The American journal of the medical sciences
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Review Case Reports
Mimicking the mimicker: Necrotizing sarcoid granulomatosis.
Necrotizing sarcoid granulomatosis (NSG) is a rare disease that shares similarities with pulmonary vasculitides and sarcoidosis. This is a report of two cases of NSG with a review of literature. The first case is a 33-year-old black female with a one-year history of malaise and cough. ⋯ Pathology often shows necrotizing granulomatous vasculitis, distinguishing it from classical sarcoid. Laboratory markers for vasculitis like neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies and antibodies against myeloperoxidase and proteinase 3 are negative or only low titers. NSG responds well to immune-suppression, most commonly with glucocorticoids.
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Observational Study
Lactated Ringer's solution and risk of hyperkalemia in patients with reduced kidney function.
Emerging evidence supports the superiority of balanced crystalloids such as Lactated Ringer's (LR) compared to normal saline but concerns for the development of hyperkalemia have limited its use. Although LR inherently contains potassium, there exists a paucity of evidence to suggest that LR could potentiate hyperkalemia. To address this, we evaluated the effect of LR on serum potassium in patients with reduced kidney function who are at risk of developing hyperkalemia. ⋯ LR use was not independently associated with the development of hyperkalemia in patients with reduced kidney function.
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Review Case Reports
Acute diquat poisoning causes rhabdomyolysis: a case report and literature review.
We studied the case of a 36-year-old female patient who self-administered about 30 ml of diquat solution (200 g/L) during a suicide attempt. She developed nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and weakness in her limbs and was admitted to the emergency department of our hospital 4 h later. The patient developed progressive swelling and pain in both calves 12 h after admission. ⋯ We attempted to analyze the mechanism of this symptom through a literature review. We recommend the routine monitoring of creatine phosphokinase (CK) and myoglobin (MYO) in patients with diquat poisoning to avoid missed diagnosis. Further, the mechanism of this poisoning symptom was discussed through the literature review.
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Identifying patients at risk for mortality from COVID-19 is crucial to triage, clinical decision-making, and the allocation of scarce hospital resources. The 4C Mortality Score effectively predicts COVID-19 mortality, but it has not been validated in a United States (U.S.) population. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the 4C Mortality Score accurately predicts COVID-19 mortality in an urban U.S. adult inpatient population. ⋯ Clinicians may use the 4C Mortality Score in an urban, majority Black, U.S. inpatient population. The derivation and validation cohorts were treated in the pre-vaccine era so the 4C Score may over-predict mortality in current patient populations. With stubbornly high inpatient mortality rates, however, the 4C Score remains one of the best tools available to date to inform thoughtful triage and treatment allocation.
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Diuretics are amongst the most prescribed medications in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. They are used extensively in diverse disease states including heart failure, acute and chronic kidney disease, cirrhosis, and diseases of excess capillary permeability such as sepsis, malignancy, and malnutrition. All are characterized by total body sodium overabundance which commonly manifests as edema. ⋯ These complications frequently limit the correction of hypervolemia, resulting in continued patient suffering and frustration for the clinician. In this review, we employ a case-based approach to discuss three common challenges encountered during diuretic therapy: diuretic resistance that characterizes the nephrotic syndrome, diuretic-induced metabolic alkalosis, and diuretic-associated hyponatremia. We empower the clinician to effectively meet these challenges by providing a mechanistic understanding of these complications and their solutions.