To further define and determine the usefulness of CEA, 1100 CEA determinations have been made over the past two years at The Ohio State University Hospitals on patients with a variety of malignant and nonmalignant conditions. Correlation of CEA titers with history and clinical course has yielded interesting results not only in cancers of entodermally derived tissues, for which CEA has become an established adjunct in management, but also in certain other neoplasms and inflammatory states. The current total of 225 preoperative CEA determinations in colorectal carcinomas shows an 81% incidence of elevation, with postoperative titers remaining elevated in patients having only palliative surgery but falling to the negative zone after curative procedures. An excellent correlation exists between CEA levels and grade of tumor (more poorly differentiated tumors showing lower titers). Left-side colon lesions show significantly higher titers than right-side lesions. CEA values have been shown to be elevated in 90% of pancreatic carcinomas studied, in 60% of metastatic breast cancers, and in 35% of other tumors (ovary, head and neck, bladder, kidney, and prostate cancers). CEA levels in 35 ulcerative colitis patients show elevation during exacerbations (51%). During remissions titers fall toward normal, although in 31% still remaining greater than 2.5 ng/ml. In the six colectomies performed, CEA levels all fell into the negative zone postoperatively. Forty percent of adenomatous polyps showed elevated CEA titers (range 2.5-10.0) that dropped following polypectomy to the negative zone. Preoperative and postoperative CEA determinations are important in assessing the effectiveness of surgery. Serial CEA determinations are important in the follow-up period and in evaluation of the other modes of therapy (e.g., chemotherapy). These determinations of tumor antigenicity give the physician added prognostic insight into the behavior of the tumor growth. Rectal examination with guaiac determinations, sigmoidoscopy, cytology, barium enema, and a good clinical evaluation remain the primary tools for detecting colorectal disease. However, in the high-risk patient suspicious of developing cancer, CEA determinations as well as colonoscopy are now being used increasingly and provide additional highly valuable tools in the physician's armamentarium.
BackgroundNosocomial and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are causes of significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. We analyzed a) the incidence and the outcome of pneumonias caused by different pathogens in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a medium-sized twenty-four bed community hospital and b) the incidence of complications of such pneumonias requiring surgical intervention such as thoracotomy and decortication.ResultsWe retrospectively reviewed the charts of patients diagnosed with nosocomial and ventilator-associated pneumonia in our ICU. Their bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and sputum cultures, antibiograms, and other clinical characteristics, including complications and need for tracheostomy, thoracotomy and decortication were studied. In a span of one year (2011–12), 43 patients were diagnosed with nosocomial pneumonia in our ICU. The median simplified acute physiology score (SAPS II) was 39. One or more gram negative organisms as the causative agents were present in 85% of microbiologic samples. The three most prevalent gram negatives were Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (34%), Pseudomonas aeurginosa (40%), and Acinetobacter baumannii (32%). Twenty eight percent of bronchoalveolar samples contained Staphylococcus aureus. Eight three percent of patients required mechanical ventilation postoperatively and 37% underwent tracheostony. Thirty five percent underwent thoracotomy and decortication because of further complications such as empyema and non-resolving parapneumonic effusions. A. baumannii, Klebsiella pneumonia extended spectrum beta lactam (ESBL) and P. aeurginosa had the highest prevalence of multi drug resistance (MDR). Fifteen patients required surgical intervention. Mortality from pneumonia was 37% and from surgery was 2%.ConclusionNosocomial pneumonias, in particular the ones that were caused by gram negative drug resistant organisms and their ensuing complications which required thoracotomy and decortication, were the cause of significant morbidity in our intensive care unit. Preventative and more intensive and novel infection control interventions in reducing the incidence of nosocomial pneumonias are strongly emphasized.
Since 1972 plasma CEA levels of 25 cancer patients have been assayed to evaluate the reliability of CEA as an early indicator of recurrent gastrointestinal cancer. Identification of significant elevations in CEA levels required definition of exactly what a given value meant. Intraassay and interassay accuracy was determined and graphed as a CEA NOMOGRAM, which measures the observed CEA level against the 95% confidence limits for that observation and thus can be used to identify statistically significant increases. A statistically significant rise above a baseline value established by the NOMOGRAM proved to be a correct indicator of tumor recurrence in 22 (88%) of 25 patients who underwent second-look intraabdominal operations (22 colorectal, 2 gastric, and 1 pancreatic). In each case, other accepted procedures, such as liver enzymes, scans, and x-rays, were nondiagnostic. Of the 22 patients with proved tumor recurrence, 16 (73%) had distant metastases and 6 (27%) had localized tumors. One patient remains tumor-free three years after second-look operation and has had no significant change in CEA levels. More frequent serial CEA determinations combined with sound clinical judgment should facilitate earlier detection of recurrent gastrointestinal cancer.
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