Unveiling the complexity: coexistence of rheumatic heart disease and pulmonary arteriovenous malformation-a unique case report.

Background: The coexistence of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) is a rare clinical scenario that poses diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. This case report explores the clinical presentation, diagnostic journey, and multidisciplinary management of a patient presenting with both conditions. Case summary: A 47-year-old female with a history of RHD presented with symptoms of dyspnoea on exertion and cyanosis, suggestive of both cardiac involvement and pulmonary involvement. Subsequent investigations involving imaging, echocardiography, and invasive pulmonary angiography revealed the coexistence of RHD and multiple PAVM in the patient's left lower lobe of the lung. The patient underwent a tailored treatment plan, initially involving percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty for RHD, followed by a staged procedure of transcatheter PAVM closure with Amplatzer™ Vascular Plug II performed 1 month later. Her saturation normalized following the intervention. The patient's progress was monitored closely, with adjustments made to the treatment plan based on evolving clinical scenarios. The patient remained well in short-term follow-up. Discussion: This case highlights the complexity of managing patients having two diverse conditions RHD and PAVM coexisting together, thus emphasizing the importance of a multidisciplinary approach. The unique intersection of cardiac and pulmonary pathologies necessitates careful consideration of diagnostic nuances and tailored treatment strategies. Lessons learned from this case offer valuable insights for clinicians encountering similar scenarios and underscore the significance of individualized, patient-centred care in optimizing outcomes for those with dual pathologies.

"Assessing the hemodynamic impact of various inotropes combination in patients with cardiogenic shock with Non-ST elevation myocardial infarction -the ANAPHOR study".

BACKGROUND: Various inotropic agents/vasopressors combinations are used in patients of cardiogenic shock. We performed this study to observe hemodynamic effects of various inotrope/vasopressor combinations in patients with NSTEMI cardiogenic shock (CS) at tertiary cardiac centre METHODS AND MATERIALS: Of 3832 NSTEMI, we studied 59 consecutive such patients with CS who hadn't undergone revascularization in the first 24 h in a prospective, open label, observational study. Group 1 comprised of background Dopamine with Noradrenaline titration(N = 38), Group 2 had background Dobutamine and Noradrenaline titration(N = 15) and Group 3 comprised of triple combination of Dopamine, Noradrenaline & Adrenaline(N = 6). RESULTS: The mean change in hemodynamic parameters between these groups from baseline to 24 h showed no statistical difference. Cardiac output(CO), mean arterial pressure(MAP), central venous pressure(CVP) and cardiac power output(CPO) in group 2 were favorable at 6 and 24 h compared to baseline but mean change was insignificant as compared to others. In group 3, the increase in MAP was significant. IABP use did not change CO, CPO or SVR in any group except lower dosages of Dobutamine (49%) in IABP group. Lower in-hospital mortality in group 2 compared to others (P = 0.004) may be reflective of sicker patients in group 1 and 3. CONCLUSION: The mean changes in hemodynamic parameters were not significant between all groups. All regimes of inotropes when selected as per clinical indication in CS with ACS resulted in similar hemodynamic effects. The mortality difference may not truly be reflective of regimes rather reflect sicker patients in the higher mortality group.

Diagnostic accuracy of a novel 'winking coronary angiographic sign' in patients presenting with ventricular septal rupture complicating acute myocardial infarction.

Ventricular septal rupture (VSR) is an uncommon but potentially lethal complication of acute myocardial infarction (MI). Its prompt recognition is essential to permit timely institution of corrective measures. The present study was undertaken to assess the diagnostic accuracy of a novel and unique angiographic sign, the 'winking coronary sign (WCS)', for recognizing post-MI VSR. The WCS is defined as partial transient occlusion of the infarct-related culprit artery overlying the site of VSR during ventricular systole with near normal filling in the diastole. A total of 56 patients with post-MI VSR (mean age 60.9 ± 9.9 years, 75% male) were compared with 73 age- and sex-matched acute MI patients without VSR. The extent of coronary artery disease was not different between the two groups, but higher number of patients in the VSR group had thrombolysis in MI grade 3 flow (57.1% vs 34.5%, P 0.01). The WCS was observed in 67.9% of the patients with VSR but in none of the patients without VSR (p < 0.0001), yielding a sensitivity of 67.9% and specificity of 100% for this sign for diagnosing underlying VSR. This demonstrates the potential utility of the WCS for diagnosing VSR in patients in whom the VSR has developed in the time frame between the echocardiography and angiography or has been missed during the initial clinical and/or echocardiographic evaluation.

Androgenic alopecia, premature graying, and hair thinning as independent predictors of coronary artery disease in young Asian males.

We herewith aimed to explore the association of premature graying, androgenic alopecia (AGA), and hair thinning with coronary artery disease (CAD) in young (≤40 years) male individuals from Western India. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this prospective, case-control study, 1380 male individuals from a super speciality cardiac care center were enrolled, of which 468 were established cases of CAD and 912 were age-matched healthy male individuals not having history of any major illness including CAD. Details of demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, and cutaneous markers were collected for both the groups. RESULTS: Prevalence of hypertension (30.3 vs. 13.6%), obesity (28.8 vs. 12.2%), hair thinning (36.3 vs. 14.6%), premature graying (49.6 vs. 29.9%), AGA (49.1 vs. 27.4%), and lipid abnormalities (total cholesterol - 16.7 vs. 8.8%; low-density lipoprotein - 7.3 vs. 2.2%; and high-density lipoprotein - 92.5 vs. 88.7%) were higher in cases as compared with control. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that AGA [5.619, 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.025-7.845, P<0.0001] is the strongest predictor of CAD among young Asian male individuals, closely followed by premature graying (5.267, 95% CI: 3.716-7.466, P<0.0001), obesity (4.133, 95% CI: 2.839-6.018, P<0.0001), and hair thinning (3.36, 95% CI: 2.452-4.621, P<0.0001). SYNTAX score, left ventricle ejection fraction, and degree of disease severity were also found to be independent associates of premature graying and AGA. CONCLUSION: Our findings support the hypothesis that cutaneous markers are independently associated with underlying CAD irrespective of other classical cardiovascular risk factors. This, in combination with classical markers, could be effectively used for early identification and risk stratification of young patients with occult or established CAD.

Facial Diplegia with Paresthesia: An Uncommon Variant of Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Facial nerve palsy (FNP) is a common medical problem and can be unilateral or bilateral. Unilateral facial palsy has an incidence of 25 per 100,000 population and most of them are idiopathic. However, facial diplegia or bilateral facial nerve palsy (B-FNP) is rare with an incidence of just 1 per 5,000,000 population and only 20 percent cases are idiopathic. Facial diplegia is said to be simultaneous if the other side is affected within 30 days of involvement of first side. Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is a common cause of facial diplegia and almost half of these patients have facial nerve involvement during their illness. Facial Diplegia with Paresthesias (FDP) is a rare localized variant of GBS which is characterized by simultaneous facial diplegia, distal paresthesias and minimal or no motor weakness. We had a patient who presented with simultaneous weakness of bilateral facial nerve and paresthesias. A diagnosis of GBS was made after diligent clinical examination and relevant investigations. Patient responded to IVIG therapy and symptoms resolved within two weeks of therapy.

Benign Recurrent Intrahepatic Cholestasis in a Young Adult.

Benign Recurrent Intrahepatic Cholestasis (BRIC) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of cholestatic jaundice. The initial episode of jaundice generally occurs before second decade of life and can persist for several weeks to months before resolving spontaneously. It is a benign disease and even after repeated episodes of jaundice, fibrosis of liver cell does not occur. We had a young adult patient who was having recurrent episodes of cholestatic jaundice with intervening symptom free period for last 20 years. He had first episode of jaundice at the age of eight and since then had several similar episodes. Diagnosis was made by classical clinical presentation and histopathological findings. We intend to report this case due to rarity of this disease in India.

Leukemoid Reaction in Chikungunya Fever.

Chikungunya is a viral illness caused by an arbovirus which is transmitted by Aedes mosquito. Fever and polyarthralgia are hallmark of this viral illness. Viral infections are generally associated with leucopenia and bacterial infections with leukocytosis. Leukemoid Reaction (LR) is defined by reactive increase in leukocyte count of more than 50,000/cu mm with increase in mature leukocytes on peripheral blood. Leukocytosis is common in Chikungunya but leukemoid reaction has not been reported in medical literature. Our patient presented with high grade fever and symmetrical polyarthritis. Blood investigation showed Leukemoid reaction and after extensive work up a diagnosis of chikungunya was made.

Metolazone Associated Stevens Johnson Syndrome-Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Overlap.

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) are severe mucocutaneous disease with high mortality rate. It is characterised by severe necrosis and detachment of the epidermis. Drugs are the most common triggering agent for SJS/TEN. These are commonly reported with the use of aromatic antiepileptics, antiretrovirals, allopurinol, NSAID'S and sulfonamide antibiotics. Non antibiotic sulfonamides rarely cause SJS/TEN. Metolazone is a well known diuretic and is extensively used by clinicians. Although this drug is in market for last several decades, no case of SJS/TEN has been reported till date. We report a rare case of metolazone induced SJS/TEN overlap in a 55-year-old lady.

Intravenous Immunoglobulin Responsive Persistent Thrombocytopenia after Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever.

Dengue outbreak is common in Indian subcontinent and causes significant morbidity and mortality. Year 2015 has witnessed yet another Dengue epidemic in northern India and the number of cases this year is maximum in a decade. Dengue infection is a viral disease and there are 4 different serotypes DENV1, DENV2, DENV3 and DENV4. This year DENV2 and DENV4 have been isolated from most of the patients. Thrombocytopenia is hallmark of dengue infection and generally recovers within ten days of onset of symptoms. We report a case of dengue haemorrhagic fever in which thrombocytopenia persisted for almost a month and improved after Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) administration. This is the first case where IVIG has been successfully used for treating persisting thrombocytopenia after dengue infection.