Intrathoracic transposition of the omentum

2021 ◽  

Complex chest and lung infections with bronchial fistula are life-threatening situations with a mortality rate of up to 20%. If medical treatment fails, these patients require aggressive procedures to heal. Transposition of the omentum is a valuable, nonstandard option in these complex cases with aggressive infection involving the pleural space, with or without a bronchial fistula, when medical treatment is unsuccessful. We present a 29-year-old female patient diagnosed with primary immunodeficiency and invasive fungal infection with involvement of the left upper lobe and mediastinal and vertebral bodies treated with a lobectomy and intrathoracic transposition of the omentum.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Jacobsen

Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) after a pulmonary resection is rare with some of the most life-threatening consequences and a high mortality rate. Contamination of the pleural space resulting in empyema and spillage of the infected fluid into the remaining lung leading to respiratory distress remain the biggest concerns with BPF postoperatively. There are many patient characteristics and risk factors that can be evaluated to decrease the chance of a postoperative BPF. Presentation of BPF can be early or late with the late BPF more difficult to diagnosis and manage. Many options to treat BPF include surgical repair, conservative management, and endoscopic treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-140
Author(s):  
Sankalp Yadav ◽  
Novelesh Bachchan ◽  
Gautam Rawal ◽  
Pallawi Rai

Mucormycosis (MCR) involving paranasal sinuses is a rare life-threatening opportunistic infection in immunocompromised individuals. In humans, MCR is considered as one of the most rapidly progressive lethal forms of fungal infection with a high mortality rate of 70–100%. During the second wave of COVID-19 in India, the cases of MCR have increased rapidly. We herein report a case of a 70-year-old Indian male with an uncontrolled diabetes diagnosed as maxillary and ethmoid sinus MCR.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 980-987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ridwane Mungroo ◽  
Ayaz Anwar ◽  
Naveed Ahmed Khan ◽  
Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui

Pathogenic free-living amoeba are known to cause a devastating infection of the central nervous system and are often referred to as “brain-eating amoebae”. The mortality rate of more than 90% and free-living nature of these amoebae is a cause for concern. It is distressing that the mortality rate has remained the same over the past few decades, highlighting the lack of interest by the pharmaceutical industry. With the threat of global warming and increased outdoor activities of public, there is a need for renewed interest in identifying potential anti-amoebic compounds for successful prognosis. Here, we discuss the available chemotherapeutic options and opportunities for potential strategies in the treatment and diagnosis of these life-threatening infections.


1979 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-294
Author(s):  
Eve T. Horwitz

AbstractTwo recent cases have raised important questions concerning the appropriateness of state intervention in parental choices of unorthodox medical treatment for children with life-threatening conditions. This Note first discusses whether, and if so, when, state intervention in a child's treatment selection by its parents is appropriate, and then analyzes the tests a court should apply in deciding upon an appropriate treatment. The Note recommends a decision-making approach that requires the appropriate state agency to prove, by clear and convincing evidence, that the parents' choice of medical treatment either is directly or is indirectly harming their child. Under this approach, if the state meets its burden of proof the court then must apply the ‘best interests’ test, rather than the ‘substituted judgment’ test, to choose an appropriate medical treatment for the child.


Lupus ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 096120332110047
Author(s):  
Muming Yu ◽  
Yulei Gao ◽  
Heng Jin ◽  
Songtao Shou

Acute pericardial tamponade, which can cause obstructive shock, is a serious life-threatening medical emergency that can be readily reversed by timely identification and appropriate intervention. Acute pericardial tamponade can occur for a number of reasons, including idiopathic, malignancy, uremia, iatrogenic, post-myocardial infarction, infection, collagen vascular, hypothyroidism, and others. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and hyperthyroidism associated with pericardial tamponade are rarely reported. Here, we report the case of a 20-year-old female patient was final diagnosed of SLE with Graves’ hyperthyroidism.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 486
Author(s):  
Marcela Daniela Ionescu ◽  
Mihaela Balgradean ◽  
Catalin Gabriel Cirstoveanu ◽  
Ioana Balgradean ◽  
Loredana Ionela Popa ◽  
...  

The outbreak of COVID-19 can be associated with cardiac and pulmonary involvement and is emerging as one of the most significant and life-threatening complications in patients with kidney failure receiving hemodialysis. Here, we report a critically ill case of a 13-year-old female patient with acute pericarditis and bilateral pleurisy, screened positive for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR, presented with high fever, frequent dry cough, and dyspnea with tachypnea. COVID-19-induced myopericarditis has been noted to be a complication in patients with concomitant kidney failure with replacement therapy (KFRT). This article brings information in the light of our case experience, suggesting that the direct effect of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on cardiac tissue was a significant contributor to myopericarditis in our patient. Further studies in this direction are required, as such associations have thus far been reported.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 876.1-876
Author(s):  
C. F. Su ◽  
C. C. Lai ◽  
T. H. LI ◽  
Y. F. Chang ◽  
Y. T. Lin ◽  
...  

Background:Infectious disease is one of the leading causes of mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Among these infections, invasive fungal infection (IFI) carries high mortality rate (25-70%), but the literature of IFI in SLE is limited.Objectives:To investigate the epidemiology and risk factors of invasive fungal infection and its subtypes, including candidiasis, aspergillosis, and cryptococcosis, in SLE patients.Methods:All patients with newly diagnosed SLE between 1997-2012 were enrolled from Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, with an age- and sex-matched non-SLE control group in a ratio of 1:10. IFI was identified by ICD9 codes1from discharge record and validated by use of systemic anti-fungal agents. The incidence rate (IR), incidence rate ratio (IRR), cause mortality rate of IFI and its subtypes were compared. A Cox multivariate model with time-dependent covariates was applied to analyse the independent risk factors of IFI.Results:A total of 269 951 subjects (24 541 SLE and 245 410 control) were included. There were 445 episodes of IFI in SLE group. Candida was the most common pathogen (52.8%), followed by cryptococcus and aspergillus. The IR of IFI in SLE was 20.83 per 10,000 person-years with an IRR of 11.1 (95% CI 9.8-12.6) compared to the control (figure 1). Kaplan-Meier curve also disclosed a lower IFI-free survival in SLE (figure 2). The all-cause mortality rate was similar between SLE and the control (26.7 vs 25.7%). In SLE, treatment with mycophenolate mofetil (HR=2.24, 95% CI 1.48-3.37), cyclosporin (HR=1.65, 95% CI 1.10-1.75), cyclophosphamide (HR=1.37, 95% CI 1.07-1.75), oral daily dose of steroid>5 mg prednisolone (HR=1.26, 95% CI 1.01-1.58), and intravenous steroid therapy (HR=29.11, 95% CI 23.30-36.37) were identified as independent risk factors of IFI. Similar analyses were performed for subtypes of IFI. Distinctive risk factors were found between different subtypes of IFI (table 1).Conclusion:SLE patients have a higher risk of IFI. Intravenous steroid therapy is the most important risk factor of IFI. This study provides crucial information for risk stratification of IFI in SLE.References:[1] Winthrop KL, Novosad SA, Baddley JW, et al. Opportunistic infections and biologic therapies in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases: consensus recommendations for infection reporting during clinical trials and postmarketing surveillance. Ann Rheum Dis. 2015 Dec; 74(12):2107-2116.Disclosure of Interests:None declared


1978 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Benjamin

Congenital subglottic hemangioma causes life-threatening airway obstruction during the first few months of life. The mortality rate of recognized and untreated cases justifies active treatment, and although radiation therapy is currently most favored, it carries a risk of inducing malignant change in the thyroid gland later in life. A series of 11 patients with laryngeal hemangiomata is reported, conventional radiotherapy was utilized in the first seven patients, and placement of a radioactive gold grain directly into the lesion was used in the last four patients. This technique offers maximal tumor dose with minimal thyroid gland irradiation compared to treatment by conventional radiotherapy, and its successful use in these four patients is reported as worthy of further trial.


1989 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 530-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludwig M. Auer ◽  
Wolfgang Deinsberger ◽  
Kurt Niederkorn ◽  
Günther Gell ◽  
Reinhold Kleinert ◽  
...  

✓ A controlled randomized study of endoscopic evacuation versus medical treatment was performed in 100 patients with spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral (subcortical, putaminal, and thalamic) hematomas. Patients with aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, brain tumors, or head injuries were excluded. Criteria for inclusion were as follows: patients' age between 30 and 80 years; a hematoma volume of more than 10 cu cm; the presence of neurological or consciousness impairment; the appropriateness of surgery from a medical and anesthesiological point of view; and the initiation of treatment within 48 hours after hemorrhage. The criteria of randomization were the location, size, and side of the hematoma as well as the patient's age, state of consciousness, and history of hypertension. Evaluation of outcome was performed 6 months after hemorrhage. Surgical patients with subcortical hematomas showed a significantly lower mortality rate (30%) than their medically treated counterparts (70%, p < 0.05). Moreover, 40% of these patients had a good outcome with no or only a minimal deficit versus 25% in the medically treated group; the difference was statistically significant for operated patients with no postoperative deficit (p < 0.01). Surgical patients with hematomas smaller than 50 cu cm made a significantly better functional recovery than did patients of the medically treated group, but had a comparable mortality rate. By contrast, patients with larger hematomas showed significantly lower mortality rates after operation but had no better functional recovery than the medically treated group. This effect from surgery was limited to patients in a preoperatively alert or somnolent state; stuporous or comatose patients had no better outcome after surgery. The outcome of surgical patients with putaminal or thalamic hemorrhage was no better than for those with medical treatment; however, there was a trend toward better quality of survival and chance of survival in the operated group.


F1000Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfram Hoetzenecker ◽  
Tarun Mehra ◽  
Ieva Saulite ◽  
Martin Glatz ◽  
Peter Schmid-Grendelmeier ◽  
...  

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a rare, life-threatening drug-induced skin disease with a mortality rate of approximately 30%. The clinical hallmark of TEN is a marked skin detachment caused by extensive keratinocyte cell death associated with mucosal involvement. The exact pathogenic mechanism of TEN is still uncertain. Recent advances in this field have led to the identification of several factors that might contribute to the induction of excessive apoptosis of keratinocytes. In addition, specific human leukocyte antigen types seem to be associated with certain drugs and the development of TEN. As well-controlled studies are lacking, patients are treated with various immunomodulators (e.g. intravenous immunoglobulin) in addition to the best supportive care.


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