Pyelo-hepatic abscess caused by staghorn stone infection: a case report.

BACKGROUND: The most common source of pyogenic liver abscess is biliary tract infection. Other less common routes include the spread of bacteria from distant foci. However, direct extension of a perinephric infection focus to the liver is extremely rare. CASE REPORT: The patient was a non-diabetic, immunocompetent, 29-year-old woman of mixed race ancestry with a history of recurrent urinary tract infections who was referred to our hospital because of an ultrasound-detected liver abscess. She was initially treated with metronidazole for 20 days at the referring institution for suspected amebic abscess without improvement. On admission to our center, she was febrile and complained of a dull right upper quadrant pain. A POCUS ultrasound suggested a pyogenic abscess, probably from a staghorn calculus infection. She received meroperem and amikacin for 22 and 10 days, respectively. Repeat hemocultures showed no growth, but urine cultures were positive for Proteus sp. Complete remission of clinical and imaging findings was observed under antibiotics. The patient was referred to the urology outpatient clinic to discuss the option of radical nephrectomy. CONCLUSION : This case underlines the high morbidity of staghorn calculi.

Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum in a 15-Year-Old Adolescent After Unintended Overexposure to Paint Diluent (Thinner) Fumes: First Reported Case.

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) is the presence of air in the mediastinal interstices in the absence of any surgical or medical procedure, chest trauma, or mechanical ventilation. SPM can occur during vigorous Valsalva maneuvers, such as weight lifting, coughing fits, hyperemesis gravidarum, and so on, or during inhalation of illicit substances or toxic agents, as a result of an abrupt increase in pressure in the tracheal tree. Preexisting underlying lung disease may be a contributing factor. In the present case, we report for the first time an SPM due to accidental overexposure to paint thinner in a 15-year-old male from a low-income rural family. He was offered a job painting the inside of a house, which he accepted to earn some money for the family household. However, due to his inexperience, he overdosed on a can of paint with thinner. About 2 h after starting work, he began to feel increasingly severe chest pain and had to be rushed to the local level one basic hospital by his parents. Physical examination revealed subcutaneous emphysema over the supraclavicular area and crackles in the precordial area. Chest radiographs showed a pneumomediastinum. In retrospect, the patient denied coughing or sneezing attacks after exposure. He was transferred to a regional tertiary hospital for further diagnostic evaluation to rule out airway/esophageal perforation. Chest computed tomography confirmed underlying SPM and subcutaneous emphysema. The oesophagogram and bronchoscopy were unremarkable. SPM, possibly secondary to overexposure to thinner vapors, a hydrocarbon-based compound, was the final diagnosis. The patient was discharged asymptomatic on day 5.

Acute hemodialysis catheter follows the path of least resistance.

The placement of large bore double-lumen catheters for hemodialysis (HD) is one of the most frequent procedures performed in HD patients. However, these procedures are associated with complications, the most common being catheter malposition. In this context, catheter deviation to the left superior intercostal vein (LISV) is a very uncommon malposition, which must be differentiated from intrathoracic extravascular catheter lodgment. We report a case of an adult male patient on hemodialysis who presented with a thrombosed arteriovenous fistula and requiring urgent HD. His past medical history included hemophilia, allergy to contrast media, and multiple previous central vein catheterizations. A non-tunneled HD catheter was placed without any difficulty in the left internal jugular vein. However, the arterial lumen failed to pull any blood with free flow in the venous lumen. A chest X-ray revealed a surprising finding. The malpositioned catheter was removed successfully without any complications.

Myiasis in a Neglected Elderly: Urgent Action Needed in South America.

Background: Myiasis is an infestation by fly larvae. Some species exclusively affect humans, contaminating wounds, mucous membranes, and other tissues. It is a disease with marked socioeconomic connotations. Case Presentation: The current case involves a 95-year-old woman, an inhabitant of the Andean region of Ecuador with a history of resection of basal cell carcinoma in the left zygomatic region and a diagnosis of chronic leukemia. The surgical wound was secondarily infested with Cochliomyia hominivorax fly larvae and the patient was readmitted to the hospital to treat this complication. A marked clinical improvement was observed after surgical debridement, removal of larvae and administration of ivermectin and antibiotics. Conclusion: The determinants of this infestation were advanced age, neglect, and destitution in a patient with an open wound on the face after resection of a basal cell carcinoma. This case illustrates the appalling reality of the marginalized and excluded population of South America. Also of concern is the expansion of myiasis-producing fly populations to areas outside their natural humid and warm habitat. South American governments are called upon to act jointly and effectively against this ominous disease.

Conservative management of an extensive renal graft subcapsular hematoma arising during living donor nephrectomy. Role of Doppler sonographic posttransplant follow-up.

We report a case of subcapsular hematoma (SH) of a kidney graft arising during minimal-incision living-donor nephrectomy. SH covered at least two-thirds of the cortical surface. Capsulotomy was not done because it was deemed too risky. In the immediate postoperative period, a rapid deterioration of graft function was observed associated with Doppler sonographic evidence of graft compression. However, in the following days, spontaneous resolution of SH and progressive improvement of Doppler findings was observed, which preceded full recovery of graft function. Conservative management seemed a valid approach of this complication in this case where Doppler sonography proved essential for the follow-up.

Subcutaneous transposition of the superficial femoral artery for arterioarterial hemodialysis: technique and results.

We report the use of subcutaneous transposition of the femoral artery (STFA) for placement of both inflow and outflow needles in 14 hemodialysis (HD) adult patients with difficult access. Follow-up time was 318 months during which a total of 3215 arterioarterial HD sessions were done. Kt/V values ranged between 0.71 and 1.59. Elevated access recirculation and dialysis outflow pressures were common findings to all patients. Complications were: (i) two episodes of bleeding secondary to puncture-related arterial wall laceration, repaired by stitching; (ii) three episodes of thrombosis in two patients, all successfully declotted; (iii) three puncture-related complications needing placement of a vein interposition graft, namely, aneurysm, pseudoaneurysm, and arterial stenosis; and (iv) one case of arterial ligation because of suppurative puncture site infection, without subsequent distal ischemia signs or claudication. The use of STFA should only be reserved for patients in urgent need for vascular access with no remaining options.

Angiotomographically-proven left innominate vein occlusion in dialysis patients with prior left internal jugular vein catheterization presenting with arm swelling after ipsilateral access creation: report of four cases.

Central vein occlusion (CVO) is not uncommonly observed after hemodialysis (HD) catheter placement and it may prevent subsequent ipsilateral arteriovenous (AV) access creation. Right internal jugular vein catheterization (RJVC) appears to be the insertion site with the lowest incidence of CVO, but little is known about the incidence of CVO following left internal jugular vein catheterization (LJVC). We report on four patients with left innominate vein occlusion after LJVC who developed severe arm swelling after ipsilateral AV access creation. In three of the four cases swelling appeared 12-26 months after access creation, and in the fourth, swelling developed immediately after surgery while the catheter was still in place. Two patients underwent access ligation and in the remainder the arm swelling improved either spontaneously or after LJVC removal. LJVC is not as safe as RJVC as an insertion route for HD catheter placement in terms of CVO frequency.

Vein wall dissection: a rare puncture-related complication of brachiocephalic fistula. Gray-scale and color Doppler sonographic findings.

We describe a case of brachiocephalic fistula vein wall dissection (VWD) occurring in a 36-year-old female hemodialysis patient. Unlike subcutaneous or subfascial infiltrations for which the mechanism is blood extravasation, VWD seems to be due to disruption of the fistula vein layers caused by misplacement of the outflow (venous) needle bevel. In this setting, the pressure of the dialysis blood pump acts as the driving force of the dissecting column, extending it proximally. Gray-scale and color Doppler sonography proved to be very useful in the differential diagnosis of VWD, particularly with thrombosis of the fistula. Sonography also helped us decide when to resume cannulations.

Reversible leukoencephalopathy syndrome associated to leukopenia in a chronic hemodialysis patient.

Reversible leukoencephalopathy syndrome (RLS) is a rare brain disorder, characterized by diffuse attenuation of cerebral white matter, which has been most commonly observed in transplant patients receiving calcineurin inhibitors or in patients with severe hypertension. We report an episode of RLS in a 22-year-old male patient on chronic hemodialysis with well-controlled moderate hypertension who presented with de novo headache and generalized seizures. Cranial magnetic resonance image (MRI) revealed multiple areas of increased signal intensity in the white matter on T2-weighed images which resolved spontaneously at subsequent MRIs. White blood cell count showed leucopenia with normal CD4 count at flow cytometry. A viral etiology could not be demonstrated. Reversible leukoencephaolopathy syndrome symptoms remitted within 72 h but leukopenia persisted over 10 months. The patient received a kidney transplant 15 months after RLS onset and has received cyclosporine since the second post-transplant day. No recurrence of RLS symptoms has been observed. The etiology of the MRI changes in the present case seemed not to be either vasogenic or cytotoxic.

Right versus left internal jugular vein catheterization for hemodialysis: complications and impact on ipsilateral access creation.

This study investigated whether the anatomical differences between right and left internal jugular vein catheterization (RJVC and LJVC) would lead to differences in the frequency of complications, in particular, central vein occlusion (CVO). A group of 479 jugular vein catheterizations, 403 RJVC and 77 LJVC done in 294 prevalent hemodialysis patients were analyzed. A right-sided carotid pseudoaneurysm was the only major puncture-related complication. A total of 78 RJVC and 17 LJVC were inserted more than once in the same position. Of the RJVC, 44 (10.9%) of 403 were removed because of infection compared with 16 (20.8%) of 77 LJVC (P < 0.02). The overall incidence of infections was 1.58 episodes of infection per 1000 catheter days, 1.57 for RJVC and 3.72 for LJVC, respectively. Catheter dwell times were not different. A group of 127 patients with former RJVC and 44 with LJVC had ipsilateral arteriovenous access (RJVC+ and LJVC+ group, respectively). Four diabetic LJVC+ developed severe arm swelling secondary to CVO leading ultimately to access ligation. The RJVC+ group had no access ligated. LJVC may cause CVO in diabetics.

Ulnar-basilic fistula: indications, surgical aspects, puncture technique, and results.

Ulnar-basilic fistula (UBF) is an autogenic vascular access option for hemodialysis (HD) first reported in 1967. However, only a few reports dealing with its complications and survival rates have been published in the literature. In the present work the results of 61 UBFs done in 60 adult patients on chronic HD are reported. Forty UBFs were created as primary access and the remaining 21 UBF as secondary access after: (a) thrombosis of an ipsilateral radiocephalic fistula (RCF) in 6 cases, (b) thrombosis of a contralateral RCF in 7 cases, and (c) thrombosis of a brachiocephalic fistula in 2 cases. No episodes of surgical complications, arterial steal, or ulnar nerve damage were observed. Five UBFs thrombosed within the first week after surgery. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year unassisted survival rates were 70.9%, 67.7%, and 57.3%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those reported previously. The inclusion of UBF in routine access plans is recommended.

Basic steps for increasing the rate of autogenic vascular accesses for hemodialysis.

The number of patients on chronic hemodialysis (HD) is steadily increasing worldwide. The creation of a well-functioning vascular access represents a critical aspect in their management. Autogenous arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) are considered the first choice vascular access in terms of lower morbidity and costs, and higher survival rates when compared with grafts. However, creating AVF at high rates is a complex task that requires a multidisciplinary approach, which includes nephrologists, access surgeons, dialysis nurses and radiologists. In the present work we review concisely the basic steps, for preserving all potential autogenic sites at both upper extremities for future AVF creation and, for prolonging the length of AVF survival. We feel that a more proactive involvement of nephrologists in the basic steps for AVF creation would substantially contribute to increase AVF rates among HD patients.

Seguridad en la conversión de ciclosporina tradicional a ciclosporina como microemulsión en trasplante renal estable: estudio cooperativo / Safety of the conversion of cyclosporine a to cyclosporine in microemulsion in stable renal transplant patient: a colaborative study

Estudios recientes evidencian que la presentación en microemulsión de la ciclosporina ofrece ventajas gracias a un perfil farmacocinético más estable y un manejo clínico de los pacientes más fácil. Con el objeto de evaluar la seguridad de la conversión 1:1 de ciclosporina tradicional (CyT) a ciclosporina en microemulsión (CyN) llevamos a cabo un estudio clínico abierto en 18 pacientes con transplante de riñon por más de 6 meses, con edad promedio de 40.9 ñ 3.2 años (rango 18-65), 56 por ciento del sexo femenino, quienes permanecieron en control durante todo el período de estudio. Después de dos semanas de observación, el estudio se dividio en dos fases: I: durante 4 semanas los pacientes recibieron CyT a una dosis fija promedio de 3.056 ñ 0.25 mg/Kg/d y una fase II: durante las siguientes 6 semanas cuando se realizó la conversión a CyN con ajustes de la dosis en caso necesario (dosis promedio administrada 2.887 ñ 0.21 mg/Kg/d). En ambas fases se realizó monitoreo semanal de evolución clínica, de parámetros de laboratorio que incluyeron función renal, niveles de Ciclosporina A (CyA), hematología y examen de orina asi como la aparición de efectos adversos. Los resultados no mostraron diferencias significativas en los parámetros de laboratorio en las diferentes fases, ni tampoco hubo diferencias en las dosis de ciclosporina administrada. En cuanto a la incidencia de efectos adversos en ambas fases se reportó hiperplasia gingival (5 por ciento) lo que se relacionó de manera "probable" a la ciclosporina y en la fase II se reportó temblor fino (17 por ciento) se relacionado "definitivamente" a la droga. Los pacientes manifestaron tolerar la droga "muy bien" en 72.23 por ciento de los casos y "bien" en 16.66 por ciento. En conclusión, nuestros hallazgos muestran que la conversión de CyT a CyN es segura y bien tolerada por los pacientes y considerando las ventajas en las propiedades farmacocinéticas que se reflejan en el manejo clínico y la ausencia de incremento de efectos adversos importantes, recomendamos el uso preferencial de CyN en el tratamiento inmunosupresor de pacientes con trasplante renal estable

Impacto del programa de coordinadores hospitalarios en la obtención de riñones para trasplante renal / Role of the transplant coordinator program in organ procurement for transplant

La dificultad para la obtención de órganos para trasplante es uno de los principales factores que limitan el desarrollo de los programas de reemplazo de órganos. En la búsqueda de altervativas para incrementar la donación de órganos, se llevó a cabo un estudio piloto del Centro Nacional de Diálisis y Trasplante con el Programa de Coordinadores Hospitalarios (PCH), durante 6 meses, para cumplir las siguientes funciones: difundir programas de educación contínua, detección y vigilancia de donantes potenciales, solicitud de autorización familiar e interconexión informativa. Se detectaron 45 predonantes con una edad promedio de 25.8 ñ 1.6 años, 36 del sexo masculino (80 por ciento). Ninguno estaba registrado como donante voluntario. Las principales causas de muerte fueron: los traumatismos cráneo-encefálicos en un 57.8 por ciento y los accidentes cerebrovasculares en 22.2 por ciento. El 42.3 por ciento de los predonantes fue detectado en los servicios de emergencia, 33.3 por ciento en las unidades de cuidado intensivo y el 24 por ciento en recuperación de cirugía. La efectividad de conversión de predonantes a donantes fue de 19 por ciento. El 71 por ciento no pudo ser convertido a donante efectivo por las siguientes causas: negativa de autorización familiar 44 por ciento, paro cardio-respiratorio precoz 13 por ciento, función renal alterada 6 por ciento, falta de apoyo ventilatorio 6 por ciento, antígeno de superficie para hepatitis B (+) 6 por ciento, no disponibilidad del equipo quirúrgico 3 por ciento. En el 9 por ciento restante no se reportó la causa. Se cpncluye que el Programa de Coordinación Hospitalaria es efectivo para la detección de pre-donantes, suministrando además una información útil tanto para determinar posibles fallas en el manejo de donantes potenciales como para evaluar y orientar las campañas de captación de donantes voluntarios

Cateterismo percutáneo de la vena yugular interna para hemodiálisis: experiencia en el Hospital Universitario de Maracaibo / Percutaneous internal jugular vein catheterization for hemodialysis

En el presente estudio se reportan los resultados de 200 cateterismos percutáneos de la vena yugular interna (VYI) para hemodiálisis efectuados en 161 pacientes, 95 varones y 66 mujeres, cuya edad fue 39,77 ñ 12,9 años (X ñ DE). Un total de 124 pacientes tenían una insuficiencia renal crónica terminal y no contaban con una fístula arteriovenosa u otra variedad de acceso vascular disponible. No se observaron complicaciones mayores por la punción. En un caso, ocurrió la ruptura del catéter el cual se encuentra establemente alojado en vena cava superior desde hace 10 meses de acuerdo a los controles radiológicos. El tiempo de permanencia de todos los catéteres fue de 15,23 ñ 13,18 días (X ñ DE). En 18 pacientes se observó infección del catéter siendo en éstos el tiempo de permanencia (18,33 ñ 7,69) significativamente mayor (p<0,05) que en los infectados (14,93 ñ 14,23). No hubo diferencias en el número de hemodiálisis en catéteres infectados y no infectados. El germen más frecuentemente encontrado fue S.aureus. En 73 pacientes en quienes se efectuó arteriovenosa ipsilateral al sitio de colocación del catéter no se observó ningún aumento del patrón de resistencia venosa o la aparición de un edema doloroso del miembro. se concluye que el cateterismo percutáneo de la VYI representa una vía de abordaje temporal e inmediato de primera elección para todo paciente que requiera tratamiento hemodialítico

Rechazo agudo precoz en trasplante renal / Early acute refection in keney transplantation

Se analizó la incidencia de rechazo agudo precoz (dos primeros meses después de cirugía) en un grupo de 150 trasplantados renales seguidos por un período mayor de tres meses. Noventa y nueve pacientes fueron trasplantados con riñon de cadaver y 51 con donante vivo. Ciento cuarenta y dos pacientes recibieron terapia triple inmunosupresora (ciclosporina prednisona y azatioprima). La incidencia de rechazo agudo precoz fue significativamente mayor en receptores de riñon de cadáver (34%) vs. 19,6% p = 0,04 prueba exacta de Fisher). Sin embargo, el rechazo agudo precoz no incidió en la sobrevida del injerto, del paciente, ni en la función renal. Igualmente, la severidad del rechazo agudo, tampoco influyó en la sobrevida del injerto ni del receptor

Embarazo en trasplante renales: evaluación de los niños a largo plazo / Pregnancy in renal trasplant recipients: long term evaluation of the children

Se analizó la evaluación de 8 embarazos ocurridos en 7 embarazadas trasplantadas. El tratamiento inmunosupresor de todas las pacientes consistio en Azatioprina y Prednisona. La duración de los embarazos osciló entre 32 y 39 semanas y el desarrollo fetal fue adecuado a la edad gestacional en todos los casos. Hubo tres pacientes, quienes presentaron complicaciones durante el embarazo. En un caso se trató de hipertensión arterial severa, proteinuria y edema en piernas lo cual se interpretó como pre-eclampsia. Otra paciente presentó ictericia colestásica y ruptura prematura de membranas y la paciente restante presentó ruptura prematura de membranas. Cuatro partos se produjeron por vía vaginal y 4 por cesárea, sin complicaciones en ningún caso. En ninguno de los embarazos ni en el período de seguimiento se produjo deterioro de la función renal. Durante el embarazo, la depuración de creatinina se mantuvo estable. En la evaluación clínica practicada a los niños cuyas edades oscilaron entre 4 meses y 8 años, no se encontraron anormalidades en el crecimiento ni en el desarrollo

Osteodistrofia renal en Maracaibo / Renal osteodystrophy in Maracaibo

Se estudiaron un total de 49 pacientes en hemodiálisis crónica quienes se dializaban 3 veces por semana con agua no tratada de alto contenido alumínico. El aluminio (Al) en sangre de estos pacientes estaba por lo tanto muy elevado (>100 *g/L). En todos los pacientes se realizó una biopsia de la cresta ilíaca, la cual fue evaluada por medio de la histomorfolometría para la determinación de la variedad osteodistrófica, aplicándose además tinciones para detección de depósitos de Al a nivel óseo (Aluminio). Adicionalmente se cuantificó el contenido óseo de aluminio por medio de Espectrometría de Absorción Atómica. El tipo osteodistrófico más frecuentemente encontrado (63,3%) fue el tipo III (OM/OF) o tipo mixto, que consiste en la presencia de una hiperosteoidosis asociada a lesiones de hiperparatiroidismo. Los pacientes restantes (37,7%) mostraban una osteomalacia pura (hiperosteoidosis) o tipo II (OM). En el 70% de los pacientes se encontraron depósitos óseos de Al en el frente de mineralización que fueron más frecuentes en el tipo II (OM). Las manifestaciones óseas fueron más frecuentes entre los pacientes que presentaron depósitos de AL, independientemente del tipo histológico. Se concluye que la biopsia ósea debe realizarse en todo paciente que presente valores de aluminio en sangre y dolor óseo pues la asociación de estos dos hallazgos casi siempre coincide con la presencia de depósito óseo de Al