Experiences with intestinal failure from an intestinal rehabilitation unit in a country without home parenteral nutrition.

OBJECTIVE: For the first time, we reported experiences with an intestinal rehabilitation unit (IRU) from a country without home parenteral nutrition (HPN). METHODS: We included patients with a diagnosis of intestinal failure (IF) since the establishment of our IRU from February 2018 to February 2020. We further report on our protocols for management of enterocutaneous fistulas (ECFs), short-bowel syndrome (SBS), chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction and motility disorders. RESULTS: Among a total of 349 patients who have been admitted, 100 patients had IF and were included . Mean (SD) age of patients was 46.3 ± 16.1 years. Most common cause of IF was ECFs (32%), SBS (24%), and SBS + fistula (22%). Most common causes of SBS were mesenteric ischemia (63.3%) and repeated surgery (22.4%). Median (interquartile range [IQR]) duration of parenteral nutrition (PN) for patients was 32 (18-60) days. The most common reconstructive surgery performed was resection and anastomosis (75.4%), followed by serial transverse enteroplasty procedure (10.5%) and closure of ostoma (7%). Patients were hospitalized for a median (IQR) of 33 (17.5-61) days. Most common complications were sepsis (45%), catheter infections (43%), and catheter thrombosis (20%), respectively. At the final follow-up, 61% stopped receiving PN, 23% became candidates for transplantation, and 16% died. CONCLUSION: Considering that most countries lack facilities for HPN, by establishing IRUs using specific treatment protocols and autologous gastrointestinal reconstruction techniques will provide a means to manage patients with IF, thus decreasing death rates and number of patients who require intestinal transplantations due to IF.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a pregnant women with treatment resistance thrombocytopenic purpura with and suspicion to HELLP syndrome: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) still is a global emergency. According to the studies, pregnant women are of the at risk populations and any underlying disease(s) might even worsen their condition. The aim of this study is reporting a complex case of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) during pregnancy who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 as well as suspicion of HELLP syndrome. CASE PRESENTATION: A 24-year-old woman with a platelet count of 6000/mL and resistance to conventional therapies was referred. A day after starting 0.5 g/day of methylprednisolone for her, fever and a decrease in SpO2 presented. According to the paraclinical investigations, COVID-19 was diagnosed and the conventional COVID-19 treatments started for her (the methylprednisolone pulse stopped). Due to the increased liver enzymes and low platelet count, with suspicion of HELLP syndrome, cesarean section surgery was performed which resulted in a healthy neonate. Then, the methylprednisolone pulse was restarted for and she developed an increase in the platelet count. CONCLUSION: It is not clear how COVID-19 and pregnancy affected the patient's condition and the underlying disease; however, it seems the delivery and/or restarting the methylprednisolone pulses caused improvement in her condition.

High Flow Scalp Arteriovenous Malformation: A Case Report.

Scalp arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are abnormal vascular lesions, which can be managed effectively and safely with surgical or endovascular approaches. Here, we discuss a case of scalp AVM malformation in a 25-year-old female, in which due to the proximity of the feeder artery to right orbit, surgical excision was preferred and the AVM was excised with an uneventful post-op course.