Spontaneous pneumothorax. A complication of lung cancer?

Among 338 adults (258 men and 80 women) presenting with spontaneous pneumothorax, there were six men with lung cancer: five squamous cell carcinoma and one oat cell carcinoma. Pneumothorax led to the diagnosis in five cases and the remaining occurred as a complication of known neoplastic disease. The average age was 67 years. We analyze these six cases, along with 46 others from the literature. In patients less than 40 years old with normal chest x-ray film findings after lung expansion, further investigation for neoplastic disease is not justified. However, heavy smoking, chronic bronchitis, bullous emphysema and incomplete lung expansion after chest drainage in patients over 40 years old are indications for cancer screening through sputum cytologic study, bronchoscopic examination and surgical exploration. The occurrence of a pneumothorax neither alters the treatment of the underlying disease nor modifies the one-year prognosis. Five-year survival is nil, suggesting that lung cancers present as pneumothorax at an advanced stage of disease.     

A gastric lavage assembly for rapid evacuation of the stomach

A gastric lavage assembly has been developed for rapid evacuation of blood clots or pills from the stomach. The design specifications allow irrigation of the stomach to be accomplished with maximal evacuation efficiency. Using the gastric lavage assembly, particulate matter has been evacuated rapidly from the stomachs of 50 patients.     

Amiodarone-induced hypothyroidism. A common complication of prolonged therapy: a report of eight cases

Amiodarone is a widely used antiarrhythmic drug, which contains 75 mg of iodide per 200 mg of active substance. Eight of our patients receiving long-term amiodarone therapy became hypothyroid. Seven of these patients had no previous history of thyroid dysfunction or goiter. Antithyroid antibodies were absent, and standard perchlorate discharge tests were positive in seven patients when hypothyroidism was diagnosed. In one patient, amiodarone therapy was withdrawn; over the next nine months, the hypothyroidism resolved, and results of the perchlorate discharge test reverted to normal. We conclude that amiodarone-induced hypothyroidism is similar to previously described iodide-induced hypothyroidism. It may develop in the absence of a previous history of thyroid disease, and all patients receiving long-term amiodarone therapy should therefore be regularly monitored for hypothyroidism.     

Vascular capacitance and fluid shifts in dogs during prolonged hemorrhagic hypotension.

The mean circulatory pressure (Pmc) in dogs anesthetized with chloralose-urethane was estimated from 0.5 to 150 minutes after hemorrhages of 0, 17, or 34 ml/kg, or that volume giving an arterial pressure (Pa) of 40 mm Hg. The Pmc was determined by fibrillating the heart and then rapidly pumping blood from aorta to vena cava until Pa=venous pressure (Pv)=Pmc. Within about 10 seconds, the heart was defibrillated. Vascular compliance was estimated as the ratio of a test blood volume change (0, +/- 8.5, or 17 ml/kg) to the change in Pmc, determined 0.5 minute after the start of the test volume change. Erythrocyte and plasma volumes were measured by 51Cr-erythrocyte and 125I-albumin dilution. In response to prolonged hemorrhage: (1) the total vascular compliance apparently decreased; (2) most of the changes in capacity vessels occurred within 5 minutes, and indeed a large part of the response probably had occurred by the time of the first measurement at 30 seconds; (3) the progressive recovery in Pmc after 5 minutes was primarily from fluid shifting into the vasculature; (4) even after 2 hours of severe hemorrhagic hypotension, the venoconstriction was not lost; but (5) after an hour of severe hemorrhagic hypotension (arterial pressure of 40 mm Hg) there was water loss from the vasculature, because plasma protein and erythrocyte concentrations and plasma oncotic pressure increased.     

Spontaneous pneumothorax: An emerging complication of COVID-19 pneumonia

Spontaneous Pneumothorax in the setting of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has been rarely described and is a potentially lethal complication. We report our institutional experience. Patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted at 5 hospitals within the Inova health system between February 21 and May 2020 were included in the study. We identified 1619 patients, 22 patients (1.4%) developed spontaneous pneumothorax during their hospitalization without evidence of traumatic injury.     

A complication of prolonged urokinase infusion into a chronically occluded aortocoronary saphenous vein graft

Recanalization of a chronically occluded aortocoronary saphenous vein graft was performed, using a prolonged intracoronary infusion of urokinase followed by percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Despite an angiographically successful result, the patient developed acute myocardial infarction, presumably secondary to distal migration of partially lysed thrombus. One week after successful angioplasty, the graft was once again proximally occluded.     

Singing-induced hypotension: a complication of a high spinal cord lesion

Cardiovascular autonomic control was studied in a patient with an incomplete high spinal cord lesion who presented with the symptoms of severe dizziness during debating and singing but not during orthostasis. The marked falls in blood pressure upon singing and orthostasis (45 degrees passive head-up tilt) were comparable in magnitude but different in time course. The fall in blood pressure upon graded Valsalva manoeuvres, however, was comparable to singing in magnitude and time course; similarly, 20 and 30 mmHg strain evoked complaints of dizziness. These differential circulatory responses upon orthostasis versus singing and Valsalva in tetraplegic patients have not been described before. We suggest that rapidly developing hypotension such as that induced by a moderate Valsalva strain represents the instantaneous mechanical effects of a raised intrathoracic pressure with lack of abdominal compression on the cardiovascular system when baroreflex vasomotor modulation is disrupted.     

Spontaneous pneumothorax as a complication of chronic Jet propulsion fuel-8 exposure

Jet Propulsion Fuel 8 (JP-8) is a kerosene based fuel commonly used in aviation. Occupational exposure to JP-8 may lead to negative health outcomes, which were described in a small number of studies. We report a case of 33-year-old Caucasian male veteran with a history of JP-8 exposure who presented with chronic dyspnea and recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax. To our knowledge, this is the first case of chronic inhalation injury from JP-8 exposure complicated with recurrent secondary spontaneous pneumothorax.     

颈动脉支架置入术后发生持续性低血压的危险因素分析

目的探讨颈动脉支架置入（CAS）术后发生持续性低血压的危险因素。方法选择行颈动脉颅外段支架置入术的患者105例。根据患者术后的血压状况，将其分为无低血压者、短暂性低血压者（收缩压〈90mmHg，或平均动脉压〈50mmHg，持续时间〈24h）及持续低血压者（上述低血压状态持续时间超过24h）。采用Cox多元回归法分析颈动脉支架置入术后发生持续性低血压的危险因素。结果105例患者中，术后29例（27．6％）出现短暂性低血压；16例（15．2％）出现持续低血压状态，其中3例低血压状态持续超过10d。16例持续低血压状态的患者持续时间为Md=3d（1～21d）。单因素分析发现，高龄（年龄〉75岁）、术前有低血压病史、狭窄程度≥80％、使用球囊后扩张、使用激光雕刻支架、操作时间超过1．5h与术后发生持续性低血压状态有关（P〈0．05）。经Cox比例风险分析并校正年龄和性别因素后，术前低血压病史（RR=4．53；95％CI1．39～9．72；P=0．008）、狭窄程度≥80％（RR=4．09；95％CI1．27～8．97；P=0．014）、使用球囊后扩张（RR=3．57；95％CI1．13～7．25；P=0．025）和操作时间〉1．5h（RR=4．87；95％C11．81～9．55；P=0．004）为术后发生持续性低血压的独立危险因素。结论术前有低血压病史、重度颈动脉狭窄、使用球囊后扩张和介入治疗操作时间较长的患者，术后更容易发生持续性低血压。     

A complication of brucellosis: epididymoorchitis.

BACKGROUND: Epididymoorchitis is the most frequent genitourinary complication of brucellosis. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted between February 2001 and January 2004, prospectively. Male patients diagnosed with brucellosis were included in this study and evaluated for testicular involvement. RESULTS: Epididymoorchitis was detected in 17 out of 134 (12.7%) male patients with brucellosis. Mean age of the patients was 36.9+/-7.1 years. Twelve patients (70.6%) had acute, four patients (23.5%) had subacute, and one patient (5.9%) had chronic brucellosis. The most common symptoms were scrotal pain (94%) and swelling (82%). Eleven patients had unilateral epididymoorchitis, four had unilateral orchitis and two had unilateral epididymitis. A testicular abscess was detected in one patient. Sperm analysis was performed on 14 patients. Five patients had aspermia and eight had oligospermia. Combined antibiotic therapy was started and continued for 6-8 weeks. Orchiectomy was required for two patients and granulomatous orchitis was detected in the resected specimens. Relapse occurred in only one patient. Three patients had permanent oligospermia and one patient had permanent aspermia after the antibiotic therapy. Younger age, high C-reactive protein level and blood culture positivity were statistically significant differences between the patients with and without epididymoorchitis. CONCLUSIONS: Brucellosis should be considered in the diagnosis of scrotal diseases in endemic areas. A conservative approach is usually adequate for managing brucellar epididymoorchitis. However, infertility problems may develop in these patients. Well-designed further investigations are needed to explain the relationship between brucellar epididymoorchitis and infertility in man.