Septic shock is a medical emergency that represents one of the most important underlying causes for presentation to the Emergency Department. Sepsis is defined as organ dysfunction, life-threatening event caused by a deregulated inflammatory host response to infection, with a mortality risk ranging from 10 to 40%. Early sepsis identification is the cornerstone of management and diagnostic imaging can play a pivotal role in this clinical context. The choice of imaging modality depends on several factors, associated with the clinical condition and the presence or absence of localising signs and symptoms. The diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced total-body CT has been well established during septic shock, allowing for a rapid, panoramic, and detailed study of multiple body areas, simultaneously. The aim of this article is to illustrate the controversial CT hypoperfusion complex in patients with septic shock, characterised by the following imaging features: decreased enhancement of the viscera; increased mucosal enhancement; luminal dilation of the small bowel; mural thickening and fluid-filled loops of the small bowel; the halo sign and flattening of the inferior vena cava; reduced aortic diameter; peripancreatic oedema; abnormal parenchymal perfusion; and other controversial findings that are variably associated with each other and reversible during the early stages. Increasing physicians’ awareness of the significance of these findings could prompt alternative approaches to the early assessment and management of septic shock. In this perspective, CT imaging represents a useful tool for a complete, rapid and detailed diagnosis of clinically suspected septic shock, which can be used to improve patient outcomes.
Pain is a common and debilitating symptom in pelvic cancer diseases. Failure in controlling this pain through pharmacological approaches calls for employing multimodal management and invasive techniques. Various strategies are commonly used for this purpose, including palliative radiotherapy, epidural medications and intrathecal administration of analgesic and local anesthetic drugs with pumps, and neural or plexus blockade. This review focuses on the features of minimally invasive palliative procedures (MIPPs), such as radiofrequency ablation, laser-induced thermotherapy, cryoablation, irreversible electroporation, electrochemotherapy, microwave ablation, and cementoplasty as well as their role in palliation of cancer pelvic pain. Despite the evidence of effectiveness and safety of these interventions, there are still many barriers to accessing MIPPs, including the availability of trained staff, the lack of precise criteria of indication, and the high costs.
Although we describe a clinical situation that most likely occurs in hundreds of operatory rooms in the world, we report this case as provocation. It concerns an unexpected awakening from an appropriate depth of anesthesia, although the BIS monitor showed a BIS index of less than 50 for a prolonged period before and after the event. Approximately 30 min after induction of anesthesia, the patient had a hypothetic sudden arousal of consciousness, with spontaneous movements, facial muscle activation, intolerance to the tracheal tube, and tearing. After immediate intravenous administration of midazolam (4 mg), the patient returned to a depth of anesthesia status, and surgery was completed uneventfully. The patient had no recall of the event when questioned during the episode, at emergence, or at 24 h, 36 h, and 7 days after surgery. Were these events spinal reflexes to pain or stimulation although the cortex was still anesthetized? Maybe this is the more rational explanation. Was the patient awake but not aware? Is it possible that our patient experienced only a transient arousal from consciousness, and that he did not have recall because the arousal time was short and we blocked memory consolidation? The latter hypothesis provides an opportunity to discuss the evidence that at the moment there is no device to assess the depth of anesthesia. We also focus on the possibility of interfering with memory processing under anesthesia.
IntroductionHyperhomocysteinemia is a known risk factor for myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and thrombosis. Elevated plasma homocysteine levels have been demonstrated in patients with recurrent episodes or a single episode of thrombosis. Here we describe the development of cardiovascular disease as a complication of a surgical intervention in a patient with colorectal cancer and hyperhomocysteinemia.Case presentationA 65-year-old Caucasian man complained of pain and constipation, attributed to previously diagnosed adenocarcinoma (stage IIB) of the hepatic flexure. An anamnestic investigation showed that he had undergone two surgical interventions. During both, he suffered thrombotic postoperative complications, a deep vein thrombosis of the upper extremity after the first operation and retinal vein occlusion after the second. He was diagnosed with hyperhomocysteinemia associated with a homozygous C677T mutation of the gene encoding the enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. Our patient was initially treated with folic acid and high-dose B vitamins. On day 7 he underwent a right hemicolectomy. Anesthesia was performed with sevoflurane in 40% O2 and without the use of nitrous oxide. Postoperatively, our patient remained on folic acid and B vitamins and was without immediate or subsequent complications.ConclusionsNeoplastic disease and related surgery followed by the administration of chemotherapeutic drugs alter the hemostatic balance in cancer patients. Those suspected of also having a thrombophilic disease require a thorough laboratory diagnostic workup, including a molecular analysis aimed at identifying the genetic mutation responsible for the hyperhomocysteinemia, as indicated. The case described in this report highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach that includes expertise in peri-operative anesthesia, surgery, oncology, and hematology.
Although randomized controlled studies reported an incidence of anesthesia awareness with recall ∼1 to 2 per 1000 (0.1–0.2%), recent data from the NAP5 study showed an incidence of only 1:19,600. Although in a prospective study many tools for anesthesia awareness detection can be used, a retrospective analysis requires a careful collection of information.The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence of anesthesia awareness with recall in a cohort of cancer patients through a multisource retrospective analysis, and the clinical description, including the psychological outcome, of the cases detected. We also tested whether our retrospective analysis would be improved by a routinely psycho-oncological assessment. As secondary endpoints we evaluated the use of depth of anesthesia monitoring over a large cohort of patients, and the correlation between the brain monitoring and the incidence of awareness.We have carried out a 7-year retrospective analysis in a large cohort of cancer patients on the incidence of awareness with recall during general anesthesia. Of 35,595 patients assessed for eligibility, 21,099 were studied. We analyzed all data from the operative rooms’ database, the anesthesia records, and from the database of the surgical divisions. In addition we examined reports from psychologists and spontaneous reports to the quality team of the hospital.Two certain cases of awareness were detected, with an incidence of 1:10,550 (0.0095%). They occurred during elective surgery, in female patients without other risk factors. One case came from the report of a psychologist. In both episodes, brain monitoring was not applied and no long-term psychological sequelae were reported.Despite the limitations, our investigation suggests that the incidence of anesthesia awareness is very low, also in a specific cohort of patients, such as the cancer patients, and even when the depth of anesthesia monitoring is rarely used. The limitations caused by both the retrospective analysis and the absence of specific tools for direct awareness detection, such as structured interviews, can be filled with an effective postoperative psychological assessment which is often of routine in a cancer center. This observation could suggest the usefulness of inserting specific questions within the psychological tools commonly used by psycho-oncologists.
It is well known that deep vein thrombosis of the upper extremities is linked to high morbidity/mortality, resulting in 12-20% of all documented pulmonary embolism; however, there are few data about thromboembolism originating from a vein and/or a branch of a superficial vein of the upper extremities. Pulmonary embolism secondary to upper limb superficial vein thrombosis (not combined with upper extremities deep vein thrombosis) is a very rare clinical manifestation with few cases reported in the literature. We report a rare case of thrombophlebitis in departure from a superficial branch of the cephalic vein of the right arm, complicated by cardiac arrest secondary to a massive pulmonary embolism in a patient who underwent major surgery for ovarian cancer. We discuss on the numerous thrombotic risk factors, triggering a cascade of reactions and resulting in a potential fatal clinical manifestation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.