ABSTRACT
Myxedema Coma (MC) is a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs as a severe complication of untreated or poorly managed hypothyroidism. Prompt diagnosis is crucial as the condition can rapidly deteriorate and lead to life-threatening complications. Timely treatment of myxedema coma with intravenous levothyroxine is the cornerstone of treatment, along with glucocorticoids to support adrenal function. This condition is associated with cardiovascular manifestations that contribute to its high mortality rate. The heart in hypothyroidism typically shows reversible dysfunction that can be corrected with hormonal supplementation, and in some cases, requires inotropic and aminergic support. This case involves a patient who was admitted to the intensive care unit with suspected MC, and necessitated life-saving hormonal and cardiovascular support to manage the condition.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Past transcranial Doppler (TCD) studies have documented the effects of the sequence of anesthesia induction followed by intubation on cerebral blood flow (CBF) velocity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether acousto-optic CBF monitoring would detect changes in CBF which are known to occur with propofol and subsequent endotracheal intubation. METHODS: Seventy-two patients scheduled for elective non-intracranial surgery were evaluated. A Cerox 3215F (Ornim Medical) acousto-optic CBF monitor was used. The acousto-optic transducers were applied bifrontally prior to induction. Baseline cerebral flow index (CFI) values were obtained for at least 2 min prior to induction, set to a unitless value of 100. Subsequent relative changes in CFI from baseline were determined at the lowest value over 3 min after propofol injection but before laryngoscopy; and the highest value over 5 min after the start of laryngoscopy. CFI data were evaluated using Friedman's test. RESULTS: The median dose of propofol [interquartile range] given was 200 mg [160-250]. CFI decreased to 84 % of baseline after propofol and increased to 147 % of baseline after endotracheal intubation (both p < 0.001); MAP decreased after intravenous induction of anesthesia from 103 ± 15 to 86 ± 15 mmHg (p < 0.001) and then returned following endotracheal intubation to 104 ± 20 mmHg. CONCLUSIONS: Our data are congruent with previous observations made with TCD under similar experimental conditions. Such observations support the notion that acousto-optic monitoring yields valid real-time measures of changes in CBF in humans. Further validation against other quantitative measures of CBF would be appropriate.
Subject(s)
Anesthesia/standards , Cerebrovascular Circulation/physiology , Hypnotics and Sedatives/pharmacology , Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring/standards , Multimodal Imaging/standards , Optical Imaging/standards , Propofol/pharmacology , Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared/standards , Ultrasonography, Doppler/standards , Adult , Aged , Anesthesia/methods , Arterial Pressure/drug effects , Arterial Pressure/physiology , Bariatric Surgery , Cerebrovascular Circulation/drug effects , Female , Humans , Hypnotics and Sedatives/administration & dosage , Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring/methods , Intubation, Intratracheal , Laryngoscopy , Male , Middle Aged , Multimodal Imaging/methods , Optical Imaging/methods , Propofol/administration & dosage , Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared/methods , Ultrasonography, Doppler/methodsABSTRACT
Personalized medicine refers to the application of an individual's biological fingerprint - the comprehensive dataset of unique biological information - to optimize medical care. While the principle itself is straightforward, its implementation remains challenging. Advances in pharmacogenomics as well as functional assays of vascular biology now permit improved characterization of an individual's response to medical therapy for vascular disease. This review describes novel strategies designed to permit tailoring of four major pharmacotherapeutic drug classes within vascular medicine: antiplatelet therapy, antihypertensive therapy, lipid-lowering therapy, and antithrombotic therapy. Translation to routine clinical practice awaits the results of ongoing randomized clinical trials comparing personalized approaches with standard of care management.
