A prompt and effective management of trauma patient is necessary. The aim of this case report is to highlight the importance of intraoperative echocardiography as a useful tool in patients suffering from refractory hemodynamic instability no otherwise explained.
Case report
A 41 year‐old woman suffered a car accident. At the emergency department, no abnormalities were found in ECG or chest X‐ray. Abdominal ultrasound revealed the presence of abdominal free liquid and the patient was submitted to urgent exploratory laparotomy. Nevertheless, she persisted suffering arterial hypotension and metabolic acidosis. Looking for the reason of her hemodynamic instability, intraoperative transthoracic echocardiography was performed, finding out the presence of pericardial effusion. Once the cardiac surgeon extracted pericardial clots, patient's situation improved clinically and analytically.
Conclusion
Every anesthesiologist should be able to use the intraoperative echocardiography as an effective tool in order to establish the appropriate measures to promote the survival of patients suffering severe trauma. 相似文献
Pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PHN) constitutes a critical condition with severe cardiovascular and neurological consequences. One of its main causes is hypoxia during gestation, and thus, it is a public health concern in populations living above 2500 m. Although some mechanisms are recognized, the pathophysiological facts that lead to PHN are not fully understood, which explains the lack of an effective treatment. Oxidative stress is one of the proposed mechanisms inducing pulmonary vascular dysfunction and PHN. Therefore, we assessed whether melatonin, a potent antioxidant, improves pulmonary vascular function. Twelve newborn sheep were gestated, born, and raised at 3600 meters. At 3 days old, lambs were catheterized and daily cardiovascular measurements were recorded. Lambs were divided into two groups, one received daily vehicle as control and another received daily melatonin (1 mg/kg/d), for 8 days. At 11 days old, lung tissue and small pulmonary arteries (SPA) were collected. Melatonin decreased pulmonary pressure and resistance for the first 3 days of treatment. Further, melatonin significantly improved the vasodilator function of SPA, enhancing the endothelial‐ and muscular‐dependent pathways. This was associated with an enhanced nitric oxide‐dependent and nitric oxide independent vasodilator components and with increased nitric oxide bioavailability in lung tissue. Further, melatonin reduced the pulmonary oxidative stress markers and increased enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant capacity. Finally, these effects were associated with an increase of lumen diameter and a mild decrease in the wall of the pulmonary arteries. These outcomes support the use of melatonin as an adjuvant in the treatment for PHN. 相似文献
Background Drug-related problems are mostly preventable or predictable circumstances that may impact on health outcomes. Clinical pharmacy activities such as medication therapy management can identify and solve these problems, with potential to improve medication safety and effectiveness. Objective To evaluate ability of medication therapy management service to detect drug-related problems and prevent adverse drug events. This study also aimed to assess the risk factors for drugrelated problem occurrence. Setting Medical intensive care unit of a public tertiary hospital in Brazil. Methods Patients were evaluated by a clinical pharmacist, who provided medication therapy management service. Detected drug-related problems were categorized according to the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe methodology and analyzed in multinomial regression to identify risk factors. Main outcome measure Potential risk factors for drug-related problem occurrence. Results The proposed medication therapy management service allowed detection of 170 drug-related problems that had potential to reach patients causing harm and other 50 unavoidable adverse events. Drug-related problems identified were more often associated with antibacterial use, caused by improper combinations or inadequate drug dosage. These problems required interventions that were accepted by the multidisciplinary team, resulting in more than 85% adherence and total problem solving. Main risk factors identified were previous diagnosis of kidney injury (OR?=?8.38), use of midazolam (OR?=?7.96), furosemide (OR?=?5.87) and vancomycin (OR?=?4.82). Conclusion Medication therapy management proved to be an effective method not only for drug-related problem detection, but also for adverse drug event prevention, contributing to improve patient safety.
One daily dose of tacrolimus (QDT) improves adherence in kidney transplant (KT) recipients. A switch from twice-daily tacrolimus (BDT) to QDT showed similar efficacy and safety.
Methods
The aim of our study was to demonstrate the long-term efficacy and safety of switching from BDT to QDT in KT recipients. Preliminary results have already been published. Forty-one patients (34 men and 7 women), mean age at KT of 43.9 ± 12.7 years, underwent a 1:1 dose switch from BDT to QDT; the mean time from KT to switch was 36.6 ± 16.1 months. In our study population, 4 patients received a living donor KT and 2 received a second allograft.
Results
The mean follow-up was 86.8 ± 13 months from the switch and 126.2 ± 22.3 months from KT. Graft and patient survival rates were 90.2% and 95.1%, respectively. All patients maintained stable renal function during follow-up. During the first 3 months after the switch we observed a significant decrease in tacrolimus blood level (P = .0001). No significant differences were observed regarding tacrolimus dose before and after QDT introduction (P = not significant [NS]). Fourteen patients who stopped steroids under BDT treatment and 16 patients who stopped steroids after the switch are currently steroid-free.
Conclusion
Our study showed safety and efficacy in switching from BDT to QDT. After early (<1 year) dose adjustment, tacrolimus blood levels remained stable throughout follow-up. Moreover, QDT represented a valid alternative for patients showing steroid side effects. 相似文献
The results of a pilot colorectal cancer screening programme by biennial immunochemical faecal occult blood test (FOBT) are reported.
Methods:
All residents aged between 50 and 69 years in the Italian province of Lecco were invited to have a FOBT. Those with a positive result were offered colonoscopy. FOBT uptake and compliance with colonoscopy were assessed. Detection rate and positive predictive value (PPV) for cancer and adenoma were calculated. Tumour stages were compared between screen‐detected cancers and other colorectal cancers diagnosed within the target age group.
Results:
Some 38 693 (49·6 per cent) of 78 083 individuals had a FOBT and 2392 (6·2 per cent) had a positive result. Colorectal cancer was diagnosed in 4·6 per cent and advanced adenoma in 32·7 per cent. PPVs were 4·0 per cent for cancer, 28·1 per cent for advanced adenoma and 36·6 per cent for any adenoma. There was a significant difference in incidence of stage III/IV disease between screened and non‐screened cohorts. Compliance for colonoscopy was 92·0 per cent. Major determinants of compliance were age less than 59 years, female sex, high education level and non‐manual work.
Background and objectiveTo analyse frequency, characteristics and patient survival with lung cancer (LC) and Common Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), comparing them with patients that do not have COPD.Material and methodsA retrospective study, of patients diagnosed by means of cytohistology. Survival was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS 15.0.ResultsA total of 996 patients were diagnosed, 39.8% with COPD. Mean age70±9.19 years. GOLD stages: I 18.2%, II 53.6%, III 24%, IV 4.2%. The histological types: squamous cell carcinoma 48.2%, adenocarcinoma 22%, and small cell carcinoma 22.5%. Survival was longer in the COPD group.ConclusionsLC and COPD are combined in 39.8%. Squamous cell type is more frequent and survival was longer in the COPD group. 相似文献