The impact of high serum bicarbonate levels on mortality in hemodialysis patients

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The optimal serum bicarbonate level is controversial for patients who are undergoing hemodialysis (HD). In this study, we analyzed the impact of serum bicarbonate levels on mortality among HD patients. METHODS: Prevalent HD patients were selected from the Clinical Research Center registry for End Stage Renal Disease cohort in Korea. Patients were categorized into quartiles according to their total carbon dioxide (tCO₂) levels: quartile 1, a tCO₂ of < 19.4 mEq/L; quartile 2, a tCO₂ of 19.4 to 21.5 mEq/L; quartile 3, a tCO₂ of 21.6 to 23.9 mEq/L; and quartile 4, a tCO₂ of ≥ 24 mEq/L. Cox regression analysis was used to calculate the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) and confidence interval (CI) for mortality. RESULTS: We included 1,159 prevalent HD patients, with a median follow-up period of 37 months. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the all-cause mortality was significantly higher in patients from quartile 4, compared to those from the other quartiles (p = 0.009, log-rank test). The multivariate Cox proportional hazard model revealed that patients from quartile 4 had significantly higher risk of mortality than those from quartile 1, 2 and 3, after adjusting for the clinical variables in model 1 (HR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.15 to 3.45; p = 0.01) and model 2 (HR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.03 to 3.22; p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that high serum bicarbonate levels (a tCO₂ of ≥ 24 mEq/L) were associated with increased mortality among prevalent HD patients. Further effort might be necessary in finding the cause and correcting metabolic alkalosis in the chronic HD patients with high serum bicarbonate levels.

Ascites reinfusion dialysis of refractory ascites as a bridge to kidney and liver transplantation in a patient on hemodialysis

No abstract available.

Urachal abscess precipitated as acute pyelonephritis in an adult patient with diabetes

No abstract available.

The impact of blood flow rate during hemodialysis on all-cause mortality

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Inadequacy of dialysis is associated with morbidity and mortality in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. Blood flow rate (BFR) during HD is one of the important determinants of increasing dialysis dose. However, the optimal BFR is unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact of the BFR on all-cause mortality in chronic HD patients. METHODS: Prevalent HD patients were selected from Clinical Research Center registry for end-stage renal disease cohort in Korea. We categorized patients into two groups by BFR < 250 and ≥ 250 mL/min according to the median value of BFR 250 mL/min in this study. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. RESULTS: A total of 1,129 prevalent HD patients were included. The number of patients in the BFR < 250 mL/min was 271 (24%) and in the BFR ≥ 250 mL/min was 858 (76%). The median follow-up period was 30 months. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the mortality rate was significantly higher in patients with BFR < 250 mL/min than those with BFR ≥ 250 mL/min (p = 0.042, log-rank). In the multivariate Cox regression analyses, patients with BFR < 250 mL/min had higher all-cause mortality than those with BFR ≥ 250 mL/min (hazard ratio, 1.66; 95% confidence interval, 1.00 to 2.73; p = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that BFR < 250 mL/min during HD was associated with higher all-cause mortality in chronic HD patients.

Invasive Primary Colonic Aspergillosis in the Immunocompetent Host without Classical Risk Factors

Invasive aspergillosis (IA), generally considered an opportunistic infection in immunocompromised hosts, is associated with high morbidity and mortality. IA commonly occurs in the respiratory tract with isolated reports of aspergillosis infection in the nasal sinuses, central nervous system, skin, liver, and urinary tract. Extra-pulmonary aspergillosis is usually observed in disseminated disease. To date, there are a few studies regarding primary and disseminated gastrointestinal (GI) aspergillosis in immunocompromised hosts. Only a few cases of primary GI aspergillosis in non-immunocompromised hosts have been reported; of these, almost all of them involved the upper GI tract. We describe a very rare case of IA involving the lower GI tract in the patient without classical risk factors that presented as multiple colon perforations and was successfully treated by surgery and antifungal treatment. We also review related literature and discuss the characteristics and risk factors of IA in the immunocompetent hosts without classical risk factors. This case that shows IA should be considered in critically ill patients, and that primary lower GI aspergillosis may also occur in the immunocompetent hosts without classical risk factors.

Aldosterone- and cortisol-co-producing adrenal adenoma without clinical features of Cushing syndrome

No abstract available.

Spontaneous Renal Artery Dissection in a Patient with Protein C and S Deficiency / 대한내과학회지

Spontaneous renal artery dissection without aortic dissection in normotensive patients is rarely reported. Spontaneous renal artery dissection is also an uncommon cause of renal infarction that occurs, though rarely, in patients with hypercoagulable states such as protein C and S deficiency. We report here a case of spontaneous renal artery dissection and renal infarction associated with protein C and S deficiency.

A Single Coronary Artery: Right Coronary Artery Originating From the Distal Left Circumflex Artery / 대한내과학회지

A single coronary artery (SCA) is a rare congenital anomaly, which is often associated with myocardial ischemia. We report a SCA consisting of an anomalous right coronary artery originating from the distal left circumflex artery diagnosed by coronary angiography and multidetector computed tomography angiography.

Cardiac Cachexia Caused by Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction in a Patient With Severe Pectus Excavatum / 대한내과학회지

External compression of the right ventricle (RV) due to a depressed sternum in patients with pectus excavatum is uncommon. Moreover, mid-RV obstruction-induced cachexia rarely occurs in patients with pectus excavatum. We report a case of cardiac cachexia caused by significant RV compression in a patient with pectus excavatum.

Severe Negative Remodeling at the Middle Right Coronary Artery without Atheroma Plaque / 이화의대지

Arterial remodeling is commonly observed in human atherosclerosis. It is a heterogeneous response ranging from positive remodeling to negative remodeling. Negative remodeling is a condition in which the vessel area decreases in size, often as a result of a structural change in the coronary vessel wall. But its contribution to myocardial ischemia in a de novo lesion has not been clearly shown. A 51-year-old female with exertional angina was admitted to our hospital. Coronary angiography was performed, revealing a severe stenosis at the middle part of the right coronary artery (RCA). Although we predilated ballooning at the middle RCA, the degree of stenosis did not improve. Thus intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) was performed. The lesion was not nearly showed plaque burden and severe negative remodeling. Though the cross-sectional narrowing percentage was significant, we decided to medical treatment for fearing coronary perforation by stenting. This case report intends to emphasize that severe coronary stenosis should be performed IVUS before the stenting. We describe a rare case with severe negative remodeling at the middle part of the RCA without atheroma plaque.

Expansile Mass of the Rib / 이화의대지

A 60-year-old man visited our hospital because of the incidentally found mass of the rib on chest radiography. Chest X-ray showed expansile bony hypertrophy on left 5th rib and bone setting of the computed tomography scan of chest revealed 4.2x2.5 cm sized, elongated bony expansion with geographic radiolucent lesion in the medullary cavity and cortical thinning. Technetium-99m bone scintigraphy showed diffusely increased radioactivity along the left 5th rib. We present this case to discuss about a possible differential diagnosis in this type of lesion.

Eosinophilic Myocarditis Associated with Visceral Larva Migrans Caused by Toxocara Canis Infection

A 41-year-old woman who was diagnosed with myocarditis presented eosinophilia. Since the antibody against Toxocara canis (T. canis) was positive, we diagnosed that she had visceral larva migrans due to T. canis associated with myocarditis. She was treated with oral albendazole and prednisolone for two weeks, eosinophil count and hepatic enzymes were normalized after completion of treatment. This is the first report of myocarditis caused by T. canis infection in Korea.

A Case of Sacral Tuberculosis Mimicking Metastatic Bone Tumor with Elevated CA 19-9 / 영남의대학술지

A 73-year-old male presented a six-month history of buttock pain radiating into his thigh. The MRI revealed a large enhancing mass lesion involving the sacrum, with extension into the sacral canal. The tumor markers were measured to distinguish skeletal metastasis of carcinoma from primary bone tumor. The CA 19-9 was elevated. Despite the investigation, the primary site of cancer could not be found. Sacral bone biopsy was done. The pathologic examination revealed necrosis, chronic granulomatous inflammation, and multinucleated giant cells, consistent with tuberculosis. Sacral tuberculosis is rare in patients with no history of tuberculosis. Such solitary osteolytic lesions involving the subarticular region of large joints may mimic bone neoplasms and may be called "tuberculous pseudotumors." This case report intends to emphasize that bone tuberculosis should be a differential diagnosis in the presence of atypical clinical and radiological features. As tuberculous lesions may be mistaken for neoplasms, a small amount of fresh tissue should be sent for culture even if clinical diagnosis of a tumor seems likely. Described herein is a case of sacral tuberculosis mimicking metastatic bone tumor with elevated CA 19-9.