Swyer-James-MacLeod syndrome in pregnancy: A case report.

Scant literature is available regarding pregnancy outcomes in women with Swyer-James-MacLeod syndrome, a rare obstructive lung disease. We present a case of a woman with this syndrome in pregnancy. Her baseline pulmonary function tests (PFT) demonstrated moderate airflow obstruction however she had excellent functional status and exercise tolerance. Her disease remained clinically stable in pregnancy. PFTs demonstrated slight worsening of her obstruction with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). 59% and FEV1/FVC ratio 64%. She was diagnosed with gestational diabetes requiring metformin and insulin. Her labor and delivery was uncomplicated with vaginal delivery of a live male at term with no maternal respiratory complications. She did have a delayed postpartum hemorrhage requiring a D&C procedure. This case report demonstrates women with Swyer-James-MacLeod syndrome can have a successful pregnancy and need not avoid pregnancy if desired.

McArdle disease and pregnancy: A case report and scoping review of pregnancy outcomes.

McArdle disease is an autosomal recessive disorder affecting skeletal muscle glycogen metabolism. Limited data are available regarding pregnancy outcomes with this genetic condition. We present a recent case of a woman with McArdle disease, along with a scoping review of all published literature regarding pregnancy and delivery outcomes for women with McArdle disease. A total of 35 cases are summarised. Overall, pregnancy does not worsen or increase the risk for disease flare. Women can successfully deliver vaginally, with consideration of an assisted second stage recommended to reduce the risk of postpartum rhabdomyolysis.

Goals of Care Conversations in Long-Term Care during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Goals of care discussions typically focus on decision maker preference and underemphasize prognosis and outcomes related to frailty, resulting in poorly informed decisions. Our objective was to determine whether navigated care planning with nursing home residents or their decision makers changed care plans during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The MED-LTC virtual consultation service, led by internal medicine specialists, conducted care planning conversations that balanced information-giving/physician guidance with resident autonomy. Consultation included (1) the assessment of co-morbidities, frailty, health trajectory, and capacity; (2) in-depth discussion with decision makers about health status and expected outcomes; and (3) co-development of a care plan. Non-parametric tests and logistic regression determined the significance and factors associated with a change in care plan. Sixty-three residents received virtual consultations to review care goals. Consultation resulted in less aggressive care decisions for 52 residents (83%), while 10 (16%) remained the same. One resident escalated their care plan after a mistaken diagnosis of dementia was corrected. Pre-consultation, 50 residents would have accepted intubation compared to 9 post-consultation. The de-escalation of care plans was associated with dementia, COVID-19 positive status, and advanced frailty. We conclude that during the COVID-19 pandemic, a specialist-led consultation service for frail nursing home residents significantly influenced decisions towards less aggressive care.

Current state of affairs: A study regarding diagnosis, treatment and use of home blood pressure monitoring for hypertension in pregnancy.

Guidelines for management of hypertension (HTN) in pregnancy have evolved to recommend "tight" control and increased use of home blood pressure (BP) monitoring. This survey-based study examined the preferred methods for diagnosing, investigating and managing HTN in pregnancy among two groups of prenatal care providers at a tertiary care hospital: Family Physicians and Obstetricians. The response rate was 75%. Obstetricians were significantly more likely to use home BP monitoring while Family Physicians were significantly more likely to use 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring to aid with diagnosis (p = 0.008). For surveillance, more Obstetricians believed home BP monitoring was validated in pregnancy (78.3% vs 42.9%, p = 0.02) and were more likely to monitor HTN with home readings compared to Family Physicians (91.7% vs 64.3%, p = 0.02). Family Physicians were significantly more likely to target "tight" BP control compared to Obstetricians (93.8% vs 72%, p = 0.03). This single centre study demonstrated relatively high uptake of newer BP target recommendations in pregnancy, however there remains a significant variation in the use of home BP monitoring for diagnosis and surveillance of HTN in pregnancy between the two specialties.

Surgical and Medical Management of Isolated Tricuspid Valve Infective Endocarditis in Intravenous Drug Users.

BACKGROUND: Tricuspid valve (TV) infective endocarditis (IE) is a known complication of intravenous drug use (IVDU). This study assessed long-term outcomes of surgically and medically treated cases of TV IE. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of all cases of native TV IE treated in London, Ontario between 2008 and 2011. Outcomes for medically and surgically managed cases were assessed at two years. Outcomes related to the timing of surgery were also assessed. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients were included; seven received valve surgery: five repairs, two replacements. All patients had a history of IVDU. Baseline characteristics were equal in both groups. Death at two years was 43% in the surgical group and 26% in the nonsurgical group (p = 0.522). In those who received surgery within 30 days versus after 30 days from admission, death was 33% and 50%, respectively (p = 1.00). No patients received emergent surgery (within seven days of admission). Twenty-nine percent of the surgical group survived disease free versus 52% of the nonsurgical group. Survival with morbidity was mainly related to ongoing IVDU. The highest risk for mortality in both groups was ongoing IVDU. CONCLUSIONS: In IVDU-related TV IE the highest risk for mortality appears to be ongoing IVDU and persistent or recurrent endocarditis.