No abstract

There is a broad classification of the causes of acute liver failure (ALF) that include drug-induced liver injury (DILI). In this report, we aim to discuss the association between remdesivir, a novel therapeutic drug for hypoxic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia, and DILI with subsequent ALF in a patient who was recently treated with the drug in question. Remdesivir, which is a direct-acting nucleoside RNA polymerase inhibitor, is one of the only FDA-approved drugs on the market for COVID-19 pneumonia associated with hypoxia. Our case describes a patient with an extensive past medical history who was treated for COVID-19 pneumonia with remdesivir and subsequently developed ALF in the absence of all other possible etiologies. This association has only been highlighted in anecdotal case reports in the past and to a lesser degree in the safety documentation of remdesivir.

BackgroundAgranulocytosis secondary to cancer chemotherapy (ASCC) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) are also particularly prevalent in these populations and may portend a poorer outcome. Our study serves to investigate the relationship between patients with agranulocytosis secondary to cancer chemotherapy and the insertion of a central venous catheter (CVC) with respect to in-hospital mortality. Methods and resultsWe utilized the National Inpatient Survey 2019 database. We utilized the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 CM codes to identify ASCC and other medical comorbidities. We utilized ICD-10 PCS codes to identify CVC insertions. Multivariate logistic regression was utilized to study the effect of CVC insertion on in-hospital mortality. In patients with ASCC, CVC insertion was associated with a higher inhospital mortality (unadjusted: 11.9% vs. 1%, p<0.001, adjusted OR 19.27, 95% CI 5.84 -65.6, p<0.001) adjusted for baseline characteristics and other comorbidities. Patients in the study cohort who were older than 70 years of age also had a higher in-hospital mortality relative to younger age groups (adjusted OR 2.31, 95% CI 1.04-5.13, p<0.039). ConclusionIn patients with ASCC, CVC insertion during hospitalization is associated with higher in-hospital mortality.

Chronic mesenteric ischemia is a rare but serious condition that can present with a variety of symptoms, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss. Our case report presents a 63-year-old male with a past medical history of generalized anxiety disorder, Barrett's esophagus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with active smoking who initially presented with severe diffuse abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and chronic diarrhea resulting in malnutrition and 40-pound weight loss over a six-month span.The patient underwent extensive diagnostic evaluation and was diagnosed with Yersinia gastroenteritis via gastroenteritis panel (GI Panel), explaining all of the patient's symptoms. The patient underwent treatment for said gastroenteritis but did not experience remission of symptoms, leading to further diagnostic evaluations; a definitive diagnosis was not found, yet the patient's symptoms persisted. The patient then underwent extensive serologic and endoscopic evaluation, after extensive imaging and diagnostic work-up, the patient was finally diagnosed with chronic mesenteric ischemia (CMI) of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) with severe celiac and inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) stenosis. The patient initially underwent stenting (7 mm by 26 mm Balloon Mounted Lifestream TM Covered Stent; Becton Dickson (BD); Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA), which provided temporary relief to his symptoms, however, the relief did not last long. Upon reimaging, the patient was found to have stenosis of the stent, leading to the eventual placement of a bare-metal stent (Express TM LD 7 x 27 mm balloon mounted bare-metal stent; Boston Scientific; Boston, MA, USA) across the celiac artery as well as the placement of an IMA stent (Innova TM Self-expanding 5 x 20 mm bare-metal stent; Boston Scientific). This eventually resulted in the resolution of the patient's symptoms, eventual weight gain, and improvement in quality of life.

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a potentially life-threatening pulmonary pathology which results in intra-alveolar hemorrhage secondary to disruption of the alveolar capillary basement membrane. Most commonly, these patients present with hemoptysis, hypoxemia and pulmonary infiltrates. Although rare, sevoflurane, an inhalational anesthetic used as a rapid induction agent for anesthesia may be implicated in the etiology of DAH. We report a case of a 21-year-old otherwise healthy male found to have postoperative diffuse alveolar hemorrhage secondary to sevoflurane inhalation. Thus far, only five documented cases describing sevoflurane induced diffuse alveolar hemorrhage have been described in the literature, with prior cases also showing a clear temporal association between sevoflurane administration and symptom onset. Although uncommon, we must take sevoflurane into consideration as a possible etiology of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage when encountering signs of respiratory distress and hemoptysis in postoperative patients.