Therapeutic plasma exchange in pediatric patients with acute demyelinating syndromes of the central nervous system: A single-center experience

BackgroundTherapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is an extracorporeal treatment that can be used in adult and pediatric patients with acute demyelinating syndromes of the central nervous system. In this study, the efficacy and safety of TPE was evaluated in 10 pediatric patients who underwent TPE that were unresponsive to corticosteroid treatment.MethodsRecords of 10 pediatric patients who underwent TPE in our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) between May 2017 and June 2020 were used. Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), Gait Scale (GS), and Visual Outcome Scale (VOS) were applied to the patients before and after TPE.ResultsOf the 10 patients who underwent TPE, five were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), three with transverse myelitis (TM), and two with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). The median age of the patients was 13.3 years (IQR 8-15), and the median day from symptom onset to onset of TPE was 12.5 days (IQR 7-28). A total of 104 TPE sessions were performed successfully. While no complications were encountered in three patients during the sessions, the most common complication was hypofibrinogenemia. The decrease in EDSS and GS scores was found to be consistent with the clinical response of the patients. There was no statistically significant decrease in the VOS.ConclusionsWith this study, we can say that TPE is a feasible, effective, and safe treatment modality in children with acute demyelinating syndromes of the central nervous system.     

Intrapartum fetal surveillance: a physiological approach

Continuous utero-placental circulation, and patent umbilical blood vessels ensure an uninterrupted transfer of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus as well as clearance of metabolic waste products. The onset of labour characterized by progressive and strong uterine contractions poses a threat to fetal oxygenation as a result of collapsing the spiral arterioles traversing the myometrium to supply the placental bed, and repetitive compression of the blood vessels within the umbilical cord. Human fetuses are equipped with compensatory mechanisms to cope with transient interruptions of blood supply during labour. The ability to compensate may be blunted in cases of poor fetal reserves, increased metabolic demand (macrosomia or maternal fever), and due to non-hypoxic pathways (e.g. chorioamniontis or fetal hypovolumia-hypotension syndrome). Intrapartum fetal surveillance involves prompt recognition of the features that signal the onset of fetal decompensation on the cardiotocograph (CTG) to ensure a timely intervention to avoid hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) or perinatal deaths. This article summarises a ‘physiological approach’ to the interpretation of the CTG which, in places, conflicts with other current UK guidance.     

Glycaemic control for patients with severe acute brain injury: Protocol for a systematic review

Background

Hyperglycaemia is common in patients with acute brain injury admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). Many studies have found associations between development of hyperglycaemia and increased mortality in hospitalised patients. However, the optimal target for blood glucose control is unknown. We want to conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis to explore the beneficial and harmful effects of restrictive versus liberal glucose control on patient outcomes in adults with severe acute brain injury.

Methods

We will systematically search medical databases including CENTRAL, Embase, MEDLINE and trial registries. We will search the following websites for ongoing or unpublished trials: http://www.controlled-trials.com/ , http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ , www.eudraCT.com , http://centerwatch.com/ , The Cochrane Library's CENTRAL, PubMed, EMBASE, Science Citation Index Expanded and CINAHL. Two authors will independently review and select trials and extract data. We will include randomised trials comparing levels of glucose control in our analyses and observational studies will be included to address potential harms. The primary outcomes are defined as all-cause mortality, functional outcome and health-related quality of life. Secondary outcomes include serious adverse events including hypoglycaemia, length of ICU stay and duration of mechanical ventilation, and explorative outcomes including intracranial pressure and infection. Trial Sequential Analysis will be used to investigate the risk of type I error due to repetitive testing and to further explore imprecision. Quality of trials will be evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, and quality of evidence will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach.

Discussion

The results of the systematic review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication. With the review, we hope to inform future randomised clinical trials and improve clinical practice.     

Role of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in hypertensive patients having controlled office blood pressure

Background and objectivesAmbulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring has become useful in the diagnosis and management of hypertensive individuals. In this study we tried to know the role of office and ambulatory BP in treated hypertensive patients.Methods and patientsProspective cohort of 561 treated hypertensive patients were enrolled in the study. Hypertension definitions were according to JNC 8 classification. Office BP and ambulatory BP monitoring was done according to defined protocol.ResultsFrom a subgroup of 158 treated hypertensive patients, 91(16.2%) patients were having white coat hypertension (p value 0.00 by Pearson chi square test). In a subset of 403 patients who were having controlled BP on the day of enrolment as well as on the day of attaching ambulatory BP monitor; 98 (17.4%) patients were having masked uncontrolled hypertension (MUCH). In addition there was very significant percentage of non-dippers and reverse dippers. In our study we found that office BP has a moderate to low specificity and sensitivity and low negative predictive value for overall control in treated hypertensive patients.ConclusionAmbulatory BP monitoring should be included in the management protocol of treated hypertensive patients, for the optimal BP control.     

Renal sympathetic denervation in resistant hypertension: The association between vitamin D and positive early response in systolic blood pressure

Aims and objectivesVitamin D deficiency is a common finding and there is a suggested association with hypertension. Resistant hypertension is a clinical problem observed in 5–30% of hypertensive patients. Renal denervation (RDN) has been used for patients with resistant hypertension and has proven to lower blood pressure. Our primary goal was to assess the vitamin D serum concentration as a predictor of blood pressure response to RDN in highly selected patients.MethodsThis prospective, nonrandomized, single-center study included 24 patients treated with RDN. Based on their one-year response after RDN, patients were classified as responders or non-responders at six months or at 12 months.ResultsThe median follow-up was 52 months (range, 14-91 months). After RDN, 17 patients (70.8%) had a reduction >5 mmHg in the mean systolic blood pressure, at the first six months of follow-up. At 12 months, 20 patients (83.3%) were responders. Vitamin D levels at baseline (15.1±4.8 vs. 24.2±8.8 ng/ml) and at six months (16.6±7.2 vs. 25±9.2 ng/ml) were lower in early non-responders compared to early responders (p=0.008), without significant variation during follow-up. Even though Vitamin D levels were lower in the total responder's group, no statistically significant differences were found (p=ns).ConclusionIn patients with resistant hypertension, low vitamin D concentrations were associated with an absence of early response to RDN.     

Examining Acute Coronary Syndrome Across Ethnicity,Sex, and Age

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States. With its heightened prevalence, considerable variabilities in the disease process exist across ethnicities, sex, and age. This creates substantial disparities in the recognition and management of ACS, which consequently contributes to poor outcomes. It is of utmost importance that nurse practitioners remain vigilant, cognizant, and maintain a high index of suspicion to accurately identify ACS presentations and thus efficaciously intervene to successfully manage the disease process.