Unusual acute liver failure from small cell carcinoma of the lung.

A 75-year-old woman with a 50-pack-year history of tobacco abuse presented with abdominal pain, encephalopathy and elevated liver enzymes. Serologic evaluation for viral hepatitis, drug levels and chronic liver disease panel was negative. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen showed hepatomegaly and a large area of decreased attenuation in the lateral segment of the left lobe of the liver which was also demonstrated on the magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography. CT of the chest was significant for a 1.4 cm left peripheral lingular nodule. Hepatic mass biopsy revealed small cell carcinoma (SCC), favoring lung primary. She had persistent liver failure with encephalopathy, coagulopathy and elevated liver enzymes during her hospital stay. Acute liver failure (ALF) is characterized by liver damage, encephalopathy and coagulopathy in patients without any prior history of liver disease. Although malignant infiltration has been described as a cause of ALF, SCC of the lung is an uncommon etiology.

Efficacy and safety of liquid nitrogen cryotherapy for treatment of Barrett's esophagus.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of liquid nitrogen cryotherapy as a primary or rescue treatment for BE, with and without dysplasia, or intramucosal adenocarcinoma (IMC). METHODS: This was a retrospective, single-center study carried out in a tertiary care center including 45 patients with BE who was treatment-naïve or who had persistent intestinal metaplasia (IM), dysplasia, or IMC despite prior therapy. Barrett's mucosa was resected via EMR when clinically appropriate, then patients underwent cryotherapy until eradication or until deemed to have failed treatment. Surveillance biopsies were taken at standard intervals. RESULTS: From 2010 through 2014, 33 patients were studied regarding the efficacy of cryotherapy. Overall, 29 patients (88%) responded to cryotherapy, with 84% having complete regression of all dysplasia and cancer. Complete eradication of cancer and dysplasia was seen in 75% of subjects with IMC; the remaining two subjects did not respond to cryotherapy. Following cryotherapy, 15 patients with high-grade dysplasia (HGD) had 30% complete regression, 50% IM, and 7% low-grade dysplasia (LGD); one subject had persistent HGD. Complete eradication of dysplasia occurred in all 5 patients with LGD. In 5 patients with IM, complete regression occurred in 4, and IM persisted in one. In 136 cryotherapy sessions amongst 45 patients, adverse events included chest pain (1%), stricture (4%), and one gastrointestinal bleed in a patient on dual antiplatelet therapy who had previously undergone EMR. CONCLUSION: Cryotherapy is an efficacious and safe treatment modality for Barrett's esophagus with and without dysplasia or intramucosal adenocarcinoma.

Predictors of 30-Day Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with Clostridium difficile Infection.

OBJECTIVES: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and is the most common nosocomial infection in the United States, with associated annual costs of approximately $3 billion. The epidemiology of CDI has changed with the identification of novel risk factors for incident and recurrent CDI. The aim of this study was to identify the predictors of 30-day mortality in hospitalized patients with CDI. METHODS: We identified all of the patients diagnosed as having CDI from January 2011 to December 2014 at our university-setting hospital. Data were extracted using electronic medical records and chart review. The data of all of the patients who died within 30 days of incident CDI were compared with those who survived beyond 30 days of incident CDI. A multivariable logistic regression model was created for mortality after finding a subset of significant predictor variables by making bivariate comparisons also using logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 893 patients were diagnosed as having CDI during the study period. The mean age was 62 years and 49.5% were women. The mean length of hospital stay was 11.73 days. Of the 893 patients with CDI, 98 (10.97%) died within 30 days of incident CDI. CDI recurrence was noted in 76 patients (8.51%). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, peptic ulcer disease, advanced age, Charlson comorbidity index, and intensive care unit status were found to be significantly associated with 30-day mortality. There was no significant association between acid suppression and CDI mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced age, Charlson comorbidity index, intensive care unit status, and peptic ulcer disease are predictors of all-cause 30-day mortality in hospitalized patients with CDI.

Usefulness of the Myocardial Infarction and Cardiac Arrest Calculator as a Discriminator of Adverse Cardiac Events After Elective Hip and Knee Surgery.

The 2014 American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guidelines on perioperative evaluation recommend differentiating patients at low risk (<1%) versus elevated risk (≥1%) for cardiac complications to guide appropriate preoperative testing. Among the tools recommended for estimating perioperative risk is the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) Myocardial Infarction and Cardiac Arrest (MICA) risk calculator. We investigated whether the NSQIP MICA risk calculator would accurately discriminate adverse cardiac events in a cohort of adult patients undergoing elective orthopedic surgery. We retrospectively reviewed 1,098 consecutive, elective orthopedic surgeries performed at Hershey Medical Center from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2014. Adverse cardiac events were defined as myocardial infarction or cardiac arrest within 30 days of surgery. The mean estimated risk for adverse cardiac events using the NSQIP MICA risk calculator was 0.54%, which was not significantly different (p = 1) compared with the observed incidence of 0.64% (7 of 1,098 procedures). The c-statistic for discriminating adverse cardiac events was 0.85 (95% CI 0.67 to 1) for the NSQIP MICA risk calculator and 0.9 (95% CI 0.75 to 1) for the Revised Cardiac Risk Index. In conclusion, the NSQIP MICA risk calculator is a good discriminator of adverse cardiac events in patients undergoing elective hip and knee surgery, performing comparably to the Revised Cardiac Risk Index.