741 A complex clinical mosaic of severe autoimmune calcific constrictive pericarditis with striking haemodynamic response to immunosuppressive therapy

Autoimmune constrictive pericarditis constitutes a conundrum to modern cardiology with much uncertainty surrounding both pathophysiology and optimal treatment strategies. We hereby describe the case of a 35-year-old woman of Nigerian origin with severe right heart failure secondary to calcific constrictive pericarditis. Her past medical history included coagulation factor XI deficiency, leukopenia, 2nd trimester miscarriage and premature labour due to placenta previa with fibrin deposition. Further investigations revealed atrial fibrillation, severe biatrial enlargement, moderate tricuspid and mitral regurgitation, pericardial thickening, post-capillary pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular dip-and-plateau pattern, compatible with severe constrictive pericarditis. Extensive screening for infectious and autoimmune causes only revealed borderline positive ANA (1:80). Thereafter, the patient underwent complete surgical pericardiectomy with pericardial biopsies revealing fibrous thickening, diffuse calcification and lymphocyte/macrophage infiltrates, in the absence of giant multinucleated cells or granulomas. The patient was later discharged but soon experienced relapse of exertional dyspnoea presenting with right-sided haemo-pneumothorax (requiring pleural drainage), diffuse alveolar haemorrhage, large right-sided basal and infrascissural pleural effusion, and ascites. She was treated with high dose iv furosemide, oral ibuprofen and colchicine, suspension of rate control medications, achieving initial reduction in pulmonary oedema and ascites, relapsing however after attempts to switch to oral diuretic therapy. Due to the finding of persistent lymphopenia, further immunological tests were conducted, revealing raised IgG1 levels as well as altered peripheral lymphocyte populations (raised CD4+/CD8+ ratio and CD8+ central memory, reduced CD8 effector memory). This finding in conjunction with the history of factor XI deficiency, 2nd trimester miscarriage and placental fibrin deposition as well as the observation of painful cutaneous nodules at sites of venepuncture, suggestive of Koebner’s phenomenon, veered the diagnostic focus to a potential autoimmune aetiology and in particular to systemic lupus erythematosus (>10 ACR-EULAR score points with case reports describing all the above as potential disease manifestations). Furthermore, revision of thoracic CT scans, demonstrated bilateral migratory peribronchovascular nodules with ground-glass halo. CT- guided biopsies thereof were performed revealing focal alveolar damage with capillaritis and alveolar haemorrhage, further corroborating the clinical suspicion of autoimmune disease and justifying the introduction of high-dose oral corticosteroid therapy. In liaison with our tertiary rheumatology centre, the patient was later switched to mycophenolate with gradual weaning from corticosteroid. Concurrent cardiological follow-up revealed persistence of good haemodynamic status (NYHA class II, absence of pulmonary oedema and ascites) with oral diuretic therapy, regression of cutaneous symptoms and echocardiography demonstrating consistent reduction in both mitral and tricuspid regurgitation. This constitutes to our knowledge the first report of autoimmune calcific constrictive pericarditis with significant haemodynamic response to immunosuppressive therapy. Despite the relative rarity of this disease entity, early recognition and instatement of immunosuppressive treatment may prove fundamental to halt and potentially reverse the haemodynamic progression of this highly morbid condition.

Attenuation of Haemodynamic Response to Placement of Mayfield Skull Pin Head Holder - Comparison of Dexmedetomidine Versus Propofol Infusion - A Randomized Interventional Trial Done in a Tertiary Centre in Central Kerala

The above article has been withdrawn on authors’ request. Original CitationUnni S, Sebastian R, Joseph E, et al. Attenuation of haemodynamic response to placement of Mayfield skull pin head holder - comparison of dexmedetomidine versus propofol infusion - a randomized interventional trial done in a tertiary centre in central Kerala. J Evid Based Med Healthc 2021;8(29):2639-2643. DOI: 10.18410/jebmh/2021/486

Integration of the Cortical Haemodynamic Response Measured by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Amino Acid Analysis to Aid in the Diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating condition with a high disease burden and medical comorbidities. There are currently few to no validated biomarkers to guide the diagnosis and treatment of MDD. In the present study, we evaluated the differences between MDD patients and healthy controls (HCs) in terms of cortical haemodynamic responses during a verbal fluency test (VFT) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and serum amino acid profiles, and ascertained if these parameters were correlated with clinical characteristics. Methods: Twenty-five (25) patients with MDD and 25 age-, gender-, and ethnicity-matched HCs were recruited for the study. Real-time monitoring of the haemodynamic response during completion of a VFT was quantified using a 52-channel NIRS system. Serum samples were analysed and quantified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for amino acid profiling. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to classify potential candidate biomarkers. Results: The MDD patients had lower prefrontal and temporal activation during completion of the VFT than HCs. The MDD patients had lower mean concentrations of oxy-Hb in the left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and lower serum histidine levels. When the oxy-haemoglobin response was combined with the histidine concentration, the sensitivity and specificity of results improved significantly from 66.7% to 73.3% and from 65.0% to 90.0% respectively, as compared to results based only on the NIRS response. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the use of combination biomarkers to aid in the diagnosis of MDD. This technique could be a useful approach to detect MDD with greater precision, but additional studies are required to validate the methodology.

Nalbuphine versus dexmedetomidine for attenuation of haemodynamic response to laryngoscopy and intubation: A randomised double blind comparative study

Laryngoscopy and intubation are noxious stimuli which result in marked sympathetic response. However, literature search did not reveal any study comparing nalbuphine and dexmedetomidine for attenuation of haemodynamic response to laryngoscopy and intubation. After Institutional Ethical Committee approval and written informed consent, 80 ASA I and II patients were randomised in two groups of 40 each. Group N received 0.2 mg/kg of nalbuphine; group D received 1 µg/kg dexmedetomidine over a period of 10 min. Anaesthesia was induced as per standard general anaesthesia practice. Haemodynamic parameters [Heart Rate (HR), Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP), Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP), & Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP)] were recorded at baseline, 0, 1, 3, 5, 10, and 15 min following intubation. Patients were also observed for any side effects of the study drugs.There was a significant decrease (p<0.001) in mean HR in group D compared to group N, after administration of drug and 1 min after intubation. Both group N and group D showed no significant increase in mean HR at any time point compared to baseline values. There was no significant increase in mean SBP at any time interval in both the groups when compared to baseline. There was a significant increase (p<0.001) in mean DBP and MAP at the time of intubation in group N whereas no significant increase in mean DBP, and MAP was observed in group D at any time point. Dexmedetomidine was found to be more effective in attenuating haemodynamic response to laryngoscopy and intubation as compared to nalbuphine.

Cerebral haemodynamic response to somatosensory stimulation in preterm lambs and 7–10-day old lambs born at term: Direct synchrotron microangiography assessment

Neurovascular coupling has been well-defined in the adult brain, but variable and inconsistent responses have been observed in the neonatal brain. The mechanisms that underlie functional haemodynamic responses in the developing brain are unknown. Synchrotron radiation (SR) microangiography enables in vivo high-resolution imaging of the cerebral vasculature. We exploited SR microangiography to investigate the microvascular changes underlying the cerebral haemodynamic response in preterm (n = 7) and 7–10-day old term lambs (n = 4), following median nerve stimulation of 1.8, 4.8 and 7.8 sec durations. Increasing durations of somatosensory stimulation significantly increased the number of cortical microvessels of ≤200 µm diameter in 7–10-day old term lambs (p < 0.05) but not preterm lambs where, in contrast, stimulation increased the diameter of cerebral microvessels with a baseline diameter of ≤200 µm. Preterm lambs demonstrated positive functional responses with increased oxyhaemoglobin measured by near infrared spectroscopy, while 7–10-day old term lambs demonstrated both positive and negative responses. Our findings suggest the vascular mechanisms underlying the functional haemodynamic response differ between the preterm and 7–10-day old term brain. The preterm brain depends on vasodilatation of microvessels without recruitment of additional vessels, suggesting a limited capacity to mount higher cerebral haemodynamic responses when faced with prolonged or stronger neural stimulation.

Effect of intrathecal buprenorphine on the haemodynamic response in patients undergoing laparoscopic appendicectomy under general anaesthesia

: Combined regional and general anaesthesia for laparoscopic appendicectomy offers better intraoperative haemodynamic stability. Buprenorphine is a long acting opioid which can be administered intrathecally and provides excellent analgesia intraoperatively and post operatively while allowing early ambulation without prolonged motor block. The study aimed to compare the haemodynamic response during laparoscopic appendicectomy using combined general anaesthesia with intrathecal buprenorphine and general anaesthesia alone. In this observational study 80 patients who underwent laparoscopic appendicectomy were divided into two groups of 40 each by random sampling. The patients in the GA group received general anaesthesia whereas patients in the GA+SAB group received intrathecal buprenorphine along with general anaesthesia. The heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressures and SpOwere noted after induction of general anaesthesia, immediately after endotracheal intubation, after creating pneumoperitonium and post extubation. Student’s t test was used for comparing the haemodynamic variables There were no statistically significant differences between GA and GA+SAB group in the heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure after pneumoperitonium was created. When compared to general anaesthesia alone, addition of intrathecal burenorphine provides little advantage in preventing stress response during laparoscopic appendicectomy.