Background: Marchiafava-Bignami disease is a rare neurological disease characterized by acquired lesions of the corpus callosum. Although the major causative etiology is chronic alcoholism, a case caused by acute alcohol intoxication has not yet been reported.
Case Presentation: A 19-year-old female with no known medical history or a history of chronic alcohol consumption was brought to the emergency department in a coma after binge alcohol consumption.
Background: In this study, the concentrations of inflammatory cytokines were measured in the bronchial epithelial lining fluid (ELF) and plasma in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) secondary to severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Methods: We comprehensively analyzed the concentrations of 25 cytokines in the ELF and plasma of 27 COVID-19 AHRF patients. ELF was collected using the bronchial microsampling method through an endotracheal tube just after patients were intubated for mechanical ventilation.
Introduction: In treating acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), clinicians choose respiratory therapies such as low-flow nasal cannula oxygenation, high-flow nasal cannula oxygenation, or mechanical ventilation after assessment of the patient's condition. Chest computed tomography (CT) imaging contributes significantly to diagnosing COVID-19 pneumonia. However, the costs and potential harm to patients from radiation exposure need to be considered.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In the treatment of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) due to coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), physicians choose respiratory management ranging from low-flow oxygen therapy to more invasive methods, depending on the severity of the patient's symptoms. Recently, the ratio of oxygen saturation (ROX) index has been proposed as a clinical indicator to support the decision for either high-flow nasal cannulation (HFNC) or mechanical ventilation (MV). However, the reported cut-off value of the ROX index ranges widely from 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: High flow nasal cannula (HFNC) can produce positive airway pressure, and the pressure increases in proportion to the gas flow. Recently, high-velocity nasal insufflation (HiVNI) was developed as a new system of HFNC. However, it is still unclear whether HiVNI can increase the airway pressure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlong with the recent spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria, outbreaks of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenemase-producing bacteria present a serious challenge to clinicians. β-lactam antibiotics are the most frequently used antibacterial agents and ESBLs, and carbapenemases confer resistance not only to carbapenem antibiotics but also to penicillin and cephem antibiotics. The mechanism of β-lactam resistance involves an efflux pump, reduced permeability, altered transpeptidases, and inactivation by β-lactamases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEven though we use ultrasound guidance for central venous puncture, we sometimes experience difficulties. We infer that in such cases the vein is collapsed and that the transcutaneous ultrasound probe pressure at which the vein is collapsed (P (tc)) may predict the easiness of the venous puncture. We measured P (tc) and the diameter of the internal jugular vein in 47 adult patients in our ICU.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 72-year-old woman presented pulmonary embolism. Continuous intravenous administration of heparin was controlled with values of activated clotting time targeted from 150 to 180 s. On the sixth intensive care unit (ICU) day, a central vein (CV) catheter was inserted through the right axillary vein.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoronary vasospasm can cause a wide spectrum of clinical syndromes ranging from transient myocardial ischemia to irreversible infarction. A 72-year-old male patient had intense vasospasms intraoperatively, which led to stunned myocardium. Though MB fraction of creatine kinase after the spasms was almost within normal limits, postoperative transcutaneous echocardiogram showed diffuse hypokinesis of heart wall motion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe performed a retrospective study to analyze plasma ionized magnesium concentration following cardiopulmonary bypass. Severe decrease of ionized magnesium concentration associated with frequent abnormal ECG sign was found in a patient with magnesium-free cardioplegia. Cardioplegia containing 16 mmol.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To evaluate the role of inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (iNOS) and inflammatory cytokines in alveolar macrophages (AMs) after esophagectomy in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury.
Design: Prospective, exploratory, open-labeled clinical study.
Setting: Intensive care unit and operating room in a university hospital.