Multidisciplinary management of acute mesenteric ischemia:Surgery and endovascular intervention

Acute mesenteric ischemia(AMI)is a rare cause of the“acute abdomen”,characterized by impaired blood flow to the intestine.The principle of treatment is restoration of perfusion to ischemic bowel and resection of any necrotic intestine.Surgery and endovascular intervention are two complementary approaches to mesenteric ischemia.Endovascular intervention is not an alternative to the surgical approach,but it has the potential to improve the prognosis of patients with AMI when judiciously combined with a surgical approach.Due to the need for emergent treatment of patients with acute mesenteric ischemia,the treatment strategy needs to be modified for each facility.This review aims to highlight cutting-edge studies and provide reasonable treatment strategies for patients with acute mesenteric ischemia based on available evidence.

Non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia: Diagnostic challenges and perspectives in the era of artificial intelligence

Acute mesenteric ischemia(AMI)is a severe condition associated with poor prognosis,ultimately leading to death due to multiorgan failure.Several mechanisms may lead to AMI,and non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia(NOMI)represents a particular form of AMI.NOMI is prevalent in intensive care units in critically ill patients.In NOMI management,promptness and accuracy of diagnosis are paramount to achieve decisive treatment,but the last decades have been marked by failure to improve NOMI prognosis,due to lack of tools to detect this condition.While real-life diagnostic management relies on a combination of physical examination,several biomarkers,imaging,and endoscopy to detect the possibility of several grades of NOMI,research studies only focus on a few elements at a time.In the era of artificial intelligence(AI),which can aggregate thousands of variables in complex longitudinal models,the prospect of achieving accurate diagnosis through machine-learning-based algorithms may be sought.In the following work,we bring you a state-of-the-art literature review regarding NOMI,its presentation,its mechanics,and the pitfalls of routine work-up diagnostic exams including biomarkers,imaging,and endoscopy,we raise the perspectives of new biomarker exams,and finally we discuss what AI may add to the field,after summarizing what this technique encompasses.

Mesenteric ischemia in COVID-19 patients:A review of current literature

BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)virus has affected all the systems of the body,defying all impressions of it being a respiratory virus only.AIM To see the association of mesenteric ischemia with COVID-19.METHODS After initial screening and filtering of the titles on PubMed and Google Scholar,124 articles were selected.Articles were read in full,and the references were skimmed for relevance.Twenty-six articles(case reports and case series)were found to eligible for inclusion.References of these 26 articles were checked for any additional cases.Two more publications were found,and a total of 28 articles(22 case reports and 6 case series)have been included for review in this manuscript.RESULTS A total of 41 cases of acute mesenteric ischemia in COVID-19 patients have been reported in the literature since the outbreak of this pandemic.Most of them include patients with comorbidities.CONCLUSION In conclusion,based on this literature review and precise published knowledge regarding acute mesenteric ischemia in patients with COVID-19,it is essential to understand its relevance in all patients with gastrointestinal symptoms.The threshold for the diagnostic investigations should also be kept low for the timely diagnosis and management of this disorder.

Acute mesenteric ischemia due to percutaneous coronary intervention:A case report

BACKGROUND Percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI) is extensively used to treat acute coronary syndromes(ACS).Acute mesenteric ischemia is a life-threatening disease if untreated.CASE SUMMARY An 81-year-old female presented with 3 d of lethargy and 1 d of dyspnea.On November 16,2021,the patient developed a coma.Her oxygen saturation dropped to 70%-80%,the patient was admitted to the intensive care unit for further treatment.Chest computed tomography(CT) showed chronic bronchitis,emphysema,and multiple lung infections.Abdominal CT scan showed no obvious abnormalities,but have severely calcified abdominal vessels.The patient received assisted ventilation,and vasoactive,and anti-infection drugs.Troponin level was elevated.Since the patient was in a coma,it could not be determined whether she had chest pain.The cardiologist assumed that the patient had developed ACS;therefore,the patient underwent PCI via the left femoral artery approach,and no obvious abnormalities were found in the left and right coronary arteries.On the second postoperative day,the patient presented with abdominal distension and decreased bowel sounds;constipation was considered and a glycerin enema was administered.On day 4,the patient suddenly lost consciousness,and had decreased blood pressure,abdominal wall swelling with increased tension,and absence of bowel sounds.An urgent abdominal CT scan revealed gas in her hepatic portal system with extensive bowel wall necrosis.The patient died on day 5 due to intractable shock.CONCLUSION The potential serious complications in patients undergoing PCI,especially the patients who are hemodynamically unstable and have severely calcified abdominal vessels,should all be considered.

Concealed mesenteric ischemia after total knee arthroplasty:A case report

BACKGROUND In critical care medicine,mesenteric ischemia(MI)is a life-threatening disease that can be present in both critically ill patients and those undergoing major surgery.For the first time,we report a case of concealed MI with a long course after knee arthroplasty.CASE SUMMARY A male patient underwent left total knee arthroplasty for gouty arthritis and developed a persistent fever and persistently high levels of serum infection markers after surgery.He was considered to have a periprosthetic site infection and treated with antibiotics and colchicine,periprosthetic debridement was performed,and the spacer was replaced,but no improvement was seen.At 54 d after arthroplasty,the patient developed gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea and vomiting,abdominal distention,and subsequently,cloudiness of consciousness,and hypotensive shock.Finally,the patient was diagnosed with ascending colonic mesentery ischemia with necrosis after laparotomy,which improved after right hemicolectomy.CONCLUSION Concealed MI without gastrointestinal symptoms after major surgery is rare and easily misdiagnosed.Orthopedic surgeons need to be aware of this complication.

Identifying survival protective factors for chronic dialysis patients with surgically confirmed acute mesenteric ischemia

BACKGROUND Mesenteric ischemia is significantly more common in end-stage kidney disease patients undergoing chronic dialysis than in the general population and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. However, reports on prognostic factors in this population are limited.AIM To elucidate the in-hospital outcomes of acute mesenteric ischemia in chronic dialysis patients and to analyze protective factors for survival.METHODS The case data of 426 chronic dialysis patients who were hospitalized in a tertiary medical center for acute mesenteric ischemia over a 14-year period were retrospectively reviewed. Of these cases, 103 were surgically confirmed, and the patients were enrolled in this study. A Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the protective factors for survival.RESULTS The in-hospital mortality rate among the 103 enrolled patients was 46.6%.Univariate analysis was performed to compare factors in survivors and nonsurvivors, with better in-hospital outcomes associated with a surgery delay(defined as the time from onset of signs and symptoms to operation) < 4.5 d, no shock, a higher potassium level on day 1 of hospitalization, no resection of the colon, and a total bowel resection length < 110 cm. After 1 wk of hospitalization, patients with lower white blood cell count and neutrophil counts, higher lymphocyte counts, and lower C-reactive protein levels had better in-hospital outcomes. Following multivariate adjustment, a higher potassium level on day 1 of hospitalization(HR 1.71, 95%CI 1.19 to 2.46;P = 0.004), a lower neutrophil count(HR 0.91, 95%CI 0.84 to 0.99;P = 0.037) at 1 wk after admission, resection not involving the colon(HR 2.70, 95%CI 1.05 to 7.14;P = 0.039), and a total bowel resection length < 110 cm(HR 4.55,95%CI 1.43 to 14.29;P = 0.010) were significantly associated with survival.CONCLUSION A surgery delay < 4.5 d, no shock, no resection of the colon, and a total bowel resection length <110 cm predicted better outcomes in chronic dialysis patients with acute mesenteric ischemia.

A hybrid technique： intra-arterial catheter-directed thrombolysis following the recanalization of superior mesenteric artery in acute mesenteric ischemia

Acute mesenteric ischemia is a deadly process withoverall mortality rate of 40%. Acute thrombosis of an atherosclerotic lesion with previous partial occlusion isone of the common causes. Peri-operative mortality ofsuperior mesenteric artery （SMA） thrombosis is higherbecause of the difficulty in diagnosis,

Should we perform decompressive laparotomy during severe acute pancreatitis with intra-abdominal hypertension below 25 mmHg:Only the gut knows

We suggest that during severe acute pancreatitis(SAP)with intra-abdominal hypertension,practitioners should consider decompressive laparotomy,even with intra-abdominal pressure(IAP)below 25 mmHg.Indeed,in this setting,non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia(NOMI)may occur even with IAP below this cutoff and lead to transmural necrosis if abdominal perfusion pressure is not promptly restored.We report our experience of 18 critically ill patients with SAP having undergone decompressive laparotomy of which one third had NOMI while IAP was mostly below 25 mmHg.

Nomogram for predicting transmural bowel infarction in patients with acute superior mesenteric venous thrombosis

BACKGROUND The prognosis of acute mesenteric ischemia(AMI)caused by superior mesenteric venous thrombosis(SMVT)remains undetermined and early detection of transmural bowel infarction(TBI)is crucial.The predisposition to develop TBI is of clinical concern,which can lead to fatal sepsis with hemodynamic instability and multi-organ failure.Early resection of necrotic bowel could improve the prognosis of AMI,however,accurate prediction of TBI remains a challenge for clinicians.When determining the eligibility for explorative laparotomy,the underlying risk factors for bowel infarction should be fully evaluated.AIM To develop and externally validate a nomogram for prediction of TBI in patients with acute SMVT.METHODS Consecutive data from 207 acute SMVT patients at the Wuhan Tongji Hospital and 89 patients at the Guangzhou Nanfang Hospital between July 2005 and December 2018 were included in this study.They were grouped as training and external validation cohort.The 207 cases(training cohort)from Tongji Hospital were divided into TBI and reversible intestinal ischemia groups based on the final therapeutic outcomes.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify independent risk factors for TBI using the training data,and a nomogram was subsequently developed.The performance of the nomogram was evaluated with respect to discrimination,calibration,and clinical usefulness in the training and external validation cohort.RESULTS Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses identified the following independent prognostic factors associated with TBI in the training cohort:The decreased bowel wall enhancement(OR=6.37,P<0.001),rebound tenderness(OR=7.14,P<0.001),serum lactate levels>2 mmol/L(OR=3.14,P=0.009)and previous history of deep venous thrombosis(OR=6.37,P<0.001).Incorporating these four factors,the nomogram achieved good calibration in the training set[area under the receiver operator characteristic curve(AUC)0.860;95%CI:0.771-0.925]and the external validation set(AUC 0.851;95%CI:0.796-0.897).The positive and negative predictive values(95%CIs)of the nomogram were calculated,resulting in positive predictive values of 54.55%(40.07%-68.29%)and 53.85%(43.66%-63.72%)and negative predictive values of 93.33%(82.14%-97.71%)and 92.24%(85.91%-95.86%)for the training and validation cohorts,respectively.Based on the nomogram,patients who had a Nomo-score of more than 90 were considered to have high risk for TBI.Decision curve analysis indicated that the nomogram was clinically useful.CONCLUSION The nomogram achieved an optimal prediction of TBI in patients with AMI.Using the model,the risk for an individual patient inclined to TBI can be assessed,thus providing a rational therapeutic choice.

Superior mesenteric vein thrombosis induced by influenza infection:A case report

BACKGROUND Among the various types and causes of mesenteric ischemia,superior mesenteric vein(SMV)thrombosis is a rare and ambiguous disease.If a patient presents with SMV thrombosis,past medical history should be reviewed,and the patient should be screened for underlying disease.SMV thrombosis may also occur due to systemic infection.In this report,we describe a case of SMV thrombosis complicated by influenza B infection.CASE SUMMARY A 64-year-old male visited the hospital with general weakness,muscle aches,fever,and abdominal pain.The patient underwent computed tomography(CT)and was diagnosed with SMV thrombosis.Since the patient’s muscle pain and fever could not be explained by the SMV thrombosis,the clinician performed a test for influenza,which produced a positive result for influenza B.The patient had a thrombus in the SMV only,with no invasion of the portal or splenic veins,and was clinically stable.Anticoagulation treatment was prescribed without surgery or other procedures.The follow-up CT scan showed improvement,and the patient was subsequently discharged with continued oral anticoagulant treatment.CONCLUSION This case provides evidence that influenza may be a possible risk factor for SMV thrombosis.If unexplained abdominal pain is accompanied by an influenza infection,examination of an abdominal CT scan may be necessary to screen for possible SMV thrombosis.

Ischemic bowel disease in 2021

Ischemic bowel disease(ISBODI)includes colon ischemia,acute mesenteric ischemia(AMI)and chronic mesenteric ischemia(CMI).Epidemiologically,colon ischemia is the most common type followed by AMI and CMI.There are various risk factors for the development of ISBODI.Abdominal pain is the common presenting symptom of each type.High clinical suspicion is essential in ordering appropriate tests.Imaging studies and colonoscopy with biopsy are the main diagnostic tests.Treatment varies from conservative measures to surgical resection and revascularization.Involvement of multidisciplinary team is essential in managing ISBODI.Although open surgery with revascularization plays an important role,recently there is an increasing interest in percutaneous endovascular treatment.

Portal vein gas combined with pneumatosis intestinalis and emphysematous cystitis:A case report and literature review

BACKGROUND Portal venous gas(PVG)is a rare clinical condition usually indicative of severe disorders,including necrotizing enterocolitis,bowel ischemia,or bowel wall rupture/infarction.Pneumatosis intestinalis(PI)is a rare illness characterized by an infiltration of gas into the intestinal wall.Emphysematous cystitis(EC)is relatively rare and characterized by intramural and/or intraluminal bladder gas best depicted by cross-sectional imaging.Our study reports a rare case coexistence of PVG presenting with PI and EC.CASE SUMMARY An 86-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency room due to the progressive aggravation of pain because of abdominal fullness and distention,complicated with vomiting and stopping defecation for 4 d.The abdominal computed tomography(CT)plain scan indicated intestinal obstruction with ischemia changes,gas in the portal vein,left renal artery,superior mesenteric artery,superior mesenteric vein,some branch vessels,and bladder pneumatosis with air-fluid levels.Emergency surgery was conducted on the patient.Ischemic necrosis was found in the small intestine approximately 110 cm below the Treitz ligament and in the ileocecal junction and ascending colon canals.This included excision of the necrotic small intestine and right colon,fistulation of the proximal small intestine,and distal closure of the transverse colon.Subsequently,the patient displayed postoperative short bowel syndrome but had a good recovery.She received intravenous fluid infusion and enteral nutrition maintenance every other day after discharge from the community hospital.CONCLUSION Emergency surgery should be performed when CT shows signs of PVG with PI and EC along with a clinical situation strongly suggestive of bowel ischemia.

Severe Klebsiella pneumoniae pneumonia complicated by acute intra-abdominal multiple arterial thrombosis and bacterial embolism:A case report

BACKGROUND Klebsiella pneumoniae(K.pneumoniae)is a clinically common Gram-negative bacillus that can cause community-and hospital-acquired infections and lead to pneumonia,liver abscesses,bloodstream infections,and other infectious diseases;however,severe pneumonia caused by hypervirulent K.pneumoniae(hv Kp)complicated by acute intra-abdominal multiple arterial thrombosis and bacterial embolism is rarely seen in the clinical setting and has not been reported in the literature.CASE SUMMARY A 51-year-old man was hospitalized with fever and dyspnea.Persistent mild pain in the middle and upper abdomen began at dawn on the 3rd day following admission and developed into persistent severe pain in the left upper abdomen 8h later.Based on chest computed tomography(CT),bronchoscopy,bronchoalveolar lavage fluid metagenomic next-generation sequencing,abdominal aortic CT angiography(CTA),and culture of the superior mesenteric artery embolus,adult community-acquired severe hv Kp pneumonia complicated by acute intraabdominal multiple arterial thrombosis and bacterial embolism was diagnosed.Notably,he recovered and was discharged from the hospital after receiving effective meropenem anti-infection,endovascular contact thrombolytic,and systemic anticoagulant therapies and undergoing percutaneous thrombus aspiration.Ten days later,the patient returned to the hospital for abdominal CTA examination,which indicated blocked initial common pathway of the celiac trunk and superior mesenteric artery,and local stenosis.Therefore,celiac trunk artery stenting was performed in Chongqing Hospital,and postoperative recovery was good.CONCLUSION We report a case of hv Kp severe pneumonia complicated by acute intra-abdominal multiple arterial thrombosis and bacterial embolism and suggest that clinicians should consider the possibility of a Gram-negative bacillus infection and conduct effective pathogen detection in a timely fashion when managing patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia before obtaining bacteriologic and drug sensitivity results.At the same time,when patients have severe pulmonary infection complicated by severe abdominal pain,an acute mesenteric artery embolism should be considered to avoid delays in treatment.

Uncommon Ethiology in Abdominal Pain: Celiac Axis Compression Syndrome

Celiac axis compression syndrome, one of the reasons of mesenteric ischemia, is an extremely rare etiology of abdominal pain. Primary pathological mechanism is the external compression of the celiac trunk by median arcuate ligament. The diagnosis of this condition is usually difficult and depends on angiographic findings and computerized tomography (CT) evaluations. Here we report a celiac axis compression syndrome case, presenting with chronic abdominal pain and weight loss, which was successfully treated by surgery.

Enterocolic phlebitis:a rare cause of bowel ischemia and review of the literature

Enterocolic phlebitis(EP)is a rare cause of bowel ischemia due to isolated venulitis of the bowel wall and mesentery without arterial involvement.EP is often misdiagnosed as inflammatory bowel disease,carcinoma,or diverticulitis due to non-specific symptoms as well as non-specific clinical and radiologicalfindings.While unresponsive to pharmacotherapy,surgical resection of the affected bowel appears to be the only successful therapy with a very low recurrence rate.Etiology of EP remains unknown.We report a case of EP with rare presentation in the left hemicolon and unusual histologicalfindings emphasizing the heterogeneity of this cause of enterocolic ischemia.The review and comparison of the three enti-ties—EP,mesenteric inflammatory veno-occlusive disease(MIVOD),and idiopathic myointimal hyperplasia of mesenteric veins(IMHMV),all describing patterns of bowel ischemia due to isolated pathology of mesenteric veins—reveal that the current terminology is unclear.EP and MIVOD are very similar and may be considered the same disease.IMHMV,though,differs in localization,symptom duration,and histologicalfindings but also shares features with EP and MIVOD.Further studies and harmonized terminology are inevitable for better understanding of the disease,prevention of unnecessary pharmacotherapy,and reduction in time to diagnosis.

Successful recanalization of chronic total occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery by transradial approach

It is a challenge to confirm chronic mesenteric ischemia(CMI) as a cause of gastrointestinal(GI) symptoms such as postprandial epigastric bloating,anorexia,and debilitating weight loss.Endovascular intervention for CMI has been gaining popularity because of the high morbidity associated with surgical revascularization.However,in EVI for superior mesenteric artery(SMA) occlusion,the transfemoral approach is limited by difficulty in coaxial alignment of the guiding catheter,which leads to insufficient back-up support.Herein,we report on a 58-year-old male patient with chronic total occlusion of the SMA,which was successfully revascularized by endovascular intervention via the left radial artery.Transradial endovascular therapy may be another treatment option for the treatment of CMI.

A systematic review of the management of acute superior mesenteric vein thrombosis in adults

Background:Acute thrombosis of the superior mesenteric vein(SMV)is a rare but potentially catastrophic condition.Clinically separate from portal venous thrombosis due to a higher proportion of associated thrombophilic disorders and intestinal infarction,SMV thrombosis warrants a distinct approach to management.The aim of this review is to report the evidence for current practice.Methods:A systematic review was carried out in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.Four clinical trials databases and 4 trial registries were searched.This search was not limited by language or study type,but was limited to an adult population(18 years and above).The search period was between January 1,2000 and February 28,2019.The review was registered in the PROSPERO database:CRD42018116825.Bias was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool.Results:A total of 7989 studies were identified,resulting in 19 observational studies being analyzed.Eighteen studies reported on anti-coagulation,1 reported on anti-coagulation plus endovascular thrombectomy,9 reported on thrombolysis,and 10 reported on the role of surgery.Bias assessment showed that confounding was a significant area of potential bias.This review has reported that the management of SMV thrombosis is centered around a patients’perceived hemodynamic stability.If there is evidence of perforation or peritonism then surgical intervention is advocated.Otherwise,anti-coagulation or thrombolysis is preferred.Conclusions:The data reported were compared with,and added to,that presented by the European Society for Vascular Surgery 2017 guidelines.Overall the source data were heterogenous,with multiple sources of bias and statistical comparison was not achievable.

Fractional Flow Reserve： From Homeland to Colony

In current catheter research, there are 3 main directions with respect to fractional flow reserve （FFR）, including instantaneous wave-tree ratio, noninvasive measurement of FFR, and FFR transferred from coronary circulation to other ischemia-inducing circulation. Recently, an interesting study was published, in which FFR was performed to diagnose and guide stenting in chronic mesenteric ischemia （CMI）. We herein highlighted, the implications and limitations of FFR from coronary artery to renal artery and mesenteric artery for future investigations, respectively.