From bone to heart: a case of MRSA osteomyelitis with haematogenous spread to the pericardium.

We report a case of a 55-year-old woman with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, Charcot arthropathy and end-stage renal disease, who presented with a syncopal episode after undergoing haemodialysis. She had a history of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia from an unknown source 3 months earlier, which was treated with an 8-week course of intravenous antibiotics. At the time of presentation to the emergency room, she was found to be in refractory shock. Bedside echocardiogram was performed, which showed moderate pericardial effusion. The effusion was later found to be due to MRSA, which was identified in blood and in pericardial fluid cultures. The patient was successfully treated with intravenous daptomycin for 6 weeks. Acute osteomyelitis of her right foot was the source of the MRSA, for which a right below-knee amputation was ultimately performed.

Non-invasive estimation of pulmonary artery pressures in patients with sickle cell anaemia in Ibadan, Nigeria: an echocardiographic study.

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary hypertension is emerging as one of the causes of morbidity and mortality in adults with sickle cell disease. The prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in Nigerian adults with sickle cell anaemia is unknown. We decided to estimate the pulmonary artery systolic and diastolic pressures in subjects with sickle cell anaemia seen at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, and to determine the frequency of pulmonary hypertension among them. METHODS: Ninety patients (38 males and 52 females) with sickle cell anaemia in steady state and comparable age- and sex-matched normal controls had a clinical evaluation and echocardiographic examination. RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects with sickle cell anaemia was 24.0 (9.00) years while the mean age for the control group was 24.0 (7.00) years. The frequency of pulmonary hypertension as assessed by a tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity of > 2.5 m/s in this study was 12.2%. Larger left ventricular dimensions and volumes, higher stroke volume and increased left ventricular mass indexed by body surface area were found to be associated with pulmonary hypertension. A multivariate analysis of the potential predictors of pulmonary hypertension in this study showed that male sex and lower packed cell volume (PCV) were independent predictors of pulmonary hypertension in patients with sickle cell anaemia. CONCLUSION: We conclude that pulmonary artery systolic and diastolic pressures are higher in subjects with sickle cell disease than normal controls. Male sex and low PCV are independent determinants of pulmonary arterial pressure in subjects with sickle cell anaemia in Nigeria.

Combination of asystole and sinus arrest with junctional escape rhythm seen in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: A case report.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is characterized by a transient depression of contractile function of mid and/or apical segments of the left ventricle with compensatory hyperkinesis of the basal segment. It leads to ballooning of the apex in systole, resembling an octopus trap, hence the name. There have been many different arrhythmias associated with TCM. These occurrences are not benign, with atrial fibrillation, atrio-ventricular block, and ventricular fibrillation most commonly associated with inpatient mortality in that order. Here we present a unique case of TCM with respect to arrhythmia. After a literature review, this is the only case to our knowledge with the rare combination of asystole and sinus arrest with junctional escape rhythm during the patient's initial presentation. .

Unusual endocarditis: "rare bug, rare site".

A 27-year-old man was diagnosed with infective endocarditis due to Streptococcus agalactiae. Large vegetations were seen on the anterior mitral valve leaflet and also on the right ventricular side of a membranous ventricular septal defect. Streptococcus agalactiae is a rare cause of endocarditis, and it is very rare to find large vegetations around ventricular septal defect. The authors present this interesting case of unusual endocarditis with vegetations in both the right and left heart. This case is the first reported case of infective endocarditis involving the left and the right sides of the heart at the same time in a nonintravenous drug user.

Bacterial pericarditis caused by infected trichilemmal cyst.

Bacterial pericarditis is a well-known although rare complication of Staphylococcus aureus infection in modern practice. We present a rare case of Staphylococcus pericarditis caused by an infected trichilemmal cyst present on patient's scalp. Our case emphasizes that all cases of bacterial pericarditis should be thoroughly investigated for a source of infection. Constrictive changes can be seen in the pericardium postinfection, as in our patient, and should be treated aggressively. To our knowledge, a case of an infected cyst causing bacterial pericarditis has never been reported previously in the literature.

Cor triatriatum dextro iatrogenica: an unusual complication of atrial septal defect closure device.

We present a case of a rare complication of atrial septal defect (ASD) device closure causing cor triatriatum dextro iatrogenica. A 29-year-old female presented with sudden onset dysarthria and ataxia and was found to have basilar and thalamic infarcts. Further evaluation using transthoracic echocardiography revealed an ASD which was repaired using the Gore HELEX septal occluder. Transesophageal echocardiography done after 2 months of ASD closure revealed an interesting finding termed cor triatriatum dextro iatrogenica. We briefly describe the case and discuss the relevant literature.

Characterisation of left ventricular function by tissue Doppler imaging technique in newly diagnosed, untreated hypertensive subjects.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension results in structural and functional changes in the heart. Early detection of abnormalities of cardiac structure and function is important in the assessment and treatment of hypertensive subjects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of the tissue Doppler echocardiographic technique in characterising diastolic and systolic functions in untreated native black African hypertensive subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty consecutive, newly diagnosed, untreated hypertensives with adequate conventional echocardiographic (2-D, M-mode, transmitral and pulmonary Doppler flow velocities) and tissue Doppler echocardiographic images were recruited into the study. The control subjects were apparently normal individuals. Each arm of the study consisted of 21 male and 19 female subjects. RESULTS: The two groups were comparable by age (48.6 +/- 11.35 years in the hypertensives vs 48.1 +/- 11.33 years in the controls; p = 0.844) and gender distribution (M/F: 21/19 in both groups). Other baseline characteristics, except for blood pressure parameters, which were predictably higher in the hypertensive subjects, were comparable between the two groups. The hypertensive subjects had a lower systolic myocardial velocity (Sm) and early diastolic myocardial velocity (Em) in comparison with the controls (p = 0.033 and p = 0.018, respectively). The late diastolic myocardial velocity (Am) was comparable in the two groups (p = 0.430). CONCLUSIONS: Tissue Doppler echocardiography demonstrates diastolic dysfunction relatively early in native African hypertensives and may be useful for detecting subtle deterioration in systolic function.

Changes in left atrial dimension and function and left ventricular geometry in newly diagnosed untreated hypertensive subjects.

BACKGROUND: It is known that a spectrum of changes in structure, size and function of the different chambers of the heart occur in individuals with hypertension. The earliest changes and the sequence of these changes are still being studied. AIMS: The present study aimed to assess early changes in the left atrial size and function in hypertension, and its relationship with left ventricular geometry and other factors that may influence left atrial size. METHODS: One hundred consecutive subjects who were newly diagnosed with hypertension and 50 apparently normal individuals were recruited into the study. Standard M-mode, two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography were performed. The endocardial border of the left atrium was traced to obtain the atrial area and left atrial volumes and emptying fractions were derived from measured areas. RESULTS: The hypertensive patients and the controls were comparable by age, sex and body mass index. Thirty-seven (37%) of the hypertensive subject had increased left ventricular mass versus eight subjects (16%) in the normal controls. The patients with hypertension had a higher linear left atrial dimension (3.5 +/- 0.48 cm versus 3.1 +/- 0.47 cm, P < 0.0001), longer pre-atrial contraction length (3.8 +/- 0.56 cm versus 3.6 +/- 0.45 cm; P = 0.02) and higher peak late mitral inflow velocity (0.64 +/- 0.19 m/s versus 0.56 +/- 0.15 m/s; P = 0.010). CONCLUSIONS: Changes in the geometry of the left ventricle occur early in hypertension and precede deterioration in left ventricular systolic function. The corresponding left atrial changes are marginal and are indicative of increased left atrial length and accentuated atrial systolic function.

Characterisation of left ventricular function by tissue Doppler imaging technique in newly diagnosed, untreated hypertensive subjects

BACKGROUND:Hypertension results in structural and functional changes in the heart. Early detection of abnormalities of cardiac structure and function is important in the assessment and treatment of hypertensive subjects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of the tissue Doppler echocardiographic technique in characterising diastolic and systolic functions in untreated native black African hypertensive subjects.MATERIALS AND METHODS:Forty consecutive, newly diagnosed, untreated hypertensives with adequate conventional echocardiographic (2-D, M-mode, transmitral and pulmonary Doppler flow velocities) and tissue Doppler echocardiographic images were recruited into the study. The control subjects were apparently normal individuals. Each arm of the study consisted of 21 male and 19 female subjects.RESULTS:The two groups were comparable by age (48.6 +/- 11.35 years in the hypertensives vs 48.1 +/- 11.33 years in the controls; p = 0.844) and gender distribution (M/F: 21/19 in both groups). Other baseline characteristics, except for blood pressure parameters, which were predictably higher in the hypertensive subjects, were comparable between the two groups. The hypertensive subjects had a lower systolic myocardial velocity (Sm) and early diastolic myocardial velocity (Em) in comparison with the controls (p = 0.033 and p = 0.018, respectively). The late diastolic myocardial velocity (Am) was comparable in the two groups (p = 0.430). CONCLUSIONS:Tissue Doppler echocardiography demonstrates diastolic dysfunction relatively early in native African hypertensives and may be useful for detecting subtle deterioration in systolic function

Oral misoprostol for the prevention of primary post-partum hemorrhage during third stage of labor.

AIM: To assess the effectiveness of oral misoprostol compared with methylergometrine in the prevention of primary post-partum hemorrhage during the third stage of labor. METHODS: This was a randomized controlled trial of 864 singleton low-risk pregnant women. The outcomes were total blood loss, duration of the third stage of labor and peripartal change in hematocrit. Comparisons were by the chi2-test and Student t-test. Relative risks were calculated for side-effects profile. A P-value of less than 0.05 was statistically significant. RESULTS: The biodata of all the participants were similar. The mean blood loss for the misoprostol and methylergometrine groups was 191.6 +/- 134.5 mL and 246.0 +/- 175.5 mL, respectively (95% CI: -79.3 to -39.5 mL). The mean duration of the third stage of labor was 19.6 +/- 2.4 min and 9.4 +/- 3.3 min in the misoprostol and methylergometrine groups, respectively (95% CI: 9.82-10.58 min). More subjects had blood loss >500 mL, 42 (9.7%) versus 6 (1.4%), and peripartal hematocrit change greater than 10%, 38 (8.8%) versus 5 (1.2%), in the methylergometrine group than in the misoprostol group, respectively. Also, more subjects received additional oxytocic in the methylergometrine group, compared to the misoprostol group (80 [18.5%] versus 33 [7.6%] patients, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Orally administered misoprostol was more effective in reducing blood loss during the third stage of labor than intramuscular methylergometrine. However, there were more subjects in the misoprostol group in whom duration of the third stage of labor was greater than 15 min and who also had manual placental removal than in the methylergometrine group.