Adverse effects of rabies pre- and postexposure prophylaxis in 290 health-care-workers exposed to a rabies infected organ donor or transplant recipients.

The recent unfortunate rabies transmissions through solid organ transplants of an infected donor in Germany required the initiation of a vaccination program to protect health care workers (HCWs) with close contact to rabies-infected patients. A systematic follow-up of adverse effects was initiated. Rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) was started in 269 HCWs at four German hospitals. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PreEP) was administered to 74 HCWs caring for an already diagnosed rabies patient. At each vaccination date, HCWs were interviewed for symptoms possibly representing adverse effects. Adverse effects of PEP and PrePEP were compared. Out of 269 HCWs, 216 were included for the investigation of adverse effects. Of these 216 HCWs, 114 (53%) individuals developed at least one systemic adverse effect. Incidences of tiredness (30.6%), malaise (26.4%), headache (26.9%), dizziness (14.8%), and chills (13.0%) declined in the course of PEP (p < 0.05), whereas incidences of fever (7.4%), paraesthesias (7.9%), arthralgias (1.9%), myalgias (4.2%), nausea (9.3%), diarrheas (2.8%) and vomiting (1.4%) did not. In 11 (5.1%) HCWs PEP was discontinued mostly due to adverse reactions (four suffered strong headaches, two HCWs meningeal irritations, two chills, one paraesthesia, one malaise, and one a rush). Systemic effects of PEP or PreEP did not differ significantly. Despite relatively high incidences of moderate severe adverse reactions rabies PEP is safe. Strong headache, tiredness, dizziness, and paraesthesias are the most important postvaccinal symptoms. Vaccinees suffering from adverse effects of PEP must be strongly encouraged to complete PEP, as it is to date the only protection against fatal rabies.

[Sepsis and multiple organ failure after BCG-instillation for bladder cancer]. / Sepsis und Multiorganversagen nach BCG-Instillation bei Blasenkarzinom.

Local Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy is an effective and widely used treatment for superficial bladder carcinoma. Local side effects are frequent, whereas systemic side effects are rare, but more serious. Systemic BCG infection as a life-threatening complication of intravesical BCG instillation should be suspected in any patient who presents with persistent fever after BCG instillation for bladder cancer. A 62-year-old patient had been treated with 6 intravesical BCG instillations for recurrent, multifocal bladder carcinoma. 4 weeks after the last instillation, he presented with fever, malaise and scleral icterus. Laboratory tests revealed abnormal liver function tests, panzytopenia and signs of coagulation disorder. Bone marrow biopsy and liver biopsy showed noncaseating granulomas. Systemic BCG infection was suspected and antituberculous therapy combined with steroids was started. The patient developed severe sepsis and suffered from multiple organ failure. Despite partial improvement, the course was complicated by intracranial sinus thrombosis, and the patient died two month after admission.

[Sepsis and multiple organ failure after BCG instillation in bladder cancer]. / Sepsis und Multiorganversagen nach BCG-Instillation bei Blasenkarzinom.

Local Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) immunotherapy is an effective and widely used treatment for superficial bladder carcino-ma. Local side effects are frequent, where-as systemic side effects are rare, but more serious. Systemic BCG infection as a life-threatening complication of intravesical BCG instillation should be suspected in any patient who presents with persistent fever after BCG instillation for bladder cancer.A 62-year-old patient had been treated with 6 intravesical BCG instillations for recurrent, multifocal bladder carcinoma.4 weeks after the last instillation, he presented with fever, malaise and scleral icterus. Laboratory tests revealed abnormal li-ver function tests, panzytopenia and signs of coagulation disorder. Bone marrow biopsy and liver biopsy showed non-caseating granulomas. Systemic BCG infection was suspected and antituberculous therapy combined with steroids was started. The patient developed severe sepsis and suffered from multiple organ failure. Despite partial improvement, the course was complicated by intracranial sinus thrombosis, and the patient died two month after admission.

[Cases of acute poisoning admitted to a medical intensive care unit]. / Akute Vergiftungen in der internistischen Intensivmedizin.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Because of the paucity of information on the epidemiology of acute poisoning requiring intensive medical care, all such patients treated on the medical intensive care unit of the university hospital in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, between January 1993 and December 1999, were retrospectively evaluated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Of the total of 6211 patients, 147 (80 women, 67 men, mean age 41 years, 2,3 %) were treated for acute intoxication in the intensive care unit. RESULTS: Reasons for admission to the intensive care unit were the need for ventilator treatment or intensive monitoring of vital functions. 52 % of the patients (n = 76) had attempted suicide, most of them using anti-depressive drugs (n = 19), paracetamol (n = 16), or benzodiazepines (n = 9). Two patients (2,6 %) died. 48 % of the patients (n = 71) were admitted because of accidental poisoning. Leading toxic agents in this group were heroin (n = 19), alcohol (n = 18) and digitalis (n = 12). 11 patients had taken herbicides, animal poisons or chemicals used at work or for house cleaning. In this cohort, three i. v. drug abusers (4,2 %) had died. Depending on the agents used, a variety of treatments (charcoal, antidots, extracorporal therapy) were undertaken. CONCLUSION: Due to excellent care in the prehospital phase and in the emergency room the number of patients requiring treatment on the intensive care unit was rather low. The mortality was in the range of other reports.

Cluster of pulmonary infections caused by Cunninghamella bertholletiae in immunocompromised patients.

Cunninghamella bertholletiae is a rare cause of pulmonary mucormycosis. We describe a cluster of invasive pulmonary infections caused by C. bertholletiae in 4 immunocompromised patients that occurred during a 2-year period at 1 center. Three of the patients were receiving antifungal prophylaxis with itraconazole. Presenting symptoms were fever unresponsive to antibacterial chemotherapy, hemoptysis, and infiltrates on chest radiograms. Three patients were treated with liposomal amphotericin B. Only 1 patient survived.

Management of renal complications in patients with advanced multiple myeloma.

Although the kidney is frequently involved in malignant monoclonal gammopathy, the clinical outcome of the patients varies considerably. We retrospectively assessed the clinical course in seventeen patients with acute and chronic renal failure suffering from multiple myeloma, and analyzed their case history focusing on the therapeutic management, the possible clinical improvement as well as the patients' outcome. Treatment included chemotherapy (n = 17), forced diuresis (n = 3), hemodialysis (n = 11, 7 chronic, 4 intermittent) and plasmapheresis (n = 3). Renal function improved in five patients, and was stabilized compensated in four. Seven patients developed end-stage renal disease, one refused further treatment and was lost for follow up. In addition to renal failure, the most frequent complications included local bone destruction (all), anemia (n = 12), low platelet count (n = 11), and bacterial infections (n = 9). One year survival rate after admission to the nephrology department was 76 percent. Chemotherapy in combination with renal replacement therapy may improve the clinical course even in MM patients with serum creatinine levels above 3.0 mg/dL or end-stage renal disease.

Renal involvement in HIV-infection. Results from the Frankfurt AIDS Cohort Study (FACS) and a review of the literature.

The current report describes the experience from the Frankfurt AIDS Cohort Study with patients suffering from renal failure. The clinical data of 4993 HIV-infected patients between 1983 and 1998 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were seen at least twice a year and clinical features, routine laboratory results, including CD4+ cell counts, concomittant diseases, and antiretroviral therapy were documented by standardized methods. The incidence of renal failure during 4 observation periods with different antiretroviral treatment strategies are compared and data are discussed. Within the 16 years of observation 47 patients with impairement of their kidney function were identified. A trend to an increase of RF could be documented (chi superset2 -for trend p = 0.0246). The additional review intends to summarize the diverse reasons leading to renal dysfunction in HIV-infected individuals with special emphasis on glomerular disease and renal complications related to HIV therapy.

An unusual case of Aspergillus endocarditis in a kidney transplant recipient.

The incidence of aspergillosis in kidney transplant recipients is low and most commonly occurs in the early posttransplantation period. We report an unusual case of a 52-year-old female patient with Aspergillus endocarditis as a late complication after kidney transplantation, presumably spread from a necrosis in the gut, associated with previous cytomegalovirus colitis. As complications, the patient experienced septic embolization into the coronary and pulmonary arteries, and an infarction of the right parietal cortex and insula. The patient died as a result of global heart failure after a 10-day course of antimycotic therapy with amphotericin B plus 5-flucytosine during surgical valve replacement.

[Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome]. / Antiphospholipidantikörpersyndrom.

BACKGROUND: Antiphospholipid antibodies comprise a family of auto-antibodies mainly characterized by the presence of the lupus anticoagulant (LA) and anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA). CLINICAL APPEARANCE: The antiphospholipid antibody syndrome is defined by the appearance of frequent thromboses, repeated fetal losses and thrombocytopenia. Other clinical manifestations associated with APA include migraine, chorea, hemolytic anemia, heart valve disease, Budd-Chiari syndrome, perpetual pancreatitic episodes, intestinal infarctions, malignant hypertension, livedo reticularis, pre-eclampsia, fetal growth retardation or catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome. LA and ACA occur in a variety of clinical conditions (secondary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, SAPS), including other autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, neoplastic disorders, in association with the use of certain drugs or in otherwise healthy individuals (primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, PAPS). TREATMENT: Patients with thrombosis associated with APA should receive long-term anticoagulation therapy, whereas treatment of asymptomatic patients seems to be not indicated, because only approximately 10% of patients with APA may develop thrombotic complications. In patients with PAPS there is no evidence that the prophylactic administration of immunosuppressive drugs will prevent thromboembolic events.