Chronic myeloid leukaemia presenting as acute small bowel gangrene:A case report

Rationale:Chronic myeloid leukaemia is a myeloproliferative disorder due to clonal hyperproliferation of myeloid cells within the bone marrow.It can present both pro-and anti-thrombotic states.CML has different presentations within the gastrointestinal tract.Patient’s concern:A 40-year-old non-diabetic and non-hypertensive male complained of abdominal pain with nausea and emesis for 1 day.Besides,he had a history of abdominal distension and fever for 1 day.Diagnosis:Acute small bowel gangrene due to chronic myeloid leukaemia.Intervention:A limited resection of small intestine with ileostomy and mucus fistula.Outcome:After 3 months following surgery the patient underwent stoma closure.The patient was followed up for more than 3 years postoperatively.During the follow-up,the patient was asymptomatic without any recurrence of the disease.Lesson:Chronic myeloid leukaemia should be considered as one of the causes for small intestine gangrene when there is increased leukocyte count,splenomegaly without evidence of atherosclerotic occlusion or systemic emboli from the heart.

Therapeutic experience of an 89-year-old high-risk patient with incarcerated cholecystolithiasis:A case report and literature review

BACKGROUND The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia poses a particular challenge to the emergency surgical treatment of elderly patients with high-risk acute abdominal diseases.Elderly patients are a high-risk group for surgical treatment.If the incarceration of gallstones cannot be relieved,emergency surgery is unavoidable.CASE SUMMARY We report an 89-year-old male patient with acute gangrenous cholecystitis and septic shock induced by incarcerated cholecystolithiasis.He had several coexisting,high-risk underlying diseases,had a history of radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer,and was taking aspirin before the operation.Nevertheless,he underwent emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy,with maintenance of postoperative heart and lung function,successfully recovered,and was discharged on day 8 after the operation.CONCLUSION Emergency surgery for elderly patients with acute abdominal disease is safe and feasible during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic,the key is to abide strictly by the hospital's epidemic prevention regulations,fully implement the epidemic prevention procedure for emergency surgery,fully prepare before the operation,accurately perform the operation,and carefully manage the patient postoperatively.

Gangrenous Cholecystitis with Atypical Presentation in an Elderly Diabetic Woman

In elderly patients, numerous factors subsidize the diagnostic challenge and high incidence of complications in this specific population, taking gangrenous cholecystitis as a critical example. The aim of this work is to report an unusual case of gangrenous choleystitis in an elderly diabetic women and its atypical clinical presentation. A 79-year-old female patient came to our observation;her medical history showed nausea and vomiting of about 2 hours which rapidly ended with symptomatic therapy, without recurrence, and a 3-week history of intermittent fever associated with productive cough. No abdominal discomfort was declared. Physical examination of the abdomen was negative. Laboratory analysis revealed leukocytosis with the remaining criteria within the normal range. After 2 days, she started with a mildabdominal pain in the epigastric region that rapidly progressed to the right upper quadrant, right flank and right iliac fossa, without nausea, vomiting or fever. Abdominal computer tomography findings revealed thickness of the gall-bladder and important densification of the vascular bed. Acute cholecystitis was diagnosed. The patient was then submitted to a laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general anaesthesia with findings suggestive of gangrenous acute cholecystitis confirmed by histologic examination of the specimen. Delays in diagnosing acute cholecystitis in specific populations, such as elderly diabetics, result in a higher prevalence of morbidity and mortality due to potentially serious complications as gangrenous cholecystitis. Consequently, the diagnosis should be measured and investigated promptly in order to prevent poor outcomes.