Medicine
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Observational Study
Bedside Lung Ultrasound During Acute Chest Syndrome in Sickle Cell Disease.
Lung ultrasound (LU) is increasingly used to assess pleural and lung disease in intensive care unit (ICU) and emergency unit at the bedside. We assessed the performance of bedside chest radiograph (CR) and LU during severe acute chest syndrome (ACS), using computed tomography (CT) as the reference standard. We prospectively explored 44 ACS episodes (in 41 patients) admitted to the medical ICU. ⋯ As compared to others, ACS patients with an LU score above the median value of 11 had a larger volume of transfused and exsanguinated blood, greater oxygen requirements, more need for mechanical ventilation, and a longer ICU length of stay. LU outperformed CR for the diagnosis of consolidations and pleural effusion during ACS. Higher values of LU score identified patients at risk of worse outcome.
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Anastomotic leakage (AL) is one of the most serious complications of colorectal surgery. It can affect long-term oncologic outcomes, but the impact on long-term survival remains uncertain. The aim of this study is to evaluate the operative characteristics of leakage and no leakage groups and to analyze long-term oncologic outcomes. ⋯ AL in the rectum is associated with worse long-term DFS and overall survival. A diverting stoma was shown to protect against this effect and was associated with long-term survival in rectal surgery. Therefore, creating a diverting stoma should be considered in high-risk patients undergoing rectal surgery.
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Children who underwent surgery for complex congenital heart defects present worse exercise capacity than their healthy peers. In adults and adolescents, heart failure is assessed on the basis of clinical symptoms using the New York Heart Association (NYHA) score, while in an infant Ross scale; heart failure can also be evaluated by other parameters. The purpose of this study was to compare the degree of exercise tolerance in children after surgery for complex heart defects, assessed by the ratio of maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) and the brain natriuretic peptide (N-terminal fragment of the prohormone brain-type natriuretic peptide [NT-proBNP]) concentration. ⋯ In contrast, the average concentration of NT-proBNP in the study group was higher than controls (117.9 ± 74.3 vs 18.0 ± 24.5), and these differences were statistically significant (P < 0.001). After operations for complex heart defects (ToF, TGA, and SV), children have worse heart function parameters and exercise capacity than the healthy population. To control this, we recommend postoperative ergospirometry and determination of NT-proBNP concentrations.
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Evaluation of renal function using an accurate estimation equation is important for predicting long-term graft survival. We designed this retrospective cohort study to evaluate the predictive power of renal function estimation by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) and the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) study equations for graft survival. We reviewed data of 3290 adult kidney transplant recipients who underwent transplantation at a single center between April 1979 and September 2012. ⋯ Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses indicated that the CKD stage as classified by the CKD-EPI equation, but not the MDRD equation, was significantly correlated with the risk of graft failure. In multivariable Cox regression analysis for graft failure after adjustment for CKD stage as determined using the MDRD equation, but not the CKD-EPI equation, stage reclassification was significantly associated with a lower graft failure risk. Our data from this long-term follow-up study indicate that the CKD-EPI equation has a stronger predictive power for kidney graft survival than does the MDRD equation in transplantation settings.
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Observational Study
Dopaminergic Therapy Modulates Cortical Perfusion in Parkinson Disease With and Without Dementia According to Arterial Spin Labeled Perfusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
Arterial spin labeling (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging analyses allow for the quantification of altered cerebral blood flow, and provide a novel means of examining the impact of dopaminergic treatments. The authors examined the cerebral perfusion differences among 17 Parkinson disease (PD) patients, 17 PD with dementia (PDD) patients, and 17 healthy controls and used ASL-MRI to assess the effects of dopaminergic therapies on perfusion in the patients. The authors demonstrated progressive widespread cortical hypoperfusion in PD and PDD and robust effects for the dopaminergic therapies. ⋯ These patterns of hypoperfusion could be related to cognitive dysfunctions and disease severity. Furthermore, desensitization to dopaminergic therapies in terms of cortical perfusion was found as the disease progressed, supporting the concept that long-term therapies are associated with the therapeutic window narrowing. The highly sensitive pharmaceutical response of ASL allows clinicians and researchers to easily and effectively quantify the absolute perfusion status, which might prove helpful for therapeutic planning.