Anterior chamber aspirate cultures in small incision cataract surgery.

BACKGROUND--Anterior chamber aspirates on completion of extracapsular cataract surgery contain significant numbers of organisms, particularly coagulase negative staphylococci, an important cause of endophthalmitis. METHODS--Culture rates were compared in 50 patients after phacoemulsification surgery, which allows the possible benefits of a small, self sealing wound and maintenance of positive intraocular pressure, with a similar number of extracapsular cases. RESULTS--A culture positive rate of 20% and 24% respectively was found, an insignificant difference. CONCLUSION--Small incision surgery has no proved advantage over extracapsular surgery in terms of reducing the intraoperative bacterial inoculum. The significance of this result in terms of causation of endophthalmitis is discussed.     

The role of imaging in the management of non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage: a practical review

Emergency Radiology - The purpose of this review is to understand the role of imaging in the diagnosis and management of non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). SAH is a life-threatening...     

Empyema due to ventriculopleural shunt

Empyema developing seven weeks after craniotomy in a 62-year-old black woman with an ipsilateral ventriculopleural (V-PL) shunt is described. Infection of the pleural space presumably resulted from transfer of organisms from a proximal V-PL shunt infection to the thorax. Empyema resulting from V-PL shunt infection has not previously been reported. Pleural effusions in patients with V-PL shunts must be considered as a potential site of infection with possible development of empyema.     

Aprepitant triple therapy for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting following high-dose cisplatin in Chinese patients: a randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled phase III trial

Purpose

Aprepitant, an oral neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, has demonstrated improved control of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in previous studies. This is the first phase III study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of aprepitant in patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC) in Asian countries.

Methods

This multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial assessed the prevention of CINV during the acute phase (AP), delayed phase (DP), and overall phase (OP). Patients receiving HEC were randomized to either an aprepitant group (day 1, aprepitant 125 mg; days 2–3, aprepitant 80 mg) or a standard therapy group (days 1–3, placebo). Both groups received intravenous granisetron and oral dexamethasone. The primary end point was complete response (CR; no emesis and no use of rescue therapy) during the OP.

Results

Of the 421 randomized patients, 411 (98 %) were assessable for efficacy; 69.6 % (142/204) and 57.0 % (118/207) of patients reported CR during the OP in the aprepitant and standard therapy groups, respectively (P?=?0.007). CR rates in the aprepitant group were higher during the DP (74.0 % vs. 59.4 %, P?=?0.001) but were similar during the AP (79.4 % vs. 79.3 %, P?=?0.942). Toxicity and adverse events were comparable in both groups.

Conclusions

The addition of aprepitant to standard antiemetic treatment regimens for Chinese patients undergoing HEC provided superior CINV prevention and was well tolerated.     

Three-year clinical outcome with the Endeavor™ zotarolimus-eluting stent in primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST elevation myocardial infarction: the Endeavor™ primary PCI study (E-PPCI)

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is superior to thrombolysis in STEMI (ST segment elevation myocardial infarction) patients. Data on late stent thrombosis (ST) have raised concerns regarding the use of drug-eluting stents during PPCI. We report the first 3-year clinical evaluation of the zotarolimus-eluting stent (ZES) in patients undergoing PPCI for STEMI, a single-center, prospective cohort study of consecutive patients admitted with STEMI. All underwent PPCI within 12 hours of symptoms; each received one or more ZES in one or more target lesions. All patients received aspirin 300 mg, clopidogrel 600 mg, abciximab, and unfractionated heparin. A total of 102 STEMI patients (76 male, mean 62 years) received 162 ZES (mean 1.6 stents/patient). Median call-to-balloon time was 123 (102-152) minutes. Thirty-day combined major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) rate was 3.9% (n = 4). Subacute ST occurred in 2 patients (1.96%). Combined MACE rates at 12 months and 3 years were 7.8% (n = 8) and 13.7% (n = 14). Late ST occurred in 1 patient (1%) with no occurrence of very late ST. This is the first 3-year report of the use of the ZES in an unselected, consecutive PPCI population. Overall 3-year incidence of MACE and target lesion revascularization (5.9%) was low, and was comparable to that seen with sirolimus- and paclitaxel-eluting stents in randomized controlled trials. At 3 years there was no occurrence of very late ST.     

Benzocaine-associated methemoglobinemia following bronchoscopy in a healthy research participant

Benzocaine (ethyl aminobenzoate) is a local anesthetic commonly used to achieve topical anesthesia of the skin and mucous membranes prior to endoscopic procedures. Methemoglobinemia, a condition in which hemoglobin cannot bind and deliver oxygen normally, has been associated with benzocaine use in various patient populations. This is the first report of benzocaine-associated methemoglobinemia occurring in a healthy research participant. The research participant developed a methemoglobin level of 27% and marked cyanosis. No adverse sequelae other than cyanosis were identified. This report extends the population in which benzocaine-associated methemoglobinemia has been described. Additionally, this report supports the observation that methemoglobin levels approaching 30% may be tolerated in otherwise healthy individuals, producing few clinically important effects. Finally, this case also indicates that, in obtaining informed consent for a procedure in which benzocaine will be administered, patients and research participants should be specifically informed of the risk of benzocaine-induced methemoglobinemia. This information is especially important in those settings in which the manufacturer-recommended dose of benzocaine may either intentionally or inadvertently be exceeded.     

Intrauterine intravascular transfusion for severe erythroblastosis fetalis: how much to transfuse?

Intrauterine intravascular transfusion is now believed to be a more precise method for treating fetal anemia in erythroblastosis fetalis than is intraperitoneal transfusion. Previously established guidelines for the volume of blood to be given in intraperitoneal transfusion at a specific gestational age are not applicable for intravascular transfusion. In 28 patients, intravascular transfusion was performed on 81 occasions between 19-34 weeks' gestation. The total number of transfusions ranged from one to six per patient. The aim at each procedure was to achieve a final hematocrit of 35-50%. Factors examined as likely to determine the volume of blood required included pre-transfusion hematocrit, post-minus pre-transfusion hematocrit (hematocrit increase), the hematocrit of the transfused blood, gestational age, estimated fetal weight, and interval from last transfusion. The factors found to be most predictive of total volume of blood required for transfusion were the hematocrit increase and either estimated fetal weight or gestational age.