Clinical Presentation and Risk Factors of Venous Thromboembolic Disease.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) has a wide range of clinical presentations. Deep venous thrombosis may occur in upper or lower extremities or in visceral veins. Extremity deep venous thrombosis usually manifests with unilateral painful swelling in the limb, while visceral deep venous thrombosis manifestations vary on the basis of the involved organ. Pulmonary embolism classically manifests with sudden pleuritic chest pain and unexplained dyspnea. Superficial thrombophlebitis usually presents with acute inflammation around a palpable thrombosed superficial vein. Risk factors of VTE are either inherited or acquired. The inherited causes of VTE tend to be familial and more common in younger patients. The common acquired risk factors of VTE include previous history of venous thrombosis, immobilization, recent surgery or trauma, malignancy, and pregnancy. Identifying high-risk patients for VTE based on these risk factors is the cornerstone to provide the prophylactic treatment to prevent thrombotic events.

Diagnostic Considerations of Venous Thromboembolic Disease.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) includes deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). The clinical presentation of VTE is nonspecific and requires confirmatory testing. The most common diagnostic tool for DVT is duplex ultrasonography since it is a noninvasive test with high accuracy. Contrast venography is considered the gold standard modality to diagnose DVT, but it is an invasive test. Magnetic resonance venography and computed tomography venography are alternative diagnostic methods for DVT, which can be helpful in certain circumstances. Pulmonary embolism is commonly diagnosed by computed tomography pulmonary angiography. Ventilation perfusion scanning is an alternative imaging to diagnose PE in patients who cannot receive intravenous contrast. Pulmonary angiography is still the gold standard in the diagnosis of PE and is usually needed in specific conditions. D-dimer assay can be utilized in ruling VTE out in low-risk patients. Estimating the pretest clinical probability for having VTE is the key step in guiding the clinicians and nurses to the appropriate diagnostic method for patients with suspected DVT or PE.

Venous Thromboembolism and Pulmonary Embolism Response Teams: An Overview.

Venous thromboembolism is a common disease with a wide array of signs and symptoms. It has been cited as the third leading cause of cardiovascular death, and if left untreated, it leads to death in 1 in 4 patients. Sophisticated diagnostic tools have allowed physician to become more accurate in diagnosing pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis. The advent of new oral anticoagulants, the emergence of pulmonary embolism response teams, and protocols demonstrate recent achievements in the management of venous thromboembolism. The focus of this article is to discuss the treatment of venous thromboembolism.

Prophylaxis for Venous Thromboembolism.

Venous thromboembolisms are major risk factors for many of our hospitalized patients. These events, however, can be prevented with prophylactic measurements when administered appropriately and on a timely basis. As patients are admitted, discharged, transferred, and scheduled for procedures on an hourly basis, anticoagulation and deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis are held or discontinued in anticipation for possible procedures. This results in delay of care and intervals where patients may not be covered with any prophylactic measurements. Similarly, alterations in clinical status can quickly change such as an increase in creatinine levels or the development of a new bleed, thus requiring a revision in their deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis. Nurses, therefore, play an integral role in not only administering the medicine but also routinely assessing the patients' clinical status and, therefore, their deep vein thrombosis prophylactic regimens as well. This article will review the indications, scoring systems, common prophylactic methods, and special populations at increased risks for venous thromboembolisms.

Special Circumstances and Populations.

Venous thromboembolism is a condition that includes both deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Venous thromboembolism disease can result because of a combination of risk factors, including patient-related, treatment-related, and, more specifically, cancer-related factors. It is not disease-specific or a population-specific disorder, but it is more prevalent in certain specialty populations. This article will cover those specialty populations including cancer, pregnancy, and athletes.

Asthma.

Asthma is one of the most frequent chronic respiratory diseases worldwide, with an increase in its prevalence in the last decade. Ongoing studies continue to search for better diagnostic tools and advanced treatment options in an effort to decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with it. Unfortunately, many asthmatic patients still suffer from poorly controlled asthma, which may lead to life-threatening situations. This article reviews the basics of asthma and highlights the current guidelines in making accurate diagnosis and initiating therapeutic plan.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic smoking-related lung disease associated with significant mortality and morbidity. It carries an enormous economic burden on the health care system. This results in a significant social impact on affected patients and their families. In this article, we review COPD in general, critical care management of patients presenting with acute exacerbation of COPD, and methods of prevention.

Coronavirus Disease 2019-Associated Bilateral Massive Pulmonary Emboli Caused Death in a Healthy 35-Year-Old Patient.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection was first reported in December 2019. Within three months, the virus caused a global pandemic that has affected the whole world's dynamics. Many causes of death due to COVID-19 infection have been identified, involving but not limited to atypical acute respiratory distress syndrome, hypercoagulability, renal failure, and a proinflammatory cytokine storm, often associated with multiorgan failure. We report the case of a young, previously healthy patient who developed massive pulmonary emboli due to COVID-19 infection, resulting in death.

One of the Largest Pancreatic Pseudocysts in the Literature: A Case Report.

The pancreatic pseudocyst is a pancreatic fluid collection which classically develops due to acute or chronic pancreatitis. A 68-year-old male with the remote history of alcohol abuse presented with abdominal pain secondary to acute pancreatitis. The first computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen showed acute necrotizing pancreatitis. He was initially treated conservatively. Repeat CT of the abdomen after two weeks revealed a peripancreatic fluid collection of 20x12x10 cm. One month later, he became septic following biliary stent placement. Repeat CT of the abdomen showed an enlarging pseudocyst of 25x20x14 cm (estimated 7000 mL of fluid). Percutaneous CT-guided cyst drainage was performed and only three liters of infected fluid could be drained which eventually grew Enterococcus faecalis. Due to lack of improvement, he underwent laparotomy with pancreatic necrosectomy, pseudocyst debridement, and cholecystectomy. The patient did well postoperatively and until one-year follow-up visit. The largest pancreatic pseudocyst in the literature (about 9500 mL) was reported in 1882. To our knowledge, this case is the second largest pseudocyst in the literature which was successfully managed by surgical resection.

Suboptimal implementation of diagnostic algorithms and overuse of computed tomography-pulmonary angiography in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism.

BACKGROUND: Majority of our computed tomography-pulmonary angiography (CTPA) scans report negative findings. We hypothesized that suboptimal reliance on diagnostic algorithms contributes to apparent overuse of this test. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed on 2031 CTPA cases in a large hospital system. Investigators retrospectively calculated pretest probability (PTP). Use of CTPA was considered as inappropriate when it was ordered for patients with low PTP without checking D-dimer (DD) or following negative DD. RESULTS: Among the 2031 cases, pulmonary embolism (PE) was found in 7.4% (151 cases). About 1784 patients (88%) were considered "PE unlikely" based on Wells score. Out of those patients, 1084 cases (61%) did not have DD test prior to CTPA. In addition, 78 patients with negative DD underwent unnecessary CTPA; none of them had PE. CONCLUSIONS: The suboptimal implementation of PTP assessment tools can result in the overuse of CTPA, contributing to ineffective utilization of hospital resources, increased cost, and potential harm to patients.

Severe Acute Traumatic Mitral Regurgitation, Cardiogenic Shock Secondary to Embolized Polymethylmethracrylate Cement Foreign Body After a Percutaneous Vertebroplasty.

We report the case of a 61-year-old woman with acute decompensated heart failure secondary to acute traumatic mitral regurgitation, resulting from polymethylmethacrylate cement found in the left ventricle less than 24 hours after fluoroscopic percutaneous vertebroplasty. The patient had a history of ovarian cancer and had undergone treatment for symptomatic osteoporotic compression fractures of the vertebrae (T11, L1, and L3). The patient underwent a successful emergency open-heart operation, mitral valve replacement, closure of an atrial septal defect, and video-assisted removal of the cement foreign body from the left ventricle. The patient was later discharged with a good outcome.

Cytomegalovirus Cutaneous Infection in an Immunocompromised Patient.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV), a member of the Herpesviridae family, is an opportunistic infection with a typically benign course in the healthy host but has a more ominous course in the immunocompromised population. CMV infection commonly affects the visceral organs, particularly the respiratory and the gastrointestinal tract. CMV cutaneous lesions are rare and can be easily missed. We present a case of a 76-year-old woman presenting with a diffuse non-pruritic macular lesion with scattered vesicles and bullae, which was initially treated as a varicella zoster virus infection and herpes simplex viral infection, but was later found on biopsy to be due to cytomegalovirus. She has a history of Sjögren's syndrome, interstitial lung disease, and being on chronic immunosuppression therapy. This case highlights the importance of considering CMV infection in the differential diagnosis of vesicular skin lesions in immunocompromised patients. Based on a PubMed search for "cutaneous cytomegalovirus", "cutaneous CMV", "cytomegalovirus skin", and "skin CMV" in material published in the last 20 years (from 1996 to 2016) and reviewing any applicable referenced material outside of those dates, cases of cutaneous CMV are not well documented.

Spontaneous intercostal lung herniation complicated by rib fractures: a therapeutic dilemma.

Lung herniation has been defined as a protrusion of lung tissue through its bounding structure. We present a case of spontaneous intercostal lung herniation following bouts of cough, which was complicated by multiple rib fractures, in which we had to adopt a non-surgical approach due to the clinical circumstance. Its understanding in the field of internal medicine is important as appropriate therapeutic judgment, and long-term follow-up is essential for full recovery.