Transplantation proceedings
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Tandem high-dose melphalan therapy with autologous peripheral stem cell support has emerged as the standard of care for patients without prohibitive comorbidities. Mucositis and gastrointestinal side effects are the most common extrahematologic side effects. Two previously published studies presented a triple transplant with a conditioning regimen of melphalan 100 mg/m(2) (MEL100) with peripheral stem cell support every 2 to 5 months for patients with prohibitive comorbidities for high-dose tandem transplantation. We present a novel approach that investigates the triple melphalan 100/m(2) approach on a dose-dense, every-3-weeks schedule in a patient population without significant comorbidities. ⋯ Our regimen of three consecutive autologous peripheral stem cell transplants with a reduced dose of melphalan at 100 mg/m(2) given every 3 weeks was very well tolerated. The progression-free survival and overall survival are similar and can be compared favorably with the standard tandem myeloma regimens. Our data is intriguing, and further studies with larger numbers need to be performed to confirm these results.
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Case Reports
Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation to prevent respiratory collapse after extubation: clinical case reports.
Respiratory complications often develop in liver transplant recipients, and appropriate respiratory management is crucial to improve patient outcome. To evaluate the clinical usefulness of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) in liver transplant recipients, we established application criteria for NPPV in respiratory management in these patients, as follows: (1) arterial oxygen tension to fraction of inspired oxygen ratio less than 300 and arterial carbon dioxide tension greater than 45 mm Hg; (2) arterial oxygen tension to fraction of inspired oxygen ratio less than 200; (3) respiratory rate greater than 25/min; and (4) presence of severe atelectasis or pulmonary edema. A bilevel positive airway pressure ventilator was used with the pressure level adjusted to minimize patient discomfort. ⋯ In 1 patient, reintubation was required because of deterioration of respiratory function due to systemic infection. In conclusion, NPPV was useful in liver transplant recipients after extubation to prevent respiratory deterioration. For successful NPPV, settings must be individualized for each patient.
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The aim of this study was to investigate anxiety, depression, quality of life (QOL), and activities of daily living (ADL) among our hemodialysis and renal transplant subjects. Psychological disorders were prevalent among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), adversely affecting QOL and ADL. All patients > or =18 years under renal replacement therapy were asked to participate in the study. ⋯ Replacement therapy accounted for 35.3% of the variance of the ADL score (P < .001), while together with the additional factors of age, gender, and education these 52.8% (P = .007) was accounted for. For the general health score, gender, and cardiac disease explained 11.6% of the variance (P < .001). This study demonstrated that depression and anxiety are more prevalent among hemodialysis patients compared with kidney transplant subjects; the method of treatment was a major contributor to the variance in ADL and depression scores among ESRD patients.