Plasmapheresis in the ICU.

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is a treatment paradigm used to remove harmful molecules from the body. In short, it is a technique that employs a process that functions partially outside the body and involves the replacement of the patient's plasma. It has been used in the ICU for a number of different disease states, for some as a first-line treatment modality and for others as a type of salvage therapy. This paper provides a brief review of the principles, current applications, and potential future directions of TPE in critical care settings.

Disseminated Nocardia Brain Abscess Presenting as Primary Lung Cancer With Brain Metastasis.

We present a challenging case of disseminated Nocardia brasiliensis infection manifesting as brain and skin abscesses. Nocardia is an important potential pathogen to consider in patients with a relevant travel history to endemic regions or atypical presentations, such as brain and skin abscesses. About one-third of patients with Nocardia infections are immunocompetent, and their symptoms are nonspecific. This case shows the limitations of imaging studies in diagnosing Nocardia brain abscesses, as the patient's non-magnetic resonance (MR) conditional pacemaker precluded MRI evaluation and led to a diagnostic challenge. Therefore, the patient's initial evaluation was presumed to be primary lung cancer with brain metastasis. High clinical suspicion, imaging studies (especially MRI), and tissue biopsy are needed to diagnose this type of brain abscess in a timely manner to prevent further complications.

Clinical outcomes and prognostic factors in triple-negative invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast.

PURPOSE: Triple-negative invasive lobular carcinoma (TN-ILC) of breast cancer is a rare disease and the clinical outcomes and prognostic factors are not well-defined. METHODS: Women with stage I-III TN-ILC or triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma (TN-IDC) of the breast undergoing mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery between 2010 and 2018 in the National Cancer Database were included. Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression were used to compare overall survival (OS) and evaluate prognostic factors. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to analyze the factors associated with pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. RESULTS: The median age at diagnosis for women with TN-ILC was 67 years compared to 58 years in TN-IDC (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the OS between TN-ILC and TN-IDC in multivariate analysis (HR 0.96, p = 0.44). Black race and higher TNM stage were associated with worse OS, whereas receipt of chemotherapy or radiation was associated with better OS in TN-ILC. Among women with TN-ILC receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the 5-year OS was 77.3% in women with a complete pathological response (pCR) compared to 39.8% in women without any response. The odds of achieving pCR following neoadjuvant chemotherapy were significantly lower in women with TN-ILC compared to TN-IDC (OR 0.53, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Women with TN-ILC are older at diagnosis but have similar OS compared to TN-IDC after adjusting for tumor and demographic characteristics. Administration of chemotherapy was associated with improved OS in TN-ILC, but women with TN-ILC were less likely to achieve complete response to neoadjuvant therapy compared to TN-IDC.

Clinical Outcomes and Prognostic Factors in Triple-Negative Invasive Lobular Carcinoma of the Breast.

Purpose: Triple-negative invasive lobular carcinoma (TN-ILC) of breast cancer is a rare disease and the clinical outcomes and prognostic factors are not well-defined. Methods: Women with stage I-III TN-ILC or triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma (TN-IDC) of the breast undergoing mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery between 2010 and 2018 in the National Cancer Database were included. Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression were used to compare overall survival (OS) and evaluate prognostic factors. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to analyze the factors associated with pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Results: The median age at diagnosis for women with TN-ILC was 67 years compared to 58 years in TN-IDC (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in the OS between TN-ILC and TN-IDC in multivariate analysis (HR 0.96, p=0.44). Black race and higher TNM stage were associated with worse OS, whereas receipt of chemotherapy or radiation was associated with better OS in TN-ILC. Among women with TN-ILC receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the 5-year OS was 77.3% in women with a complete pathological response (pCR) compared to 39.8% in women without any response. The odds of achieving pCR following neoadjuvant chemotherapy were significantly lower in women with TN-ILC compared to TN-IDC (OR 0.53, p<0.001). Conclusion: Women with TN-ILC are older at diagnosis but have similar OS compared to TN-IDC after adjusting for tumor and demographic characteristics. Administration of chemotherapy was associated with improved OS in TN-ILC, but women with TN-ILC were less likely to achieve complete response to neoadjuvant therapy compared to TN-IDC.

New insights on patient-related risk factors for venous thromboembolism in patients with solid organ cancers.

Patient-related risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) are infrequently studied. We compared the role of patient-related risk factors for VTE in patients with solid organ cancers to their role in patients without cancer using National Inpatient Sample (NIS) data. Patients with cancer: risk of VTE hospitalization; Increased: chronic pulmonary disease (OR 1.172, 95% CI 1.102-1.247), obesity (OR 1.369, 95% CI 1.244-1.506). Decreased: liver disease (OR 0.654, 95% CI 0.562-0.762), chronic kidney disease (CKD) (OR 0.539, 95% CI 0.491-0.593), end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (OR 0.247, 95% CI 0.187-0.326). Patients without cancer: Risk of VTE hospitalization; Increased: age (OR 1.024, 95% CI 1.022-1.025), congestive heart failure (OR 1.221, 95% CI: 1.107-1.346), chronic pulmonary disease (OR 1.372, 95% CI 1.279-1.473), obesity (OR 2.627, 95% CI 2.431-2.838). Decreased: female gender (OR 0.772, 95% CI 0.730-0.816), diabetes (OR 0.756, 95% CI 0.701-0.815), ESRD (OR 0.315, 95% CI 0.252-0.395). In conclusion, chronic pulmonary disease and obesity increase VTE hospitalization risk in patients with and without cancer and the risk decreases in cancer patients with liver disease, CKD or ESRD.