The Villain Who Saved the Day: The Paradoxical Value of Amiodarone in Managing Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia Secondary to Amiodarone-Induced Thyroiditis.

Thyroiditis is a rare and serious complication for patients taking amiodarone. It can manifest with symptoms of hyperthyroidism and serious life-threatening arrhythmias. We present a case of a patient with amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis presenting with an electrical storm in which rhythm control was achieved with the utilization of amiodarone.

Porphyria cutanea tarda: an under-recognised manifestation of haemochromatosis.

We present a case of a woman who presented with a photosensitive skin rash and blisters on her extremities which did not improve with steroids. These were associated with polyarthralgia and a deranged liver function test on her admission. Further workup revealed that the patient has an undiagnosed porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) and hereditary haemochromatosis. The patient later underwent regular venesections which improved her condition. This case report not only illustrates the challenge in diagnosing PCT but also aims to highlight the association between PCT and hereditary haemochromatosis.

Gastroparesis: an under-recognised manifestation of systemic amyloidosis.

Gastrointestinal (GI) amyloidosis can be acquired or genetic and is commonly caused by chronic inflammatory illnesses (AA amyloidosis), haematological malignancies (AL amyloidosis) and end-stage renal disease (beta-2 microglobulin amyloidosis). The accumulation of these aberrant proteins disrupts the structures and functions of many organs; the least common of which is the GI tract. GI presentations depend on the type, location and amount of amyloid deposition. Symptoms can range from nausea and vomiting to fatal GI bleeds. Pathological examination of the involved tissue with characteristic green birefringence under polarised light is used to confirm the diagnosis. Patients should be considered for further evaluation to rule out additional organ involvement, notably cardiac and renal. We present a patient with amyloidosis-induced gastroparesis, an under-recognised presentation of systemic amyloidosis in the gastroenterology system.

Stress cardiomyopathy as a cardiovascular manifestation of COVID-19.

Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may present with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, affecting several organ systems. Predominant cardiac manifestations include myocardial injury, heart failure, cardiogenic shock, and arrhythmias. Stress (takotsubo) cardiomyopathy, characterized by apical ballooning of the heart leading to acute left ventricular dysfunction, is rarely seen in patients with COVID-19. We present a case of COVID-19-associated stress cardiomyopathy in a female in her sixties.

Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Sedated Patient after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (EDKA) is a rare and serious adverse effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i). The diagnosis is challenging due to the rarity, nonspecific symptoms, and absence of the alarmingly high blood glucose levels, and thus, it could be initially missed resulting in delayed treatment. This is particularly important for sedated patients, as the absence of typical clinical signs and symptoms can obscure the diagnosis. We present the case of a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus on empagliflozin who developed EDKA while sedated after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) despite stopping the medication 24 hours prior to surgery. We also summarize the current literature on EDKA after CABG. Physicians must be aware and maintain a high index of suspicion for the illness, especially in patients with T2DM taking SGLT-2i and undergoing a major operation such as CABG. Emergent treatment and multidisciplinary follow-up are needed to improve patient outcomes and mitigate complications. Physicians should also consider identifying the optimal time to discontinue SGLT-2i before major surgeries and possible ketone studies in such patients, especially those sedated following the surgery.

Mixed venous versus central venous oxygen saturation in patients undergoing on pump beating coronary artery bypass grafting.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the validity of central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO(2)) as a numerical substitution of mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO(2)) in adult patients undergoing normothermic on pump beating coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective clinical observational study was done at King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Thirty four adult patients scheduled for coronary artery surgery were included. Patients were monitored by a pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) as a part of our routine intraoperative monitoring. SvO(2) and ScvO(2) were simultaneously measured 15 minutes (T1) and 30 minutes (T2) after induction of anesthesia, 15 and 30 minutes after initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass (T3 and T4), and 15 and 30 minutes after admission to intensive care unit (T5 and T6). RESULTS: ScvO(2) showed higher reading than SvO(2) all through our study. Our results showed perfect positive statistically significant correlation between SvO(2) and ScvO(2) at all data points. Individual mean of difference (MOD) between both the readings at study time showed MOD of 1.34 and 1.44 at T1 and T2 simultaneously. This MOD was statistically insignificant, but after on pump beating normothermic bypass was initiated; MOD was 5.2 and 4.4 at T3 and T4 with high statistical significance. In ICU, MOD continues to have high statistical significance, MOD was 6.3 at T5 and at T6 it was 4.6. CONCLUSIONS: In on pump beating CABG patients; ScvO(2) and SvO(2) are not interchangeable numerically. ScvO(2) is useful in the meaning of trend; our data suggest that ScvO(2) is equivalent to SvO(2) , only in the course of clinical decisions as long as absolute values are not required.

The effect of positive pressure ventilatory patterns on post-bypass lung functions.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed at evaluating the effect of application of different patterns of positive ventilatory pressure either during or after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), on lung functions. METHODS: 30 patients undergoing coronary artery revascularisation under the management of CPB were randomly allocated into 3 groups. Group I (VCM) 10 patients were subjected to manual vital capacity manoeuvre (VCM) before weaning off the CPB. Group II (CPAP) 10 patients were subjected to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) of 10 cmH2O during CPB. Group III (PEEP) 10 patients were subjected to positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 7 cmH2O after weaning off the CPB. Measurements included the PO2, PCO2, together with derived calculated parameters as the alveolar-arterial oxygen difference [P (A-a) DO2] and shunt fraction, as well as the dynamic lung compliance being recorded directly from the anesthetic and ventilatory equipments. All readings were taken on closed chest and on FiO2 of 0.5. Intraoperative anesthetic and surgical data as well as postoperative extubation time and length of ICU stay were also evaluated. RESULTS: Statistical analysis of ventilatory parameters showed no significant differences for both PO2 and PCO2 in between the studied groups. Alveolar-Arterial oxygen difference mean values were comparable in the 3 studied groups. The mean values of intrapulmonary shunt fraction showed a significant difference in relation to the baseline values in Group I (VCM) and Group III (PEEP) at 30 minutes after ICU admission and 4 hours post CPB with estimated P value < 0.01 and < 0.05 respectively, while in Group II (CPAP) mean values started to be significant after chest closure with a P value < 0.05, but there was no significant intergroup differences with a P value > 0.01. Dynamic lung compliance mean values showed no intergroup statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Maintenance of ventilatory parameters was achieved in all the positive pressure ventilatory methods applied, either being applied during or after CPB.