Switching therapy from intravenous beta blocker to bisoprolol transdermal patch for atrial fibrillation tachycardia.

Beta-blockers are important for severe-status patients with atrial fibrillation-related tachycardia. Beta 1-selective intravenous injection are routinely used, but long-term administration is difficult due to cost-performance- or management-related issues. A bisoprolol patch, a beta-blocker to be percutaneously absorbed, recently became commercially available in Japan. As it may facilitate effective absorption and a mild elevation of the blood concentration, we retrospectively analyzed 16 patients with atrial fibrillation-related tachycardia who were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Hitachi General Hospital Emergency and Critical Care Center, and underwent switching therapy from landiolol to a bisoprolol patch. For switching, the bisoprolol patch (4 mg) was attached to each patient. The bisoprolol patch was introduced 88 h after the start of landiolol administration, when the rate was approximately 3 µg/kg/min. Landiolol injection was combined with bisoprolol for 15.4 ± 17.5 h. Switching therapy was successful in all subjects. The introduction of the bisoprolol patch did not induce any significant changes in the blood pressure or heart rate. After the completion of landiolol administration, there were also no significant changes in either parameter. There were no adverse events. In severe-status patients, switching therapy from landiolol injection to the bisoprolol patch can be conducted safely, and might be useful for heart-rate control.

Linezolid is a novel and effective treatment for septic pulmonary embolism.

Septic pulmonary embolism (SPE) is an uncommon and severe infectious disease that requires early diagnosis and proper antibiotic therapy. We present the case of a healthy 14-year-old girl with a history of atopic dermatitis, who developed SPE caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. We initially administered intravenous doripenem and vancomycin. Four days after her admission, blood and urine cultures yielded penicillinase nonproducing, methicillin-sensitive S aureus, with a minimum inhibitory concentration less than 0.06 µg/mL. However,the administration of penicillin G aggravated her condition; therefore, treatment was switched to linezolid on day 8. Her condition subsequently resolved, and she was discharged 40 days after admission without any complications. To our knowledge, this is the first report regarding the efficacy of linezolid for SPE that is related to community-acquired methicillin-sensitive S aureus bacteremia. The favorable lung tissue transfer of linezolid may have contributed to its efficacy against the SPE.

EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia complicated by eosinophilic pneumonia.

EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia (EDTA-PTCP) is a phenomenon that occurs in vitro when EDTA reacts with harvested blood. EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia usually does not indicate thrombocytopenia in vivo. Here, we report the first case of EDTA-PTCP complicated by eosinophilic pneumonia. A 70-year-old man with rectal cancer was admitted to the hospital for a liver abscess and rectal cancer. At the time of admission, his platelet count was 20,000/µL, but a peripheral blood smear showed platelet aggregation and the platelet count for a kanamycin-added EDTA blood sample was 180,000/µL. The patient's respiratory status worsened after treatment for the liver abscess and rectal cancer. The patient's bronchoalveolar lavage contained 45% eosinophils, and a diagnosis of acute eosinophilic pneumonia was made. In recent studies, the occurrence of eosinophilic disease has been shown in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia is an in vitro phenomenon, although platelet activation that results in eosinophil invasion may occur in severe cases.

Cardiac Variation of Internal Jugular Vein as a Marker of Volume Change in Hemorrhagic Shock.

BACKGROUND: Fluid resuscitation, which is critical to counter acute hemorrhagic shock, requires prompt and accurate intravascular volume estimation for optimal fluid administration. This study aimed to evaluate whether cardiac variation of internal jugular vein (IJV), evaluated by ultrasonography, could detect hypovolemic status and predict response to fluid resuscitation. METHODS: Patients undergoing autologous blood transfusion for elective surgery who were prospectively enrolled at the study blood donation center between August 2014 and January 2015. Vertical B-mode ultrasonography movies of IJV were recorded at five timepoints during blood donation: before donation, during donation, end of donation, end of fluid replacement, and after hemostasis. Cardiac variation of the IJV area and circumference were objectively measured using an automated extraction program together with blood pressure and heart rate. RESULTS: A total of 140 patients were screened, and data from 104 patients were included in the final analyses. Among the variables analyzed, only collapse index area and collapse index circumference could detect both intravascular volume loss and response to fluid administration. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac variation of IJV may be a reliable indicator of intravascular volume loss and response to fluid administration in hemorrhagic shock.

Efficacy of levetiracetam versus fosphenytoin for the recurrence of seizures after status epilepticus.

Benzodiazepines are used as first-line treatments for status epilepticus. Fosphenytoin (FPHT) is recommended for second-line therapy; however, intravenous injection of levetiracetam (LEV) may also be effective against status epilepticus. Herein, we compared the efficacy and safety of LEV as a second-line treatment for status epilepticus with FPHT in Japanese patients.Patients with status epilepticus were selected from the database of the Emergency and Critical Care Center of Hitachi General Hospital. The subjects were patients whose status epilepticus was successfully stopped by diazepam, and in whom FPHT or LEV was administered after diazepam. As LEV injections recently became clinically available in Japan, the choice of drug was determined by the treatment period. Thus, 21 patients who were intravenously injected with LEV as a second-line therapy and 42 matched patients (historical controls) who were treated with FPHT (1:2) were selected.The subjects had a mean age of 64.0 ±â€Š2.2 years, and included 48 males and 15 females. The status epilepticus control rates of the FPHT and LEV groups did not differ significantly (81.0% [34/42] vs 85.1% [18/21], respectively; P  =  .69). As for serious adverse events, a reduction in blood pressure was observed in the FPHT group, but not in the LEV group. The oral anticonvulsant switching rates of the 2 groups were similar, but the same-drug switching rates of the FPHT and LEV groups were 8.1% and 77.8%, respectively.The efficacy of intravenous LEV injections after status epilepticus was equivalent to that of FPHT, and the incidence of adverse events was lower in the LEV group. LEV is effective and safe at preventing recurrent seizures after status epilepticus following benzodiazepine treatment.

Continuous veno-venous hemodialysis and filtration for extensive burn with severe hypernatremia.

Case: A 51-year-old man presented with severe burns, with a burn index of 33.5. Relaxation incisions were made in the trunk and right arm. Ringer's solution (12,000 mL) was used as initial fluid therapy for the first 24 h. The patient's serum Na level gradually increased to 170 mEq/L; infusion was carried out to correct the hypernatremia. Continuous veno-venous hemodialysis and filtration succeeded in maintaining the serum Na level at approximately 145 mEq/L. Outcome: After the initiation of continuous veno-venous hemodialysis and filtration, the skin graft survival rate improved markedly with the normalization of the Na level, and the patient recovered smoothly. He was discharged on foot. Conclusion: Hypernatremia, frequently observed in patients with extensive burns, is considered to be markedly disadvantageous for the survival of skin grafts. Continuous veno-venous hemodialysis and filtration may be one of the options for the treatment of refractory hypernatremia in severe burns.

Recombinant thrombomodulin for secondary thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.

In the pathogenesis of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), reductions in the enzyme activity of ADAMTS13, which cuts ultralarge von Willebrand multimers, generates shear stress on the microvascular endothelium, leading to platelet aggregation and the formation of a thrombus. ADAMTS13 activity is markedly decreased in typical TTP, but is only mildly reduced in secondary TTP, which concomitantly develops with primary disease. The latter develops with septic disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and often causes organ failure. Recombinant thrombomodulin (rTM) is a drug that is used to treat DIC and may also remit TTP because it improves vascular endothelial dysfunction. Therefore, we herein investigated the efficacy of rTM in patients treated for the pathology of secondary TTP. Patients who were admitted to the Emergency and Critical Care Center of our hospital and met the following conditions were extracted and retrospectively analyzed: hemolytic anemia accompanied by fragmented red blood cells (Hb < 12 g/dL or lower); thrombocytopenia (<100 × 10/µL); and ADAMTS13 activity <50%. Sixteen patients were included and accompanied by Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) stage 2 or more severe nephropathy and DIC. Eleven and 5 patients treated with and without rTM (the rTM and non-rTM treatment groups, respectively) were compared, and no significant difference was noted in their basic characteristics, such as background disease and severity. No significant difference was observed in survival rates; however, the platelet count, which is an important outcome of treatments for TTP, significantly increased in the rTM treatment group: 3.3 ±â€Š2.6→11.3 ±â€Š14.6 versus 3.5 ±â€Š3.7→5.7 ±â€Š3.9 (×1000/µL) (P = 0.034). Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura originally requires invasive treatments and its prognosis is not favorable. Blood thrombomodulin levels also markedly increase due to vascular endothelial dysfunction, whereas rTM alleviates vascular endothelial dysfunction in TTP patients with high blood TM levels, suggesting the importance of administering rTM. Thus, rTM may be effective for secondary TTP and may be adopted as adjuvant therapy.

Septic ketoacidosis.

Various unmeasured anions other than lactate appear in the blood of septic patients, including ketones. However, the occurrence of sepsis-induced ketoacidosis without diabetes mellitus has not been reported to date. We herein describe severe ketoacidosis in a patient with septic shock despite the absence of diabetes, alcohol and starvation. A 76-year-old woman presented with septic shock due to acute obstructive cholangitis. She exhibited ketoacidosis and a remarkably strong ion gap, except for ketones. Sepsis alone may lead to ketoacidosis in patients without diabetes under specific conditions. The accumulation of ketones and other strong anions can occur in cases involving a decreased metabolic function. There may be a pathological condition called septic ketoacidosis.