Successful management of fungal pericarditis and endocarditis in a neonate: A case report

Neonatal fungal endocarditis is a rare but serious infection, which does not have a well-accepted management method. This is the second report of this condition in Saudi Arabia. A preterm, very low birth weight, female neonate presented with fever and shortness of breath. An echocardiogram showed moderate pericardial effusion and two masses in the heart, one in the right ventricle and the other in the inferior portion of the posterior mitral valve of the left ventricle. Blood and pericardial fluid cultures revealed an infection with Candida albicans. The patient received a 60 days course of intravenous fluconazole and amphotericin B lipid complex. At the conclusion of treatment, she was discharged in good condition with no echocardiographic evidence of pericardial effusion or fungal vegetations. Thus, a successful outcome to a serious case of fungal endocarditis was achieved through aggressive antifungal therapy with intravenous fluconazole and amphotericin B lipid complex.     

Efficacy of post exercise pulsed wave tissue velocity imaging in diagnosing more than 70% coronary artery stenosis

BackgroundTo evaluate efficacy of post exercise tissue velocity imaging in diagnosing more than 70% coronary artery stenosis.MethodTwenty patients with angiographically proved significant coronary artery disease and 26 healthy controls were evaluated. Pulsed wave tissue velocity imaging was performed at rest and immediately after treadmill stress test. Medial and lateral part of mitral annulus and medial and lateral part of tricuspid annulus were evaluated.ResultNo change or reduction in systolic annular velocity after exercise at any of the four sites identified patients of significant coronary artery disease with 75% sensitivity and 73% specificity. Rise in the ratio of early diastolic inflow velocity to the corresponding early diastolic annular velocity above the identified site-specific cut-off value had sensitivity of 85% but specificity of 34.6%. A combination of no change or decrease in late diastolic annular velocity and no change or decrease in systolic annular velocity at any of the four sites had sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 88.46%.ConclusionPost exercise tissue velocity imaging can provide a useful, objective parameter for detection of ischemic heart disease on stress testing.     

Anomalous left anterior descending artery from pulmonary artery: An extremely rare coronary anomaly

We report a rare coronary artery anomaly–anomalous origin of the left anterior descending artery from the pulmonary artery in a 40-year-old woman. The uniqueness of this case is the absence of any significant morbidity from this condition in adulthood which is in contrast to other reported cases where patients present with myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and sometimes death during the early infantile period.¹     

Hemodynamics in Childhood Hypertension

Children with elevated systolic blood pressure have a wide range of cardiac output. We investigated the mechanisms regulating resting and exercise blood pressure in 264 children who were selected from the low, middle, and upper quintile of the distribution of blood pressure of an entire school population. We identified patterns of response to exercise that correlated both with resting cardiac output and resting blood pressure. During isometric exercise, systolic blood pressure adjusted for age and body size increased in all groups. The low group mean pressure remained significantly lower than the high group's pressures throughout the entire exercise period. Body size adjusted group systolic and diastolic blood pressure level differences existed during dynamic exercise. The product of the systolic blood pressure times the heart rate in the high blood pressure group was significantly higher throughout dynamic exercise than in the other two groups. Elevated resting resistance was correlated with elevated resistance during isometric exercise and elevated diastolic blood pressure during dynamic exercise. Cardiac index had a significant negative correlation to age (r=-0.58) at all levels of blood pressure. This observation, in children, lends some support to the concept of evolution from a hyperkinetic circulation in early childhood to a circulation with lower cardiac output and more elevated systemic vascular resistance at an older age.     

斑点追踪分层应变技术评价蒽环类药物化疗患者早期心肌毒性

目的 本研究采用二维斑点追踪显像技术（2D-STI）评价使用蒽环类化疗药物患者左室收缩功能及左室收缩同步性,探讨2D-STI在评价蒽环类药物化疗早期心肌毒性中的应用价值。方法 选取我院诊断为乳腺癌的女性患者40例,所有患者均接受表柔比星化疗。分别在化疗前（T0）、第一周期及第二周期化疗后（T1、T2）进行二维超声心动图检查,用EchoPAC软件分析蒽环类药物化疗患者左室心肌内膜、心肌外膜、整体纵向应变（EndoGLS、EpiGLS、GLS）、环向应变（EndoGCS、EpiGCS、GCS）及左室整体径向应变（GRS）;获取纵向、环向及径向整体达峰时间标准差（Tssl-SD、Tssc-SD,Tssr-SD）及纵向、环向及径向达峰时间最大差值（Tssl-Dif、Tssc-Dif、Tssr-Dif）,获取纵向、环向及径向延迟指数（LSDI、CSDI、RSDI）。结果 与T0周期相比,GLS、endoGLS及endoGCS在T2周期化疗后的变化有统计学意义（p2均＜0.05）;与T0周期相比,患者Tssl-SD及LSDI 在T2周期化疗后的变化有统计学意义（p2均＜0.05）。结论 2D-STI技术获取的分层应变参数及同步性参数可以准确分析蒽环类药物化疗患者早期心肌收缩功能的损伤及室壁运动协调性的损伤,能够敏感发现蒽环类药物化疗后的早期心肌毒性表现。     

实时三维超声心动图左心房容积成像评价高血压患者左心室舒张功能

在高血压的发生和发展过程中,左心室及左心房的结构和功能都会发生不同程度的变化.准确定量左心房容积对于评估高血压患者左心室舒张功能有重要临床意义[1].本研究应用实时三维超声心动图(real-time three-dimensional echocardiography, RT3DE)估测高血压患者左心房容积和功能.     

论大面积烧伤感染期的诊治特点

目的：总结皮肤原位再生医疗技术在大面积特重度烧伤患者感染期的救治特点，提高烧伤皮肤原位再生医疗技术在大面积烧伤中的救治水平。方法：作者9年来分别在全国23个省市会诊抢救烧伤面积在90％以上的烧伤患者62例，均采用烧伤皮肤再生疗法救治，抢救成功最大烧伤面积100％＋口腔黏膜、食道黏膜烫伤。结果：62例严重烧伤患者，治愈60例，死亡2例，其中1例死于入院48h内暴发脓毒性休克，1例死于重度吸入性损伤继发肺部感染。结论：总结皮肤原位再生医疗技术在严重烧伤感染期的救治特点，包括感染期观察的三个“3”阶段规律和四项观测指标，强调了预防烧伤感染的原则是早期应用抗生素，在确诊感染后应及时、高效、足量的联合应用敏感抗生素，同时加强清除创面液化物等皮肤原位再生医疗技术的规范化创面处理。     

围手术期输血与肝脏术后感染并发症的关系

目的　回顾性分析 1 30例肝脏手术患者围手术期输血与术后感染并发症发生率和死亡率的关系 ,探讨减少肝脏手术中失血的措施。方法　将 1 30例肝脏手术患者根据围手术期输血与否分为输血组 (78例 )和未输血组 (52例 ) ,对两组患者术后淋巴细胞总数、感染并发症发生率及死亡率、术后抗生素应用时间及住院时间进行比较。结果　输血组术后淋巴细胞总数明显低于未输血组 (P<0 .0 5) ,术后感染并发症的发生率和死亡率分别为 38.5 %和 1 6 .7% ,均高于未输血组的 1 1 .5 %和 3 .8% (P<0 .0 5) ;术后抗生素应用时间和住院时间分别为 (9.7± 4 .2 )d和 (1 8.7± 1 3 .1 )d ,高于未输血组的 (5 .3± 2 .3)d和 (1 2 .7± 5 .2 )d (P<0 .0 0 1 )。结论　肝脏手术围手术期输血与术后感染并发症发生有关。采取有效措施控制肝脏手术中失血量和 /或减少输血量可能有助于降低术后感染并发症的发生率和死亡率。