Clostridium septicum Pneumocephalus.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous pneumocephalus in the nontraumatic setting is distinctly unusual. Pneumocephalus from central nervous system infection with Clostridium septicum has been rarely reported, and more commonly reflects a later stage of abscess formation. We present an unusual case of invasive C. septicum infection without an associated diagnosed malignancy presenting with rapidly progressive CNS pathology and resultant early pneumocephalus. METHODS: Medical records, radiologic imaging, and microbiological specimens of a case were reviewed. RESULTS: A 66-year-old male presented with a history of two witnessed generalized tonic-clonic seizures on awakening. He was found unresponsive at the scene by paramedics and subsequently intubated. There was no reported antecedent symptomatology, such as headache, fever, chills, focal weakness, and speech or gait disturbances. Medical history was remarkable only for diet-controlled hypertension. Computed tomography (CT) head imaging revealed an abnormal right parietal hypodensity. The patient was evaluated per the acute stroke protocol but was not deemed a candidate for intervention or thrombolytic therapy given the uncertainty of his clinical presentation; intravenous antibiotics were administered for possible sepsis. Follow-up CT imaging of the head performed 8 h later revealed right parieto-temporal pneumocephalus with extensive cerebral edema and effacement of basilar cisterns. Neurosurgical intervention was not deemed appropriate given the catastrophic nature of his injury and the patient subsequently expired 14 h after presentation. Blood cultures grew gram-positive rods in three of four bottles identified as C. septicum. CONCLUSIONS: Clostridium septicum is an uncommon and often fatal cause of nontraumatic pneumocephalus. This underscores the need for a high index of clinical suspicion in cases with unexplained pneumocephalus, as early diagnosis remains the key to survival. In survivors of C. septicum infection, subsequent colonoscopy should be considered to exclude undiagnosed or occult gastrointestinal malignancy.

High-frequency percussive ventilation for airway clearance in cystic fibrosis: a brief report.

Exacerbations of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease are characterized by increased inspissation of abnormally viscid pulmonary secretions with resultant plugging of small airways, worsened ventilation/perfusion mismatch, and increased physiological deadspace. In this circumstance, hypoxic respiratory failure necessitating mechanical ventilation can be life-threatening. We present such a case of CF lung disease poorly responsive to conventional mechanical ventilatory strategies, in which high-frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) using volumetric diffusive respiration mobilized copious amounts of inspissated pulmonary secretions and improved refractory hypoxia. Subsequent transient hypercarbia necessitated titrating ventilator parameters to return the PaCO(2) to baseline; the voluminous clearance of secretions and improvement in oxygenation were sustained. HFPV appears unique in its ability to function as a methodological continuum from noninvasive percussion to invasive percussive ventilation for airway clearance, a fundamental tenet of the CF treatment paradigm.

Stratified assessment of the role of inhaled hypertonic saline in reducing cystic fibrosis pulmonary exacerbations: a retrospective analysis.

Objective Limited data exist concerning the role of inhaled hypertonic saline (HS) in decreasing pulmonary exacerbations in cystic fibrosis (CF), especially as more advanced stages of CF lung disease were excluded in prior studies. Herein, the authors retrospectively determined the efficacy of inhaled HS in reducing CF pulmonary exacerbations when stratified according to the severity of CF lung disease. Stratification was based on the framework of the Pulmonary Therapeutics Committee's published gradation of obstructive lung physiology in CF, that is, mild (FEV(1) >70%), moderate (FEV(1) 40-70%) and severe (FEV(1) <40%) lung disease, respectively. Design A retrospective review of the Port CF database over a 3-year period performed at an academic CF care centre. Results 340 pulmonary exacerbations were identified; inhaled HS was being used in 99 of these cases. Univariate analysis demonstrated a significant reduction in pulmonary exacerbations only in mild obstruction (OR=0.09, CI 0.01 to 0.81, p=0.012); however, multivariate logistic regression that adjusted for confounding variables showed a reduction in pulmonary exacerbations across the entire spectrum of obstructive lung disease when using inhaled HS, that is, mild obstructive CF lung disease (OR=0.17, CI 0.05 to 0.58, p=0.004), moderate obstructive CF lung disease (OR=0.39, CI 0.16 to 0.93, p=0.034), as well as severe obstructive CF lung disease (OR=0.02, CI 0.001 to 0.45, p=0.015). Moreover, inhaled HS appeared reasonably well tolerated across all stages of lung-disease severity, and was discontinued in only 7% of cases (n=4) with severe lung disease. Conclusion In this study, inhaled HS appeared to reduce pulmonary exacerbations in CF lung disease at all stages of obstruction. This underscores the importance of therapeutic inhaled HS in CF lung disease, regardless of the severity of lung obstruction.

Moderate hypothermia with intracranial pressure monitoring as a therapeutic paradigm for the management of acute liver failure: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the literature and present data on the safety and efficacy of induced moderate hypothermia combined with ICP monitoring in critically ill patients with acute liver failure. DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective observational search of MEDLINE database using both OVID and PubMed with the following MeSH terms, "Hypothermia, Induced," "Brain Edema," "Intracranial Hypertension" (ICH), "Liver failure, Acute" and "Liver Failure, Fulminant." We limited our search to case series involving at least three human subjects and all other clinical trials. Baseline ICP, cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) as well as the response of these variables to hypothermia were recorded when available. Additional clinical and demographic data were also recorded. RESULTS: Five case series were identified. Pre-existing coagulopathy from liver failure was reversed by various modalities in all studies prior to insertion of ICP monitors. Induction of moderate hypothermia combined with ICP monitoring consistently improved ICP, CPP and CBF in four trials; one trial demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of moderate induced hypothermia as part of a protocolized strategy for the management of ICH. CONCLUSIONS: Limited data exist concerning the safety and efficacy of moderate hypothermia and ICP monitoring for the treatment of ICH in acute liver failure. The available evidence shows that induction of moderate hypothermia in this clinical setting is feasible and possibly efficacious. Well-designed prospective clinical trials are warranted in this challenging context, given the potential of providing a bridge to liver transplantation or even clinical recovery.

Outcomes of etomidate in severe sepsis and septic shock.

BACKGROUND: The use of single-dose etomidate to facilitate intubation in critically ill patients has recently been debated given its suppression of steroidogenesis with possible resultant adverse outcomes. Our objective was to assess the effects of single-dose etomidate used during rapid-sequence intubation (RSI) on various measures of outcome, such as mortality, vasopressor use, corticosteroid use, ICU length of stay (ICU-LOS), and number of ventilator days. METHODS: A retrospective 18-month cohort study was performed in a multidisciplinary ICU of an academic tertiary care institution. Consecutive patients with severe sepsis or septic shock who were intubated and mechanically ventilated were identified and grouped as having received single-dose etomidate during intubation or not. Hospital mortality, ICU length of stay, number of ventilator days, corticosteroid use, vasopressor use, and demographic and clinical variables were recorded. RESULTS: Two hundred twenty-four patients were identified; 113 had received etomidate. The mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores in the etomidate and nonetomidate groups were 21.3 ± 8.1 and 21.9 ± 8.3, respectively (P = .62). The relative risks for mortality and vasopressor use were 0.92 (CI, 0.74-1.14; P = 0.51) and 1.16 (CI, 0.9-1.51; P = .31), respectively, in the etomidate group. There were no significant differences in ICU-LOS (mean, 14 vs 12 days; P = .31) or number of ventilator days (mean, 11 vs 8 days; P = .13) between the etomidate and nonetomidate groups, respectively. The relative risk for corticosteroid use in the etomidate group was 1.34 (CI, 1.11-1.61; P = .003). Multivariate analysis using logistic regression demonstrated no significant association of etomidate with mortality (OR, 0.9; CI, 0.45-1.83; P = .78). CONCLUSION: Single-dose etomidate used during RSI in critically ill patients with severe sepsis and septic shock was not associated with increased mortality, vasopressor use, ICU-LOS, or number of ventilator days. Patients intubated with etomidate had an increased incidence of subsequent corticosteroid use, with no difference in outcomes.

Idiopathic Progressive Tracheobronchial Stenosis of 20 Years' Duration: Response to Anti-inflammatory Treatment.

We report a unique case of progressive tracheobronchial stenosis in a 52-year-old woman who presented to us with stridor and dyspnea at rest. Her initial symptoms began 20 years earlier, at which time subglottic stenosis of ill-defined etiology necessitated tracheal resection with end-to-end anastomosis. Tracheal biopsy at the time revealed nonspecific inflammation without granulomas, vasculitis, infection, amyloidosis, or malignancy. Over subsequent years, she underwent multiple endobronchial laser resections of the trachea for recurrent disease. On presentation to us, flexible bronchoscopy showed inflammatory stenoses of the left mainstem bronchus and bronchus intermedius. Bronchial biopsy showed acute and chronic stromal inflammation with scattered plasma cells and myofibroblasts against a background of dense fibrosis. Review of the initial tracheal resection specimens and subsequent bronchial specimens revealed areas of high collagenous content with a relatively scant overall myofibroblastic cellular infiltrate; stains for S-100 and anaplastic lymphoma kinase were negative. A diagnosis of idiopathic tracheal stenosis was made with unusual accompanying bronchial involvement, that is, idiopathic tracheobronchial stenosis. Inflammatory airway bronchostenoses were stabilized by high-dose steroids followed by weekly methotrexate therapy, as evidenced by serial flexible bronchoscopies and sequential chest computed tomography with 3-dimensional reconstruction imaging. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of combined idiopathic tracheal and bronchial stenosis stabilized with anti-inflammatory treatment.

Endobronchial leiomyoma: case report and literature review.

Endobronchial leiomyomas are rare benign tumors of the lung, arising from the smooth muscle of the bronchial tree. Symptomatology is based on the degree of endoluminal bronchial obstruction, and surgical resection has generally been the mainstay of treatment. We describe a mechanically ventilated patient with recurrent atelectasis and a postobstructive pneumonia caused by an occlusive endobronchial leiomyoma who was successfully weaned off the ventilator after treatment with argon plasma coagulation delivered via flexible bronchoscopy. We also briefly review the literature.