The American journal of case reports
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Behçet's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease involving multiple systems, with vasculitis being the most important pathological feature. Multiple colon perforations are thought to be secondary to vasculitis and they occur in patients with ulcers. These may be encountered within the entire colon but most commonly in the ileocecal region. Intestinal perforation and Budd-Chiari syndrome are infrequent in Behçet's disease, and are associated with high mortality and morbidity. Budd-Chiari syndrome results from occlusion of either hepatic veins or adjacent inferior vena cava, or both. ⋯ In Behçet's disease, treatment of colon perforation necessitates urgent surgery, whereas management of Budd-Chiari syndrome is directed towards the underlying cause. Behçet's disease, as a chronic multisystemic disease with various forms of vasculitis, is resistant to medical and surgical treatment. Prognosis is worse in Behçet's disease with colon perforation than that in Budd-Chiari syndrome alone.
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Case Reports
Ketamine and propofol combination ("ketofol") for endotracheal intubations in critically ill patients: a case series.
Endotracheal intubation is a common procedure performed for critically ill patients that can have immediate life-threatening complications. Induction medications are routinely given to facilitate the procedure, but most of these medications are associated with hypotension. While etomidate is known for its neutral hemodynamic profile, it has been linked with increased mortality in septic patients and increased morbidity in trauma patients. Ketamine and propofol are effective anesthetics with counteracting cardiovascular profiles. No data are available about the use of this combination in critically ill patients undergoing endotracheal intubation. ⋯ This case series describes the use of the "ketofol" combination as an induction agent for intubation in critically ill patients when hemodynamic stability is desired. Further research is needed to establish the safety of this combination and how it compares to other induction medications.
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Opioid addiction and overdose is a serious problem worldwide. Fatal overdoses from opioids are responsible for numerous deaths and are increasing, especially if taken in combination with other psychoactive substances. Combined with environmental exposure, opioid overdose can cause profound hypothermia. Opioid abuse and other drugs of abuse impair thermoregulation, leading to severe hypothermia. Both drug overdose and severe hypothermia can cause cardiac arrest. ⋯ Survival with full cardiovascular and neurologic recovery after a cardiac arrest caused by drug overdose in the setting of severe hypothermia is still possible, even if the cardiac arrest is of unknown or prolonged duration. Patients with severe hypothermia experiencing cardiac arrest/hemodynamic instability can be rewarmed using non-invasive methods and may not necessarily need invasive rewarming techniques.
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Myositis ossificans is a non-neoplastic benign reactive bone and cartilage matrix-producing pseudotumor that develops in skeletal muscles adjacent to the joint. The clinical and pathologic appearance of myositis ossificans varies depending on the time elapsed after heterotopic bone formation. Although its etiology is unclear, it usually occurs at the site of the injured muscle, most commonly in large muscles of the extremities, especially the quadriceps and brachialis. It rarely occurs in the paravertebral muscle of the lumbar spine. ⋯ Cases like this should be investigated well, so careful correlation of the clinical and radiologic findings with taking a biopsy is necessary to confirm diagnosis.
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Male, 16. ⋯ This case of Paget-Schroetter syndrome is distinguished by elevation in creatine kinase and transaminases. While these findings can be due to physical exertion and effort, effort thrombosis is not classically associated with laboratory abnormalities except an elevated D-dimer. The significance of these laboratory test result abnormalities remains unclear. Given the rarity of effort thrombosis, further epidemiological study is warranted to determine if these laboratory findings are seen in other cases, and, if so, what implications they may have for management and prognosis.