Appendicitis with concurrent COVID-19 infection in a patient during the third trimester of pregnancy.

This article presents an unusual case of appendicitis in pregnancy complicated by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The novel coronavirus has affected the way medicine is practised across most parts of the world with over 160 000 000 global cases to date. Tackling management of these cases is more complex when other pathological processes are ongoing. Appendicitis is a common occurrence in pregnancy, with most obstetric centres seeing about one or two cases a year. Though maternal morbidity and mortality are relatively unimpacted by this event, fetal loss and preterm labour are common sequelae. This case involves a 35-year-old woman presenting in her third trimester with abdominal pain and who went on to be diagnosed with concurrent appendicitis and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although spinal anaesthesia would be most appropriate as it avoids aerosol generation, general anaesthetic techniques were indicated due to thrombocytopenia in this case. She underwent a successful appendicectomy, although preterm delivery was indicated as a result of maternal and fetal concerns.

Acute upper gastrointestinal bleed in the puerperium following weight reduction surgery.

Bariatric surgery is often a definitive treatment for obesity and is increasingly being performed on women of childbearing age. While bariatric surgery may reduce the risk of obesity in pregnancy, there are new complications which can develop following these procedures. Our case describes a 31-year-old women who presented in the puerperium with a life-threatening upper gastrointestinal bleed secondary to marginal ulceration following a Roux-en-Y procedure. This case report discusses a rare case of acute upper gastrointestinal bleed in the postnatal period and highlights the risk factors and complications which may present in the obstetrical patient following bariatric surgery. With the increasing use of weight loss surgery in obese women and the associated improvement in fertility following, we must remain aware of the risks and these women should be identified at booking so that their antenatal and postnatal care can be tailored accordingly.

Admission to ICU "solely for possible organ donation"-audit of current New Zealand practice.

AIM: Admission of patients with likely fatal illness to ICU "solely for possible organ donation" has been a long-standing practice in New Zealand. This is advocated as a means of increasing the availability of organs for transplant. We sought to determine the extent and characteristics of current clinical practice. METHOD: We identified patients admitted "solely for possible organ donation" from a total of 2,686 patients who died in the 24 public hospital ICUs in New Zealand between 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2019. We determined their characteristics, resource utilisation and organ and tissue donation outcomes. RESULTS: There were 49 patients (F26, M23; age range 9 days to 79 years, median 57 years, European 36, Maori 11, Pacific 1, Asian 1). On 26 occasions (57%) ICU admission was preceded by a "preliminary family discussion about donation". Eighteen of the 24 ICUs admitted at least one patient (range 1 to 13, median 2) over the two-year period. All 49 patients had evidence of catastrophic brain damage at the time of ICU admission; they used a total of 60 ICU days, including 15.5 days for one patient who was actively treated after spontaneous improvement. Death occurred between 5 minutes and 15 days, median 18.7 hours after ICU admission; all but one death occurred by 82 hours. Distribution of ICU stay was similar for the 20 patients who donated and for those 29 who did not. Brain death developed in 22 patients, 20 of whom donated 63 organs, 15% of the total 430 organs donated by all deceased donors over the period. Organs from 20 donors were transplanted into 58 recipients, 14% of the total 417 recipients of deceased-donor organs over the period. Nine of the 49 patients also donated tissues for transplantation. CONCLUSION: There are already a small number of patients being admitted to ICUs in New Zealand "solely for possible organ donation", the majority following prior family discussion of donation. These patients occupy a small number of ICU bed-days and contribute ~15% of the deceased donation activity. Organ Donation New Zealand has developed and recently promulgated recommended best practice guidelines for clinicians in the ICU and emergency departments and is supporting expansion of the practice within the scope of these guidelines.

The paediatrician and the management of common gynaecological conditions.

Paediatric gynaecology is an emerging discipline. Since 2000, there has been an advanced training programme in paediatric gynaecology available for obstetric and gynaecology trainees; additionally, a set of clinical standards 1 for the care of paediatric and adolescent patients has been developed by The British Society of Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology (BritSPAG). BritSPAG is a multidisciplinary group of professionals including gynaecologists, paediatricians, paediatric urologists and endocrinologists.Girls with gynaecological conditions are often seen in general paediatric services; it is important that those assessing them are confident in identifying patients who require more specialist care. Despite this, gynaecology does not appear in the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health curriculum. This article aims to increase the knowledge base and confidence of paediatricians in dealing with common paediatric and adolescent gynaecological conditions.

Thrombolysis for stroke in pregnancy at 39 weeks gestation with a subsequent normal delivery.

Stroke during pregnancy is fortunately a rare event, however, it can have severe consequences, with 9.5% of all maternal deaths being related to stroke. The most common presentation is an ischaemic stroke. There has been much debate as to the correct treatment for such cases' and whether thrombolysis can be used safely in pregnancy. Our case describes a 28-year-old woman with a previous normal vaginal delivery presenting in her third trimester with a sudden onset of dense left hemiparesis. She was successfully treated with alteplase, an intravenous recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator, and made a full recovery after normal delivery of a healthy infant. This case report highlights one of the first documented successful outcomes from thrombolysis for this condition in the UK and may help inform future management of these women.

Uterine myxoid leiomyosarcoma with an underlying haematological disorder--case report and review of literature.

Uterine myxoid leiomyosarcoma is an exceptionally unusual variant of leiomyosarcoma with only 34 cases having been reported in the literature. The authors describe a case of myxoid leiomyosaroma with an underlying haematological profile that has not been described previously. A 38-year-old Caucasian woman with a known uterine fibroid discovered during pregnancy presented to the emergency department with heavy per vaginal bleeding. On examination, she had a large abdominal mass. She had a haemoglobin level of 5.2, platelets of 16 and a low white cell count. She received multiple blood and platelet transfusions, despite which her haemoglobin and platelet count levels remained low. She underwent two bone marrow biopsies, which were inconclusive. She underwent laparotomy for abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salphingo-oohphorectomy, omentectomy and appendicectomy. Histological examination showed uterine myxoid leiomyosarcoma (International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics stage IIIA). Her haematological profile improved significantly following surgical resection of the tumour, reappearing with the recurrence of the disease. The authors hence, consider that pancytopaenia in this patient was a manifestation of paraneoplastic syndrome.