A rare case of unusual migrated foreign bodies in kidney and their successful extraction using retrograde percutaneous nephrostomy.

Foreign body ingestion is a common presentation in the emergency room and most cases are without any major symptoms, or go unnoticed and later cause severe complications that can potentially threaten patient life. We report a case of multiple migrated metallic foreign bodies in the right kidney presenting as right renal colic and gross haematuria one year after its accidental ingestion, treated successfully with retrograde percutaneous nephrostomy.

Acute arterial thrombosis associated with inadvertent high dose of tranexamic acid.

Tranexamic acid (TA) act as anti-fibrinolytic agent and is widely used to limit bleeding in clinical practice. Tranexemic acid bind with plasminogen and prevent its conversion to plasmin, which limits the fibrinolytic pathway, so there is a theoretical risk of increasing thrombosis with high or prolonged therapy with TA. We encountered a case of acute arterial thrombosis following inadvertent administration of high dose of TA. A 27-years-old male with no other co-morbidity was ordered intravenous 1 gm TA to control excessive bleeding from previous bladder injury, but by mistake, he received 10 gm of TA. The patient developed signs and symptoms of acute ischemia in the right lower limb, which was diagnosed as acute iliac arterial thrombosis by computed tomography (CT) angiography. The patient was managed with systemic heparinization, fasciotomy for impending gangrene and other supportive care following which he recovered fully within a few days. Caution should be exercised for all prophylactic use, especially with high dosage or prolonged therapy with TA.

Two cases of asystolic cardiac arrests managed with therapeutic hypothermia.

Poor neurological outcome is a common sequel of prolonged cardiac arrest. Although Therapeutic Hypothermia (TH) for neuroprotection has been a subject for research for over Half a century, its use has been limited because of many controversies and lack of clear guidelines. However for over two decades there has been a revival of interest in mild therapeutic hypothermia (32-34°C) for neuroprotection. However its use after primary asystolic cardiac arrest has been questioned. Herein presenting two cases of prolonged asystolic arrest (39 minutes and 25 minutes); where therapeutic hypothermia was successfully used in following prolonged cardio pulmonary resuscitation. On patients who were in deep coma after resuscitation, TH was applied for 24 hours as per institutional protocol with full neurological recovery in both the cases. Therapeutic hypothermia might have a potential role in even in non-shockable arrests and should be considered in every successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation with poor neurological status.

Unilateral Giant Varicocele Mimicking Inguinal Hernia Resulting from Portosystemic Shunt without Evidence of Portal Hypertension: An Unusual Case Report.

Isolated giant varicocele has been reported with portal hypertension that results in abnormal communication between portal venous system and testicular vein venous system resulting in retrograde backflow of blood into the testicular venous system which leads to varicosity of the pampiniform plexuses. 65-year-old male with no past medical or surgical history presented to us with soft inguinoscrotal swelling that disappears on lying down mimicking inguinal hernia. Clinical examination revealed soft inguionoscrotal swelling that disappears on pressure. Ultrasonography revealed varicosity of pampiniform plexus, and CT angiography to trace the extent of the varicosity revealed abnormal communication of right testicular vein with superior mesenteric vein. There was no evidence of any portal hypertension; the cause of the portosystemic shunt remains obscure, and it might be a salvage pathway for increasing portal pressure. The case is noteworthy for its rare presentation and abnormal communication with portal venous system in the absence of evidence of portal hypertension.

Rupture in polycystic kidney disease presented as generalized peritonitis with severe sepsis: a rare case report.

Recurrent upper urinary tract (renal) infections have been reported to be frequent in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and often difficult to treat. Female preference and enteric organism predominance suggest that these renal infections are acquired to retrograde from the lower urinary tract. We encountered a rare case of bilateral polycystic kidneys with spontaneous intraperitoneal rupture of multiple infected renal cysts causing generalized peritonitis leading to severe sepsis with multiorgan failure. The patient is successfully managed with nephrectomy followed by prolonged supportive care in intensive care unit.

Intrathecal drug delivery system (IDDS) for cancer pain management: a review and updates.

Cancer pain remains undertreated and a significant number of patients with cancer pain die from severe untreated pain. With increasing survival rate in cancer, the prevalence of cancer pain is also increasing in number. Though majority of patients with cancer pain can be effectively treated with conventional medical management, still a significant portion of patients required some form of interventional pain management techniques. Among the interventional techniques, intrathecal drug delivery is increasingly used in cancer pain management. Our objective of this article is to review literatures and clinical studies on intrathecal drug delivery system (IDDS) in cancer pain management and to provide updates on its use, precautions, contraindications, side effects and its management, socioeconomic consideration, and management of IDDS in difficult or uncommon situations.

Dexmedetomidine infusion to facilitate opioid detoxification and withdrawal in a patient with chronic opioid abuse.

Many patients are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for acute intoxication, serious complication of overdose, or withdrawal symptoms of illicit drugs. An acute withdrawal of drugs with addiction potential is associated with a sympathetic overactivity leading to marked psychomimetic disturbances. Acute intoxication or withdrawal of such drugs is often associated with life-threatening complications which require ICU admission and necessitate prolonged sedative analgesic medications, weaning from which is often complicated by withdrawal and other psychomimetic symptoms. Dexmedetomidine, an alpha-2 (α(2)) agonist, has been used successfully to facilitate withdrawal and detoxification of various drugs and also to control delirium in ICU patients. Herein, we report a case of a chronic opioid abuse (heroin) patient admitted with acute overdose complications leading to a prolonged ICU course requiring sedative-analgesic medication; the drug withdrawal-related symptoms further complicated the weaning process. Dexmedetomidine infusion was successfully used as a sedative-analgesic to control the withdrawal-related psychomimetic symptoms and to facilitate smooth detoxification and weaning from opioid and other sedatives.

Use of epidural steroid as an adjuvant in neuropathic cancer pain management: a case report.

The complexity of pain and pain care is such that there may come a point in the treatment of a patient with pain when a simple approach to management is no longer possible. The proverbial analgesic ladder can be rapidly overtaken when attempting palliative management of long-term or severe end-of-life pain. Epidural steroid injection is frequently used procedure in chronic back pain of neuropathic origin in nonmalignant cases. This case report implicates the use of epidural steroid for the management of severe neuropathic symptoms including allodynia and hyperalgesia in the setting of cancer pain and palliative care.

Psychosocial concerns in patients with advanced cancer: an observational study at regional cancer centre, India.

INTRODUCTION: The diagnosis and treatment of cancer is associated with substantial physical, psychological, and social morbidity. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of psychosocial concerns in the patients with advanced cancer admitted to our institute. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 100 patients admitted to the inpatient palliative care unit of our institute were enrolled in this study. A descriptive questionnaire that dealt with the patient's psychological acceptance of the disease and emotional distress that accompanies the diagnosis was prepared. Patient's social and spiritual needs were addressed, and the future concerns that the patient is preoccupied with were discussed on a one-on-one basis with the patient himself or herself. RESULTS: It was found that a majority of patients, though aware of their diagnosis, were not aware of the disease prognosis. There was a generalized anxiety regarding the treatment of the disease and fear of suffering. Most patients preferred to keep the revelation of the diagnosis to those close to them and not reveal it publicly. Financial drain out of resources was a major concern. Future concerns about their own fitness, the settlement of their children, and the family's well-being were seen commonly in almost all the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Attention to psychosocial and spiritual health needs of patients with cancer is an integral part of an effective palliation, though they are less commonly expressed but are strongly felt by patients with cancer. It is therefore recommended that all clinicians and health care providers should address psychosocial health needs as a part of their routine practice.