Journal of clinical medicine research
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Spontaneous isolated dissection of abdominal visceral arteries without aortic dissection is rare and its pathology and prognosis are not yet clear; therefore, therapeutic strategies for this disease have not been established. The present multi-institution investigational study analyzed the clinical features of patients with spontaneous isolated dissection of abdominal visceral arteries. ⋯ Our findings indicate that hypertension and smoking might be closely involved in the pathogenesis of spontaneous isolated dissection of abdominal visceral arteries, whereas dyslipidemia and diabetes might be less involved. Additionally, few asymptomatic patients were accidentally diagnosed, indicating that the absence of symptoms cannot be used to rule out the presence of this disease. Randomized clinical trials cannot be performed because a considerable number of cases are required. Therefore, detailed descriptions of clinical features, as provided in our report, are important.
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Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) can be diagnosed using the Medical Research Council (MRC) score. However, such scoring may not be possible in ICU patients who may be sedated or delirious or have encephalopathy. Currently, a quantitative assessment of the cross-sectional area of the muscle is available to assess changes in skeletal muscle mass using computed tomography (CT) images. This assessment calculates the skeletal muscle index (SMI) (cm2/m2) by dividing the cross-sectional area (cm2) of the skeletal muscle at the level of the third lumbar vertebra by the square of the patient's height (m2) on CT. This study assessed the effectiveness of SMI, as measured by abdominal CT scans, in predicting the onset of ICU-AW in patients with sepsis admitted to the ICU. ⋯ Our results show that SMI measurement at ICU admission is a valid predictive factor for ICU-AW progression in septic patients.
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Pulmonary embolism (PE) is among the most difficult conditions to diagnose in emergency department. The majority of patients thought to have PE are tested positive for D-dimer and subsequently tested with advanced diagnostic modalities. Novel noninvasive tests capable of excluding PE may obviate the need for advanced imaging tests. We studied the role of combined clinical probability assessment and end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) measurement for diagnosis of possible PE in emergency department. ⋯ ETCO2 alone cannot reliably exclude PE. Combining it with clinical probability, however, reliably and correctly eliminates or diagnoses PE and prevents further testing to be done.
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Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Recent studies suggest that troponin elevation is associated with increased mortality in sepsis patients. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of troponin elevation on mechanical ventilation duration and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay in patients with sepsis. Additionally, we investigated the association between troponin elevation and septic shock. ⋯ Troponin elevation was associated with longer duration of mechanical ventilation in patients admitted to ICU with sepsis. Troponin elevation was associated with higher risk for development of septic shock. No significant effect was observed in ICU length of stay and hospital length of stay.
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Lower lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), higher neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) 2 have been demonstrated as independent prognostic markers for poor prognosis of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, little is known about these three markers as prognostic markers for a specific histological subset of NSCLC, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of LMR, NLR and mGPS for advanced SCC. ⋯ LMR is an independent prognostic factor for advanced pulmonary SCC. Neither NLR nor mGPS is useful as prognostic factor for this histology. The optimal prognostic markers may differ from each subset of NSCLC.