Outcome of lung cancer patients admitted to the intensive care unit with acute respiratory failure.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that the outcome of lung cancer patients who were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), especially those requiring mechanical ventilation, is extremely poor. The present study was conducted in order to assess the outcome of a recent cohort of lung cancer patients admitted to the ICU with acute respiratory failure. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the medical records of 105 lung cancer patients who were admitted to the ICU between January 2008 and January 2011 was performed. Severity of illness on the first day of ICU admission was assessed using the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II and the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scoring systems. Associated organ failure was determined according to the Knaus criteria. RESULTS: Eighty four (80%) patients were diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, 14 (13.3%) with small cell lung cancer, one patient with mesothelioma, and in the remaining 6 patients, the type of lung cancer could not be determined. Significant factors on admission were APACHE II and SOFA scores, poor performance status and severe comorbidity. During ICU stay, the main risk factors for poor outcome were the long term mechanical ventilation duration, use of vasopressors, more than two organ system failures and septic condition. The overall ICU, hospital and 6-month mortality rates were 44.7% (47/105), 56.1% (59/105) and 77.1% (81/105) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The present data show that the medical intensive care unit outcome of lung cancer patients is improving. Further studies of patients selected to ICU admission are needed to assess long-term mortality, quality of life, ability to continue chemotherapy and economic cost.

Minimal extracorporeal circulation reduces the incidence of postoperative major adverse events after elective coronary artery bypass grafting in high-risk patients. A single-institutional prospective randomized study.

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using minimal extracorporeal circulation (MECC) has been associated with an improved short-term clinical outcome compared to conventional extracorporeal circulation (CECC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of MECC compared to CECC on postoperative major adverse events in high-risk patients undergoing elective coronary revascularization procedures. Two hundred patients undergoing elective CABG were randomized into two groups. In Group A (n=100), MECC was used while Group B (n=100) included patients who were operated on CECC. The incidence of postoperative major adverse events (myocardial infarction, renal failure, stroke, death) was the primary end-point of the study. MECC was associated with a 77% relative risk reduction in the incidence of major adverse events compared to CECC (p=0.004). The rate of major adverse events occurring in the high-risk patient subgroup (preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction ≤40%, age >65 years, EuroSCORE II >5) operated on with MECC was significantly lower in comparison to their CECC counterparts. Based on our results, cardiac centres should be encouraged to use MECC as the standard circuit when performing elective coronary procedures, even in a high-risk population.

Malignant triton tumor of the chest wall invading the lung. A case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Malignant triton tumor (MTT) is an histological deviation of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor with additional rhabdomyosarcomatous elements. It is very rare, profoundly aggressive, with a tendency to recur locally and metastasize early. If manifests itself more often in individuals with neurofibromatosis type I (NF-1) disease but also sporadically or post radiotherapy. Description of case: A 57-year-old male was admitted with a history of malignant triton tumor of the chest wall. Despite prior aggressive locoregional treatment including wide excision and adjuvant consolidating radiotherapy, the tumor recurred. The patient underwent a new operation and systemic chemotherapy, but expired a few months later due to disease progression. CONCLUSION: MTT is exceedingly malignant requiring multimodality treatment. The cornerstone of management is radical surgical resection with clear margins. Nevertheless, the overall prognosis remains dismal.

Brugada-like ECG pattern due to giant mediastinal lipoma.

A case of a 33-year-old female who presented with mild dyspnea and palpitations is presented. Diagnostic investigation was consistent with a giant intrathoracic mass filling the right thoracic cavity and an abnormal electrocardiogram (Brugada-like pattern). The patient underwent surgical removal of the mass (benign lipoma) with a normal postoperative ECG pattern.

Postoperative adhesion prevention using a statin-containing cellulose film in an experimental model.

BACKGROUND: Intraperitoneal adhesions are a common problem in abdominal surgery. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Statofilm, a novel antiadhesive film based on cross-linked carboxymethylcellulose and atorvastatin, with that of sodium hyaluronate-carboxymethylcellulose (Seprafilm(®)) in the prevention of postoperative intraperitoneal adhesions in rats. METHODS: One hundred male Wistar rats underwent a laparotomy and adhesions were induced by caecal abrasion. The animals were allocated to five groups: a control group with no adhesion barrier, Seprafilm(®) group, placebo group with a film containing carboxymethylcellulose without atorvastatin, and low- and high-dose groups with films containing carboxymethylcellulose and atorvastatin 0·125 and 1 mg per kg bodyweight respectively. Adhesions were classified by two independent surgeons 2 weeks after surgery. Caecal biopsies were obtained for histological evaluation of fibrosis, inflammation and vascular proliferation. RESULTS: All antiadhesive film groups (Seprafilm(®), placebo, low-dose and high-dose) had statistically significant adhesion reduction compared with the control group (P < 0·001, P = 0·015, P < 0·001 and P < 0·001 respectively). The low-dose Statofilm was superior to Seprafilm(®) in terms of adhesion prevention (P = 0·001). Adhesions were present in three-quarters of rats in the Seprafilm(®) group, but only one-quarter in the low-dose Statofilm group. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that the newly developed adhesion barrier Statofilm has better results than Seprafilm(®) in preventing postoperative adhesions in rats. A low-dose atorvastatin-containing film, such as Statofilm, could be evaluated for future clinical application.