Ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy as a therapeutic modality in venous ulceration

ObjectivesThe objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate rates of ulcer healing following ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (UGFS).MethodsThe MEDLINE, CENTRAL and Embase databases were used to search for relevant studies using the terms ' (sclerotherapy AND ulcer) OR (vein AND ulcer) OR (sclerotherapy AND vein)'. Heterogeneity between studies was quantified using the I² statistic. A random effects model was used to calculate risk ratios where substantial heterogeneity was found.ResultsThe initial search yielded 8266 articles. 8 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis and 3 in the meta-analysis. Superior complete ulcer healing rates were noted in patients treated with foam sclerotherapy versus compression therapy alone (pooled OR 6.41, 95% CI = 0.3–148.2, p = 0.246, random effects method). A marked degree of heterogeneity was observed between studies (I² = 81%).ConclusionA prospective, trial is warranted in order to determine the true merits of UGFS in the setting of venous ulceration.     

Catheter‐directed thrombolysis for submassive pulmonary embolism in children: A case series

Incidence of venous thromboembolism, including pulmonary embolism (PE), continues to rise in children. Optimum management of submassive PE is unclear. The principal objective of this retrospective study was to investigate the radiological and clinical outcomes in children with submassive PE treated with catheter‐directed thrombolysis (CDT). Five patients underwent six episodes of CDT. No patient developed major/clinically relevant non‐major bleeding. Most patients had complete radiological thrombus resolution and no patient had evidence of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. There is an urgent need for larger prospective cohort studies/randomized controlled trials to investigate the role of CDT in pediatric PE.     

出凝血异常普通外科病人围手术期静脉血栓栓塞症防治策略

易栓症是外科围手术期静脉血栓栓塞症(VTE)的防治重点。对于接受手术的止凝血障碍病人,需要谨慎评估VTE的个体风险,同时兼顾手术和麻醉的性质、出血障碍类型和严重程度、年龄、体重指数(BMI)、血栓形成史、恶性肿瘤和其他高危共患病。VTE风险应与已知出血障碍病人使用抗凝相关的出血风险平衡。实验室检查有助于发现和判断血栓与出血的病因,对病人的止凝血代偿能力作出评估,并对抗凝药物的合理使用提供依据。对上述病人,建议术后不常规使用药物预防血栓,尤其是血友病病人,但围手术期因子替代和止血药物的过度应用仍存在导致血栓的风险。使用低分子肝素(LMWH)和直接口服抗凝剂前应评估肾小球滤过率。当血小板计数<50×109/L,LMWH短期减量应用可能相对安全,监测抗Хa水平可用于调整中重度血小板减少症病人LMWH的剂量。主要消化道出血停止和重新使用华法林应至少相隔7 d。对于高血栓栓塞风险和术后高出血风险病人,术后当晚和术后第1天减量应用直接口服抗凝剂是一种可取的做法。     

Utilization and Complications of Central Venous Access Devices in Oncology Patients

Purpose: To describe how central venous access devices (CVADs) are utilized for ambulatory oncology patients and to evaluate the rate of complications. Method: Single institution retrospective study of oncology patients with CVADs who received systemic treatment at the Walker Family Cancer Centre (WFCC) between 1 January and 31 December 2018. Results: A total of 480 CVADS were placed in 305 patients, of which 408 (85%) were peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and 72 (15%) were implanted vascular access devices (PORTs). The incidence of early and late complications was 9% and 24%, respectively. For the entire cohort, the rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE) was 16%, of which 9% were CVAD-related thrombosis (CRTs) and 7% were distant VTE. The CRT rates were similar for PICCs and PORTs (9% vs. 7%). A total of 6% of CVADs were complicated by infection (i.e., localized infections and bacteremia), with a total infection rate of 0.43 and 0.26 per 1000 indwelling days for PICCs and PORTs, respectively. The incidence of central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) was greater for PICCs than PORTs, at a rate of 0.22 compared with 0.08 per 1000 indwelling days, respectively. The premature catheter removal rate was 26% for PICCs and 18% for PORTs. PORTs required more additional hospital visits. Conclusions: PICCs were utilized more frequently than PORTs and had a higher rate of premature removal. The rates of VTE and CRT were similar for both CVAD types. PORTs had a lower rate of infection per 1000 indwelling days. However, the management of PORT related complications required more visits to the hospital and oncology clinic.     

血液透析患者中心静脉导管发生相关血流感染危险因素的Meta分析

目的 通过Meta分析了解留置中心静脉导管的血液透析患者发生导管相关血流感染的危险因素。 方法 计算机检索中国期刊全文数据库、万方数据库、维普数据库、中国生物医学文献数据库、Cochrane Library、PubMed、Web of Science、Embase数据库,检索时限为建库至2020年12月31日,使用RevMan 5.3进行Meta分析。结果 共纳入20篇文献,包括29项相关危险因素,有统计学意义的危险因素包括合并糖尿病（OR=2.55）、血清白蛋白<30 g/L（OR=2.35）、CD4+细胞<200个/μl（OR=3.02）、急性生理与慢性健康评分Ⅱ≥20分（OR=2.41）、股静脉置管（OR=1.94）、导管留置时间≥14 d（OR=3.20）、使用带隧道带涤纶套导管（OR=2.83）。 结论 合并糖尿病、低血清白蛋白、CD4+细胞<200个/μl、急性生理与慢性健康评分Ⅱ≥20分、股静脉置管、导管留置时间≥14 d、使用带隧道带涤纶套导管是留置中心静脉导管的血液透析患者易发生导管相关血流感染,护理人员应充分关注该类患者。     

Clinico-radiological profile of CVT patients and its correlation with D-dimer

Cerebral Venous Thrombosis (CVT) is a well-known disease with diverse clinical presentation and causes. With advances in neuroimaging and changing lifestyles, the clinical profile and causes of CVT are changing. D-dimer has been studied in early diagnosis of CVT with variable results. This prospective study was carried out to assess the clinical profile of CVT and role of D-dimer in early diagnosis of CVT. The study period was from September 2017 to July 2019 and included 32 imaging proven patients of CVT. We also included 32 patients of migraine for assessing D-dimer. Data was collected according to a preformed format. D-dimer was assessed by a rapid semi-quantitative latex agglutination assay. Out of 32 CVT patients, 16(50%) were females. The mean age of the patients was 31.56 ± 14.31 years. Most common clinical features were headache (96.25%), papilloedema (37.5%) and seizures 10 (31.25%). Puerperium was the most common cause of CVT in females. Superior sagittal and transverse sinuses were the most common sinuses to be affected. The sensitivity of D-dimer assay was 81.25% and specificity 62.5%. Cerebral venous thrombosis is a disease with equal predilection among both genders affecting mostly young individuals. Most of the patients present with headache. Puerperium still contributes to majority of the cases. Iron deficiency anaemia needs to be evaluated as an association for CVT. Positive D-dimer should strengthen the suspicion of CVT in patients with acute headache.     

Cerebral venous thrombosis in COVID-19-associated coagulopathy: A case report

COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which was first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019, and is ongoing pandemic. While a majority of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection shows asymptomatic or mild disease, hospitalized patients can develop critical condition, such as pneumonia, sepsis, and respiratory failure. Some cases deteriorate into sever systemic disease and multiorgan failure. Many patients of severe COVID-19 show hypercoagulable state and complicate with venous thromboembolism and atrial thrombosis. We herein reported a case of COVID-19 who developed cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) co-incidence with pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE). A 56-year-old Japanese man was presented with fever and malaise and diagnosed with COVID-19. He was treated with ciclesonide and azithromycin, but his respiratory condition deteriorated. Thus, systemic corticosteroids and favipiravir were initiated and these treatments resulted in afebrile state, improving malaise and respiratory failure. However, he suddenly developed severe headache and vomiting with increased concentration of D-dimer. Brain CT and MRI showed typical images of CVT in the left transvers sinus and CT pulmonary angiography showed PE. Administration of unfractionated heparin followed by edoxaban treatment reduced the levels of D-dimer and improved his clinical presentation and thrombosis. Monitoring coagulopathy is important in COVID-19 patients and in case of venous thromboembolism, including cerebral venous system, appropriate anticoagulant therapy should be initiated.