Category Archives: JCCM 2018, Vol. 4, Issue 1

Post-Pneumonectomy ARDS and Ogilvie Syndrome – A Case Report

Radu T. Stoica1,2, Ioan Cordoș1,3, Anca Macri1

1 “Marius Nasta” Pneumophtisiology Institute, Bucharest, Romania
2 Faculty of Medicine, “Titu Maiorescu” University, Bucharest, Romania
3 “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania

DOI: 10.2478/jccm-2018-0007

Introduction: The Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a severe hypoxemic acute lung injury that may complicate lung resections. Reported mortality is very high, up to 50%. This report covers an ARDS case occurring post left pneumonectomy, with a favorable outcome, despite association with an acute colonic pseudo-obstruction syndrome (Ogilvie syndrome) that required abdominal surgery for decompression.
Case report: A 60-year old Caucasian male, diagnosed with a stage IIIA left lung tumor underwent a left pneumonectomy. On the second postoperative day, the patient developed ARDS, requiring ventilatory support. Two days later, as the multiple organ dysfunction worsened, a bowel obstruction occurred. With an acute colonic pseudo-obstruction diagnosis, the decision was to perform laparotomy and a temporary cecostomy. A subsequent improvement in the respiratory parameters and vital functions resulted in weaning from ventilator 8 days after the onset of the ARDS and transfer to the surgery ward 14 days after pneumonectomy.

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Serratia marcescens Sepsis in a Child with Deep Venous Thrombosis – A Case Report

Iulia Armean1, Carmen Duicu2, Cornel Aldea3, Lorena Melit1

1 Pediatric Clinic No 1, County Emergency Clinical Hospital, Tirgu Mures, Romania
2 1st Department of Pediatrics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tirgu Mureș, Romania
3 2nd Pediatric Clinic, Clinical Emergency Hospital for Children, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

DOI: 10.2478/jccm-2018-0004

Introduction: Venous thromboembolism is a rare condition in paediatrics that included both deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Serratia marcescens is a gram-negative bacterium that belongs to the Enterobacteriaceae family and tends to affect immunocompromised hosts.
Case report: We report the case of an 11-year-old boy, admitted in the Pediatric Clinic I from Emergency County Hospital Tîrgu Mureș, Romania with intense pain, swelling, cyanosis and claudication of the left foot. His personal history revealed a recent appendectomy. A close family was reported to have had a deep venous thrombosis. The laboratory tests, performed on the day of admission, revealed increased inflammatory biomarkers and D-dimer. Coagulation tests gave a low activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). Doppler venous ultrasound and CT-exam established a diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis. Anticoagulant therapy was initiated, but on the tenth day of admission, the patient developed signs and symptoms of sepsis, and the blood culture revealed Serratia marcescens. After antibiotic and anticoagulant therapy, the patient progressed favourably. The patient was a carrier of the heterozygous form of Factor V Leiden.
Conclusions: The association between deep venous thrombosis and Serratia marcescens sepsis can compromise a condition in pediatric patients.

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Brain Death in Children: Incidence, Donation Rates, and the Occurrence of Central Diabetes Insipidus

Nazik Yener, Muhammed Şükrü Paksu, Özlem Köksoy

Ondokuz Mayıs University School of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Critical Care, Samsun , Turkey

DOI: 10.2478/jccm-2018-0005

Introduction: Brain death is currently defined as the loss of full brain function including the brainstem. The diagnosis and its subsequent management in the pediatric population are still controversial. The aim of this study was to define the demographic characteristics, clinical features and outcomes of patients with brain death and determine the incidence of brain death, donation rates and occurrence of central diabetes insipidus accompanying brain death in children.
Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at a twelve-bed tertiary-care combined medical and surgical pediatric intensive care unit of the Ondokuz Mayıs University Medical School, Samsun, Turkey. In 37 of 341 deaths (10.8%), a diagnosis of brain death was identified. The primary insult causing brain death was post-cardiorespiratory arrest in 8 (21.6%), head trauma in 8 (21.6%), and drowning in 4 (18.9%). In all patients, transcranial Doppler ultrasound was utilised as an ancillary test and test was repeated until it was consistent with brain death.
Results: In 33 (89%) patients, central diabetes insipidus was determined at or near the time brain death was confirmed. The four patients not diagnosed with CDI had acute renal failure, and renal replacement treatment was carried out. The consent rate for organ donation was 18.9%, and 16.7% of potential donors proceeded to actual donation
Conclusion: In the current study the consent rate for organ donation is relatively low compared to the rest of the world. The prevalence of central diabetes insipidus in this pedaitric brain death population is higher than reports in the literature, and acute renal failure accounted for the lack of central diabetes insipidus in four patients with brain death. Further studies are needed to explain normouria in brain-dead patients.

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The Importance of Referencing

Ario Santini1,2

1 University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tîrgu Mureș, Romania
2 Hon Fellow, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

DOI: 10.2478/jccm-2018-0002

It is imperative that authors of medical papers give fitting credit to the sources that they quote in their manuscripts. Frequently this is not the case, and a wrong, inappropriate or unsuitable citation often blights the quality of a paper. Many concerns can proceed from questions relating to improper citations. These matters may be directed at a personal level or may have a bearing on the general research community. They can range from doubt being levied at the individual’s academic ability, to his/her academic honesty, or even the suggestion of potential plagiarism. Meticulous referencing of sources will eliminate all of these concerns.
The stamp of a good research worker is attention to detail at all levels of his/her research. Attention to detail cultivates good habits and the detail required in referencing and preparing a bibliography focuses attention on the whole research procedure. It aids scientific thought and analysis and makes for better research reporting. [More]

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Stroke Secondary to Traumatic Carotid Artery Injury – A Case Report

Zoltán Bajkó1, 2, Smaranda Maier1, 2, Anca Moțățăianu1, 2, Rodica Bălașa1, 2, Smaranda Vasiu2, Adina Stoian2, 3, Sebastian Andone2

1 Department of Neurology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Târgu Mureș, Romania
2 Mureș County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Târgu Mureș, Romania
3 Department of Pathophysiology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Târgu Mureș, Romania

DOI: 10.2478/jccm-2018-0003

Introduction: Lesions of the carotid and vertebral arteries secondary to direct trauma, called blunt cerebrovascular injuries (BCVI) are relatively rare and are markedly different from spontaneous dissections. Ischaemic stroke is a significant complication, with high morbidity and mortality rates. The basis of a diagnosis relies on appropriate, high sensitivity imaging screening.
Case report: We present the case of a 31 years old male patient with polytraumatism secondary to a motor vehicle accident, who was admitted to an orthopaedic clinic for multiple lower extremity fractures. His fractures were treated surgically. He developed in the 3rd day after the admission left sided hemiparesis secondary to ischaemic stroke. The diagnosis of traumatic carotid artery injury (TCAI) was based on duplex ultrasound and angio CT scans. The outcome was favourable despite the severe carotid lesions presenting with occlusion secondary to dissection.
Conclusions: In the majority of BCVI cases there is a variable latent period between the time of injury and the development of stroke. The management of cases is challenging because in the majority of cases there are multiple associated injuries. Although antithrombotics are widely used in the treatment, there is no consensus regarding the type of agent, the optimal dose or treatment duration.

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Neurological Critical Care Services’ Influence Following Large Hemispheric Infarction and Their Impact on Resource Utilization

Syed Omar Shah1,2,3,4, Yu Kan Au1, Fred Rincon1,2,3,4, Matthew Vibbert1,2,3,4

1 Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA USA
2 Department of Neurosurgery, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA USA
3 Divisions of Critical Care and Neurotrauma, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA USA
4 Department of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA USA

DOI: 10.2478/jccm-2018-0001

Introduction: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is the fourth leading cause of death in the US. Numerous studies have demonstrated the use of comprehensive stroke units and neurological intensive care units (NICU) in improving outcomes after stroke. We hypothesized that an expanded neurocritical care (NCC) service would decrease resource utilization in patients with LHI.
Methods: Retrospective data from consecutive admissions of large hemispheric infarction (LHI) patients requiring mechanical ventilation were acquired from the hospital medical records. Between 2011-2013, there were 187 consecutive patients admitted to the Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience (Philadelphia, USA) with AIS and acute respiratory failure. Our intention was to determine the number of tracheostomies done over time. The primary outcome measure was the number of tracheostomies over time. Secondary outcomes were, ventilator-free days (Vfd), total hospital charges, intensive care unit length of stay (ICU-LOS), and total hospital length of stay (hospital-LOS), including ICU LOS. Hospital charges were log-transformed to meet assumptions of normality and homoscedasticity of residual variance terms. Generalized Linear Models were used and ORs and 95% CIs calculated. The significance level was set at α = 0.05.
Results: Of the 73 patients included in this analysis, 33% required a tracheostomy. There was a decrease in the number of tracheostomies undertaken since 2011. (OR 0.8; 95% CI 0.6-0.9: p=0.02). Lower Vfd were seen in tracheostomized patients (OR 0.11; 95%CI 0.1-0.26: p<0.0001). The log-hospital charges decreased over time but not significantly (OR 0.9; 95%CI 0.78-1.07: p=0.2) and (OR 0.99; 95%CI 0.85-1.16: p=0.8) from 2012 to 2013 respectively.
The ICU-LOS at 23 days vs 10 days (p=0.01) and hospital-LOS at 33 days vs 11 days (p=0.008) were higher in tracheostomized patients.
Conclusion: The data suggest that in LHI-patients requiring mechanical ventilation, a dedicated NCC service reduces the overall need for tracheostomy, increases Vfd, and decreases ICU and hospital-LOS.

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Severe Austrian Syndrome in an Immunocompromised Adult Patient – A Case Report

Ioana Raluca Chirteș1, Dragos Florea2, Carmen Chiriac1,3, Oana Maria Mărginean1, Cristina Mănășturean3, Alexander A Vitin4, Anca Meda Georgescu1,3

1 University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tirgu Mures, Romania
2 National Institute of Infectious Diseases ”Prof. Dr Matei Bals”, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Bucharest, Romania
3 Mures County Hospital, Infectious Diseases Clinic I, Tirgu Mures, Romania
4 Department of Anesthesiology & Pain, Medicine University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle WA, USA

DOI: 10.1515/jccm-2017-0025

Background: Known also as Osler’s triad, Austrian syndrome is a complex pathology which consists of pneumonia, meningitis and endocarditis, all caused by the haematogenous dissemination of Streptococcus pneumoniae. The multivalvular lesions are responsible for a severe and potential lethal outcome.
Case report: The case of a 51-year-old female patient, with a past medical history of splenectomy, is presented. She developed bronchopneumonia, acute meningitis and infective endocarditis as a result of Streptococcus pneumoniae infection and subsequently developed multiple organ dysfunction syndromes which led to a fatal outcome. Bacteriological tests did not reveal the etiological agent. The histopathological examination showed a severe multivalvular endocarditis, while a PCR based molecular analysis from formalin fixed valvular tissue identified Streptococcus pneumoniae as the etiologic agent.
Conclusions: The presented case shows a rare syndrome with a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Following the broad-spectrum treatment and intensive therapeutic support, the patient made unfavourable progress which raised differential diagnosis problems. In this case, the post-mortem diagnosis demonstrated multiple valvular lesions occurred as a result of endocarditis.

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