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Key Clinical Message: We describe a patient who lost her vision because of Lemierre's syndrome. Ophthalmologic complications of Lemierre's syndrome are rare, and very few cases have been reported. Clinicians need to recognize that it is a serious condition that can lead to blindness in some cases. Abstract: Lemierre's syndrome is a systemic septic embolism resulting from thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein. We report a case of blindness caused by Lemierre's syndrome, despite prompt diagnosis and early treatment. A 36-year-old woman was transported to our hospital. She presented with fever, facial swelling, and right visual acuity deterioration. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a retropharyngeal abscess and right internal jugular vein thrombosis. Blood culture revealed Fusobacterium necrophorum, suggesting Lemierre's syndrome. The patient had septic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation. We diagnosed her visual impairment as orbital-apex syndrome due to spread of inflammation. After 6 weeks of antimicrobial drug treatments, her general condition had improved, and the retropharyngeal abscess had disappeared. On Day 49 of her illness, she was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital, but her visual acuity was not restored. Clinicians should be aware that Lemierre's syndrome can, although rarely, cause blindness.
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Background: We examined the association between body mass index (BMI) and outcomes in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) undergoing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the database of an observational multicenter cohort in Japan. Adult patients with OHCA of cardiac etiology who received ECPR between 2013 and 2018 were categorized as follows: underweight, BMI < 18.5; normal weight, BMI = 18.5-24.9; overweight, BMI = 25-29.9; and obese, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality; secondary outcomes were unfavorable neurological outcomes at discharge (cerebral performance category ≥ 3) and ECPR-related complications. BMI's association with outcomes was assessed using a logistic regression model adjusted for age, sex, comorbidities, witness/bystander CPR, initial rhythm, prehospital return of spontaneous circulation, and low-flow time. Results: In total, 1,044 patients were analyzed. Their median age was 61 (IQR, 49-69) years; the median BMI was 24.2 (21.5-26.9) kg/m2. The overall rates of in-hospital mortality, unfavorable neurological outcome, and ECPR-related complications were 62.2%, 79.9%, and 31.7%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, the overweight and obese groups had higher in-hospital mortality odds than the normal BMI group (odds ratio [95%CI], 1.37 [1.02-1.85], p = 0.035; and 2.09 [1.31-3.39], p < 0.001, respectively). The odds ratio for unfavorable neurological outcomes increased more in the obese than in the normal BMI group (3.17 [1.69-6.49], p < 0.001). ECPR-related complications were not significantly different among groups. Conclusions: In OHCA patients undergoing ECPR, a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 was associated with increased in-hospital mortality, and a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 was also associated with a worse neurological outcome.
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BACKGROUND: There has been insufficient evidence regarding a treatment strategy for patients with non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia (NOMI) due to the lack of large-scale studies. We aimed to evaluate the clinical benefit of strategic planned relaparotomy in patients with NOMI using detailed perioperative information. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study that included NOMI patients who underwent laparotomy. In-hospital mortality, 28-day mortality, incidence of total adverse events, ventilator-free days, and intensive care unit (ICU)-free days were compared between groups experiencing the planned and on-demand relaparotomy strategies. Analyses were performed using a multivariate mixed effects model and a propensity score matching model after adjusting for pre-operative, intra-operative, and hospital-related confounders. RESULTS: A total of 181 patients from 17 hospitals were included, of whom 107 (59.1%) were treated using the planned relaparotomy strategy. The multivariate mixed effects regression model indicated no significant differences for in-hospital mortality (61 patients [57.0%] in the planned relaparotomy group vs. 28 patients [37.8%] in the on-demand relaparotomy group; adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval] = 1.94 [0.78-4.80]), as well as in 28-day mortality, adverse events, and ICU-free days. Significant reduction in ventilator-free days was observed in the planned relaparotomy group. Propensity score matching analysis of 61 matched pairs with comparable patient severity did not show superiority of the planned relaparotomy strategy. CONCLUSIONS: The planned relaparotomy strategy, compared with on-demand relaparotomy strategy, did not show clinical benefits after the initial surgery of patients with NOMI. Further studies estimating potential subpopulations who may benefit from this strategy are required.