Novel fondaparinux protocol for anticoagulation therapy in adults with renal failure and suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia: a retrospective review of institutional protocol.

INTRODUCTION: The literature recommends against the use of fondaparinux in patients with kidney failure and dialysis as it may, with repeated dosing, accumulate and put patients at risk of bleeding. The management of patients with thrombosis in the presence of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia HIT requires the introduction of an alternative anticoagulant like bivalirudin or argatroban. When these drugs are not available, fondaparinux, remains the only alternative. In similar scenarios, there are few studies addressing how to administer it.  METHODS: We developed a protocol for fondaparinux in patients with renal failure where pharmacokinetic parameters are altered, and levels changed only after hemodialysis or in cases of residual renal activity. Patients received a full first dose except for high risk of bleeding. We targeted a peak anti-factor Xa activity level of 0.6-1.3 units/ml and changed the subsequent dose accordingly. Furthermore, we monitored the patients for signs of bleeding, a drop in hemoglobin level, or clinical signs of thrombosis.  DISCUSSION: We described 10 patients with kidney failure and suspected HIT taking fondaparinux. All the patients achieved therapeutic anti-factor Xa activity levels. However, one developed new-onset venous thromboembolism (VTE) despite therapeutic anti-factor Xa levels. Another patient experienced a bleeding episode. We believe that these two patients developed complications due to their medical conditions rather than the use of fondaparinux. CONCLUSION: Fondaparinux can be safely used in kidney failure using our protocol. However, despite its safety profile and relative success, this case series was small. More robust studies need to be conducted prior to drawing conclusions.

New Fondaparinux Protocol to Reduce the Risk of Blood Thickening and Blood Clots Formation in Adults with Kidney Disease and Heparin-induced Thrombocytopenia (drop in platelets after the use of heparin): A Test Study.Fondaparinux is a drug used to treat patients suffering from thrombosis (clot in blood) and prevent vessels occlusions. When patients have kidney disease, the ideal treatment for thrombosis would be heparin; and, in case of Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT), an unexpected drop in platelets after the use of heparin, the ideal treatment would be argatroban or bivalirudin. Fondaparinux can be used for HIT. However, studies recommend against its use in kidney disease as it might accumulate and cause bleeding.We were put in a challenging situation where we had patients with life-threatening thrombosis, kidney disease, HIT and unavailability of both argatroban and bivalirudin. Our only option was fondaparinux. We had to devise a safe and efficient protocol. The starting dose was the one used had the patient had a normal kidney function. Then, anti-Factor Xa activity was regularly measured with the target level 0.6-1.3units/ml 4 h after a dose. The dose was individualized, changed based on the Factor Xa activity result, the risk of bleeding or thrombosis, the overall kidney function and the need for dialysis.Our protocol was tested on 10 patients. All our patients could reach the target and safe Factor Xa activity. We had 2 exceptions. The first had a clotting event despite having therapeutic Factor Xa activity and the second was a very sick cancer patient who was bleeding despite skipping many doses of fondaparinux. We consider that these 2 cases developed complications due to their medical conditions rather than the use of fondaparinux.We concluded that fondaparinux can be safely used in patients with kidney disease, granted that Factor Xa activity is measured, the risk of bleeding is weighed to the risk of thrombosis and the dose is individualized. However, our sample size is small and further studies with a larger number of patients are needed to draw a conclusion.

Neurosurgical Experience of Beirut Blast in the Era of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) from a Tertiary Referral Center.

BACKGROUND: In this paper, we shed the light on Beirut's blast that took place in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era. An explosion that ripped the heart of Beirut, it produced a destructive shock wave that left thousands of casualties and people homeless. This explosion, which had a mushroom-like cloud appearance similar to that of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, was described as the third-biggest explosion in human history. It was a blast that not only destroyed lives but also fell as a heavy burden on the shoulders of a country that was suffering from unprecedented economic crisis on top of the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing all this, health care providers were the first line of defense in what looked like an impossible mission. OBJECTIVE: We seek to share with the medical community our experience and the challenges we faced, as a neurosurgery team, during this event, particularly that we were short of basic medical equipment as well as intensive care unit beds since we were in the middle of an economic crisis and the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This prohibited us from delivering proper care, whether in the triage of patients or in the operating room, as well as postoperative care. Now, 1 year after this sad event, we revisit the whole situation and examine all the pitfalls that could have been avoided. Thus, we discuss the importance of initiating a disaster response, in particular the neurosurgical emergency response, to be better prepared to face future potential events. CONCLUSIONS: The rate-limiting step in such disasters is definitely a well-prepared trained team with a prompt and fast response. And, since time is brain, then what saves the brain is proper timing.

Mass casualty management during a pandemic surge: The American University of Beirut Medical Center experience.

Mass casualty incidents can be devastating events associated with a large number of fatalities, morbidities, and long-lasting sequelae. The negative outcomes can be further amplified if the incident occurred during a pandemic surge, such as what occurred in Beirut, Lebanon with the August 4, 2020 Beirut Port explosion. To decrease the mortality and morbidity and avoid inefficiency, management depends on having an established coordinated multidisciplinary approach from transport and triage to emergency department care and in-hospital management. In this article, the mass casualty management and the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic will be discussed based on the American University of Beirut Medical Center experience.

Traumatic rupture of a solitary splenic hydatid cyst: A case report.

The rupture of an Echinococcus granulosus hydatid cyst in the spleen due to trauma is a rare event. In this case report we describe the case of a 39-year-old Lebanese male victim of a motor vehicle accident with a ruptured solitary splenic hydatid cyst discovered by CT scan and excised during exploratory laparotomy. Echinococcosis or hydatid disease is a parasitic infestation by the Echinococcus genus of tapeworm. The eggs of E. granulosus, a species of Echinococcus, are fecal-orally transmitted to human hosts, most often from dog feces, and manifest as cystic lesions termed hydatid. E. granulosus most commonly affects the liver (75%), lungs (15%), and rarely the spleen (2-5%) [1], [2]. E. granulosus is particularly endemic to cattle rearing areas of the Middle East. Infected patients most commonly present with vague abdominal pain, as a result of mass effect or spontaneous rupture of the cyst. Nevertheless, patient presentation may be due to traumatic rupture of a hydatid cyst; however, this is very rare. Herein we report a case of traumatic rupture of a solitary splenic hydatid cyst in a 39-year-old male following a motor vehicle crash, managed following the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) protocol.