Assessment of immediate effects of percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty on right ventricular and pulmonary functions in severe rheumatic mitral stenosis patients using speckle tracking echocardiography and spirometry.

Introduction: The current study was sought to assess the immediate effect of percutaneous balloonmitral valvuloplasty (PBMV) on right ventricular (RV) and pulmonary functions using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and spirometry respectively. Methods: Two-dimensional speckle tracking and doppler studies for strain and strain rate imaging of RV were performed before PBMV, after 48h and 15 days of PBMV using echocardiography and spirometry. Mitral valve area, peak and mean mitral valve transannular pressure gradients, late filling velocities,Wilkins score, Systolic pulmonary artery pressure, TAPSE, RV end-diastolic and end-systolic areas,RV fractional area change and Tei index were measured. Results: There was a significant rise in peak RV global longitudinal strain (GLS) from baseline to48h post PBMV and at 15 days post PBMV. Segmental RV strain at basal septum, mid septum,apical septum and basal RV free wall showed considerable improvement from baseline to 48h post PBMV and 15 days post PBMV. RV longitudinal strain rate parameters did not show significant improvement after PBMV and remained low at follow-up. Post PBMV all patients showed restrictive features on pulmonary function test. The mean FEV1 (% predicted), mean FVC (% predicted), mean PEFR improved from baseline to 48h PBMV and 15 days post PBMV. Though the mean FEV1/FVC increased post PBMV at 15 days follow-up, but it was statistically insignificant. Conclusion: RV performance in MS was decreased mainly due to increase in RV after load which improves after PBMV. Patients with severe MS have impaired pulmonary function which is of restrictive type and successful PBMV improves pulmonary function.

A case of H3N2 complicated by acute kidney injury secondary to rhabdomyolysis.

H3N2 was first detected in July 2011 in the USA. It is responsible for sporadic cases of influenza and localised outbreaks and has not yet taken over on an epidemic or pandemic scale. An 84-year-old man presented with a dry cough, fever and myalgia for 3 days. On examination, he had a pulse of 98 bpm and blood pressure of 124/88 mm Hg. The patient was tachypnoeic, SpO2 was 90%. Auscultation revealed bilateral diffuse wheeze and crackles. He had generalised muscle tenderness on examination. On admission, creatinine was 1.9 mg/dL and CK(creatine kinase) was 44 000 U/L. Chest X-ray was suggestive of ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome). Throat swab was positive for H3N2. The patient was given intravenous fluids, oral sodium bicarbonate, oxygen and oseltamivir tablet. In view of ARDS, he was given intravenous methylprednisolone and bronchodilators for bronchospasm. The patient improved symptomatically; vitals and lab reports were normal at the time of discharge.

Chronic lithium intoxication: Varying electrocardiogram manifestations.

Lithium is a commonly used drug in psychiatric practice. It is used in the treatment of depression and bipolar disorder. It has a narrow therapeutic index with documented adverse effects even near therapeutic levels. It has myriad of manifestations at toxic levels. The cardiovascular effects range from relatively benign ST-T wave changes to fatal arrhythmias. We describe a case of lithium toxicity which presented as a junctional rhythm and later showed a variety of manifestations such as complete heart block, atrial fibrillation, sinus bradycardia, and finally reverted to sinus rhythm at par with serum lithium levels.

Cefoperazone Induced Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

Cefoperazone is a beta-lactam antibiotic which is frequently used in treating a variety of gram positive and gram negative infections. The chemical structure of cefoperazone contains a side chain of N-methylthiotetrazole which can inhibit vitamin K metabolism resulting in hypoprothombinemia. We report a case of cefoperazone induced coagulopathy manifesting as gastrointestinal bleeding. A Naranjo assessment score of 5 was obtained, indicating a probable relationship between the patient's coagulation function disorder and her use of the suspect drug.

Differential diagnosis of lung lesion in breast carcinoma: a metachronous neoplasm or metastasis?

A 34-year-old woman-a diagnosed case of pT1N1MO, stage IIa, estrogen and progesterone receptor positive (ER, PR) positive, Her2 negative carcinoma of the left breast-was managed with modified radical mastectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy. While planning for radiotherapy, she was found to have a well-defined enhancing lesion with spiculated margins in the superior segment of the right lower lobe along with a heterogeneously enhancing right hilar lymph node on CT. Histopathological evaluation of the lesion was suggestive of adenocarcinoma. The lesion was negative for ER, PR receptors, mammoglobin and gross cystic disease fluid protein. Thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1) was positive, suggesting a primary lung adenocarcinoma rather than metastatic lesion from the breast. This case clearly signifies the importance of histopathological diagnosis of suspicious metastatic lesions in the setting of early breast cancer. We would also like to highlight the importance of TTF-1 in differentiating primary lung malignancy from metastasis.