A Systematic Review of Factors Associated with Mortality among Patients with Mycobacterium avium Complex Lung Disease.

PURPOSE: As the number of patients with Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease is significantly increasing worldwide, several studies have focused on the prognostic factors associated with the disease. This systematic review investigated the factors associated with mortality among patients with Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease. METHODS: Two investigators independently identified studies that were designed to determine risk factors for mortality in patients with Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease from PubMed, the Cochrane Register of Control Trial database, and EMBASE (accessed on 25 November 2022). RESULTS: Of the 1133 titles and abstracts screened, 54 full texts were selected for review, and 15 studies were finally included in this systematic review. The most commonly studied risk factors were advanced age and low body mass index (11 studies for each), followed by male sex (8 studies), hypoalbuminemia (5 studies), and cavity (5 studies). In each study, these factors were mostly associated with increased all-cause mortality among patients with Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease as confirmed via multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced age, male sex, low body mass index, hypoalbuminemia, and cavity are likely to be the common risk factors for all-cause mortality among patients with Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease, suggesting that patients with these factors need to be carefully monitored.

Pneumocystis Pneumonia With Multiple Centrilobular Pulmonary Nodules and Lack of Ground-Glass Attenuation on High-Resolution Computed Tomography.

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) typically presents with diffuse ground-glass attenuation (GGA) in both lungs on high-resolution CT (HRCT). While other radiological features, including cysts and air-space consolidation, may be found, the absence of GGA has a high negative predictive value for PCP in patients with AIDS. We report a case of PCP in a male patient who visited our hospital with a subacute, non-productive cough. He had never been diagnosed with an HIV infection. Although his HRCT scan revealed multiple centrilobular nodules without GGA, Pneumocystis jirovecii was detected in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and no other additional pathogens were identified. The patient was diagnosed with PCP associated with AIDS after a high plasma HIV-RNA titer and low CD4+ cell count were confirmed. Physicians need to be aware of this atypical radiological presentation of PCP associated with AIDS.

Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus empyema complicated with subcutaneous abscess.

There have been no case reports of thoracic subcutaneous abscess after surgery for Mycobacterium abscessus complex associated empyema. We herein report a case of Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus (M. abscessus subsp. abscessus) induced subcutaneous abscesses following surgical treatment for concurrent M. abscessus subsp. abscessus -associated empyema and pneumothorax. A 75-year-old woman had M. abscessus subsp. abscessus -associated empyema and pneumothorax. She underwent surgical treatment of decortication and fistulectomy and suffered from M. abscessus subsp. abscessus -associated subcutaneous abscesses after thoracentesis/drainage. A multidisciplinary approach combined with surgical care, thermal therapy, and multidrug chemotherapy contributed to a successful result. An early multidisciplinary approach is believed to be important in cases of M. abscessus subsp. abscessus -associated empyema and subcutaneous abscess.

Asthma Exacerbation Coincident with Saddle Pulmonary Embolism and Paradoxical Embolism.

Saddle pulmonary embolism (PE) and paradoxical embolism (PDE) are life-threatening disorders carrying a risk of sudden death, and their prompt diagnosis is extremely important. Saddle PE is a radiologic definition and refers to a thrombus that straddles the bifurcation of the pulmonary artery trunk, carrying a risk of sudden hemodynamic collapse. PDE is defined as a systemic arterial embolus due to the passage of a venous thrombus though a right-to-left shunt, such as patent foramen ovale (PFO). We herein present the rare case of asthma exacerbation coincident with saddle PE and PDE. A 69-year-old woman with asthma was suffering from dyspnea, pulse attenuation of the left radial artery and left upper limb pain. An arterial blood gas analysis revealed hypoxemia, and a pulmonary function test demonstrated an obstructive pattern. Enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed saddle PE, right popliteal venous thrombosis, and left brachial artery occlusion. After the treatment with edoxaban, an anticoagulant, and aspirin, the PE was significantly alleviated, and the brachial artery occlusion was recanalized. Subsequently, the right-to-left shunt through PFO was confirmed, and PDE was suspected of inducting her brachial artery embolism. In the present case, the pulse attenuation of the radial artery and upper limb pain prompted us to consider peripheral vascular disease or coagulation disorders. Physicians should keep in mind that patients with asthma are at considerable risk of PE, and it is important to be aware of possible PFO in patients presenting with the coexistence of PE and systemic arterial embolism.

A Pitfall of Treatment with Tosufloxacin for Pneumonia That Might Be Lung Tuberculosis.

Tosufloxacin, which is not used to treat Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a fluoroquinolone recommended for pneumonia when the possibility of tuberculosis infection cannot be excluded. In the present case, symptoms and chest infiltrative shadow initially improved by tosufloxacin. Therefore, we regarded this patient as having general pneumonia and did not perform follow-up chest X-ray until the infiltrates had completely disappeared. However, a few weeks later, the symptoms and the infiltrates had worsened, so M. tuberculosis was isolated from the patient's sputum. This case suggests that patients suspected of having pulmonary tuberculosis should be monitored carefully, even if antibiotics without antituberculous activity are initially effective.