An Ancillary Central Catheter Emergency Support Service Team Staffed by Surgical Personnel Improves Workflow During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Crisis.

Background. The SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed significant challenges to urban health centers across the United States. Many hospitals are reallocating resources to best handle the influx of critical patients. Methods. At our New York City hospital, we developed the ancillary central catheter emergency support service (ACCESS), a team for dedicated central access staffed by surgical residents to assist in the care of critical COVID-19 patients. We conducted a retrospective review of all patients for whom the team was activated. Furthermore, we distributed a survey to the critical care department to assess their perceived time saved per patient. Results. The ACCESS team placed 104 invasive catheters over 10 days with a low complication rate of .96%. All critical care providers surveyed found the service useful and felt it saved at least 30 minutes of procedural time per patient, as patient to critical care provider ratios were increased from 12 patients to one provider to 44 patients to one provider. Conclusions. The ACCESS team has helped to effectively redistribute surgical staff, provide a learning experience for residents, and improve efficiency for the critical care team during this pandemic.

Ectopic salivary gland found on rectal biopsy-a rare pathological diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Heterotopic tissue can be found throughout the GI tract, most commonly being gastric tissue. The finding of ectopic salivary tissue located in the GI tract is an exceedingly rare finding. We present a case of an otherwise healthy 30-year-old male with rectal bleeding who underwent biopsy of a submucosal rectal lesion with pathologic findings of ectopic salivary gland tissue. CASE PRESENTATION: Our patient is a 30-year-old male who presented with rectal bleeding. During his workup, he underwent colonoscopy and subsequent endoscopic ultrasound after discovery of a submucosal mass in the rectum measuring approximately 2 × 1 cm. Biopsies were sent which returned showing ectopic salivary gland tissue superimposed on hyperplastic rectal mucosa. The patient's symptoms resolved and he has not had recurrence of bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Ectopic salivary gland tissue is a rare pathological finding in the rectum. It can present as a symptomatic lesion or be found incidentally. There is no clear reason for its presence, but it is felt to be due to metaplasia, developmental anomalies, or idiopathic in nature. Treatment includes excision and monitoring.

Intrathoracic Myxoid Spindle Cell Lipoma: A Rare Presentation of a Myxoid Neoplasm.

Here we present the case of a 38-year-old man with an incidentally found right upper lobe lung mass. The patient underwent thoracoscopic resection of the mass, which revealed a myxoid spindle cell lipoma. That is an exceedingly rare location for this tumor biology, and here we discuss its pathologic features and treatment options.

Undiagnosed hypothyroidism presenting with sigmoid volvulus.

The incidence of hypothyroidism presenting with sigmoid volvulus, a phenomenon known as myxedema pseudovolvulus, is exceedingly rare. A male in his late thirties presented to our institution with a chief complaint of abdominal pain. The patient underwent CT scan, which was consistent with massive colonic dilatation with sigmoid volvulus. He was taken to the operating room for exploration and was found to have sigmoid volvulus and underwent a segmental resection. Postoperatively, the patient was newly diagnosed with severe hypothyroidism.

An uncommon case of severe accidental hypothermia in an urban setting.

Accidental hypothermia is an uncommon presentation in urban settings. Here we present a patient admitted with a core temperature of 26.6°C (80°F) and a serum potassium of 8.5 mmol/l who subsequently went into cardiac arrest. After > 90 min of active cardiopulmonary resuscitation and peak serum potassium of >12 mmol/l, the patient had a spontaneous return of circulation. The patient's hospital course was complicated by compartment syndrome of his forearm; however, he was discharged home without any lasting neurological damage.