Background: Bleeding is an important and common complication of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). One of the common causes of gastrointestinal bleeding is arteriovenous malformations. However, the source of bleeding is often hard to identify. Thalidomide is efficacious in treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in non-LVAD patients. We report our experience of the use of thalidomide in the treatment of GI bleeding in four patients with LVAD.
Method And Results: Four patients who had recurrent GI bleeding from May 2009 to December 2014 were started on thalidomide. All of them responded to treatment and had no further gastrointestinal bleeding while on thalidomide. One patient developed constipation, requiring thalidomide to be stopped. Another patient developed symptomatic neuropathy, that resolved with reduction of dosage.
Conclusion: Thalidomide appears safe and efficacious in LVAD patients with recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hlc.2016.11.017 | DOI Listing |
Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech
January 2025
Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Objective: To investigate the role of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in the diagnosis and treatment of upper gastrointestinal bleeding of unknown origin in liver cirrhosis, focusing on patients with recurrent treatment of esophageal and gastric varices who failed to identify the bleeding site under direct endoscopy.
Background: Esophagogastric variceal bleeding is one of the severe complications of decompensated liver cirrhosis, and serial endoscopic therapy can improve the long-term quality of life of patients. Most acute bleeding can be detected under direct endoscopy with thrombus or active bleeding, but there are still some patients with recurrent bleeding after repeated treatments, and it is difficult to find the bleeding site, especially in gastric variceal bleeding.
Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech
January 2025
Department of Surgery, Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, FL.
Background: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a well-established endoscopic treatment for achalasia, utilizing an endoscopic knife for dissection. Recently, new knives with an integrated water-jet (WJ) function have been introduced. This study aims to compare the technical, perioperative, and late postoperative outcomes between WJ knives and conventional (C) knives, which lack the WJ function, through a pairwise meta-analysis of published comparative studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWorld J Gastroenterol
January 2025
Cell Biology Laboratory, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.
Background: Rebleeding after recovery from esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EGVB) is a severe complication that is associated with high rates of both incidence and mortality. Despite its clinical importance, recognized prognostic models that can effectively predict esophagogastric variceal rebleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis are lacking.
Aim: To construct and externally validate a reliable prognostic model for predicting the occurrence of esophagogastric variceal rebleeding.
Cureus
December 2024
General Surgery, Local Health Unit of Alto Minho, Viana do Castelo, PRT.
Meckel's diverticulum (MD) is the most common congenital anomaly of the gastrointestinal tract, arising from incomplete obliteration of the vitelline duct. MD contains all layers of the intestinal wall and often remains asymptomatic. Gastrointestinal bleeding, bowel obstruction, and acute diverticulitis occur in a few cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCureus
December 2024
Interventional Cardiology, Lee Health, Fort Myers, USA.
Managing acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with a recent history of gastrointestinal bleeding presents a unique and challenging clinical dilemma, necessitating a careful balance between minimizing ischemic risk and avoiding potentially life-threatening rebleeding. Standard treatment for ACS typically involves dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) to prevent recurrent thrombotic events. However, in patients with recent gastrointestinal hemorrhage or significant anemia, these therapies may substantially increase the risk of life-threatening bleeding, complicating the decision-making process and often leading to conservative management strategies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!