Role of serum sodium in assessing hospital mortality in cancer patients with spontaneous tumour lysis syndrome inducing acute uric acid nephropathy.

Spontaneous tumour lysis syndrome (STLS) inducing acute uric acid nephropathy, a rare and neglected disease, presents more insidiously than conventional post-treatment tumour lysis syndrome. Although STLS is a serious and potentially fatal complication in patients with neoplastic disorders, few investigations have addressed the relevance of clinical and laboratory features in assessing prognosis. A retrospective study was conducted, reviewing the records of all patients who developed acute renal failure (ARF) at Chang Gung memorial hospital between 1 July 1999 and 30 June 2003. STLS-induced acute uric acid nephropathy was identified in 12 of 1072 ARF patients (1.1%) during the study period. All patients had advanced stage tumours with large tumour burden, and 66.7% of cases had abdominal organ involvement. All 12 hyperuricemic patients became oliguric despite conservative therapy, and remained hyperuricemic (21.6 +/- 5.2 mg/dl) before dialysis therapy. Diuresis developed in eight patients (66.7%), with associated resolution of hyperuricemia, azotemia and metabolic derangements following dialysis initiation. Overall hospital mortality was 58.3%. Death in most patients was related to hyponatremia and hypoalbuminemia on admission. The serum sodium was found to have the best Youden index (0.86) and highest overall prediction accuracy (93%). Moreover, serum sodium and serum albumin for individual patients were significantly and positively correlated (r = 0.617, p = 0.032). This investigation confirms a grave prognosis for cancer patients with STLS inducing acute uric acid nephropathy. Hyponatremia and hypoalbuminemia on the first day of admission indicate poor prognosis in such patients.

Candida parapsilosis peritonitis complicated with infected pancreatic pseudocysts in a peritoneal dialysis patient: a challenge for nephrologists.

In continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD)-related cases of fungal peritonitis, Candida parapsilosis (C. parapsilosis) has become as common as Candida albicans (C. albicans) in fungal isolates. This report describes a 74-year-old male CAPD patient who received bypass surgery for coronary artery disease, followed by an episode of bacterial peritonitis. The peritonitis was successfully treated with intraperitoneal antibiotics. However, C. parapsilosis peritonitis with concomitant pancreatitis and infected pseudocysts occurred one month later. Despite surgical drainage and intravenous administration of fluconazole, fungal peritonitis persisted. Finally, he died of nosocomial pneumonia. This case demonstrates the poor outcome of C. parapsilosis peritonitis, suggesting a more aggressive treatment in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Application of three-dimensional body scanner: observation of prevalence of metabolic syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: This retrospective cross-sectional study correlates blood pressure, blood glucose, lipid and uric acid levels with anthropometric measurements. METHODS: A total of 3975 visitors to the Department of Health Management were randomly selected to participate in this cross-sectional study. Whole body three-dimensional (3-D) laser scans were used to obtain anthropometric measurements. A health index (HI) was also designed based on anthropometric parameters. Subjects were defined as having metabolic syndrome when three of the following criteria were met: obesity (BMI of at least 30 kg/m(2); or a WHR of over 0.9 for males and 0.85 for females); triglyceride of at least 150 mg/dl; high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol below 35 mg/dl for males and 39 mg/dl for females; fasting sugar levels of at least 110 mg/dl and hypertension. RESULTS: Of 3975 subjects, 341 (8.6%) met the criteria for diabetes mellitus (DM); of these, 32.8% were diagnosed with hypertension. This proportion exceeded 18% of the subjects had normal glucose levels. Of the 3975 subjects, 658 (16.6%) met the criteria for metabolic syndrome. Proportionally, more male subjects than female subjects were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (18.5% vs 14.7%). Of these, central obesity, elevated triglyceride and low HDL-cholesterol were the main factors in men, while fasting glucose, hypertension and central obesity were the main factors in women. This investigation found that larger proportions of subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (41.1%) and DM (64.2%) than of subjects with normal glucose subjects, suffered from metabolic syndrome (9.5%). CONCLUSIONS: 3-D body scanning is useful in correlating pertinent factors with metabolic syndrome, these factors include central obesity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia and hypertension.

Comparison of the severity of illness scoring systems for critically ill cirrhotic patients with renal failure.

BACKGROUND: Mortality rates of cirrhotic patients with renal failure admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) are high. End-stage liver disease is frequently complicated by disturbances of renal function. This investigation is aimed to compare the predicting ability of acute physiology, age, chronic health evaluation II and III (APACHE II and III), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), and Child-Pugh scoring systems, obtained on the first day of ICU admission, for hospital mortality in critically ill cirrhotic patients with renal failure. METHODS: Sixty-seven patients with liver cirrhosis and renal failure were admitted to ICU from April 2001-March 2002. Information considered necessary for computing the Child-Pugh, SOFA, APACHE II and APACHE III score on the first day of ICU admission was prospectively collected. RESULTS: The overall hospital mortality rate was 86.6%. Liver disease was most commonly attributed to hepatitis B viral infection. The development of renal failure was associated with a history of gastrointestinal bleeding. Goodness-of-fit was good for SOFA, APACHE II and APACHE III scores. The APACHE III and SOFA models reported good areas under receiver operating characteristic curve (0.878 +/- 0.050 and 0.868 +/- 0.051, respectively). CONCLUSION: Renal failure is common in critically ill patients with cirrhosis. The prognosis for cirrhotic patients with renal failure is poor. APACHE III and SOFA showed excellent discrimination power in this group of patients. They are superior to APACHE II and Child-Pugh scores in this homogenous group of patients.

[Continuous arteriovenous hemodialysis in critical patients with acute renal failure].

Continuous arteriovenous hemodialysis (CAVHD) offers a modified therapeutic approach for the patient with acute renal failure. The system is modified fron the CAVH write out method by adding two pumps to control the flow rate of the dialysis solution and to reduce the nursing load. The blood flow through the dialyzer is dependent on the net blood pressure gradient. Peritoneal dialysis or bicarbonate dialysate is infused through the dialysate ports utilizing both diffuse and convective transport for an average blood flow rate of 0.9 L/hour. The two pumps control the dialysate inflow and outflow rates. Ten patients with complications and acute renal failure were treated with CAVHD for periods ranging from 10 to 154 hours. Average urea clearance was 9.39 mL/min. Average creatinine clearance was 9.12 mL/min, and in stable patients, the mean BUN was maintained at 60 mg/dL and the mean serum creatinine level was 4.6 mg/dL. The average ultrafiltration rate obtained was 100 mL/hr and was adjusted for the body fluid condition. most patients tolerated CAVHD without further hemodynamic instability and did not develop serious complications. In conclusion, CAVHD is a safe and technically simple procedure, which is particularly suitable for hemodynamically unstable patients requiring fluid removal.

Adrenal extramedullary hematopoietic tumor in a patient with beta-thalassemia.

We report a case of adrenal extramedullary hematopoiesis in a 27-year-old woman with beta-thalassemia. She underwent cholecystectomy for gallstones and splenectomy for splenomegaly at the age of 20 years. In January 1996, she was admitted to our hospital because of a palpable nontender mass in the right subcostal area. Ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging disclosed a right suprarenal mass 7.5 x 5.8 cm in size. Surgical exploration and biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of extramedullary hematopoietic (EMH) tumor. The tumor was left in situ. Subsequent follow-up showed no increase in the size of the tumor and no progression of anemia. The patient remained asymptomatic, and no additional EMH tumor developed. Surgery or radiotherapy should be performed only when EMH tumors cause symptoms, such as during spinal cord compression. Adrenal EMH tumors should be considered in thalassemia patients with an adrenal mass, to avoid unnecessary surgical procedures.

Total creatinine appearance as indicator of risk of infectious complication in peritoneal dialysis.

Peritonitis and exit-site infections are the main causes of complications in peritoneal dialysis. Death due to infectious complication is also one of the major causes of drop-out. The underlying cause of infection may include malnutrition. Total creatinine appearance (TCA) may reflect overall nutritional status. We determined TCA from the daily dialysate, urine, and estimated gut creatinine of patients and normalized it to actual body weight (nTCA). We examined the relationship between nTCA and the incidence of infection, and between nTCA and infection-related survival. The study included 323 adult patients in a single dialysis center. The mean nTCA of all patients was 19.73 +/- 4.75 mg/kg/day. The patients with an nTCA below 1 standard deviation from the mean (nTCA < 14.98 mg/kg/day) had a significantly higher peritonitis and exit-site infection rate (p < 0.01) and a higher chance of drop-out owing to infection-related complications (p < 0.0001). Our study concluded that the adult patient with malnutrition (nTCA < 14.98 mg/kg/day) has higher risk of infection.

Scoring systems for 6-month mortality in critically ill cirrhotic patients: a prospective analysis of chronic liver failure - sequential organ failure assessment score (CLIF-SOFA).

BACKGROUND: Cirrhotic patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) have high mortality rates. The Chronic Liver Failure-Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (CLIF-SOFA) score, a modified Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, is a newly developed scoring system exclusively for patients with end-stage liver disease. AIM: To externally validate the efficacy of the CLIF-SOFA score and evaluate other scoring systems for 6-month mortality in critically ill cirrhotic patients. METHODS: This study prospectively recorded and analysed the data for 30 demographical parameters and some clinical characteristic variables on day 1 of 250 cirrhotic patients admitted to a 10-bed specialised hepatogastroenterology ICU in a 2000-bed tertiary care referral hospital during the period from September 2010 to August 2013. RESULTS: The overall in-hospital and 6-month mortality rate were 58.8% (147/250) and 78.0% (195/250), respectively. Liver diseases were mostly attributed to hepatitis B virus infection (32%). Multiple Cox logistic regression hazard analysis revealed that Glasgow coma scale, both the CLIF-SOFA and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III (ACPACHE III) scores determined on the first day of ICU admission were independent predictors of 6-month mortality. Analysis of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve revealed that the CLIF-SOFA score had the best discriminatory power (0.900 ± 0.020). Moreover, the cumulative 6-month survival rates differed significantly for patients with a CLIF-SOFA score ≤11 and those with a CLIF-SOFA score >11 on the ICU admission day. CONCLUSION: Both CLIF-SOFA and APACHE III scores are excellent prognosis evaluation tools for critically ill cirrhotic patients.

Effectiveness of oral and intravenous iron therapy in haemodialysis patients.

Anaemia is a common and serious complication in patients with end-stage renal disease. Iron therapy is crucial in managing anaemia and maintenance of haemodialysis (HD) patients. This study investigated the efficacy of both oral and intravenous (i.v.) therapies, and the possible factors deleteriously affecting patient response to iron therapy. Forty patients on maintenance HD from a single institution were enrolled in this 6-month retrospective study. Group I (n = 20) received i.v. two ampoules of atofen (ferric chloride hexahydrate 193.6 mg) per week for a total of 6 weeks (total dosage, 960 mg). Group II (n = 20) received oral ferrous sulphate S.C. Tab (ferrous sulphate 324 mg) one pill three times daily (total dosage, 63,000 mg). Patients whose haematocrit (Hct) level increased at minimum 3% within the period were classified as responders. Iron i.v. ferric chloride (960 mg) was more effective than oral ferrous sulphate (63,000 mg) in correcting anaemia in HD patients with iron deficiency. In group I, serum triglyceride (TG) levels were significantly lower in patients responding to i.v. iron therapy than in patients with no response. In group II, serum high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) level was significantly lower in patients responding to oral iron therapy than patients with no response. The i.v. ferric chloride is more effective than oral ferrous sulphate in treating anaemia in HD patients with iron deficiency. Serum hs-CRP and TG levels may be parameters for predicting hyporesponsiveness to oral and i.v. iron therapies, respectively.

Hyperhomocysteinaemia and vascular access thrombosis among chronic hemodialysis patients in Taiwan: a retrospective study.

Vascular access thrombosis (VAT) is an important cause of morbidity for chronic haemodialysis (HD) patients. Some risk factors for VAT have been well-defined for chronic HD patients from western countries. However, only a few such factors have been confirmed for Taiwanese patients. This study attempted to determine the association between hyperhomocysteinaemia and the incidence of VAT for chronic HD patients in Taiwan. We retrospectively enrolled a total of 196 patients into this study during 2003. The patients were separated into VAT (n = 142) and control (n = 54) group. The participants of the VAT group were identified as those having one or more VAT, and the participants of the control group were those with no VAT in the past. The mean follow-up period was 48 months. The mean serum homocysteine levels were 29.5 +/- 9.6 and 29.1 +/- 9.5 micromol/l for the VAT (n = 142) and the control (n = 54) group, respectively. There was no significant difference in the level of homocysteine between the VAT and the control group (p = 0.70). Female chronic HD patients had significantly greater mean total homocysteine levels than male (30.89 micromol/l, 95% CI 28.84-32.94 vs. 28.06 micromol/l, 95% CI 26.32-29.82, respectively, p = 0.038). That synthetic graft was a significant risk factor for VAT was determined using multivariate logistic regression analysis. There was no association between serum total homocysteine levels and the incidence of VAT in chronic HD patients in Taiwan.

Prospective cohort study comparing sequential organ failure assessment and acute physiology, age, chronic health evaluation III scoring systems for hospital mortality prediction in critically ill cirrhotic patients.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) and acute physiology, age, chronic health evaluation III (APACHE III) scoring systems obtained on the first day of intensive care unit (ICU) admission in predicting hospital mortality in critically ill cirrhotic patients. The study enrolled 102 cirrhotic patients consecutively admitted to ICU during a 1-year period. Twenty-five demographic, clinical and laboratory variables were analysed as predicators of survival. Information considered necessary to calculate the Child-Pugh, SOFA and APACHE III scores on the first day of ICU admission was also gathered. Overall hospital mortality was 68.6%. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that mean arterial pressure, SOFA and APACHE III scores were significantly related to prognosis. Goodness-of-fit was good for the SOFA and APACHE III models. Both predictive models displayed a similar degree of the best Youden index (0.68) and overall correctness (84%) of prediction. The SOFA and APACHE III models displayed good areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (0.917 +/- 0.028 and 0.912 +/- 0.029, respectively). Finally, a strong and significant positive correlation exists between SOFA and APACHE III scores for individual patients (r(2) = 0.628, p < 0.001). This investigation confirms the grave prognosis for cirrhotic patients admitted to ICU. Both SOFA and APACHE III scores are excellent tools to predict the hospital mortality in critically ill cirrhotic patients. The overall predictive accuracy of SOFA and APACHE III is superior to that of Child-Pugh system. The role of these scoring systems in describing the dynamic aspects of clinical courses and allocating ICU resources needs to be clarified.

Symptomatic renal tubular acidosis (RTA) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: an analysis of six cases with new association of type 4 RTA.

OBJECTIVES: We have analysed the association between different parameters of renal tubular acidosis (RTA) with clinical and laboratory parameters in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: Review of hospital database records between 1978 and 2003 revealed six SLE patients with RTA. Correlations and comparisons were done by Spearman rank correlation coefficient and the chi(2) test. RESULTS: Four patients had hypokalaemia (type 1 RTA) and two patients had hyperkalaemia (type 4 RTA). Three patients with type 1, but no patients with type 4 RTA, had medullary nephrocalcinosis. The majority of SLE patients with distal RTA (type 1 and type 4) had nephritis with proteinuria. No seronegative SLE was noted, and all patients were negative for anticardiolipin antibodies. There was a noticeable trend of higher serum potassium levels with increased SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI; P < 0.1) and nephritic manifestation (haematuria, P < 0.1). The mean SLEDAI scores were 11.75 and 27.5 for type 1 and type 4 RTA patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: When present in patients with SLE, classic distal RTA (type 1) is the most common. In particular, we report here for the first time two cases of type 4 RTA in SLE patients with higher SLEDAI scores than patients with type 1 RTA. Medullary nephrocalcinosis or renal urolithiasis has not been found in our patients with type 4 RTA. Higher serum potassium levels seem to be associated with higher SLEDAI scores and more severe nephritic manifestations in patients with distal RTA.

Rhabdomyolysis associated with acute renal failure in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome.

An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) occurred in Taiwan in 2003. SARS complicated with rhabdomyolysis has rarely been reported. This study reported three cases of rhabdomyolysis developing during the clinical course of SARS. Thirty probable SARS patients were admitted to the isolation wards at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between 4 April and 4 June 2003. Thirty patients, including four men and 26 women aged from 12 to 87 years (mean age 40). Eleven (36.7%) patients had respiratory failure and required mechanical ventilation with paralytic therapy; three (10%) patients had rhabdomyolysis complicated with acute renal failure and one received haemodialysis; four (13.3%) patients died. Three cases with rhabdomyolysis all received sedative and paralytic therapy for mechanical ventilation. Haemodialysis was performed on one patient. Two patients died from multiple organ failure, and one patient fully recovered from rhabdomyolysis with acute renal failure. SARS is a serious respiratory illness, and its aetiology is a novel coronavirus. Rhabdomyolysis resulting from SARS virus infection was strongly suspected. Immobilisation under paralytic therapy and steroids may also be important in developing rhabdomyolysis.

Extracorporal liver support with molecular adsorbents recirculating system in patients with hepatitis B-associated fulminant hepatic failure.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the most prevalent cause of fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) in the Far East. HBV-associated FHF is characterised by rapidly progressive end organ dysfunction/failure and a very poor prognosis. To investigate how molecular adsorbent recirculating system (MARS) treatment impacts multiple organ system function in HBV-associated FHF. Ten consecutive patients were treated with MARS in a period of 12 months. Clinical, biochemical and haemodynamic parameters were assessed before and after MARS. Various disease severity scoring systems including model for end-stage liver disease, APACHE II, APACHE III, sequential organ failure assessment and organ system failure scores were also assessed. There were significant improvements in hepatic encephalopathy grading (p < 0.001), mean arterial pressure (p < 0.001), plasma renin activity (p = 0.027), bilirubin (p < 0.001), ammonia (p = 0.001) and creatinine levels (p < 0.001). There were also significant improvements in all the scoring systems evaluated. Meanwhile, platelet count was significantly decreased (p < 0.001). One patient was successfully bridged to liver transplantation. Three patients were alive at 3 months of follow-up. MARS can improve multiple organ functions in HBV-associated FHF. On the basis of these findings, randomised controlled studies are indicated and justified.

Percutaneous internal jugular vein catheterization with double lumen for temporary hemodialysis: experience of 100 cases.

We studied a total of 100 patients (46 men, 54 women) with renal failure requiring hemodialysis therapy by using double lumen catheter for temporary vascular access through the internal jugular vein. Fifteen patients had acute renal failure and 85 patients had end stage renal disease (including 27 cases of DM nephropathy). The mean length of time the catheter was in situ was 18.7 +/- 11.1 days (2-67 days); the mean frequency of the hemodialysis performed through this access was 7.8 +/- 4.6 (1-27). Recirculation rate was 7.19 +/- 2.68% (3.2-10.7%). The blood flow during hemodialysis was 180-200 ml/min. There was no catheter related mortality. The most common complication was catheter related septicemia (4%). Local infection of the catheter entry site occurred in 3 cases. Inadequate blood flow was detected in 3 cases. Two episodes of arrhythmia (atrial premature contractions, short runs of ventricular tachycardia) developed during the first hemodialysis procedure. Hematoma due to accidental puncture of the carotid artery was noted in one case. Neither pneumothorax nor hemothorax was detected. Our experiences revealed that the percutaneous internal jugular vein catheterization with a double lumen catheter is a safe and efficient temporary vascular access for hemodialysis.

Systemic lupus erythematosus presenting initially as hydrogen ATPase pump defects of distal renal tubular acidosis.

Tubulointerstitial involvement is well recognized in systemic lupus erythematosus. The tubular dysfunction is usually latent and usually presents after diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus. We report a case presenting that she is well previously and initially diagnosed as periodic paralysis of hypokalemia at emergency room and final diagnosis is systemic lupus erythematosus with H+-ATPase pump defect of distal type renal tubular acidosis. Kidney biopsy showed lupus nephritis classified as mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis WHO class II B. Her renal tubular acidosis was subsided after steroid therapy was administered.