Management of gastrointestinal bleed in the intensive care setting,an updated literature review

Gastrointestinal(GI)bleeding is a critical and potentially life-threatening condition frequently observed in the intensive care unit(ICU).This literature review consolidates current insights on the epidemiology,etiology,management,and outcomes of GI bleeding in critically ill patients.GI bleeding remains a significant concern,especially among patients with underlying risk factors such as coagulopathy,mechanical ventilation,and renal failure.Managing GI bleeding in the ICU requires a multidisciplinary approach,including resuscitation,endoscopic intervention,pharmacologic therapy,and sometimes surgical procedures.Even with enhanced management strategies,GI bleeding in the ICU is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality,particularly when complicated by multi-organ failure.This review reiterates the need for adequate resuscitation and interventions in managing GI bleeding in critically ill patients,aiming to enhance survival rates and improve the quality of care within the ICU setting.

Role of buccal mucosa graft ureteroplasty in the surgical management of pyeloplasty failure

Objective:Secondary pyeloplasty for recurrent ureteropelvic junction obstructions may be a safe and feasible surgical option for patients.This study aimed to demonstrate outcomes of utilizing a non-transecting buccal mucosa graft ureteroplasty for management of recurrent ureteropelvic junction obstruction after prior failed pyeloplasty.Methods:We performed a retrospective review of our Collaborative of Reconstructive Robotic Ureteral Surgery database for all consecutive patients who underwent buccal mucosa graft ureteroplasty between April 2012 and June 2022 for management of recurrent ureteropelvic junction obstructions after prior failed pyeloplasty.The primary outcome included surgical success which was defined as the absence of flank pain and no obstruction on imaging.Results:Overall,ten patients were included in our analysis.The median stricture length was 2.5(interquartile range[IQR]1.8-4.0)cm.The median operative time was 230.5(IQR 199.5-287.0)min and median estimated blood loss was 50.0(IQR 28.8-102.5)mL.At a median follow-up of 10.3(IQR 6.2-14.8)months,80%of patients were surgically successful and there were no major(ClavieneDindo Grade>2)complications.Conclusion:Buccal mucosa graft ureteroplasty is a valuable non-transecting surgical option for patients with recurrent ureteropelvic junction obstructions who failed prior pyeloplasty and has comparable outcomes to the literature regarding standard transecting techniques.

Traumatic Lower Extremity Reconstruction in a Patient with Significant Vascular Comorbidities

Limb salvage after devastating traumatic injuries, cancer extirpation, and intrinsic disease is a complex decision-making process. Although several scoring and evaluation tools have been created to attempt to apply algorithmic decision-making to the process, thoughtful clinical decision-making remains the most important standard. When limb salvage is deemed appropriate, selection of a tissue flap for limb reconstruction is dependent on the size and location of the defect, patient comorbidities, nicotine dependence, mechanism of injury to the limb, patient lifestyle, occupation, and ambulatory status. This case involves a male trauma patient with significant comorbidities and a large lower extremity wound requiring multiple operations to attempt limb reconstruction with a rectus abdominis free flap. This patient’s complex injury and comorbidities made the risk of flap failure high, illustrating that the importance of patient- and case-specific factors cannot be overstated when planning for a limb reconstruction. This extreme resort of limb reconstruction, where limb loss is the only other option and a likely consequence of even heroic efforts, is aptly called “limb salvage”.

Ex vivo 3D osteocyte network construction with primary murine bone cells

Osteocytes reside as three-dimensionally（3D） networked cells in the lacunocanalicular structure of bones and regulate bone and mineral homeostasis. Despite of their important regulatory roles, in vitro studies of osteocytes have been challenging because：（1） current cell lines do not sufficiently represent the phenotypic features of mature osteocytes and（2） primary cells rapidly differentiate to osteoblasts upon isolation. In this study, we used a 3D perfusion culture approach to：（1） construct the 3D cellular network of primary murine osteocytes by biomimetic assembly with microbeads and（2） reproduce ex vivo the phenotype of primary murine osteocytes, for the first time to our best knowledge. In order to enable 3D construction with a sufficient number of viable cells, we used a proliferated osteoblastic population of healthy cells outgrown from digested bone chips. The diameter of microbeads was controlled to：（1） distribute and entrap cells within the interstitial spaces between the microbeads and（2） maintain average cell-to-cell distance to be about 19 mm. The entrapped cells formed a 3D cellular network by extending and connecting their processes through openings between the microbeads. Also, with increasing culture time, the entrapped cells exhibited the characteristic gene expressions（SOST and FGF23） and nonproliferative behavior of mature osteocytes. In contrast, 2D-cultured cells continued their osteoblastic differentiation and proliferation. This 3D biomimetic approach is expected to provide a new means of：（1） studying flow-induced shear stress on the mechanotransduction function of primary osteocytes,（2） studying physiological functions of 3D-networked osteocytes with in vitro convenience,and（3） developing clinically relevant human bone disease models.

Relationship between intubation rate and continuous positive airway pressure therapy in the prehospital setting

BACKGROUND: To determine whether the prehospital use of continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP) therapy is associated with a reduced rate of endotracheal intubation in patients with an acute respiratory disorder brought to the emergency department(ED).METHODS: We reviewed medical records of patients with acute respiratory distress who had been treated with CPAP in the Mobile Intensive Care Unit(MICU) from January 2010 to December 2011. These records were compared with those of patients who received standardized care without CPAP in the MICU from January 2004 to December 2004. Categorical variables were summarized as frequencies and compared between groups using Fisher's exact test or the Chi-square test. Continuous variables were summarized as medians(interquartile range), and comparison between the groups was made using Wilcoxon's rank-sum test. The relationship between CPAP and intubation rate was determined using multivariable logistic regression analysis of propensity scores. The results were presented as odds ratio(OR), 95% confidence interval(CI), and P value for test effect. The adequacy of the model was calibrated using Hosmer and Lemeshow's goodness-of-fit test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.RESULTS: The records of 785 patients were reviewed. Of the 215 patients treated with CPAP in the MICU, 13% were intubated after admission. In contrast, of the 570 patients who did not receive CPAP, 28% were intubated after ED admission. Unadjusted logistic regression analysis showed that patients who had been treated with CPAP were less likely to be intubated than those without CPAP treatment(OR=0.37, 95% CI, 0.24–0.57, P<0.0001). With propensity scores adjusted, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that CPAP treatment was associated with a 62% reduction of intubation(OR=0.384, 95%CI, 0.25–0.60, P≤0.0001).CONCLUSIONS: In patients with acute respiratory disorder, there was a relationship between CPAP therapy and the decreased intubation rate. CPAP therapy was feasible in prehospital management of patients with respiratory distress.

Overlapping public health crises during the coronavirus disease pandemic

To date, the worldwide death toll from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has rapidly increased.We are in the midst of a global pandemic that poses enormous challenges to our healthcare systems globally.Emergency department (ED) physicians have played a significant role in saving lives of patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCo V-2).Efficient,timely,andaccuratediagnosisand application of the most appropriate treatment modality to save lives are important tasks for ED physicians.

Impact of liver cirrhosis on ST-elevation myocardial infarction related shock and interventional management,a nationwide analysis

BACKGROUND Critical care is rapidly evolving with significant innovations to decrease hospital stays and costs.To our knowledge,there is limited data on factors that affect the length of stay and hospital charges in cirrhotic patients who present with STelevation myocardial infarction-related cardiogenic shock(SRCS).AIM To identify the factors that increase inpatient mortality,length of stay,and total hospital charges in patients with liver cirrhosis(LC)compared to those without LC.METHODS This study includes all adults over 18 from the National Inpatient Sample 2017 database.The study consists of two groups of patients,including SRCS with LC and without LC.Inpatient mortality,length of stay,and total hospital charges are the primary outcomes between the two groups.We used STATA 16 to perform statistical analysis.The Pearson's chi-square test compares the categorical variables.Propensity-matched scoring with univariate and multivariate logistic regression generated the odds ratios for inpatient mortality,length of stay,and resource utilization.RESULTS This study includes a total of 35798453 weighted hospitalized patients from the 2017 National Inpatient Sample.The two groups are SRCS without LC(n=758809)and SRCS with LC(n=11920).The majority of patients were Caucasian in both groups(67%vs 72%).The mean number of patients insured with Medicare was lower in the LC group(60%vs 56%)compared to the other group,and those who had at least three or more comorbidities(53%vs 90%)were significantly higher in the LC group compared to the non-LC group.Inpatient mortality was also considerably higher in the LC group(28.7%vs 10.63%).Length of Stay(LOS)is longer in the LC group compared to the non-LC group(9 vs 5.6).Similarly,total hospital charges are higher in patients with LC($147407.80 vs$113069.10,P≤0.05).Inpatient mortality is lower in the early percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)group(OR:0.79<0.11),however,it is not statistically significant.Both early Impella(OR:1.73<0.05)and early extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO)(OR:3.10 P<0.05)in the LC group were associated with increased mortality.Early PCI(-2.57 P<0.05)and Impella(-3.25 P<0.05)were also both associated with shorter LOS compared to those who did not.Early ECMO does not impact the LOS;however,it does increase total hospital charge(addition of$24717.85,P<0.05).CONCLUSION LC is associated with a significantly increased inpatient mortality,length of stay,and total hospital charges in patients who develop SRCS.Rural and Non-teaching hospitals have significantly increased odds of extended hospital stays and higher adjusted total hospital charges.The Association of LC with worse outcomes outlines the essential need to monitor these patients closely and treat them early on with higher acuity care.Patients with early PCI had both shorter LOS and reduced inpatient mortality,while early Impella was associated with increased mortality and shorter LOS.Early ECMO is associated with increased mortality and higher total hospital charges.This finding should affect the decision to follow through with interventional management in this cohort of patients as it is associated with poor outcomes and immense resource utilization.

Potential for a pluripotent adult stem cell treatment for acute radiation sickness

Accidental radiation exposure and the threat of deliberate radiation exposure have been in the news and are a public health concern. Experience with acute radiation sickness has been gathered from atomic blast survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and from civilian nuclear accidents as well as experience gained during the development of radiation therapy for cancer. This paper reviews the medical treatment reports relevant to acute radiation sickness among the survivors of atomic weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, among the victims of Chernobyl, and the two cases described so far from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi disaster. The data supporting the use of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and the new efforts to expand stem cell populations ex vivo for infusion to treat bone marrow failure are reviewed. Hematopoietic stem cells derived from bone marrow or blood have a broad ability to repair and replace radiation induced damaged blood and immune cell production and may promote blood vessel formation and tissue repair. Additionally, a constituent of bone marrow-derived, adult pluripotent stem cells, very small embryonic like stem cells, are highly resistant to ioniz-ing radiation and appear capable of regenerating radiation damaged tissue including skin, gut and lung.

Clinical Heart Failure Patients with Ischemic Stroke Have a High Incidence (>60%) of Atrial Fibrillation or Flutter Whether Systolic Function Is Preserved or Depressed

Clinical congestive heart failure (CHF) is a major risk factor for strokes. Patients with CHF commonly have atrial fibrillation or flutter (AF), which is frequently associated with, may be a marker for, and may be the mechanism of, ischemic strokes. To determine whether stroke patients with CHF have a high incidence of AF (that may be intermittent and not diagnosed), we reviewed all the 12 lead ECGs in a fourteen year institutional ECG data base and the clinical records and the available echocardiograms of 985 patients who had an ischemic stroke over a 3-year period. We found that 31.3% of the stroke patients had evidence of AF. Clinical congestive heart failure was present in 168 stroke patients;61.9% of these stroke patients with CHF had evidence of AF. In the total stroke population, patients with other risk factors for stroke (hypertension, advanced age, diabetes, coronary artery disease) had an increased incidence of AF;but among stroke patients with CHF, only advanced age (≥75 years) in addition to CHF increased the incidence of AF. To determine whether only the CHF stroke pts with systolic dysfunction had a high incidence of AF, we compared the incidence of AF in the 41.5% of the CHF patients with a depressed ejection fraction with the AF incidence in the 58.5% of CHF stroke patients with a normal ejection fraction (≥50%). The incidence of AF was the same (63.4% vs. 60.2%, p = 0.741) whether the ejection fraction was depressed or normal. These findings suggest that AF is common in patients with CHF who have strokes whether the ejection fraction is normal or depressed. CHF patients who have strokes and who are in sinus rhythm should be meticulously investigated for intermittent AF, so anticoagulation can be administered to prevent a further stroke.

Mapping Contaminants Associated with Autism: A Public Health Pilot in New Jersey

The rise in reported prevalence rates of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is a national concern that continues to grow at a record pace. New Jersey has the highest prevalence rate of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) among states surveyed, with approximately 1 in 45 children diagnosed. The pilot study focused on toxins potentially linked to autism: arsenic, lead, manganese, mercury, organophosphate pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, trichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride. In northern NJ there were approximately 4600 Known Contaminated Sites (KCSNJ) where these toxins were detected. A total of 269,790 sample detections were identified. Our objective was to identify and map these sites, and identify methods by which more robust contaminant data could be collected and analyzed. This study resulted in eight original maps showing sample detections. These maps will aid researchers and public health advocates in future analyses exploring links between autism and these toxins. Concentrations of multiple toxins associated with ASDs were most dense near urban industrial or mixed residential/industrial areas, though no conclusions can be made regarding association or causality between the sample detections and autism. Based in part on this study, NJDEP has made and will continue to make improvements to contaminant data collection systems.

Is there utility for fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography scan before surgery in breast cancer? A 15-year overall survival analysis

BACKGROUND The prognostic value of preoperative fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positronemission tomography(18 F-FDG PET)scan for determining overall survival(OS)in breast cancer(BC)patients is controversial.AIM To evaluate the OS predictive value of preoperative PET positivity after 15 years.METHODS We performed a retrospective search of the Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel patient database for nonmetastatic patients who underwent preoperative PET between 2002-2008.PET positivity was determined by anatomical region of interest(AROI)findings for breast and axillary,sternal,and distant sites.The prognostic role of PET was examined as a qualitative binary factor(positive vs negative status)and as a continuous variable[maximum standard uptake value(SUVmax)]in multivariate survival analyses using Cox proportional hazards models.Among the 104 identified patients who received PET,36 were further analyzed for the SUVmax in the AROI.RESULTS Poor OS within the 15-year study period was predicted by PET-positive status for axillary(P=0.033),sternal(P=0.033),and combined PET-axillary/sternal(P=0.008)nodes.Poor disease-free survival was associated with PET-positive axillary status(P=0.040)and combined axillary/sternal status(P=0.023).Cox models confirmed the long-term prognostic value of combined PETaxillary/sternal status[hazard ratio(HR):3.08,95%confidence interval:1.42-6.69].SUVmax of ipsilateral breast and axilla as continuous covariates were significant predictors of long-term OS with HRs of 1.25(P=0.048)and 1.54(P=0.029),corresponding to relative increase in the risk of death of 25%and 54%per SUVmax unit,respectively.In addition,the ratio of the ipsilateral axillary SUVmax over the contralateral axillary SUVmax was the most significant OS predictor(P=0.027),with 1.94 HR,indicating a two-fold relative increase of mortality risk.CONCLUSION Preoperative PET is valuable for prediction of long-term survival.Ipsilateral axillary SUVmax ratio over the uninvolved side represents a new prognostic finding that warrants further investigation.

Overview of juvenile localized scleroderma and its management

Background Juvenile localized scleroderma(JLS)is a rare pediatric disease characterized by inflammation and skin thick ening.JLS is associated with deep tissue and extracutaneous involvement that often results in functional impairment and growth disturbances.This article provides an overview of the disease with a focus on active features and treatment.Data sources We searched databases including PubMed,Elsevier and MedLine and Wanfang,reviewing publications from 2013 to 2019.Selected earlier publications were also reviewed.Results Linear scleroderma is the most common JLS subtype.Several lines of evidence suggest that JLS is an autoimmune disease.Extracutaneous involvement is common and can present before the onset of skin disease.Multiple skin features are associated with disease activity,and activity can also manifest as arthritis,myositis,uveitis,seizures,and growth impairment.Systemic immunosuppressive treatment,commonly methotrexate with or without glucocorticoids,greatly improves outcome and is recommended for treating JLS patients with active disease and moderate or higher severity.Long term monitoring is needed because of the disease's chronicity and the high frequency of relapses off of treatment.Conclusions JLS is associated with a risk for disabling and disfiguring morbidity for the growing child.Identifying active disease is important for guiding treatment,but often difficult because of the paucity of markers and lack of a universal skin activity feature.More studies of JLS pathophysiology are needed to allow the identification of biomarkers and therapeutic targets.Comparative effectiveness treatment studies are also needed to work towards optimizing care and outcome.

Surgical management of facial dog bite trauma:A contemporary perspective and review

Objective:To perform a review evaluating management of and complications stemming from dog bite trauma sustained to the head and neck over the past decade.Data Sources:PubMed and Cochrane Library.Methods:The authors searched the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases for relevant published literature.A total of 12 peer-reviewed canine-exclusive series inclusive of 1384 patient cases describing facial dog bite trauma met inclusion criteria.Wounds including fractures,lacerations,contusions,and other soft-tissue injuries were evaluated.Demographics related to clinical course and management,operating room requirements,and antibiotic usage were compiled and analyzed.Initial trauma and surgical management complications were also assessed.Results:75.5%of patients sustaining dog bites required surgical intervention.Of these patients,7.8%suffered from postsurgical complications,including hypertrophic scarring(4.3%),postoperative infection(0.8%),or nerve deficits and persistent paresthesias(0.8%).Prophylactic antibiotics were administered to 44.3%of patients treated for facial dog bites and the overall infection rate was 5.6%.Concomitant fracture was present in 1.0%of patients.Conclusion:Primary closure,often in the OR may be necessary,with few cases requiring grafts or flaps.Surgeons should be aware that the most common complication is hypertrophic scarring.Further research is needed to elucidate the role of prophylactic antibiotics.