Renal sympathetic denervation in treating drug-resistant hypertension in a patient on hemodialysis.

A 26-year-old man had an end-stage renal disease because of a neurogenic urinary bladder with a vesicourinary reflux. The first kidney transplant was lost in consequence of chronic allograft nephropathy. Immunosuppressive medication was withdrawn and transplantectomy was performed in November 2010. After transplantectomy, his blood pressure (BP) slowly increased up to 200/100 mmHg. Antihypertensive medication was intensified and a fluid overload was excluded with body composition bioimpedance measurements. Forty-eight-hour ambulatory BP was 180/109 mmHg in the daytime and 178/108 mmHg in the night-time. Bilateral renal denervation (RDN) was performed with a single electrode Symplicity catheter on May 2013. The effect of RDN became evident at the 6 months visit, and all the antihypertensive medicines were withdrawn at 12 months. Fifteen months after RDN, 48-h ambulatory BP was 120/63 mmHg in the daytime and 108/60 mmHg in the night-time. The patient was without antihypertensive medication until retransplantation in May 2015.

Pulmonary function and immediate outcome of patients undergoing aortic valve replacement.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: The study aim was to evaluate whether pulmonary function, as assessed by spirometry, affects immediate outcome after aortic valve replacement (AVR). METHODS: Data relating to the preoperative percentages of predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) were retrieved from a series of 453 patients who underwent AVR, with or without coronary artery bypass surgery. RESULTS: The percentage of predictive FVC (odds ratio (OR) 0.952; 95% CI 0.914-0.990; AUC 0.749; p = 0.019), but not of predicted FEV1, nor any history of pulmonary disease, proved to be independent predictors of in-hospital mortality, even when adjusted for the logistic EuroSCORE. A percentage predictive FVC of < 80% proved to be the best cut-off (in-hospital mortality 6.3% versus 1.3%; p = 0.005; OR 5.100; 95% CI 1.544-16.849; specificity 69%, sensitivity 69%). The percentage of predictive FVC was found to be an independent predictor of stroke (OR 0.956; 95% CI 0.923-0.989; p = 0.009). Patients with a percentage of predictive FVC < 80% had a risk of postoperative stroke of 6.9% versus 1.9% among those patients with better FVC values (OR 3.769; 95% CI 1.342-10.581; p = 0.012). Patients with a percentage of predictive FVC < 80% (10.4% versus 4.2%; OR 2.648; 95% CI 1.225-5.724; p = 0.011) and a history of pulmonary disease (13.1% versus 5.1%; OR 2.808; 95% CI 1.117-6.694; p = 0.016) had a significantly higher risk of an intensive care unit stay of five or more days. Postoperative pneumonia was not associated with either spirometric parameters, nor with any history of pulmonary disease. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary disease, as indicated by decreased preoperative values of FVC and FEV1, is an important comorbidity factor in patients undergoing AVR surgery. Further studies are required to demonstrate whether the identification and treatment of these patients could improve their outcome after AVR.

Does gastric banding for morbid obesity reduce or increase gastroesophageal reflux?

BACKGROUND: Conflicting results regarding the influence of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) on gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have been published. METHODS: A prospective follow-up study was conducted in 31 patients (male/female 5/26, mean age 44 +/- 11 SD years) with 24-hour pH and manometry recordings, symptom assessment, and upper GI endoscopy. RESULTS: Total number of reflux episodes decreased from a mean value of 44.6 +/- 23.7 SD preoperatively to 22.9 +/- 17.1 postoperatively (P=0.0006), after a median follow-up time of 19 months (range 7-32 months). Total reflux time decreased from 9.5% +/- 6.2% to 3.5% +/- 3.7%, P=0.0009, and DeMeester score decreased from 38.5 +/- 24.9 to 18.6 +/- 20.4, P=0.03. Symptomatic patients decreased from 48.4% preoperatively to 16.1% postoperatively (P=0.01), medication for GERD decreased from 35.5% to 12.9% (P=0.05), and the diagnosis of GERD on 24-hour pH recordings decreased from 77.4% to 37.5% (P=0.01). There were no pouch enlargements seen on upper GI endoscopy. Esophageal motility was unchanged, but 36% of the patients had incomplete relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter following the operation (P<0.0001). Mean BMI decreased from 46.0 +/- 5.46 to 38.4 +/- 6.45 (P<0.0001), excess weight from 60.0 kg +/- 18.58 kg, 44.9% +/- 6.56% to 38.4 kg +/- 20.27 kg, 28.4% +/- 10.97% (P<0.0001). No association between the postoperative diagnosis of GERD and the amount of weight loss could be found. CONCLUSIONS: The correctly placed gastric band is an effective anti-reflux barrier in the short term. Long-term results have to be awaited.