Cibenzoline-induced respiratory muscular paralysis in a hemodialysis patient

A 69-year-old man was admitted to our kidney center with endstage renal failure. We started intermittent peritoneal dialysis immediately because of severe azotemia, hyperkalemia, and metabolic acidosis. Two weeks after admission, he developed uremic pericarditis with frequent ventricular premature contractions and supraventricular premature contractions. The intermittent peritoneal dialysis was then replaced by intensive hemodialysis, and oral administration of 300 mg/d of cibenzoline was started. Four days later, he developed thirst, weakness, and dyspnea due to respiratory muscular paralysis. We initiated respiratory support with a respirator because analysis of his blood gases revealed marked hypercapnia and hypoxia. He also developed hypoglycemia and prolonged PQ and QRS intervals on the electrocardiogram, which we believed were due to cibenzoline intoxication; we discontinued the cibenzoline immediately. All symptoms improved, and he was extubated 5 days later. After 2 months, his pericardial effusion disappeared. He now continues maintenance hemodialysis as an outpatient. We suspect that the cibenzoline induced the respiratory muscular paralysis for 2 reasons: 1) the patient experienced the respiratory muscular paralysis, at the same time he also experienced thirst, weakness, hypoglycemia, and prolonged PQ and QRS intervals on electrocardiogram, and all of these symptoms improved after the discontinuation of cibenzoline, and 2) his plasma concentration of cibenzoline became remarkably elevated, to 20 times above the standard therapeutic level. This patient's clinical course indicates that hemodialysis might be superior to intermittent peritoneal dialysis for treatment of cibenzoline intoxication.     

Ocular autonomic function in progressive autonomic failure

Ocular autonomic function was assessed in 4 patients with progressive autonomic failure (PAF) and age-matched control subjects, by measurement of the pupil cycle time, and determination of autonomic denervation hypersensitivity of the iris. Pupil cycle time was abnormal in all patients with PAF; sustained pupil cycling was absent in 5 of the 8 eyes tested of the PAF patients, compared with only 16 eyes from 70 control subjects. Pupil constriction in response to 2.5% methacholine, indicative of parasympathetic denervation hypersensitivity, was significantly increased in patients with PAF (p < 0.001), whilst pupil dilation in response to 0.5% phenylephrine, indicative of sympathetic denervation hypersensitivity, was also significantly higher in the PAF patients (p < 0.001). The results suggest that ocular autonomic function may provide a sensitive early indicator of generalised autonomic dysfunction.     

老年充血性心衰患者地高辛药代动力学研究

目的 :探讨老年心衰患者地高辛维持量的合理应用。　 方法 :用荧光偏振免疫分析法测定了 14例老年心衰患者血清地高辛浓度 ,并计算出药代动力学参数。　 结果 :14例老年心衰患者地高辛 t1/ 2 β,β和 Vd分别为 72 .769± 2 9.768h、0 .0 11± 0 .0 0 6h-1和 3.190± 3.30 0 L/ kg,与非老年心衰患者 ( t1/ 2 β 36.1± 2 .0 h,56.3± 12 h,β 0 .0 19± 0 .0 0 1h-1,Vd 7.37± 1.65L / kg)相比差异显著。　 结论 :老年心衰患者地高辛维持量以小量分次给药为宜 ,且更应注意个体化     

异搏定防治流行性出血热初期急性肾功能衰竭的疗效观察

在综合疗法的基础上加用异搏定3～5天治疗流行性出血热(EHF)发热后期病人41例,在尿蛋白转阴、越期率,特别是越少尿期平明显优于对照组,但对 BUN 水平的影响与对照组无异,异搏定对防治 EHF 急性肾衰具有一定疗效。     

Ethical aspects of withdrawing/withholding renal replacement therapies on patients in acute renal failure in an intensive care unit

The majority of patients being treated for acute renal failure in intensive care units have multiple medical problems. Accordingly, the withdrawal of renal replacement therapies should be considered as part of a general decision about whether to initiate or continue with treatment per se. Several guidelines on withdrawing and withholding therapy have been produced and some common themes emerge: concerns to avoid euthanasia, potential for benefit, patient consent (shared decision‐making), team consensus/decision‐making, and the provision of appropriate palliative care and resource implications. Each of these is considered in turn, although the word limit for this paper does not permit detailed exposition.     

The effect of increasing the dietary fibre content of diets of patients with chronic renal failure treated by haemodialysis at home

The study described tested the hypothesis that increasing amounts of dietary fibre (DF) in the diet of patients on haemodialysis (HD) may achieve positive clinical benefit without adversely affecting serum potassium and plasma phosphate. The current diet of 20 home HD patients was supplemented with 15g unprocessed wheat bran incorporated into three 'bran muffins' eaten daily for a trial period of 28 days. During this period patients reported an improvement in bowel habit. Serum potassium decreased slightly but not significantly ( P =0.242) but there was a significant rise in plasma phosphate ( P =0.004). These findings suggest that when increasing DF in devising HD dietary regimes, plasma phosphate is possibly the more sensitive biochemical variable following introduction of wheat bran.     

比索洛尔改善充血性心衰心功能及心肌重塑的疗效观察

目的　观察比索洛尔 (bisoprolol)对充血性心衰心功能及心肌重塑的临床疗效 .方法　 2 12例患者随机分为比索洛尔组和常规药物组 ,比索洛尔剂量起始量 0 .6 2 5 mg～1.2 5 0 mg,1次· d- 1 ,逐渐增加至最大剂量为 2 .5 mg～ 5 .0mg,1次· d- 1 .观察心功能、临床疗效、左室舒张末内径(L VEDD)、左室收缩末内径 (L VESD)、射血分数 (EF)、舒张早期 E峰流速 /舒张晚期 A峰流速 (VE/ VA) .结果　比索洛尔组与常规药物组比较 ,比索洛尔治疗 3m o后有效者(87.7% )高于常规药物组 (6 6 .0 % ) ,P <0 .0 5 ;冠心病(87.9% )和扩张型心肌病心衰 (91.9% )疗效明显好于常规药物组 (分别为 6 6 .7% ,6 7.4 % ) ;治疗 6 mo后重度心衰者疗效(90 .0 % )明显好于常规药物组 (6 5 .4 % ,P <0 .0 5 ) .治疗后比索洛尔组 L VESD[(44 .8± 3.9) m m vs(48.8± 4 .6 ) mm],EF[(40 .7± 7.5 ) % vs (35 .7± 5 .2 ) % ]优于常规药物组 (P<0 .0 1) ;L VEDD,VE/ VA也较治疗前有明显改善 .结论　比索洛尔改善充血性心力衰竭临床症状 ,促进心脏收缩、舒张功能恢复 ,部分逆转心肌重塑 .     

完全性左束支传导阻滞伴快速心房纤颤并急性左心衰竭的抢救

目的总结完全性左束支传导阻滞伴快速心房纤颤并急性左心衰竭的治疗经验,以提高抢救成功率.方法对经抢救治疗的完全性左束支传导阻滞伴快速心房纤颤并急性左心衰竭9例(16次)患者进行治疗方面的回顾分析.结果9例(16次)患者14次抢救成功,成功率87.0%,但复发率较高,预后较差,有5例患者在抢救时或出院后1～2年内猝死.结论该组患者经传统"强心、利尿、扩血管",控制心房纤颤、心室率等治疗是远远不够的.应在未发生肺泡性肺水肿及心源性休克之前,尽早尽快地应用血管扩张剂及联合应用小剂量非洋地黄类正性肌力药物,并维持治疗24～72 h.其中以酚妥拉明加多巴胺和(或)多巴酚丁胺效果可能较佳,血管扩张剂硝酸酯类不及α-受体阻滞剂酚妥拉明疗效明显.     

Leptin, lipid and lipid metabolism-related hormones in chronic renal failure in Arabia

SUMMARY: In patients with chronic renal failure (CRF), hyperleptinaemia has been widely reported, but the exact mechanisms leading to elevated leptin levels are unclear. Impaired renal clearance of leptin and the influence of other hormones may be important. In this study, we measured serum leptin levels in 150 patients on haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis or in the predialysis phase of CRF. Furthermore, we measured plasma levels of insulin, growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), as well as plasma levels of triacylglycerols and total low density lipoprotein (LDL)- and high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. We observed significantly elevated levels of leptin, particularly in female patients, and leptin was shown to correlate significantly with insulin, total and LDL-cholesterol and log triacylglycerols. Leptin was inversely correlated with GH concentrations, but was not correlated with IGF-1 levels. Despite the multiple correlations established between leptin levels and other variables, only hyperinsulinaemia in CRF seems to be important as a determinator of leptin levels.     

Thyroid Hormone in the Treatment of Post-transplant Acute Tubular Necrosis (ATN)

Delayed graft function (DGF) in cadaver kidney transplants is a common problem and is often due to acute tubular necrosis (ATN). DGF in transplants may have a deleterious effect on long-term graft survival. Since thyroid hormone has been shown to hasten recovery from ATN in experimental models, we designed a trial to determine if a defined course of triiodothyronine (T3) would improve the short- or long-term outcome of patients with DGF in cadaveric transplants. A prospective, randomized, placebo controlled, double blind trial of T3 was carried out in patients with DGF in cadaveric renal transplants. End-points were percentage requiring dialysis, percentage recovering function, time to recovery and length of hospital stay. Long-term outcomes were percentage grafts functioning at 1 year and mean serum creatinine at 1 year. Forty-four patients were randomized to receive either T3 or placebo. Three patients were dropped from each group when early biopsies disclosed that DGF was due to rejection. The groups were well matched by age, cold ischemia time of the graft, and percentage reactivity to a random panel of antigens. Baseline thyroid function studies, including T3, reverse T3 (rT3), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, were similar between the two groups and typical of 'euthyroid-sick syndrome'. T3 had no effect on percentage requiring dialysis, time to recovery, percentage recovering function, or length of stay. At 1 year follow-up, graft function was similar in both groups and significantly lower than that seen in patients with good initial function. Thyroid hormone, given early in the course of DGF in cadaver kidney recipients, had no effect on the course of DGF. Long-term graft function is impaired in patients who experience post-transplant DGF compared to those who have good initial function.