ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To describe the perioperative management of a patient with acquired angioedema (AAE). METHODS: A 66-year-old Caucasian male presented from an outside hospital with a history of acquired angioedema and gastrointestinal stromal tumor-related intractable urticaria and mastocytosis. He was admitted for urgent laparoscopic partial gastrectomy, secondary to gastric outlet obstruction symptomatology. Previous combined attacks were characterized by a widespread rash, abdominal pain and respiratory distress resulting in hospitalization. Following preoperative consultation with the patient's allergist and a hospital pharmacist, he was treated preoperatively with fresh frozen plasma and his home prednisone dose. C1-inhibitor (Berinert®) was on standby along with epinephrine, given that the underlying etiology (C1- inhibitor deficiency vs histaminergic) was not known. RESULTS: There were no intraoperative complications, and the patient was discharged home 3 days after the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Optimization of perioperative outcomes in patients, especially during urgent or emergent surgery, with a history of angioedema requires the development of a patient-specific perioperative plan, including prophylaxis, rescue therapies and opioid-sparing strategies.
ABSTRACT
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating intestinal disease of premature infants. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is one of the most promising candidates in NEC prophylaxis. Autophagy regulates cell homeostasis, but uncontrolled activation of autophagy may lead to cellular injury. The aim was to evaluate the effects of EGF on intestinal autophagy in epithelial cells and in the rat NEC model and measure autophagy in NEC patients. Intestinal epithelial cells (IEC-6) and the rat NEC model were used to study the effect of EGF on intestinal autophagy. Protein levels of Beclin 1 and LC3II were measured in the intestinal epithelium in both in vivo and in vitro models. Ultrastructural changes in intestinal epithelium were studied by electron microscopy. Expression of Beclin 1, LC3II, and p62 protein was evaluated in biopsies from NEC patients. Autophagy was induced in IEC-6 cells and inhibited by adding EGF into the culture. In the rat NEC model, EGF treatment of NEC reduced expression of Beclin 1 and LC3II in ileal epithelium. Morphologically, typical signs of autophagy were observed in the epithelium of the NEC group, but not in the EGF group. A strong signal for Beclin 1 and LC3II was detected in the intestine from patients with NEC. Autophagy is activated in the intestinal epithelium of NEC patients and in the ileum of NEC rats. Supplementation of EGF blocks intestinal autophagy in both in vivo and in vitro conditions. Results from this study indicate that EGF-mediated protection against NEC injury is associated with regulation of intestinal autophagy.
