patients were intubated. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: One hundred fifty-two patients received NIMV, 97 with iron lung as the first choice of treatment, and 55 with NPPV. Six patients treated with NPV were switched to NPPV during the first 2 h of treatment. Twenty-five patients required IMV. The success rate of the integrated use of NIMV (NPV plus NPPV) was 81.6%, compared to that of NPV (83.5%) and NPPV (70.5%). Twenty-one patients (13.8%) required tracheostomy; the duration of hospital stay was significantly lower in patients treated with NIMV only. Thirty patients required mechanical ventilation at home. Few severe complications were observed in patients receiving IMV. CONCLUSIONS: The integrated use of two NIMV techniques is effective in patients with acute exacerbation of CRF. In most cases intubation and tracheostomy were avoided, thus reducing the complication rate of mechanical ventilation.