The potential harm of oxygen therapy in medical emergencies.

In medical emergencies, supplemental oxygen is often administrated routinely. Most paramedics and physicians believe that high concentrations of oxygen are life-saving 1. Over the last century, however, a plethora of studies point to possible detrimental effects of hyperoxia induced by supplemental oxygen in a variety of medical emergencies. This viewpoint provides a historical overview and questions the safety of routine high-dose oxygen administration and is based on pathophysiology and (pre)clinical findings in various medical emergencies.

No effect of epoprostenol on right ventricular diameter in patients with acute pulmonary embolism: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular dilatation in the setting of acute pulmonary embolism is associated with an adverse prognosis. Treatment with a pulmonary vasodilator has never been studied systematically. We evaluated the effect of epoprostenol on right ventricular diameter and function in patients with acute pulmonary embolism and right ventricular dilatation. METHODS: In a randomized, single-blind study, 14 patients with acute pulmonary embolism received epoprostenol or placebo infusion for 24 hours on top of conventional treatment. Effects on right ventricular end-diastolic diameter, systolic pulmonary artery pressure, right ventricle fractional area change and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion were assessed by serial echocardiography. Furthermore Troponin T and NT-proBNP were measured serially. RESULTS: Compared to placebo, epoprostenol was associated with a relative change from baseline in right ventricular end-diastolic diameter of +2% after 2.5 hours and -8% after 24 hours. Epoprostenol did not have a significant effect on systolic pulmonary artery pressure, right ventricular fractional area change and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, nor on biochemical parameters. CONCLUSION: In patients with acute pulmonary embolism and right ventricular overload, treatment with epoprostenol did not improve right ventricular dilatation or any other measured variables of right ventricular overload. REGISTRATION: URL: NCT01014156Medical ethical committee: Medisch-ethische toetsingscommissie (METc) from the VUmc (free university medical centre).

[Volume replenishment in haemorrhage: caution advised]. / Volumesuppletie bij bloedingen: wees terughoudend.

Acute haemorrhage is a frequent problem in medicine. Patients with acute bleeding may present with signs of hypotension and reduced organ perfusion. The physician's reflex action is often to treat such patients with intravenous volume replenishment using colloid or cristalloid liquids. Intravenous volume replenishment has, however, a downside: it increases the tendency to bleed and therefore can increase blood loss. Previous clinical observations and experimental animal and human studies addressing volume replenishment in haemorrhagic shock have repeatedly shown that accepting hypotension favourably affects prognosis. However, relevant practice guidelines, such as for gastrointestinal bleeding, usually advise liberal intravenous volume replenishment if hypotension is present. In this article we advocate caution when considering intravenous blood volume adjustment in haemorrhage.

[Chlorthalidone better than hydrochlorothiazide in hypertension]. / Bij hypertensie liever chloortalidon dan hydrochloorthiazide.

Thiazide diuretics have been the cornerstone in the pharmacological treatment of hypertension for more than 5 decades. Hydrochlorothiazide and chlorthalidone have been the 2 most commonly used diuretics in major clinical trials and are considered interchangeable. Nonetheless, hydrochlorothiazide has been much more widely prescribed than chlorthalidone, especially since nearly all available combinations with other antihypertensive drugs contain hydrochlorothiazide. However, whereas chlorthalidone at low doses has been shown repeatedly to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, such low doses of hydrochlorothiazide have never been shown to do this. Moreover, in direct comparison, chlorthalidone has a more sustained antihypertensive effect than hydrochlorothiazide, probably due to its very long half-life. These beneficial effects on blood pressure and cardiovascular events make chlorthalidone a tenable choice for the treatment of hypertension.

[Adult-onset Still's disease and haemophagocytic syndrome]. / Adulte vorm van de ziekte van Still en het hemofagocytair syndroom.

A 49-year-old woman with a history of adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) presented with fever, general malaise and a rash. Laboratory blood testing revealed an extremely high level of serum ferritin, essentially restricting the differential diagnosis to either haemophagocytic syndrome as a complication of AOSD, or a flare-up of the latter. Haemophagocytosis as a complication of AOSD was diagnosed in our patient. After treatment with prednisone, she fully recovered and the serum ferritin returned to a normal level. Haemophagocytic syndrome is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication of lymphoproliferative and autoimmune diseases, as well as of viral infections. It is characterised by high fever, hepatosplenomegaly, cytopenia and extremely high levels of serum ferritin. Activation of macrophages and histiocytes induces phagocytosis of erythrocytes in the bone marrow and other parts of the reticuloendothelial system. The fact that haemophagocytic syndrome and AOSD are often described together, and coincide with extremely elevated serum ferritin levels characteristic to both entities, suggests a related pathogenesis.