Features of patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding and factors affecting the re-bleeding risk.

BACKGROUND: The risk of re-bleeding in upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a major complication that can be mortal. In this study, we aimed to determine the factors that can predict the risk of re-bleeding in UGIB patients. METHODS: We retrospectively screened UGIB patients admitted in adult intensive care. Along with age and gender, complaints of admission, vital signs, comorbidities, laboratory findings, medications, endoscopy status, and re-bleeding status were recorded. According to these findings, Glasgow-Blatchford and AIMS65 scores of the patients were calculated. All statistical tests were performed with the Predictive Analytics Software (PASW®, version 18, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). RESULTS: A total of 241 patients were included in the study. Mean age of patients was 57.58±19.31, years and 176 (73.0%) of them were male. A total of 117 (48.5%) patients were Helicobacter pylori positive and re-bleeding occurred in 77 (32.0%) patients. Sclerotherapy was applied in 103 (42.7%) patients, while 5 (2.1%) underwent electrocoagulation, and 4 (1.7%) underwent hemoclips. There was a significant difference between patients with and without endoscopic intervention for re-bleeding (p<0.001). Hematocrit, urea values, Glasgow-Blatchford, and AIMS65 scores were statistically significant different between the groups with and without re-bleeding (p=<0.001, <0.001, <0.001, and 0.008, respectively). In the ROC analysis of Glasgow-Blatchford and AIMS65 scoring systems area, under the curve values were 0.700 (p=<0.001, 95% CI: 0.626-0.775), and 0.557 (p=0.194, CI 95%: 0.469-0.645), respectively. Mortality rate was 2.1% (n=5) among study population. CONCLUSION: Hematocrit and urea values seem beneficial among studied laboratory values, however, Glasgow-Blatchford scoring system performed better than AIMS65 in the prediction of re-bleeding risk in UGIB. The authors concluded that more specific predictive markers may be useful for clinicians.

Pneumomediastinum, pneumocephalus, and bilateral pneumo-orbita in the same patient: a rare dangerous coexistence but a lucky prognosis.

Trauma is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity among young adults. In the emergency department, blunt and penetrating traumas must be evaluated carefully especially for life-threatening conditions. High-pressure air is a rare penetrating trauma type. Pneumomediastinum, pneumocephalus, and bilateral pneumo-orbita are all dangerous conditions and coexistence of them is extremely rare. There is no consensus for the treatment of this concurrence and, moreover, there is no opportunity for future randomized studies. Hence, in this study, we report a pneumomediastinum, pneumocephalus, and bilateral pneumo-orbita case after high-pressure air trauma and resolution with supportive care without any complication.

A life-threatening condition: The pulmonary artery air embolism.

INTRODUCTION: Air embolism is a very rare condition which occurs when air or gas enter into the vascular system in either the venous or arterial route. It can occur following a variety of circumstances ranging from invasive procedures to either blunt or penetrating trauma conditions. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a 39-year-old male who had an air embolism in the pulmonary artery as a consequence of the injection of a contrast agent. He had dyspnea and chest pain following a contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography imaging. He was successfully treated and discharged from our hospital. CONCLUSION: Air embolism is rare, but can be fatal. The critical care providers should be familiar with the signs indicating air embolism and be ready to perform the main therapeutic maneuvers. Early detection of this clinical condition is essential to prevent morbidity and mortality.

Nail Scissor as a Rare Foreign Body in the Urethra: Case Report.

Foreign bodies in the urethra are rare in the literature. A majority of the foreign bodies administered in the urethra are because of a psychiatric disorder, senility, intoxication, and self-erotic stimulation. Clinical examination and imaging tests, such as X-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been used for the diagnosis of foreign bodies. Surgical exploration or endoscopic extraction are the main approaches to the treatment. This case report deals with a 45-year-old male patient who was admitted with urethral pain to the emergency service. A nail scissor was diagnosed in the urethra and endoscopic extraction was performed under regional anesthesia.

How reliable are electrolyte and metabolite results measured by a blood gas analyzer in the ED?

INTRODUCTION: Blood gas analysis is a frequently ordered test in emergency departments for many indications. It is a rapid technique that can analyze electrolyte and metabolites in addition to pH and blood gases. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation of electrolyte and metabolite results measured by blood gas and core laboratory analyzers. METHODS: This was a prospective, single-center observational study conducted in a tertiary care center's emergency department. All adult patients requiring arterial/venous blood gas analysis and core laboratory tests together for any purpose were consecutively included in the study between April 2014 and July 2015. Patients younger than 16 years, having any intravenous infusion or blood transfusion prior to sampling, or who were pregnant were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 1094 patients' (male = 547, female = 547) paired blood samples were analyzed. The mean age was 58.10 ± 21.35 years, and there was no difference between arterial and venous sampling groups by age, pH, or sex (P = .93, .56, and .41, respectively). Correlation coefficients for hemoglobin, hematocrit, glucose, potassium, sodium, and chloride levels measured by blood gas analyzer and core laboratory analyzers were 0.922, 0.896, 0.964, 0.823, 0.854, and 0.791, respectively. CONCLUSION: Blood gas analysis results were strongly correlated for hemoglobin, hematocrit, glucose, potassium, and sodium levels but were only moderately correlated for chloride levels. These parameters as measured by a blood gas analyzer seem reliable in critical decision making but must be validated by core laboratory results.

N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide as a marker of blunt cardiac contusion in trauma.

Cardiac contusion is usually caused by blunt chest trauma and, although it is potentially a life-threatening condition, the diagnosis of a myocardial contusion is difficult because of non-specific symptoms and the lack of an ideal test to detect myocardial damage. Cardiac enzymes, such as creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase MB fraction (CK-MB), cardiac troponin I (cTn-I), and cardiac troponin T (cTn-T) were used in previous studies to demonstrate the blunt cardiac contusion (BCC). Each of these diagnostic tests alone is not effective for diagnosis of BCC. The aim of this study was to investigate the serum heart-type fatty acid binding protein (h-FABP), N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), CK, CK-MB, and cTn-I levels as a marker of BCC in blunt chest trauma in rats. The eighteen Wistar albino rats were randomly allocated to two groups; group I (control) (n=8) and group II (blunt chest trauma) (n=10). Isolated BCC was induced by the method described by Raghavendran et al. (2005). All rats were observed in their cages and blood samples were collected after five hours of trauma for the analysis of serum h-FABP, NT-pro BNP, CK, CK-MB, and cTn-I levels. The mean serum NT-pro BNP was significantly different between group I and II (10.3 ± 2.10 ng/L versus 15.4 ± 3.68 ng/L, respectively; P=0.0001). NT-pro BNP level >13 ng/ml had a sensitivity of 87.5%, a specificity of 70%, a positive predictive value of 70%, and a negative predictive value of 87.5% for predicting blunt chest trauma (area under curve was 0.794 and P=0.037). There was no significant difference between two groups in serum h-FABP, CK, CK-MB and c Tn-I levels. A relation between NT-Pro BNP and BCC was shown in this study. Serum NT-proBNP levels significantly increased with BCC after 5 hours of the blunt chest trauma. The use of NT-proBNP as an adjunct to other diagnostic tests, such as troponins, electrocardiography (ECG), chest x-ray and echocardiogram may be beneficial for diagnosis of BCC.

Salbutamol Abuse is Associated with Ventricular Fibrillation.

Salbutamol-induced cardiac complications are well-established. Herein, we describe a case of a 24-year female who was admitted to the emergency department because of a suicide attempt with salbutamol (76 mg). Salbutamol abuse induced the development of supraventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. Regular sinus rhythm was restored with defibrillation. The hypokalemic patient who stayed in the intensive care unit was discharged after 48 hours of hospitalization.

Hypertriglyceridemia induced pancreatitis (chylomicronemia syndrome) treated with supportive care.

Hypertriglyceridemia is a rare cause of pancreatitis. In treatment pancreatic rest, lifestyle changes, medications (fibrates, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and nicotinic acid) are essential. Many experimental treatment modalities have been reported as insulin and heparin infusion and plasmapheresis. In this study we present the hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis treated with supportive care.

Open reduction and pinning for the treatment of Gartland extension type III supracondylar humeral fractures in children.

In this study, we aim to evaluate the clinical and radiological results of children who were treated with four different surgical approaches. In our clinics between February 2004 and November 2012, the children who underwent surgical treatment for supracondylar humeral fractures and whose data were available with regular follow-up of at least 1 year were included in the study. Clinical outcomes were evaluated for 54 patients with Gartland type 3 extension supracondylar fractures. Functional and cosmetic results of the patients were determined according to the Flynn criteria. Mean age of the patients was 4.9 (between 2 and 14) among which 26 of them were girls and 28 were boys. Mean operation time was 45 (35-85) min. Average length of hospital stay (LHS) was 2.9 (1-7) days. Average duration of splints was 3.5 (2-6) weeks, while the average removal period of the wires was 4.6 (3-8) weeks. Mean consolidation time was 4.6 weeks (3-8). Mean follow-up was 14.36 months. In our study, we performed 54 patients functional and cosmetic results. While 48 of the patients had satisfying results (excellent, good, or fair), six of them had unsatisfactory (poor) results. The results of this study suggest that clinical results with surgical treatment of Gartland type 3 extension fractures were satisfactory. However, the delay in the surgical treatment may cause a number of complications.

A staged surgical treatment outcome of type 3 open tibial fractures.

Aim. In these case series which are about type 3 open tibial fractures formed with three different high energy trauma etiologies in different parts of tibia. We aimed to assess our three-stage treatment approach and discuss final results of our elective surgery management with three different fixation methods. Patients and Methods. We assessed 19 patients with type 3 open tibial fractures between 2009 and 2012. Our treatment protocol consisted of three stages. Early intervention in operating room, which including vascular repairs or soft tissue closure, was done if necessary. Definitive surgery was performed using internal or external fixation in the first 15 days. Patients were followed up for at least one year. Last conditions of all our cases were evaluated according to modified Johner and Wruhs criteria. Results. Nine cases were type 3A, seven cases were type 3B, and three cases were type 3C in terms of fracture typing. All patients were followed up for at least one year and mean follow up time was 15 months. In terms of functional and clinical outcome, six cases were evaluated as excellent, eight cases as good, two cases as fair, and three cases as poor. Discussion. Staged treatment option in type 3 open tibial fractures seems to be a good method in reducing complication and achieving the best result. We think that definitive staged treatment protocol including internal fixation with plating or intramedullary nailing (IMN) of the fractures is a reliable method, especially to avoid complications as a result of external fixator and to provide patient rapport.

Surgical treatment of osteopetrosis-related femoral fractures: two case reports and literature review.

Osteopetrosis is a rare hereditary disease which is characterized by increased bone density. Bone resorption is insufficient or fails due to the osteoclast defect in osteopetrosis. Half of the patients are asymptomatic and diagnosed incidentally or based on the presence of fracture. Adult onset osteopetrosis usually presents with hip and proximal femoral fractures. Internal fixation can be performed; however, technical challenges may be experienced due to increased bone density. As in other fractures, nonunion or varus malunion of these fractures may occur. Although rare, osteopetrosis may complicate treatment of fractures in such patients. In this study, we aimed to present two new cases of ADO type II with an osteopetrotic femoral fracture along with the clinical and radiological findings in the light of a comprehensive literature review. Orthopaedics surgeons should be aware of intraoperative technical difficulties and possible postoperative complications during the follow-up period. Investigation would be beneficial for the diagnosis of osteopetrosis such the patient with fractures who has minor trauma history and increased bone density in radiography.

A life-threatening complication of warfarin therapy in ED: diffuse alveolar hemorrhage.

Warfarin have some serious adverse effects, and bleeding is one of the most serious and frequent of them. In this case report, we present the diffuse alveolar hemorrhage case as a rare and life-threatening complication of warfarin.