Incidence and outcome of weaning from mechanical ventilation according to new categories.

Weaning from mechanical ventilation was categorised as simple, difficult or prolonged by an international task force of the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society/European Society of Intensive Care Medicine/Society of Critical Care Medicine/Sociéte de Réanimation de Langue Française in 2007. This new classification has not been tested in clinical practice. The objective of the present study was to determine the incidence and outcome of weaning according to the new categories. We included medical and surgical patients who required mechanical ventilation in a prospective, multicentre, 6-month cohort study. From an initial cohort of 510 patients, 257 intubated patients started weaning. Of these patients, the cumulative incidences of simple, difficult, and prolonged weaning were 152 (59%), 68 (26%) and 37 (14%), respectively. Hospital mortality was increased in patients with prolonged (32%) but not difficult (9%) weaning in comparison with those with simple weaning (13%), overall p = 0.0205. In a multivariate logistic regression model, prolonged but not difficult weaning was associated with an increased risk of death. Ventilator-free days and intensive care unit (ICU)-free days were decreased in both difficult and prolonged weaning. In conclusion, the new weaning category prolonged weaning is associated with increased mortality and morbidity in the ICU. The new category difficult to wean was associated with increased morbidity, but not mortality.

[Gastrointestinal hemorrhage needing blood transfusion as the first manifestation of small bowel carcinoid tumor]. / Transfusionspflichtige gastrointestinale Blutung als Erstmanifestation eines Dünndarmkarzinoids.

Carcinoid tumors arise from enterochromaffin or enterochromaffin-like cells that are present in the gastrointestinal tract, ovaries, and lungs. Over 90% of carcinoids originate in the gastrointestinal tract with the most common sites in order of frequency being the appendix, terminal ileum, rectum, and the remainder of the colon. Gastroduodenal and pancreatic carcinoids are infrequent. Carcinoid syndrome is associated with small intestine carcinoids in about 40%. Common symptoms include intermittent intestinal obstruction with crampy abdominal pain and vomiting, and weight loss. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding with melaena or hematochezia is a relatively rare early symptom of patients with small intestine carcinoid tumors. We report on a 69-year-old man, treated with acenocoumarol for previous thromboembolic complications of hereditary protein S deficiency. He was admitted to hospital because of an acute episode of hematochezia followed by melaena. Endoscopic evaluation of esophagus, stomach, duodenum and colonoscopy revealed no apparent source of bleeding. Selective angiographic evaluation of mesenterial arteries showed pathologic vasculature approximately in mid jejunum. Laparotomy revealed bleeding from a small submucosal malignant carcinoid tumor in small intestine and multiple large metastases within mesenteric tissue. Segmental resection of small intestine and exstirpation of the metastatic masses was performed. Postoperative period was uneventful. Cytotoxic chemotherapy in this adjuvant setting has not been recommended. Small intestinal carcinoid tumor has to be considered as a rare cause of gastrointestinal bleeding with melaena or hematochezia. Nevertheless, bleeding is a relatively rare early symptom of patients with small intestine carcinoid tumor.

[Cholestatic hepatitis as a rare side effect of therapy with ticlopidine]. / Cholestatische Hepatitis als seltene Nebenwirkung einer Therapie mit Ticlopidin.

A 71-year-old man with chronic atrial fibrillation was treated with aspirin because of a right cerebral infarction. Oral anticoagulation was not initiated because of a secondary hemorrhagic transformation. Six years later after a left cerebral transient ischemic attack aspirin was replaced by ticlopidine. Two weeks after starting ticlopidine he experienced abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Also dark urine and gray-colored stools were noticed, so that the patient stopped taking ticlopidine. 40 days after starting ticlopidine he was admitted to our hospital because of cholestatic jaundice. Serum alkaline phosphatase (305 U/l) and gamma GT (143 U/l) were elevated, the total bilirubin was 18.6 mg/dl at peak. GOT and GPT were 2.7 fold increased. After exclusion of a viral infection and autoimmune disease liver biopsy was performed, which showed a centroacinar cholestasis compatible with a drug-induced liver damage. 79 days after discontinuation of the drug laboratory signs of cholestasis had disappeared. In patients in whom long-term therapy with ticlopidine is indicated regularly laboratory tests and clinical examinations should be done to recognize infrequent side effects such as the cholestatic hepatitis in time.

[Retroperitoneal fibrosis as the etiology for recent onset of abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting--a rare and easily missed differential diagnosis]. / Retroperitoneale Fibrose als Ursache für rezent aufgetretene Abdominalschmerzen, Ubelkeit und Erbrechen--eine seltene und leicht zu übersehende Differentialdiagnose.

Retroperitoneal fibrosis is a rare disease with unspecific symptomatic signs. Mortality rates are high with a 10-year mortality rate of 10 to 20%. We describe a case of a 55 year old woman with retroperitoneal fibrosis and discuss clinical findings, symptomatic signs, diagnosis, and treatment of this rare disease.