Pain Management in a Terminally Ill Patient with a Surrogate Decision-maker: A Challenge.

When health care proxies are in charge of pain management, it may become very difficult to address the patient's pain if the health care proxy has misconceptions about analgesics. We report a case of an 87-year-old lady who was found to be pulseless, and after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), was intubated and remained so for over a month in the intensive care unit (ICU). The medical team could not provide the patient with pain medication, as the daughter who was the surrogate decision-maker did not allow the administration of any pain medication in the false belief that it would kill the patient. This case helps us to shed light on the surrogate decision-maker and pain management and how medical professionals can solve similar issues in the future. Early consultation with palliative care may be beneficial. For continued disagreement, the ethics committee should be consulted.

Pneumatosis intestinalis: cost paid for rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

A 75-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis on rituximab presented with a 1-week history of constipation and abdominal distension. Subsequent workup showed presence of air in the bowel wall without perforation initially. Due to positive blood cultures, worsening leucocytosis and high suspicion for perforation, an exploratory laparotomy was performed revealing necrotic bowel, walled off perforation and abscess. Patient underwent right hemicolectomy with diversion loop ileostomy. Clinicians must recognise that monoclonal antibodies like rituximab can mask signs of inflammation and therefore should maintain a high index of suspicion for intestinal perforation when evaluating patients with minimal symptoms and pneumatosis intestinalis.

Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm following percutaneous transhepatic cholangiogram: an extremely rare complication.

A 72-year-old female patient who was admitted for ischaemic stroke had developed ascending cholangitis. Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiogram was performed to drain the infected bile, but this was complicated by haemorrhagic shock and hepatic haematoma. Mesenteric angiogram showed right hepatic artery (RHA) pseudoaneurysm which was embolised, there by stopping her bleeding. RHA is normally located posterior to common bile duct (CBD). An uncommon location of RHA is anterior to CBD, which can lead to haemorrhagic complications during percutaneous cholangiogram.

Experience with endoscopic resection of oesophageal verrucous carcinoma and literature review.

A 65-year-old male patient with chronic dysphagia was found to have a 2 cm mass at gastro-oesophageal junction on endoscopy. Biopsy showed squamous hyperplasia without malignancy. Controlled radial expansion balloon dilatation and partial resection were performed but the symptoms recurred. He finally underwent endoscopic mucosa resection and histology showed well-differentiated verruciform squamous proliferation limited to the mucosa. Small amounts of tumour remnants were treated during subsequent follow-up endoscopies and the patient has been tumour free since then. Diagnosis of oesophageal verrucous carcinoma can be challenging and could be managed with endoscopic resection. In this report, we review the literature and present our experience with a patient with oesophageal verrucous carcinoma.

Heterotopic Respiratory Mucosa in the Rectum: An Unusual Type and Site of Heterotopia in the Gastrointestinal Tract.

Although pancreatic and gastric heterotopias are common findings in the gastrointestinal tract, heterotopic respiratory mucosa (HRM) in the rectum is extremely rare and has only been reported twice previously. We are presenting, to our knowledge, the third case of HRM in the rectum. A 56-year-old man with a history of chronic diarrhea presented for diagnostic colonoscopy, where he was found to have a rectal subepithelial nodule. He was subsequently referred to a tertiary medical center for further evaluation with rectal endoscopic ultrasound. Endoscopically, the nodule was hypoechoic, 2 to 3 mm in size, located in the submucosa, and did not appear to invade the muscularis propria. An uncomplicated endoscopic submucosal resection was subsequently performed. Microscopically, the nodule showed a multicystic complex lesion located in the submucosa, lined by ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium and surrounded by thin to moderately thick smooth muscle bundles and multiple lobules of seromucinous glands. There was associated acute and chronic inflammation. The rectum overlying the subepithelial lesion was lined by congested and edematous colonic mucosa and demonstrated no connection with the underlying cystic lesion. Immunohistochemical stains showed positive p63 basal cell staining in the respiratory epithelium of the lesion, while CDX2, TTF-1, and estrogen receptors were all negative. HRM is a benign nonneoplastic lesion with unclear etiology. Pathologists and gastroenterologists should be aware of this entity and consider it in their differential diagnosis for a subepithelial nodule in the rectum, keeping in mind that neoplastic processes can also develop in this location.