Positive emotions for promoting quality improvement of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy for COVID-19: In situ interprofessional simulation.

Aim: The requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment regardless of experience caused high levels of anxiety among healthcare professionals. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an in situ interprofessional simulation training conducted to improve readiness and preparedness for ECMO management of patients with COVID-19 at a non-high-volume ECMO centre. Methods: Three emergency physicians, three clinical engineers and two nurses attended the 3-h simulation held at Hirosaki University Hospital in December 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The training comprised a 30-min briefing, a 1-h ECMO circuit change session, a 1-h in-hospital transfer simulation for CT and a 30-min debriefing. Before and after the training, participants completed an online survey of their emotions, based on the Japanese version of the Medical Emotion Scale (J-MES). Related-samples Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to assess potential changes in emotional responses before and after the simulation, and p < 0.05 was considered to indicate significance. Results: Participants' positive deactivating emotions increased from a median of 3.3 (range, 2.0-4.5) before the simulation to 4.0 (range, 2.5-5.0) after the simulation (p = 0.02), which indicates favourable performance according to the control value theory of educational psychology. There was no statistically significant change in other emotional categories. Conclusion: Participants' positive deactivating emotions increased significantly following an in situ ECMO simulation training, which indicates the efficacy of the training for improving the quality of ECMO management in patients with COVID-19.

Effects of rewarming therapies on outcomes in accidental hypothermia: A secondary analysis of a multicenter prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Rewarming therapies for accidental hypothermia (AH) include extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and non-ECMO related (conventional) therapies. However, there are limited data available to inform the selection of conventional rewarming therapy. The aim of the present study was to explore what patients' factors and which rewarming therapy predicted favorable prognosis. METHODS: This study is a secondary analysis of the Intensive Care with Extra Corporeal membrane oxygenation Rewarming in Accidentally Severe Hypothermia (ICE-CRASH) study, a multicenter prospective, observational study conducted in Japan. Enrolled in the ICE-CRASH study were patients aged ≥18 years with a core temperature of ≤32 °C who were transported to the emergency departments of 36 tertiary care hospitals in Japan between 1 December 2019 and 31 March 2022, among whom those who were rewarmed with conventional rewarming therapy were included in the present study. Logistic regression analysis was performed with 28-day survival as the objective variable; and seven factors including age, activities of daily living (ADL) independence, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, and each rewarming technique as explanatory variables. We performed linear regression analysis to identify whether each rewarming technique was associated with rewarming rate. RESULTS: Of the 499 patients enrolled in the ICE-CRASH study, 371 were eligible for this secondary analysis. The median age was 81 years, 50.9% were male, and the median initial body temperature was 28.8 °C. Age (odds ratio [OR]: 0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.94-1.00) and SOFA score (OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.67-0.81) were associated with lower survival, whereas ADL independence (OR: 2.31, 95% CI: 1.15-4.63) was associated with higher survival. No conventional rewarming therapy was associated with 28-day survival. Hot bath was associated with a high rewarming rate (regression coefficient: 1.14, 95% CI: 0.75-1.53). CONCLUSION: No conventional rewarming therapy was associated with improved 28-day survival, which suggests that background factors such as age, ADL, and severity of condition contribute more to prognosis than does the selection of rewarming technique.

Disruption of the internal jugular vein by subcutaneous emphysema.

A woman in her 80s was taken to the hospital after falling off a ladder and underwent a contrast-enhanced CT scan, which revealed disruption of the contrast effect in the right internal jugular vein, with multiple rib fractures and haemopneumothorax. Following reduction of the subcutaneous emphysema with treatment, the diameter of her right internal jugular vein enlarged over time, becoming equal to that on the contralateral side. It is important to diagnose compression of the internal jugular vein due to subcutaneous emphysema, because the treatment strategy varies according to the aetiology.

Gastric Artery Injury Due to Blunt Abdominal Trauma.

Gastric artery injury resulting from blunt abdominal trauma is rare, with only eight previous cases documented in the published literature. Our report describes a case involving an injury to the right gastric artery with concomitant injuries to the liver and spleen, for which arterial embolization targeting the right gastric artery was performed. The patient, a 66-year-old woman without any remarkable medical history, was involved in a motor vehicle accident. She was brought to the hospital in a state of shock and complaining of upper abdominal pain. Contrast-enhanced CT indicated hepatic and splenic injuries, intra-abdominal hemorrhaging, and effusion of contrast medium, suggesting involvement of the right gastric artery. Subsequent angiography confirmed irregularities in the diameter of the right gastric artery, prompting coil embolization. A conservative therapeutic approach was selected due to the absence of evidence regarding active hemorrhage or vascular injury within the hepatic or splenic regions. The patient remained clinically stable following the embolization, without any sequelae. Arterial embolization is warranted if preoperative contrast CT indicates signs of hemorrhage, even if hemostasis is ostensibly attained during angiography. Our findings allude to the feasibility of non-operative management (NOM) rather than laparotomy for cases of gastric artery injury.

Early Initiation of Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients.

The optimal timing for initiating extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) after starting mechanical ventilation has yet to be clarified. We report herein the cases of two patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) who were successfully managed with an early ECMO induction strategy. Case 1 involved a 64-year-old man admitted in respiratory distress with polymerase chain reaction-confirmed COVID-19. On day 5 at hospital, he was intubated, but oxygenation remained unimproved despite mechanical ventilation treatment with high positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) (PaO2/FiO2 [P/F] ratio, 127; Respiratory ECMO Survival Prediction [RESP] score, 4). ECMO was initiated 4 hours after intubation, and stopped on day 16 at hospital. The patient was discharged from hospital on day 36. Case 2 involved a 49-year-old man who had been admitted 8 days prior. He was intubated on hospital on day 2. High PEEP mechanical ventilation did not improve oxygenation (P/F ratio, 93; RESP score, 7). ECMO was stopped on hospital on day 7 and he was discharged from hospital on day 21. The strategy of early initiation of ECMO in these two cases may have minimized the risk of ventilation-related lung injury and contributed to the achievement of favorable outcomes.

Wood-Splitter-Related Upper-Limb Injuries: A Single-Centered Case-Series Study.

(1) Background: Injuries to the upper limbs during wood splitting can affect social and economic life. We aimed to describe the clinical information concerning these injuries in Japan. (2) Methods: We identified patients from our patient database from April 2015-November 2021 and extracted data from their medical records, which includes age, gender, occupation, month, time and location of the injury, diagnosis, duration of hospitalization, ICU admission, treatment interventions including surgery, outcome, and medical costs. (3) Result: Seventeen cases were identified. Most of the patients were male (n = 15), with median age being 68 years old. Regarding the patients' backgrounds, six were apple farmers and three were unemployed. Injuries to the index finger was most common (n = 9), followed by injuries to the thumb in five cases (n = 5). Most of the incidents occurred at home or on the patient's farm estate. No injuries were due to incidents at work. (4) Conclusion: The wood splitter-related injuries required long-term treatment and frequently damaged the thumb, a functionally important digit. All the injuries were sustained during non-occupational use of a wood splitter. Therefore, we suggest that safety training should be provided to prevent traumatic injuries when these products are being sold.

Impact of air temperature on occurrence of bath-related cardiac arrest.

ABSTRACT: The mortality of the bath-related cardiac arrest (BRCA) is extremely high. While air temperature is reported to be associated with the BRCA occurrence, it is unclear whether daily minimum temperatures or the difference between maximum and minimum air temperatures influences BRCA occurrence the most.A retrospective cohort study of adult patients was conducted between January 2015 and February 2020 at Hirosaki University Hospital Emergency Department. The following data were collected: age, sex, day of cardiac arrest event, location of the event, initial cardiac rhythm, presence of return of spontaneous circulation, and overall mortality (status at 1 month after cardiac arrest event). Based on the day of the event and the location in which the event occurred, daily minimum and maximum temperatures were obtained from the Japan Meteorological Agency database.A total of 215 eligible cardiac arrest cases were identified, including 25 cases of BRCA. Comparing BRCA and non-BRCA, initial shockable cardiac rhythm (4.0% vs 44.7%), presence of return of spontaneous circulation (8.0% vs 34.7%), and overall mortality (96.0% vs 71.6%) differed significantly (P < .05 each). Daily minimum and maximum temperatures showed no significant relationships with BRCA or non-BRCA. Daily minimum temperature was a risk factor of BRCA occurrence after adjusting for age and temperature difference (risk ratio, 0.937; 95% confidence interval, 0.882-0.995).Daily minimum temperature represents a potential risk factor for BRCA occurrence.

[A Case of Appendiceal Mucinous Adenocarcinoma Detected with a Bladder Tumor].

A 74-year-oldwoman hadconsultedthe department of urology in our hospital because of microscopic hematuria. Cystoscopy revealeda urinary bladder tumor, suspectedas an adenocarcinoma basedon biopsy. MRI showeda cystic tumor of the appendix with vesical fistula; therefore, she underwent an operation with a diagnosis of appendiceal cancer invading the urinary bladder. During the operation, we found that the appendix sunk into the urinary bladder with right adnexa. Therefore, we performed ileocecal resection, partial resection of the urinary bladder, and right adnexectomy. Macroscopically, the bladder was filled with a large number of mucus lumps. A papillary tumor, 4 cm in size, growing in the lumen of the bladder was detectedat the invasion site. Microscopically, proliferating carcinoma cells in a papillary form were observedin the lumen of the appendix with mucus production, invading the wall of the urinary bladder at the fundus of the appendix. Thus, the patient was diagnosed with mucinous adenocarcinoma of the appendix(V, type 1, 45×30 mm, muc, pT4b[SI, urinary bladder], int, INF c, ly0, v0, pN0, cM0, pStage II ). Primary appendiceal cancer invading the urinary bladder is very rare; herein, we report a rare case of appendiceal mucinous adenocarcinoma detected with a bladder tumor and present a literature review.

Successful Treatment of a Case of Necrotizing Fasciitis due to Vibrio vulnificus in a Cold Climate in Japan.

Vibrio vulnificus infection often occurs in warm regions, frequently leading to necrotizing fasciitis, sepsis, and death. We herein report a rare case presenting in a cold climate region in northern Japan, Aomori district, of a V. vulnificus infection complicated by necrotizing fasciitis and septic shock. The patient's prior history of injury and typical clinical course were helpful clues to the diagnosis of V. vulnificus infection, and early initiation of antimicrobial treatment saved his life. V. vulnificus infection should be considered even in cold regions, particularly if patients have risk factors.

[A case of syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion in a patient with esophageal carcinoma possibly induced by cisplatin in neoadjuvant chemotherapy].

A 60 -year-old man complained of dysphagia and was admitted to our hospital for adjuvant chemotherapy under a diagnosis of esophageal carcinoma(squamous cell carcinoma[SCC], Stage II ). He was treated with cisplatin(CDDP)and 5- fluorouracil(5-FU). On the fifth day after administration, he experienced mild disorientation, and early morning on the sixth day, he showed impaired consciousness. Laboratory studies revealed a serum sodium level of 111mEq/L and a serum chloride level of 73mEq/L. The findings of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the head were unremarkable. Other laboratory studies revealed a plasma vasopressin level of 19.2 pg/mL, a plasma osmolality of 219mOsm/kg, a serum creatinine level of 0.61mg/dL, a serum cortisol level of 27.1 mg/dL, a urine osmolality of 665mOsm/kg, and a urine sodium level of 157.1mEq/L. There were no signs of dehydration, and so the patient was diagnosed with syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion(SIADH). We discontinued chemotherapy and initiated fluid restriction and sodium supplementation. After this treatment, the patient's consciousness progressively improved. On the fifth day of treatment, laboratory studies revealed a serum sodium level of 138mEq/L and a serum chloride level of 98mEq/L, indicating recovery from hyponatremia.

[Two cases of afferent loop obstruction associated with peritoneal dissemination after total gastrectomy].

We report 2 cases of afferent loop obstruction associated with peritoneal dissemination after total gastrectomy. Case 1: A 57-year-old man, who underwent total gastrectomy with Roux-en Y reconstruction for gastric cancer 5 years earlier, experienced lumbago. Computed tomography scans showed a fluid-filled dilated afferent loop. Bypass surgery was performed after inserting a drainage tube into the afferent loop. Case 2: A 61-year-old woman, who underwent total gastrectomy with Roux-en Y reconstruction for a gastric cancer 2 years earlier, experienced abdominal pain. CT and magnetic resonance imaging scans showed a fluid-filled dilated afferent loop and mass lesion near the Y anastomosis. After percutaneous transhepatic duodenal drainage, a duodenal stent was inserted. Here, we describe 2 cases of afferent loop obstruction, improved surgery, and non-surgical therapy.

[A case of advanced gastric cancer with liver metastases successively treated with S-1/CDDP combination therapy followed by curative resection].

The patient was a 67-year-old male with type-3 gastric cancer from the upper body of the stomach to the cardia. An abdominal computed tomography scan revealed liver metastases(S8)(T2N0M0H1, Stage IV). The patient received neoadjuvant combined chemotherapy with S-1 and CDDP. S-1(120mg/body/day)was orally administered for 3 weeks followed by 2 drug-free weeks as a course, and CDDP(60mg/m2)was administered by intravenous infusion on day 8. After the second course, significant tumor reduction and disappearance of liver metastases resulted. Total gastrectomy, splenectomy, cholecystectomy, and D2 nodal dissection were performed. The histological diagnosis revealed no metastases in all lymph nodes: Stage I B. The combined neoadjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 and CDDP can be considered an effective treatment for advanced gastric cancer.

Surgical management of colorectal cancer in patients with psychiatric disorders.

PURPOSE: We analyzed the surgical data and evaluated the management of colorectal cancer (CRC) in patients with psychiatric disorders. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 83 patients who underwent elective surgery for CRC and divided them into a psychiatric disorder group and a control group to compare the operative data and available clinical information. RESULTS: Of the 83 patients, 27 had psychiatric disorders. The most characteristic symptom of CRC was bloody stool in the psychiatric disorder group, and occult blood in the control group. Postoperative pneumonia occurred significantly more often in the psychiatric group (14.8% vs 1.8%, P = 0.019). Patients with a psychiatric disorder needed significantly more psychotropic drugs (70.4% vs 7.1%, P < 0.001), more physical restraint (44.4% vs 12.5%, P = 0.001), and exhibited more resistant behavior (51.9% vs 8.9%, P < 0.001) postoperatively than the controls. Moreover, a significant decrease in serum albumin (Alb) and total protein (TP) was seen in the psychiatric disorder group on postoperative days (PODs) 21 and 28. A psychiatric disorder was a significant predictive factor for a decrease in TP (odds ratio [OR] 24.2) and Alb (OR 8.6). CONCLUSIONS: Insufficient nutrition in the psychiatric disorder group was not attributable solely to the higher incidence of postoperative complications. As psychiatric disorders compromise nutrition, integral treatment provided by surgeons and psychiatrists would improve the nutritional status of these patients and reduce the incidence of postoperative morbidity.

A bioartificial liver that combines plasma dialysis and whole liver perfusion.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The development of a bioartificial liver with xenogeneic hepatocytes requires sufficient hepatocyte mass for metabolic support, decreased immunogenicity, and prevention of viral transmission. Therefore, the authors developed a plasma dialysis system using a selective plasma filter, and combined this dialysis system with whole liver plasma perfusion (PDWLP). In this system, the patient's plasma was dialyzed with normal plasma recycled through the pig liver. METHODOLOGY: Female inbred Large White pigs were used for the hepatic failure model and for liver donation. Fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) was induced by the intraportal administration of alpha-amanitin and lipopolysaccharide. Nine hours after this injection, the FHF pigs were connected to the dialysis system for 6 h (n = 5). Control FHF pigs were not connected to the dialysis system (n = 10). RESULTS: Animal survival was lengthened, and cardiovascular stability was demonstrated in the PDWLP treated pigs. This system suppressed the production of substances that promote encephalopathy. The liver necrosis and neutrophil infiltration were significantly less in the experimental pigs. CONCLUSIONS: The experimental treatment attenuated the progression of FHF. Extracorporeal liver, perfused with oxygenated plasma, functioned for 6 h without hyperacute rejection. This type of hybrid bioartificial liver may be useful for treating FHF patients.

Attenuation of graft injury in porcine liver transplantation from non-heart beating donor by FR167653.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx) from non-heart beating donor (NHBD) often involves hepatic warm ischemia and reperfusion injury which is triggered by the inflammatory cytokines. This study was carried out to investigate whether a newly synthesized cytokine suppressive anti-inflammatory agent, FR167653, attenuates graft injury in OLTx from NHBD. METHODOLOGY: Porcine OLTx from NHBD was performed. No-heart beating time was scheduled to be 60 minutes. Animals were divided into two groups: no treatment control (CT) group (n=5), and FR167653 treated (FR) group (n=5), in which FR167653 was administered intravenously before the aortic cross clamp in the donor, and before and after the hepatic allograft reperfusion in the recipient continuously. RESULTS: Four out of five pigs died within 24 hours and one on postoperative day 1 from graft liver failure in the CT group, while two pigs died on day 3, and three survived more than 7 days in the FR group (p<0.05). Microcirculatory disturbance was attenuated, liver injury was lessened, and ATP resynthesis was enhanced in the FR group. Additionally, FR167653 inhibited neutrophils infiltration in the liver tissue, and suppressed release of inflammatory cytokines after OLTx from NHBD. CONCLUSIONS: The treatments with FR167653 successfully prevented graft injury after OLTx from NHBD by means of improvement of liver microcirculation, and attenuation of neutrophils activation. The inhibitory effect of FR167653 on the release of inflammatory cytokines played an important role in the liver graft protection.

Synergistic effect of cold and warm ischemia time on postoperative graft outcome in human liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Prolonged cold ischemia time (CIT) during graft preservation and warm ischemia time (WIT) defined as a rewarming time have been reported to cause postoperative graft dysfunction after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). However, a synergistic effect of both CIT and WIT on patients of graft survival has not been confirmed. The aim of this study was to determine whether simultaneously prolonged CIT and WIT was associated with early graft outcome after clinical OLT. METHODOLOGY: Between May 1997 and July 1998, 186 consecutive OLT cases were divided into 4 groups as follows: group A, CIT < or =12 hrs and WIT < or =45 min; group B, CIT >12 hrs and WIT < or =45 min; group C, CIT < or =12 hrs and WIT >45 min; and group D, CIT > 12 hrs and WIT >45 min. Liver graft survival within 90 days of OLT and early postoperative graft function were analyzed. RESULTS: The graft loss rates were 5.4% in group A, 9.8% in group B, 11.1% in group C, and 42.9% in group D. The mean highest aspartate aminotransferase (AST) values after OLT in group D (3352.3+/-569.4 U/L) was significantly higher than those in groups A (1411.7+/-169.2 U/L) and B (1931.3+/-362.6 U/L). CONCLUSIONS: The simultaneously prolonged cold and warm ischemia time significantly caused hepatic allograft injury and failure, suggesting some synergistic effects of CIT and WIT on postoperative graft function.