Combination of continuous pulse pressure variation monitoring and cardiac filling pressure to predict fluid responsiveness

To assess if combining central venous pressure (CVP) and/or pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) information with arterial pulse pressure variation can increase the ability to predict fluid responsiveness in patients under general anesthesia. This study is a retrospective analysis of patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass surgery and monitored with a pulmonary artery catheter who underwent a volume expansion after induction of general anesthesia. Among the 46 patients studied, 31 were responders to volume expansion. CVP similar to PCWP, was a poor predictor of fluid responsiveness, as indicated by low values of areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves [0.585 (95?% CI 0.389–0.780) and 0.563 (95?% CI 0.373–0.753) respectively, p?=?0.76]. The area obtained for PPV was 0.897 (95?% CI 0.801–0.992) with a threshold value of 12?%. The sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio was 83.9?%, 86.7?%, 6.29 and 0.19 respectively. Combining information on right and/or left cardiac filling pressures with PPV did not increase the ability to predict whether a patient will be a responder or a non-responder to volume expansion. The ability to identify a potentially fluid responsive patient was no better using PPV plus cardiac filling pressures when compared to using PPV alone. Therefore, if PPV values are being monitored in a patient, CVP and PCWP values do not provide additional information to predict fluid responsiveness.     

Transpulmonary thermodilution in a pediatric patient with an intracardiac left-to-right shunt

Monitoring of cardiac output (CO) in the perioperative period and in seriously ill pediatric patients is of major importance for medical management. Hemodynamic monitoring, using transpulmonary thermodilution (TPTD) via a single thermal indicator injection, allows for measurements of CO, volumetric variables and extravascular lung water (EVLW). We describe and explain the influence of a left-to-right shunt on TPTD curve characteristics and EVLW measurements in a young child undergoing a surgical atrial septal defect repair. We suggest that these specific changes in the TPTD curve and the overestimation of EVLW detected by current device, in absence of gas exchange abnormalities, could be indicators of existing circulatory shunts in pediatric patients.     

Lymphomas in sub‐Saharan Africa – what can we learn and how can we help in improving diagnosis,managing patients and fostering translational research?

Approximately 30 000 cases of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) occur in the equatorial belt of Africa each year. Apart from the fact that Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is very common among children and adolescents in Africa and that an epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is currently ongoing in this part of the world, very little is known about lymphomas in Africa. This review provides information regarding the current infrastructure for diagnostics in sub‐Saharan Africa. The results on the diagnostic accuracy and on the distribution of different lymphoma subsets in sub‐Saharan Africa were based on a review undertaken by a team of lymphoma experts on 159 fine needle aspirate samples and 467 histological samples during their visit to selected sub‐Saharan African centres is presented. Among children (<18 years of age), BL accounted for 82% of all NHL, and among adults, diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma accounted for 55% of all NHLs. Among adults, various lymphomas other than BL, including T‐cell lymphomas, were encountered. The review also discusses the current strategies of the International Network of Cancer Treatment and Research on improving the diagnostic standards and management of lymphoma patients and in acquiring reliable clinical and pathology data in sub‐Saharan Africa for fostering high‐quality translational research.     

Cancer of the prostate: value of x-ray computed tomography in the preradiotherapeutic evaluation. Apropos of 49 cases reviewed at the Gustave-Roussy Institute

Fourty nine patients having a prostatic carcinoma had a CT examination. CT should be used only if bone metastasis lack and if a curative treatment is possible. Study of local extension is misleading and ultrasound, especially transrectal, is a better method to appreciate the volume of the tumor. On the contrary, CT detects quite often nodes metastasis which will modify the treatment. If CT is negative, lymphangiogram must be done because it is a more precise method to evaluate the node structure. Percutaneous node biopsy may confirm node metastasis.     

Optimization of parameters for maximization of plateletpheresis and lymphocytapheresis yields on the Haemonetics Model V50

Automated apheresis techniques afford the opportunity of tailoring collection parameters for each donor's hematologic profile. This study investigated the effect of various settings of the volume offset parameter as utilized in the Haemonetics Model V50 instrumentation during platelet- and lymphocytapheresis to optimize product yield, purity, and collection efficiency. In both types of procedures, increased product yield could be obtained by using an increased volume offset for donors having lower hematocrits. This improvement was related to an increase in collection efficiency. Platelet products also contained fewer contaminating lymphocytes with this approach. Adjustment of the volume offset parameter can be utilized to make the most efficient use of donors and provide higher-quality products.     

Hepatic x-ray computed tomography. Value of delayed (6 hours) scanning in patients with normal biliary function

Delayed hepatic CT (DH-CT) was studied in 250 patients without any major bile duct pathology. One hundred thirty-five of these patients had liver metastases. All patients were administrated 76 grams of iodine. Tolerance of the examination was good. Six hours after injection, average contrast enhancement in the normal liver was 24 HU (greater than 1.3 g/kg iodine), 22 HU (1 to 1.3 g/kg) and 14 HU (1 g/kg). Comparison of scans taken before, immediately after, and 6 hours post-injection revealed the frequent superiority of postinjection scans for diagnosis of liver metastases. Focal steatosis is the only benign pathology to benefit from DH-CT, because of the parallelism in the difference in density between the normal and steatotic tissue regardless of the time of scanning. Aside from isolated tumors requiring exploration by conventional CT (pre- and post-contrast studies), the workup of liver metastases can be optimized by postcontrast and DH-CT scans.     

Preliminary report of an intensified, short duration chemotherapy protocol for the treatment of pediatric non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in India

Background: In the past, the results of the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) in Indian children have been poor, due to inadequate chemotherapy and poor supportive care. In an attempt to overcome these problems, we conducted a clinical trial in Bombay with a new protocol, MCP842.Patients and methods: Seventy-four previously untreated patients <25 years were entered on study at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Bombay. Patients with lymphoblastic lymphoma (LL) (38) without bone marrow involvement and all patients with small noncleaved cell lymphoma (SNCL) (18) and large cell lymphoma (LCL) (18) were eligible. Treatment consisted of alternating cycles of two regimens, A and B. Patients with St. Jude stages I and II received six cycles, and those with stages III or IV received eight cycles. A cycles included cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine and ara-C, and B cycles, etoposide, vincristine, methotrexate, ifosfamide and mesna.Results: Complete response was achieved in 67 (91%) of patients. Event free survival (EFS) for all patients was 58%; 68% for patients with SNCL and LCL combined, and 48% for patients with LL. There was no significant difference in EFS by histology (LL versus non-LL), or stage. There were nine (12%) toxic deaths, two during induction and seven in patients in remission; six occurred in patients with LL.Conclusions: These results are better than past results in Bombay. Unlike earlier CCG protocols, in which the outcome between patients with LL and non-LL differed, this was not so in MCP842. Even patients with extensive LL without bone marrow disease received only eight cycles of therapy, suggesting that short duration therapy is curative in as many as half of such patients – an important observation in a country with limited resources.     

A case of severe congenital kyphoscoliosis secondary to multiple bilateral thoracic pedicle aplasia

A 9-month-old boy with congenital kyphoscoliosis secondary to multiple bilateral thoracic pedicle aplasias is presented. This anomaly has rarely been described in the literature. Plain films showed absence of thoracic pedicles bilaterally from T2 to T9, which was better demonstrated on CT multiplanar and 3-D reformatted images. There were no neurological symptoms even though the deformity progressed rapidly. Congenital kyphosis or kyphoscoliosis is often related to spinal anomalies that are located on the anterior aspect of the vertebrae. However, posterior anomalies may also be responsible and should be recognized before neurological complications occur.