The Difficult Decision Not to Prescribe Artificial Nutrition by Health Professionals and Family: Bioethical Aspects.

Introduction: Bioethics and nutrition are essential issues in end of life, advanced dementia, life-sustaining therapies, permanent vegetative status, and unacceptably minimal quality of life. Even though artificially administered nutrition (AAN), for this type of health condition, does not improve quality of life and extension of life, and there is evidence of complications (pulmonary and gastrointestinal), it has been used frequently. It had been easier considering cardiopulmonary resuscitation as an ineffective treatment than AAN for a healthy team and/or family. For this reason, many times, this issue has been forgotten. Objectives: This study aimed to discuss bioethical principles and AAN in the involved patients. Discussion: The AAN has been an essential source of ethical concern and controversy. There is a conceptual doubt about AAN be or not be a medical treatment. It would be a form of nourishment, which constitutes primary care. These principles should be used to guide the decision-making of healthcare professionals in collaboration with patients and their surrogates. Conclusions: This difficult decision about whether or not to prescribe AAN in patients with a poor prognosis and without benefits should be based on discussions with the bioethics committee, encouraging the use of advanced directives, education, and support for the patient, family, and health team, in addition to the establishment of effective protocols on the subject. All of this would benefit the most important person in this process, the patient.

A Child as a Donor for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: Bioethical Justification-A Case Study on Sickle Cell Disease.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an important treatment option for children with severe and refractory sickle cell disease (SCD) with debilitating clinical complications. HSCT with cells from the bone marrow of a HLA-identical sibling used in SCD has a low mortality risk, high cure rate, and high event-free survival rate after a median follow-up of 5-6 years. However, matched donors are found in only about 20% of the patients. A boy aged 8 years with SCD had a sister, <2 years old, a fully compatible donor. The boy met all eligibility criteria to undergo HSCT, and he was suffering from cognitive and neurologic impairment due to ischemic events. A Bioethical Committee jointly discussed the ethical issues on this case after a pediatric evaluation released the very young sister for donation. The justification was that the sister would benefit from the donation too because of the greater likelihood of survival and cure and less suffering of her brother. The parents were informed about the risks and benefits for both children, and the family was psychologically evaluated. After their consent, HSCT was performed and the patient is cured from SCD. The complication for the donor was the need for blood transfusion.

Ventilator associated pneumonia: comparison between quantitative and qualitative cultures of tracheal aspirates.

INTRODUCTION: Deferred or inappropriate antibiotic treatment in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is associated with increased mortality, and clinical and radiological criteria are frequently employed to establish an early diagnosis. Culture results are used to confirm the clinical diagnosis and to adjust or sometimes withdraw antibiotic treatment. Tracheal aspirates have been shown to be useful for these purposes. Nonetheless, little is known about the usefulness of quantitative findings in tracheal secretions for diagnosing VAP. METHODS: To determine the value of quantification of bacterial colonies in tracheal aspirates for diagnosing VAP, we conducted a prospective follow-up study of 106 intensive care unit patients who were under ventilatory support. In total, the findings from 219 sequential weekly evaluations for VAP were examined. Clinical and radiological parameters were recorded and evaluated by three independent experts; a diagnosis of VAP required the agreement of at least two of the three experts. At the same time, cultures of tracheal aspirates were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively (10(5) colony-forming units [cfu]/ml and 10(6) cfu/ml) RESULTS: Quantitative cultures of tracheal aspirates (10(5) cfu/ml and 10(6) cfu/ml) exhibited increased specificity (48% and 78%, respectively) over qualitative cultures (23%), but decreased sensitivity (26% and 65%, respectively) as compared with the qualitative findings (81%). Quantification did not improve the ability to predict a diagnosis of VAP. CONCLUSION: Quantitative cultures of tracheal aspirates in selected critically ill patients have decreased sensitivity when compared with qualitative results, and they should not replace the latter to confirm a clinical diagnosis of VAP or to adjust antimicrobial therapy.

Pleuropericardial cyst torsion: case report.

Pericardial cysts account for 12-18% of all mediastinal masses. They are usually asymptomatic and incidentally detected. However, when large, they can cause symptoms. Most pericardial cysts are located in the right cardiophrenic angle, but they can be anywhere in the mediastinum. We reported a pleuropericardial cyst torsion after physical stress, a very rare complication of this condition. The diagnosis was made by computed tomography and confirmed by video-assisted thoracoscopy.

Pleuropericardial cyst torsion: case report / Torção de cisto pleuropericárdico: relato de caso

Pericardial cysts account for 12-18% of all mediastinal masses. They are usually asymptomatic and incidentally detected. However, when large, they can cause symptoms. Most pericardial cysts are located in the right cardiophrenic angle, but they can be anywhere in the mediastinum. We reported a pleuropericardial cyst torsion after physical stress, a very rare complication of this condition. The diagnosis was made by computed tomography and confirmed by video-assisted thoracoscopy.

Cistos pericárdicos constituem 12-18% de todas as massas mediastinais. Geralmente, são assintomáticos e detectados incidentalmente, podendo manifestar sintomas quando alcançam um tamanho aumentado. Na maioria das vezes, estão situados no seio cardiofrênico direito, mas podem ocupar outra localização no mediastino. Neste artigo, relatamos uma torção de cisto pleuropericárdico após esforço físico, uma complicação raríssima dessa condição, cujo diagnóstico foi realizado por meio da tomografia computadorizada do tórax e confirmado posteriormente por videotoracoscopia.

Manifestações reumáticas associadas a pneumopatias / Rheumatic manifestations associated with lung diseases

Não são freqüentes manifestações reumatológicas nas doençaspulmonares mais prevalentes, como a asma, a doença pulmonarobstrutiva crônica ou a pneumonia. Há algumas exceções, as quais sãorepresentadas pelo câncer broncogênico e pela sarcoidose, no qual oaparecimento do baqueteamento digital, da osteoartropatia hipertrófi cae da artropatia corresponde aos primeiros sintomas da doença.

Cirurgia redutora de enfisema / Lung reduction surgery

A cirurgia redutora de volume pulmonar é um método terapêutico com o objetivo de melhorar a funçäo pulmonar em um seleto grupo de pacientes com enfisema grave. Seu mecanismo de açäo parece decorrer da melhora da mecânica diafragmática e de parede torácica. Cada vez mais surgem evidências científicas de que a cirurgia redutora oferece resultados paliaticcvos razoáveis, com benefícios estendendo-se por pelo menos até dois anos. Medidas de funçäo pulmonar têm mostrado melhora objetiva em variáveis fisiológicas como obbstruçäo ao fluxo aéreo, recolhimento elástico e troca gasosa. Apesar de tudo isso, uma série de controvérsiaas persiste, basicamente quanto aos efeitos a longo prazo do procedimento, índices preditivos de sucesso, análise de custo-benefício e abordagem cirúrgica

O uso da estimulacao transtorácica ou percutânea durante a parada cardiorespiratória / The use of transthoracic or percutaneous pacing during cardiopulmonary arrest

Os autores, através de revisäo da literatura, discutem a utilizaçäo da estimulaçäo transtorácica (transmiocárdica) ou percutânea (externa) em bradiarritmias qu se instalam durante uma parada cardiorrespiratória. Säo revistas as principais indicaçöes contra-indicaçöes e complciaçöes de cada procedimento. Os autores concluem que é válida a utilizaçäo das vias de acesso pesquisadas durante a parada cardiorrespiratória, desde que näo seja possível a utilizaçäo do marcapasso endocavitário