Internal medicine
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Abnormal hemodynamics are associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure. Given the invasiveness and unfeasibility of routine right heart catheterization, non-invasive methodologies to monitor hemodynamics are needed. The CardioMEMS™ device is a recently developed technology that enables remote monitoring of pulmonary artery pressures via an implanted sensor located in the distal left pulmonary artery. ⋯ In patients with advanced heart failure who require left ventricular assist devices, non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring is particularly necessary, given the increased procedural risks of invasive assessments. The HeartWare ventricular assist device flow waveform is a variable under active investigation that might also provide an estimation of filling pressures. This methodology is expected to lead to the development of a smart pump that can adjust its own settings, including the pump speed, automatically by monitoring the hemodynamics.
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Review Case Reports
Pyuria without Casts and Bilateral Kidney Enlargement are Probable Hallmarks of Severe Acute Kidney Injury Induced by Acute Pyelonephritis - A Case Report and Literature Review.
The patient was a 38-year-old man who had experienced nausea and fever for a few days and presented with back pain, oliguria, and pyuria, suggesting acute pyelonephritis (APN). He showed acute kidney injury (AKI) with bilateral kidney enlargement and was using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). AKI-induced by APN was confirmed by kidney biopsy. ⋯ A search of the relevant literature for reports on histopathologically-proven APN-induced severe AKI revealed that the key characteristics were bilateral kidney enlargement with pyuria without casts. Oligoanuria was frequently associated with APN-induced severe AKI, and NSAID use may be a possible risk factor. Prompt antibiotic treatment based on the clinical characteristics of APN-induced AKI can improve the renal outcome.
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Case Reports
A Case of Pulmonary Embolism and Splenic Infarction after Minocycline Infusion in a Patient with Polycythemia Vera.
A 55-year-old man treated with polycythemia vera visited our hospital, complaining of left abdominal pain and dyspnea. He had received minocycline infusions three weeks earlier for mycoplasma pneumonia. ⋯ His condition improved after anticoagulant therapy, and right and left shunts were detected on transesophageal echocardiography. This suggested that thrombus in the forearm may have been the source of the embolism.