BK polyomavirus nephropathy (BKVN) is a common cause of nephropathy in kidney transplant patients and is typically seen within the first year after transplantation. BK polyomavirus nephropathy can occur in the native kidneys of patients with nonrenal solid-organ transplants (NRSOT). However, this is rare, especially outside the early post-transplant period, and BKVN is not usually considered in the differential diagnosis for acute kidney injury in NRSOT patients. We present a case of a 75-year-old man who had undergone orthotopic heart transplant 13 years prior with stable allograft function who developed progressive renal dysfunction in the setting of recent unilateral obstructive nephrolithiasis requiring ureteral stenting. Kidney biopsy demonstrated evidence of polyomavirus nephritis. Serum BK viral load was elevated. Despite reducing immunosuppression and initiating leflunomide, viral clearance was never achieved. The patient experienced progressive failure to thrive before ultimately transitioning to hospice care and dying. The intensity of immunosuppression is a well-known risk factor for viral replication; ureteral stenting has also been associated with BKVN. However, since clinical manifestations of BK viral infections often include a genitourinary (GU) tract pathology, it is important for clinicians to consider BKVN in patients with NRSOT with progressive renal dysfunction, especially in the clinical context of known GU disease.
Introduction: The clinical significance of right bundle branch block (RBBB) or bifascicular block (BFB) in the setting of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is uncertain. Informed by studies demonstrating higher rates of complete occlusion of the infarct-related artery in patients presenting with RBBB, the latest guidelines on STEMI management suggest patients with persistent ischemic symptoms and RBBB be considered for emergent coronary angiography. However, there has been little study of the prognostic implication of either RBBB or BFB in the setting of undifferentiated acute chest pain, and even less of the degree of ST-elevation in concomitant RBBB. Methods and Results: A total of 7626 patient encounters presenting to the Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center between July 2018 and July 2020 with a chief complaint of “chest pain” were identified via electronic health record query. Of these encounters, 211 (2.8%) patients were found to have RBBB. Of that cohort, 18 (8.5%) presented with acute coronary syndrome, with STEMI accounting for 6 (2.8%), non-STEMI 9 (4.3%), and unstable angina 3 (1.4%). New or presumed new RBBBs were found in 59 (28%) of total RBBB patients, of which only 5 (8.5%) were found to have acute coronary syndrome and only 2 (3.4%) STEMI specifically. Similarly, 90 (42.7%) patients with chest pain and RBBB were found to have a BFB. New or presumed new BFBs were found in 40 (19%) patients, of which only 4 (10%) were also found to have acute coronary syndrome. No patients with new-onset BFB had STEMI. Furthermore, real-time diagnosis of anterior STEMI was complicated in two patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome by the masking of ST elevation in leads V1-3 by concomitant RBBB. Conclusions: In a large cohort of undifferentiated patients who presented with chest pain and RBBB or BFB (regardless if new or presumed new), only a small fraction had acute coronary syndrome, and even fewer STEMI. These data suggest patients with undifferentiated chest pain and RBBB on ECG with clinical suspicion for acute myocardial infarction and any degree of ST-elevation in leads V1-3 be considered for emergent coronary angiography rather than RBBB or BFB without ST-segment elevation.
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.