Chemotherapy-induced pneumatosis intestinalis followed by hepatic portal venous gas. A case report.

Pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) is a rare disease, and there are many theories about its pathogenesis. Hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG), is thought to occur secondary to intramural intestinal gas emboli migrating through the portal venous system via the mesenteric veins. PI accompanied by HPVG is usually a sign of bowel ischaemia and is associated with a high mortality rate. We report here, a patient with liver metastases from colorectal cancer who developed PI followed by HPVG after treatment with 5-Fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (mFOLFOX6). Timely attention and management of gastrointestinal symptoms following chemotherapy are essential in the treatment of this type of patient.

[A case of hepatic portal venous gas and upper gastrointestinal mucosal injury due to accidental ingestion of hydrogen peroxide].

A 40-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital by ambulance due to accidental ingestion of 100ml of 35% hydrogen peroxide. Although the patient suffered from frequent vomiting, abdominal distension, and abdominal pain, signs of peritonitis were not observed. An abdominal computed tomography examination demonstrated obvious gas images in the gastric wall and intrahepatic portal veins. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed mucosal redness, swelling, and erosion from the lower part of the esophagus to the duodenum. Portal venous gas and upper gastrointestinal mucosal injury due to accidental hydrogen peroxide ingestion were suspected. As the vital signs were stable and there were no signs peritoneal irritation or neurological symptoms, she was treated medically with vonoprazan, rebamipide, and sodium alginate. The next day, abdominal symptoms immediately improved and 3 days later, hepatic portal venous gas had disappeared on ultrasonography. She was discharged on the 5th day after admission. Two months later, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed improvement in inflammatory findings. We report a remarkable case of hepatic portal venous gas and upper gastrointestinal mucosal injury and elucidate the endoscopic findings associated with hydrogen peroxide ingestion.

Ingestion of food grade hydrogen peroxide with resultant gastrointestinal and neurologic symptoms treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy: case report and review with emphasis on the therapeutic value of HBO2 in vascular gas embolism.

A 52-year-old male accidentally ingested approximately 100 mL of 35% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), resulting in the sudden onset of gastrointestinal and neurologic symptoms. Non-contrast abdominal CT revealed extensive portal venous gas and gastric pneumatosis. The patient was treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy which resulted in complete resolution of symptoms. The case highlights the therapeutic value of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the treatment of vascular gas embolism and mitigation of concentrated H2O2 ingestion toxicity.

Application of a new hyperbaric oxygen therapy protocol in patients with arterial and venous gas embolism due to hydrogen peroxide poisoning.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) ingestion can cause vascular gas embolism (GE). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO2) is known to improve neurological abnormalities in patients with arterial gas embolism (AGE). Previously, HBO2 based on the U.S. Navy Table 6 diving protocol has been adopted for treating AGE and preventing the progression of portal venous GE, caused by H2O2 ingestion, to AGE. However, the indication and protocol for HBO2 have not been established for GE related to H2O2 ingestion. Herein, we describe a case in which GE caused by H2O2 ingestion was treated using HBO2 with a short protocol. A 69-year-old female patient presented with abdominal pain, vomiting, and transient loss of consciousness after ingesting 35% H2O2. Computed tomography revealed gastric wall and portal venous gas. She was administered an HBO2 protocol with 2.8-atmosphere absolute (ATA) compression for 45 minutes. This was followed by a 2.0-ATA treatment for 60 minutes with a five-minute air break, after which all gas bubbles disappeared. After HBO2 treatment, brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed focal cytotoxic edema lesions; however, the patient was discharged without additional symptoms.

Hepatic portal venous gas and combined colchicine-bortezomib toxicity.

Hepatic portal venous gas was found at the abdomen CT of a patient who presented abdomonal pain and ileus in the course of colchine-bortezomib therapy. Drug toxicity was suspected as there was no evidence of intestinal ischemia at laparatomy.

Fatal Brain Injury Following Carbon Dioxide Angiography.

INTRODUCTION: Carbon dioxide (CO2) as a contrast agent has been in use as early as the 1920s for visualization of retroperitoneal structures. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) using CO2 as a contrast agent for vascular imaging was developed in the 1980s. Currently, CO2  angiography is an alternative agent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and those who are at risk of developing contrast-induced nephropathy. However, CO2 causes neurotoxicity if the gas inadvertently enters the cerebrovascular circulation leading to fatal brain injury. CASE PRESENTATION: A 71-year-old female with h/o sickle cell trait, hypertension, obesity, metastatic renal cell cancer status post nephrectomy, bone metastasis, chronic kidney disease was admitted for elective embolization of the humerus bone metastasis. Given the high probability of contrast-induced nephropathy, CO2 angiography was chosen for embolization of the metastasis. During the procedure, the patient became unresponsive. Emergent medical management with hyperventilation, 100% fraction oxygen inhalation was performed. Her neuroimaging showed global cerebral edema. An intracranial pressure monitor was placed which confirmed intracranial hypertension. Hyperosmolar therapy was administered with no improvement in clinical examination. She progressed to brain stem herniation. Given poor prognosis, the family opted for comfort measures and the patient expired. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Inadvertent carbon dioxide entry into cerebrovascular circulation during angiography can cause fatal brain injury. Caution must be exercised while performing CO2  angiography in blood vessels above the diaphragm.

Accidental Concentrated Hydrogen Peroxide Ingestion Associated with Portal Venous Gas.

A case of a 52-year old male patient who presented to the emergency department with severe nausea and vomiting following accidental ingestion of H2O2. A computed tomography (CT) abdomen performed at our institution demonstrated extensive portal venous gas throughout the liver with few gas droplets seen in the extrahepatic portal vein portion. Pneumatosis was also noted in the wall of the gastric antrum. Upper GI Endoscopy was done revealing diffuse hemorrhagic gastritis and mild duodenal bulb erosion. The patient was treated with hyperbaric oxygen. On the second day of admission, the patient was able to eat without difficulty or pain. Accidental ingestion of high concentration H2O2 solution has been shown to cause extensive injury to surrounding tissues. The injury occurs via three main mechanisms: corrosive damage, oxygen gas formation, and lipid peroxidation. We report a case of accidental ingestion of a highly concentrated (35%) solution of H2O2 causing portal venous gas.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the prevention of arterial gas embolism in food grade hydrogen peroxide ingestion.

Food grade hydrogen peroxide ingestion is a relatively rare presentation to the emergency department. There are no defined guidelines at this time regarding the treatment of such exposures, and providers may not be familiar with the potential complications associated with high concentration hydrogen peroxide ingestions. In this case series, we describe four patients who consumed 35% hydrogen peroxide, presented to the emergency department, and were treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Two of the four patients were critically ill requiring intubation. All four patients had evidence on CT or ultrasound of venous gas emboli and intubated patients were treated as if they had an arterial gas embolism since an exam could not be followed. After hyperbaric oxygen therapy each patient was discharged from the hospital neurologically intact with no other associated organ injuries related to vascular gas emboli. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an effective treatment for patients with vascular gas emboli after high concentration hydrogen peroxide ingestion. It is the treatment of choice for any impending, suspected, or diagnosed arterial gas embolism. Further research is needed to determine which patients with portal venous gas emboli should be treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Hydrogen peroxide in orthopaedic surgery - is it worth the risk?

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is commonly used in orthopaedic surgery during cemented arthroplasty and wound washouts. Its purported roles include antisepsis, haemostasis, mechanical debridement, and optimising the cement-bone interface during cementing. However, despite its apparent harmless mechanism of action, H2O2 has been implicated in fatal and near fatal complications caused through oxygen emboli. We present a case of oxygen embolism and review the existing literature to highlight its potential risks and its lack of therapeutic value. We believe there is little role for its use in orthopaedic surgery.

Cerebral arterial gas embolism after pre-flight ingestion of hydrogen peroxide.

Cerebral arterial gas embolism (CAGE) is a feared complication of ambient depressurisation and can also be a complication of hydrogen peroxide ingestion. We present an unusual case of CAGE in a 57-year-old woman exposed to both of these risk factors. We describe her subsequent successful treatment with hyperbaric oxygen, despite a 72-hour delay in initial presentation and diagnosis, and discuss the safety of aero-medical transfer following hydrogen peroxide ingestions.

[Case of portal venous gas and pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis occurring during chemotherapy for a castration-resistant prostate cancer].

Portal venous gas is a rare complication. We present a case of hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) and pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI) in a patient treated with docetaxel for prostate cancer. An 80-year-old man with castration-resistant prostate cancer received 5 cycles of docetaxel. Diarrhea and vomiting appeared on the 4th day of the 5th cycle. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan revealed HPVG and PCI. Since there were neither peritoneal irritation signs nor intestinal necrosis, we performed conservative management. The HPVG and PCI were no longer detected in the abdominal CT scan on the 18th day. Mucosal injury of the bowel wall by docetaxel might have caused HPVG and PCI. This case report is the first description of HPVG and PCI in a patient with castration-resistant prostate cancer in Japan.

Endogenous gas formation of carbon dioxide used for wound flooding--an experimental study with implications regarding gas microembolism during cardiopulmonary bypass.

BACKGROUND: Gas microembolisation is an identified risk in cardiac surgery. Flooding the wound with carbon dioxide is a method proposed to reduce this problem. The high solubility of carbon dioxide is beneficial, but may also cause problems. The gas solubility diminishes at warming and endogenous bubbles are formed when cold blood saturated with carbon dioxide is returned by cardiotomy suction. METHODS: The release of endogenous gas was measured at high resolution in an experimental digital model. A medium (water or blood) was incubated and equilibrated with gas (100% carbon dioxide or air) at a low temperature (10 °C or 23 °C). The temperature was increased to 37 °C and the gas release was measured, at rest and at fluid motion. RESULTS: The amount of carbon dioxide released at warming was substantial for both water and blood (both p=0.005). The effect was more pronounced when the temperature differential increased (p=0.005). However, blood and water differed in these terms: with water, the release of carbon-dioxide started instantly at warming; with blood, carbon dioxide remained dissolved and was released at fluid motion. When blood was warmed from 10 °C to 37 °C, the gas release corresponded to 44.4% (40.6/46.5) of the medium volume (median with quartile range). CONCLUSION: Gas dissolved in a medium becomes released at warming, as confirmed here. Blood exposed to carbon dioxide became heavily oversaturated at warming, with the gas instantly released at fluid motion. The amount of contained gas increased with a higher temperature differential. Our study has relevance to wound flushing, using carbon dioxide, in cardiac surgery. The clinical consequences of these findings remain to be answered.

A Case of Hepatic Portal Venous Gas in a Patient Treated with Pemetrexed and Carboplatin for Lung Cancer.

Hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) has rarely been reported in patients undergoing chemotherapy. We encountered a case of a 64-year-old man with stage IIIA lung adenocarcinoma who received adjuvant chemotherapy with pemetrexed and carboplatin and developed HPVG 1 day after the second chemotherapy. An emergency operation was performed, but the patient died 2 days after the operation because of multiple organ failure caused by sepsis. Since the patient had complained of alternating abdominal bloating and diarrhea during chemotherapy, we considered that the cause of HPVG was intestinal mucosal disruption and increased intraluminal pressure due to the chemotherapy.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for systemic gas embolism after hydrogen peroxide ingestion.

BACKGROUND: Hydrogen peroxide is a commonly available product and its ingestion has been demonstrated to produce in vivo gas bubbles, which can embolize to devastating effect. OBJECTIVE: We report two cases of hydrogen peroxide ingestion with resultant gas embolization, one to the portal system and one cerebral embolus, which were successfully treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO), and review the literature. CASE REPORT: Two individuals presented to our center after unintentional ingestion of concentrated hydrogen peroxide solutions. Symptoms were consistent with portal gas emboli (Patient A) and cerebral gas emboli (Patient B), which were demonstrated on imaging. They were successfully treated with HBO and recovered without event. CONCLUSIONS: As demonstrated by both our experience as well as the current literature, HBO has been used to successfully treat gas emboli associated with hydrogen peroxide ingestion. We recommend consideration of HBO in any cases of significant hydrogen peroxide ingestion with a clinical picture compatible with gas emboli.

Air-embolism and cerebral ischaemia following epidural hydrogen peroxide irrigation in a closed lumbar cavity.

Authors report a case of air-embolism and subsequent ischaemic damage to the brain following intra-operative irrigation with hydrogen peroxide within a closed cavity of a spinal cold abscess of tuberculous origin. Copious amount of undiluted hydrogen peroxide irrigation was deployed under moderate pressure to clean-up the abscess cavity. Post-operatively, the patient developed seizures followed by clinical and radiological features of brain ischaemia ultimately resulting in a fatal outcome. The authors reflect on the events, review the relevant literature regarding intra-operative use of hydrogen peroxide in cranio-spinal procedures, outline mechanism of its actions, and highlight its disadvantages and potential complications.

Portal venous gas emboli after accidental ingestion of concentrated hydrogen peroxide.

BACKGROUND: Hydrogen peroxide is a common household product. It is clear and odorless making it easy to confuse with water, especially when improperly stored. Concentrated formulations are also available for consumer purchase. OBJECTIVE: We report a case of hydrogen peroxide ingestion in a child and discuss the potential consequences and treatment of such an exposure. CASE REPORT: A 12-year-old boy accidentally ingested a sip of concentrated hydrogen peroxide. He rapidly developed hematemesis and presented to the Emergency Department. His initial work-up was unremarkable, and his symptoms resolved quickly. However, diffuse gas emboli were found within the portal system on abdominal computed tomography. The child was treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy and later found to have gastric irritation as well as an ulcer on endoscopy. He recovered fully from the incident. CONCLUSIONS: We present this case to increase awareness of the dangers of hydrogen peroxide ingestion in children. Fortunately, the child in this case recovered fully, but emergency physicians should be aware of the potential consequences and therapeutic options.