Hepatic Compartment Syndrome Following Percutaneous Cholecystostomy: A Case Report.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of hepatic subcapsular hematoma causing an acute Budd-Chiari-like syndrome, leading to hepatic compartment syndrome, which combines compression of intrahepatic vessels on CT, acute liver failure, and refractory shock. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Surgical ICU of a university teaching hospital. PATIENT: Single case: A 64-year-old man hospitalized for 1 month in the ICU after multiple complications following bypass surgery, under anticoagulation after a recent aortic valve replacement and without a medical history of hepatic disease, underwent a percutaneous cholecystostomy for acute calculous cholecystitis. Fifteen days later, he presented with acute anemia, abdominal tenderness, severe hepatic cytolysis, metabolic acidosis, and hemodynamic dysfunction. CT showed a voluminous subcapsular hematoma compressing the hepatic parenchyma, which appeared ischemic with a flattened right lobar portal vein and vena cava without any visible active bleeding. INTERVENTIONS: Arteriography and evacuation of the hematoma under ultrasound guidance (while managing hemodynamic dysfunction) were preferred to surgery given the patient's instability and surgical history. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Evidence of vessels and parenchymal compression with no source of bleeding was found despite removal of the cholecystostomy catheter. Two right sectorial inferior hepatic arteries were embolized. Hematoma was punctured to relieve pressure on hepatic parenchyma, retrieving 300 mL of blood. Unfortunately, liver failure worsened dramatically while patient developed refractory shock and died. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic compartment syndrome must be suspected when acute liver failure occurs in patients with subcapsular hematoma. Only early management may avoid a fatal outcome or the need for an emergency liver transplantation.

Routine use of Staphylococcus aureus rapid diagnostic test in patients with suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia.

INTRODUCTION: In patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), administration of an appropriate empirical antimicrobial treatment is associated with improved outcomes, leading to the prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics, including a drug active against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In order to avoid the overuse of antibiotics, the present study aimed to evaluate the technical characteristics of a rapid diagnostic test (Cepheid Xpert assay) in patients with suspected VAP. METHODS: From June 2011 to June 2012, in patients with suspected VAP, a sample from the bronchialalveolar lavage (BAL) or miniBAL was tested in a point-of-care laboratory for a rapid diagnostic test of methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and MRSA. Then, the result was compared to the quantitative culture with a threshold at 104 colony-forming units per milliliter for bronchoalveolar lavage and 10³ colony-forming units per milliliter for minibronchoalveolar lavage. The study was performed in three intensive care units at two institutions. RESULTS: Four hundred, twenty-two samples from 328 patients were analyzed. The culture of 6 (1.1%) and 28 (6.5%) samples were positive for MRSA and MSSA. The test was not interpretable in 41 (9.3%) patients. The negative predictive values of the rapid detection test were 99.7% (98.1 to 99.9%) and 99.8% (98.7 to 99.9%) for MSSA and MRSA, respectively. CONCLUSION: The rapid diagnostic test is reliable in excluding the presence of MSSA and MRSA in the samples of patients with suspected VAP. Its utility should be regarded depending on the prevalence of MRSA.

Intraoperative carcinoid syndrome during small-bowel neuroendocrine tumour surgery.

Only few descriptions of intraoperative carcinoid syndrome (ioCS) have been reported. The primary objective of this study was to describe ioCS. A second aim was to identify risk factors of ioCS. We retrospectively analysed patients operated for small-bowel neuroendocrine tumour in our institution between 2007 and 2015, and receiving our preventive local regimen of octreotide continuous administration. ioCS was defined as highly probable in case of rapid (<5 min) arterial blood pressure changes ≥40%, not explained by surgical/anaesthetic management and regressive ≥20% after octreotide bolus injection. Probable cases were ioCS which did not meet all criteria of highly-probable ioCS. Suspected ioCS were detected on the anaesthesia record by an injection of octreotide due to a manifestation which did not meet the criteria for highly-probable or probable ioCS. A total of 81 patients (liver metastases: 59, prior carcinoid syndrome: 49, carcinoid heart disease: 7) were included; 139 ioCS occurred in 45 patients: 45 highly probable, 67 probable and 27 suspected. ioCs was hypertensive (91%) and/or hypotensive (29%). There was no factor, including the use of vasopressors, significantly associated with the occurrence of an ioCS. All surgeries were completed and one patient died from cardiac failure 4 days after surgery. After preoperative octreotide continuous infusion, ioCS were mainly hypertensive. No ioCS risk factors, including vasopressor use, were identified. No intraoperative carcinoid crisis occurred, suggesting the clinical relevance of a standardized octreotide prophylaxis protocol.