Removal of Indwelling Urinary Catheter Two Days After Colovesical Fistula Repair: a Single-Arm Prospective Trial.

BACKGROUND: Colovesical fistulas are uncommon but associated with significant morbidity and reduced quality of life. In cases with diverticular etiology, surgical management involves single-stage colonic resection with anastomosis and simple or no bladder repair. No single approach to postoperative bladder management has been widely accepted. Although historically a Foley catheter remained in place for about 2 weeks, elevated risk of the attendant complications has motivated exploring shorter durations. This study examined the feasibility and safety of removing the Foley catheter on postoperative day two. METHODS: Patients with colovesical fistula due to diverticular disease undergoing colectomy with simple or no bladder repair were enrolled in this single-arm prospective trial conducted at a large community health system. The primary outcome was removal of the Foley catheter on postoperative day two after negative cystogram without re-insertion prior to hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes were complications after Foley catheter removal and hospital length of stay. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals were calculated for the outcomes. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients were enrolled. About half (54%) of procedures were open, with 33% requiring simple bladder repair. Ninety-six percent (95% confidence interval, 79-99%) of patients had their Foley catheter removed on postoperative day two after a negative cystogram. There were no complications. Mean (range) hospital length of stay was 4.3 (2-6) days. DISCUSSION: Foley catheter removal after negative cystogram on postoperative day two appears to be feasible and safe in the setting of diverticulitis-related colovesical fistula repair. Further research on a larger number of patients should confirm these findings.

The utility and accuracy of four equations in predicting sodium levels in dysnatremic patients.

BACKGROUND: Improper correction of hyponatremia can cause severe complications, including osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS). The Adrogué-Madias equation (AM), the Barsoum-Levine (BL) equation, the Electrolyte Free Water Clearance (EFWC) equation and the Nguyen-Kurtz (NK) equation are four derived equations based on the empirically derived Edelman equation for predicting sodium at a later time (Na2) from a known starting sodium (Na1), fluid/electrolyte composition and input and output volumes. METHODS: Our retrospective study included 43 data points from 31 mostly hyponatremic patients. We calculated Na2 based on five sets of rules that were progressively more precisely calculated. Sets A-D included all 31 patients and 43 data points and set E was based on 15 patients and 27 data points. RESULTS: The root mean square error was calculated and found to be between 4.79 and 6.37 mmol/L (mEq/L) for all sets. Bland-Altman analysis showed high variability and discrepancies between the predicted and actual Na2. CONCLUSIONS: Like similar studies in hypernatremic patients, the data suggest that hyponatremic modeling equations are not reliably accurate in predicting Na2 from Na1 and available clinical data regarding sodium, potassium and fluid balance over longer time frames (12-30 h). Our study was retrospective and was done in an inpatient setting and thus was subject to limitations and laboratory measurement variability, but showed that all four equations are not able to reliably predict Na2 from Na1 and inputs across a 12-30 h period.

Sofosbuvir plus ribavirin for the treatment of chronic genotype 4 hepatitis C virus infection in patients of Egyptian ancestry.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We conducted an open-label phase 2 study to assess the efficacy and safety of the oral nucleotide polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir in combination with ribavirin in patients of Egyptian ancestry, chronically infected with genotype 4 hepatitis C virus (HCV). METHODS: Treatment-naive and previously treated patients with genotype 4 HCV were randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive sofosbuvir 400mg and weight-based ribavirin, for 12 or 24 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of patients with sustained virologic response (HCV RNA <25IU/ml) 12 weeks after cessation of therapy (SVR12). RESULTS: Thirty treatment-naive and thirty previously treated patients were enrolled and treated for 12 weeks (n=31) or 24 weeks (n=29). Overall, 23% of patients had cirrhosis and 38% had diabetes. 14% of treatment-naive patients were interferon ineligible and 63% of treatment-experienced patients had prior non-response. SVR12 was achieved by 68% of patients (95% CI, 49-83%) in the 12-week group, and by 93% of patients (95% CI, 77-99%) in the 24-week group. The most common adverse events were headache, insomnia, and fatigue. No patient discontinued treatment due to an adverse event. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from the present study suggest that 24 weeks of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin is an efficacious and well tolerated treatment in patients with HCV genotype 4 infection.

Three Presentations of Takayasu's Arteritis in Hispanic Patients.

Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is a medium and large vessel vasculitis, defined as a nonspecific aortitis that usually involves the aorta and its branches Kobayashi and Numano (2002). Its etiology remains unclear, and its complications are diverse and severe, including stenosis of the thoracic and abdominal aorta, aortic valve damage and regurgitation, and stenosis of the branches of the aorta. Carotid stenosis, coronary artery aneurysms, and renal artery stenosis resulting in renovascular hypertension are also reported sequellae of TA Kobayashi and Numano (2002). The disease was first described in Japan, but has also been diagnosed in India and Mexico Johnston (2002). Its incidence in the United States has been quoted as 2.6 patients per 1,000,000 people/year Johnston (2002). In Japan, its incidence is 3.6 patients per 1,000,000 patients/year and prevalence is 7.85 patients per 100,000 per year Morita et al. (1996). The natural history of this disease, which is commonly present in Asian populations, has only recently been studied in Hispanic patients despite the notable incidence and prevalence of TA in Mexican, South American, and Indian populations (Johnston 2002, Gamarra et al. 2010 ). We present three cases of Hispanic patients who presented with TA at Olive-View-UCLA Medical Center (OVMC). We review their clinical and radiographic presentations. Finally, we review the literature to compare the clinical features of our three patients with data regarding the presentation of TA in more traditional Asian populations.