Curēus
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An alliance of established experts on critical care, Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), has published two protocols for treatment of COVID-19. The first one, methylprednisolone, ascorbic acid, thiamine, and heparin (MATH+), is intended for hospital and intensive care unit treatment of pulmonary phases of the disease. It is based on affordable, commonly available components: anti-inflammatory corticosteroids (methylprednisolone, "M"), high-dose vitamin C infusion (ascorbic acid, "A"), vitamin B1 (thiamine, "T"), anticoagulant heparin ("H"), antiparasitic agent ivermectin, and supplemental components ("+") including melatonin, vitamin D, elemental zinc, and magnesium. The MATH+ protocol has received scarce attention due to the World Health Organization (WHO) advising against the use of corticosteroids in the beginning of the pandemic. ⋯ In October 2020, ivermectin was upgraded from an optional component to an essential component of the protocol. According to the authors, ivermectin is considered the first agent effective for both prophylaxis (prevention) of COVID-19 and for treatment of all phases of COVID-19 including outpatient treatment of the early symptomatic phase. Therefore, at the end of October 2020, a separate ivermectin-based I-MASK+ protocol for prophylaxis and early outpatient treatment of COVID-19 was published.
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Acute coronary obstruction is a relatively rare complication of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Left coronary ostial obstruction is much more common compared to right coronary occlusion due to its relatively lower ostial height from the aortic annulus. ⋯ The patient, after undergoing an initial unsuccessful attempt at percutaneous revascularization, was placed on veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO). This was later transitioned to percutaneous right atrial to pulmonary artery right ventricular support, which led to subsequent recovery.
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Objective Some components of the routine complete blood count (CBC) and their ratios, such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have been found to be sensitive biomarkers of preeclampsia and other inflammatory obstetric conditions. We wanted to evaluate whether they can be associated with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). Materials and Methods We conducted a retrospective case-control study between May 1, 2015 and July 1, 2018. Cases were considered pregnancies with ICP and control healthy pregnancies. ⋯ RDW was lower in mild ICP compared to severe ICP in the third trimester. Conclusion Decreased WBC, neutrophil, NLR, and MPV values are associated with ICP and may be useful additions to the diagnostic algorithm for ICP. Larger studies are needed to assess the responsible underlying molecular pathogenic mechanisms.
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Introduction Cytokine release syndrome in COVID-19 is characterized by hyperinflammation, which manifests as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multiorgan failure, and high inflammatory parameters. Tocilizumab, an interleukin 6 (IL-6) antagonist has been used in COVID-19 ARDS with conflicting results from different parts of the world. Objective To study the treatment outcomes with tocilizumab in patients with COVID-19 ARDS and hyperinflammation using the World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 ordinal scale. ⋯ Mortality was significantly higher in patients who developed a nosocomial infection and who required intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV). Post-treatment, clinical improvement was observed in patients who had a median score of 5 on the WHO ordinal scale. Conclusion Our study supports the use of tocilizumab in COVID-19 ARDS patients with a pre-treatment median WHO ordinal severity score of 5 and recommends the monitoring of nosocomial infections and opportunistic infections.
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Background Patients with psychogenic hyperventilation frequently visit emergency departments (EDs). Arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis is performed to evaluate patients with dyspnea. This may show respiratory alkalosis in patients with hyperventilation. ⋯ The PCO2 and serum lactate levels were inversely correlated, and the ρ values were -0.74 and -0.50 for the ABG and VBG groups, respectively (both p<0.001). In addition, the bicarbonate ion ([Formula: see text]) level was inversely correlated with the serum lactate level, and the pH was positively correlated with the serum lactate levels in both the ABG and VBG groups. Conclusions Among patients with psychogenic hyperventilation, respiratory alkalosis, and the correlation between the PCO2 and serum lactate levels were similar in the ABG and VBG groups, indicating that VBG analysis might be used as an alternative to ABG analysis for evaluating psychogenic hyperventilation.