scholarly journals Bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax in a non-intubated COVID-19 patient

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-36
Author(s):  
Michał Frączek ◽  
Katarzyna Sklinda ◽  
Jerzy Walecki
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Spontaneous Pneumothorax ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Lung Involvement ◽  
Bilateral Pneumothorax ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Lung Condition ◽  
History Of ◽  
Artery Disease

Spontaneous bilateral pneumothorax is a rare condition occurring only in 1,3% of cases of spontaneous pneumothorax. Although spontaneous pneumothorax is recognized complication of COVID it is usually associated with severe cases of COVID pneumonia with massive lung involvement and a high level of inflammatory cytokines – so called "inflammatory storm". Large percentage of this patients requires life support with mechanical ventilation and pneumothorax is usually accompanied with pneumomediastinum. Nevertheless occurrence of spontaneous pneumothorax in non-intubated patients is very low. Therefore the presented case is exceptional in two ways – spontaneous pneumothorax occurred in non-intubated patient and is presented bilaterally. Early diagnosis of spontaneous bilateral pneumothorax can pose a diagnostic dilemma as it mimics progression of lung involvement in the course of COVID, pulmonary embolism or myocardial infarction. In our case apart from COVID pneumonia, patient had typical clinical presentation of myocardial infarction and known coronary artery disease, which initially mislead clinicians toward diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI). However after exclusion of MI, chest radiograph was requested which revealed bilateral pneumothorax. The exact mechanism of pneumothorax development in non-intubated patients is not clear. Lung inflammation in COVID causes formation of pneumatocele, which can predispose to spontaneous pneumothorax. It is important to note that our patient developed pneumothorax without evident pneumatocele, underlying lung condition or history of trauma. This case shows that bilateral pneumothorax in COVID-19 can develop also in patients with only mild clinical course of COVID pneumonia. Early diagnosis and proper management is essential and can prevent life-threatening complications.  

scholarly journals Catheter Ablation of Life-Threatening Ventricular Arrhythmias in Athletes

Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 205
Author(s):  
Nicola Tarantino ◽  
Domenico G. Della Rocca ◽  
Nicole S. De Leon De La Cruz ◽  
Eric D. Manheimer ◽  
Michele Magnocavallo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Catheter Ablation ◽  
Ventricular Arrhythmias ◽  
Individual Factors ◽  
Substantial Part ◽  
Arrhythmogenic Substrate ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
History Of ◽  
Anatomic Distribution ◽  
Artery Disease ◽  
Surveillance Analysis

A recent surveillance analysis indicates that cardiac arrest/death occurs in ≈1:50,000 professional or semi-professional athletes, and the most common cause is attributable to life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). It is critically important to diagnose any inherited/acquired cardiac disease, including coronary artery disease, since it frequently represents the arrhythmogenic substrate in a substantial part of the athletes presenting with major VAs. New insights indicate that athletes develop a specific electro-anatomical remodeling, with peculiar anatomic distribution and VAs patterns. However, because of the scarcity of clinical data concerning the natural history of VAs in sports performers, there are no dedicated recommendations for VA ablation. The treatment remains at the mercy of several individual factors, including the type of VA, the athlete’s age, and the operator’s expertise. With the present review, we aimed to illustrate the prevalence, electrocardiographic (ECG) features, and imaging correlations of the most common VAs in athletes, focusing on etiology, outcomes, and sports eligibility after catheter ablation.

scholarly journals Prevalence and Clinical Correlates of Coronary Artery Disease among New Dialysis Patients in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Study

2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1516-1523 ◽  
Author(s):  
AUSTIN G. STACK ◽  
WENDY E. BLOEMBERGEN
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Coronary Artery Disease ◽  
Coronary Artery ◽  
The United States ◽  
Comorbid Conditions ◽  
Clinical Correlates ◽  
History Of ◽  
Artery Disease

Abstract. Despite the high prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), few studies have identified clinical correlates using national data. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and clinical associations of CAD in a national random sample of new ESRD in the United States in 1996/1997 (n = 4025). Data on demographic characteristics and comorbidities were obtained from the Dialysis Morbidity and Mortality Study, Wave 2. The principal outcome was CAD, defined as the presence of a previous history of CAD, myocardial infarction, or angina, coronary artery bypass surgery, coronary angioplasty, or abnormal coronary angiographic findings. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship of conventional factors and proposed uremic factors to the presence of CAD. CAD was present in 38% of patients. Of the total cohort, 17% had a history of myocardial infarction and 23% had angina. Several conventional risk factors, including advancing age, male gender, diabetes mellitus, and smoking, were significantly associated with CAD. Of the proposed uremic factors, lower serum albumin levels but higher residual renal function and higher hematocrit values were significantly associated with the presence of CAD. Vascular comorbid conditions, structural cardiac abnormalities, white race, and geographic location were also strongly correlated with the presence of CAD. This national study suggests that several conventional CAD risk factors may also be risk factors for CAD among the ESRD population. This study identifies nonconventional factors such as serum albumin levels, vascular comorbid conditions, and structural cardiac abnormalities as important disease correlates. Future logitudinal studies are required to explore the relative importance of the relationships observed here.

Possible GoLytely-Associated Cardiac Arrest: A Case Report and Literature Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 364-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoonsun Mo ◽  
Shiv Gandhi ◽  
Jose Orsini
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Arrest ◽  
Abdominal Pain ◽  
Sudden Cardiac Arrest ◽  
Lower Abdominal Pain ◽  
The Past ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
History Of ◽  
Artery Disease ◽  
Possible Cause

Purpose: To report a case of sudden cardiac arrest possibly associated with the administration of GoLytely® (polyethylene glycol 3350 and electrolytes). Summary: A 60-year-old male with a history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and coronary artery disease presented to the emergency department with complaints of constipation and lower abdominal pain over the past week, and the inability to urinate over the past day. The patient had received GoLytely as treatment to alleviate symptoms of constipation and abdominal pain. However, several hours after administration of the bowel prep solution, the patient suffered an episode of cardiac arrest. After ruling out other possible etiologies, GoLytely was suspected as a possible cause of cardiac arrest. The patient had suffered an anoxic brain injury and remained intubated and unconscious until he eventually expired, 20 days after the event. Conclusion: Although GoLytely appears to be a safe agent with fewer side effects, clinicians need to be mindful of potential life-threatening adverse events following GoLytely administration and monitor patients closely during and after administration.

Factor XIII Val34Leu variant protects against coronary artery disease

2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (03) ◽  
pp. 458-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsuzsanna Bereczky ◽  
Éva Katona ◽  
Róza Ádány ◽  
László Muszbek ◽  
Zoltán Vokó
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Coronary Artery Disease ◽  
Coronary Artery ◽  
Protective Effect ◽  
Factor Xiii ◽  
Empirical Bayes ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Environmental Interactions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Artery Disease

SummarySeveral studies suggested that Val34Leu variant of factor XIII (FXIII) might have a protective effect against coronary artery disease (CAD), but studies not supporting these findings have also been published. The authors performed a meta-analysis of 16 studies on 5,346 cases and 7,053 controls that investigated the association between Val34Leu polymorphism and CAD defined as history of myocardial infarction or significant stenosis on a coronary artery assessed by coronary angiography. Because of the heterogeneity of the study-specific results, the pooled effect estimates were calculated by a random-effects empirical Bayes model. The combined odds ratios for CAD were 0.82 (95% confidence interval [95% Cl] 0.73, 0.94) for the heterozygotes of the FXIIIVal34Leu variant, 0.89 (95% CI 0.69, 1.13) for the homozygotes, and 0.81 (95% CI 0.70, 0.92) for the heterozygotes and homozygotes combined. The results were essentially the same when only myocardial infarction was considered as outcome. The beneficial effect of the polymorphism might be smaller than the effect estimates obtained in this metaanalysis, because the analysis raised the possibility of publication bias. Data published in the literature suggest that gene-gene and gene-environmental interactions might significantly influence the protective effect of FXIII-AVal34Leu polymorphism.

scholarly journals Ventricular Rupture due to Myocardial Infarction without Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Hendrik Lapp ◽  
Marcel Keßler ◽  
Thomas Rock ◽  
Franz X. Schmid ◽  
Dong-In Shin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Coronary Artery Disease ◽  
Coronary Artery ◽  
Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
St Segment Elevation ◽  
St Segment ◽  
Ventricular Rupture ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Artery Disease

An 87-year-old woman presenting with myocardial infarction and ST-segment elevation in the electrocardiogram suffered from pericardial effusion due to left ventricular rupture. After ruling out obstructive coronary artery disease and aortic dissection, she underwent cardiac surgery showing typical infarct-macerated myocardial tissue in situ. This case shows that even etiologically unclear and small-sized myocardial infarctions can cause life-threatening mechanical complications.

scholarly journals Accelerated FEV1 decline and risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in a primary care population of COPD patients

2020 ◽  
pp. 2000918
Author(s):  
Hannah R. Whittaker ◽  
Chloe Bloom ◽  
Ann Morgan ◽  
Deborah Jarvis ◽  
Steven J. Kiddle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Heart Failure ◽  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Lung Function Decline ◽  
Copd Patients ◽  
History Of ◽  
Artery Disease ◽  
Cvd Mortality

Accelerated lung function decline has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a general population, but little is known about this association in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We investigated the association between accelerated lung function decline and CVD outcomes and mortality in a primary care COPD population.COPD patients without a history of CVD were identified in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD-GOLD) primary care dataset (n=36 282). Accelerated FEV1 decline was defined using the fastest quartile of the COPD population's decline. Cox regression assessed the association between baseline accelerated FEV1 decline and a composite CVD outcome over follow-up (myocardial infarction, ischaemic stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, and CVD mortality). The model was adjusted for age, gender, smoking status, BMI, history of asthma, hypertension, diabetes, statin use, mMRC dyspnoea, exacerbation frequency, and baseline FEV1 percent predicted.6110 (16.8%) COPD patients had a CVD event during follow-up; median length of follow-up was 3.6 years [IQR 1.7–6.1]). Median rate of FEV1 decline was –19.4 mL·year−1 (IQR, –40.5 to 1.9); 9095 (25%) patients had accelerated FEV1 decline (>–40.5 mL·year−1), 27 287 (75%) did not (≤ –40.5 mL·year−1). Risk of CVD and mortality was similar between patients with and without accelerated FEV1 decline (HRadj 0.98 [95%CI, 0.90–1.06]). Corresponding risk estimates were 0.99 (95%CI 0.83–1.20) for heart failure, 0.89 (95%CI 0.70–1.12) for myocardial infarction, 1.01 (95%CI 0.82–1.23) for stroke, 0.97 (95%CI 0.81–1.15) for atrial fibrillation, 1.02 (95%CI 0.87–1.19) for coronary artery disease, and 0.94 (95%CI 0.71–1.25) for CVD mortality. Rather, risk of CVD was associated with mMRC score ≥2 and ≥2 exacerbations in the year prior.CVD outcomes and mortality were associated with exacerbation frequency and severity and increased mMRC dyspnoea but not with accelerated FEV1 decline.

Salicylate Intoxication

1997 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Yip ◽  
Michael S. Jastremski ◽  
Richard C. Dart
Keyword(s):  
Life Support ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Health Care Facility ◽  
Poison Control ◽  
Electrolyte Balance ◽  
Threatening Condition ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
History Of ◽  
Salicylate Intoxication ◽  
Base Management

Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is one of the most widely used over-the-counter medications. Because of its availability and widespread use, aspirin has a long history of human toxicity from accidental or intentional overdosing. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers aspirin was implicated in 19083 exposures in 1995, with 11800 cases treated in a health care facility, and 52 associated deaths. Aspirin toxicity may be a life-threatening condition that produces multiple system organ failure requiring treatment in an intensive care unit. Managing a patient with salicylism will challenge the skills of the critical care team, especially in the areas of life support, fluid and electrolyte balance, and acid-base management. This article reviews the physiology, pathophysiology, acute and chronic salicylism in children and adults, and management of salicylate intoxication.

scholarly journals Idiopathic Intractable Diarrhoea Leading to Torsade de Pointes

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyriacos Mouyis ◽  
Darlington Okonko ◽  
Constantinos G. Missouris
Keyword(s):  
Torsade De Pointes ◽  
Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia ◽  
Chronic Diarrhoea ◽  
Qtc Interval ◽  
Low Potassium ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
History Of ◽  
Artery Disease ◽  
Electrocardiogram Ecg ◽  
Multiple Episodes

An 81-year-old lady was admitted to our hospital with a 3-year history of noninfective diarrhoea and recurrent syncopal events over the last 3 months. Her initial electrocardiogram (ECG) revealed trigeminy and prolonged QTc interval. She had a structurally normal heart with no coronary artery disease. Investigations revealed low potassium at 3.0 mmol/L. Sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy suggested a possible diagnosis of diverticulitis. Soon after admission she had an unresponsive episode with spontaneous recovery. Telemetry and Holter analysis confirmed multiple episodes of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (Torsade de Pointes). Following electrolyte supplementation the episodes of polymorphic VT improved. Due to the protracted nature of the diarrhoea, the recurrent syncopal events, and recurrent hypokalaemia documented over recent years, an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) was sanctioned by the multidisciplinary team (MDT). In summary, chronic diarrhoea may result in life threatening polymorphic VT due to hypokalaemia and QTc prolongation. In these patients an ICD may be considered.

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