Binav Shrestha

Intramuscular Epinephrine-Induced Transient ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction:

Introduction. Myocardial infarction in the setting of anaphylaxis may result from the anaphylaxis itself or from the epinephrine used to treat the anaphylaxis. While cases of myocardial infarction due to large doses of intravenous epinephrine have previously been reported, myocardial infarction after therapeutic doses of intramuscular epinephrine is rarely reported. Case Report. A 23-year-old male presented with sudden onset of difficulty in swallowing and speech after eating takeout food. He was treated with intramuscular epinephrine for presumed angioedema following which he immediately developed chest tightness associated with ST elevation on electrocardiogram and elevated serum troponin. His symptoms and electrocardiogram findings were transient and resolved within the next 10 minutes. Conclusion. Epinephrine is lifesaving during anaphylaxis and should be promptly used. Health care providers, however, need to be aware and vigilant of this rare complication of epinephrine.

Drug-Induced Liver Injury: An Institutional Case Series and Review of Literature:

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is the most common cause of acute liver failure in the USA. DILI can be broadly classified as Intrinsic and Idiosyncratic. Identifying predictors and at-risk patients are challenging but can have a substantial clinical implication. This case report series demonstrates the importance of valproic acid, fluconazole, and amiodarone as potential hepatoxic agents of drug-induced liver injury leading to acute hepatic failure. The causality in all cases was established by Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method/Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences score and Naranjo Algorithm. Obesity, hypo-perfusion state, and concurrent hepatotoxic agent might identify at-risk patients. Further studies are required to understand the risk factors.

Valproic acid induced acute liver injury resulting in hepatic encephalopathy- a case report and literature review

ABSTRACT Valproic acid (VPA) is a commonly used agent in the management of seizures and psychiatric disorders. Hyperammonemia is a common complication of VPA with 27.8% of patients having elevated levels – that is unrelated to hepatotoxicity and normal transaminases. Common side effects include obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic disorder and severe forms of hepatotoxicity. Other rare and idiosyncratic reactions have been reported, one of which is presented in our case. A 27-year old patient presented with hyperammonemia and encephalopathy as a consequence of idiosyncratic VPA reaction causing drug-induced liver injury (DILI) with severely elevated transaminases. DILI is commonly overlooked when investigating encephalopathy in the setting of VPA. Physicians should consider DILI in the context of hyperammonemia and transaminitis.

Predictors of hospital stay in normotensive acute pulmonary embolism: a retrospective pilot study

ABSTRACT Introduction: The aim of our study is to determine the clinical, biochemical, and imaging factors that affect the duration of hospital stay in patients admitted with normotensive acute pulmonary embolism. Methods: This was a single-center retrospective study conducted in a community hospital in New York metropolitan area for patients admitted from October 2015 to October 2017. Results: A total of 79 patients were included, the mean age was 55.76 (SD = 17.33), 29 cases were males (37%) and 50 cases were females (63%). Among all patients, 17 cases had short length of stay (LOS) (≤2 days) and 62 cases had long LOS (>2 days). There were statistically significant differences in age (p = .041), presence of lung disease (p = .036), number of comorbidities (p = .043), and pulmonary embolism severity index (PESI) scores (original and simplified; p = .002 and .001, respectively). Logistic regression analysis showed that PESI score significantly predicted long LOS (OR 1.067, 95% CI [1.001, 1.137], p = .048). Similarly, sPESI significantly predicted long LOS (OR 0.223, 95% CI [0.050, 0.999], p = .050). Both regression models were adjusted for age, lung disease, and number of comorbidities. Conclusion: Both original and simplified PESI scores were statistically significant predictors of duration of hospital stay. Patients with multiple comorbidities or with chronic lung disease were also likely to have prolonged hospital stay. None of the cardiac biomarkers affected the duration of hospital stay, neither did the presence of right ventricular dysfunction nor treatment modality.

A Rare Case of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus with Gastric Ulcer and Acute Pancreatitis: A Case Report and Literature Review

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory disease which can manifest in many different organ systems. Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement is common in SLE, but the symptoms are usually mild. More severe GI complications including acute pancreatitis and peptic ulcer bleeding are rare but represent a significant risk of morbidity and mortality. We present a case of a 25-year-old Hispanic female with a severe SLE flare. The initial presentation included symptoms of hematemesis and epigastric abdominal pain secondary to both gastric ulceration and acute pancreatitis, an atypical presentation of an SLE flare. The non-specific symptom of abdominal pain makes both acute pancreatitis and gastric ulcer disease a clinical challenge; however, clinicians need to have a high suspicion for these conditions co-existing at the same time due to higher mortality rates.

Metachronous Granular Cell Tumor of the Descending Colon

Granular cell tumors (GCTs) are uncommon tumors. They are believed to be neuronal in origin and are usually found in the head and/or neck area of the body. They have also been reported in various locations of the gastrointestinal (GI) system, usually discovered during routine screening colonoscopy. We report a case of GCT in a 58-year-old asymptomatic African American female as a metachronous tumor of a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon, which was an incidental finding in screening colonoscopy. To our knowledge, this is the first case with GCT identified as a metachronous tumor following an adenocarcinoma of the colon.

Direct-Acting Antivirals in Chronic Hepatitis C Genotype 4 Infection in Community Care Setting

Background Limited data exists comparing the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) in patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 4 (HCV GT-4) in the community practice setting. We aim to evaluate the treatment response of DAAs in these patients. Methods All the HCV GT-4 patients treated with DAAs between January 2014 and October 2017 in a community clinic setting were retrospectively analyzed. Pretreatment baseline patient characteristics, treatment efficacy with sustained virologic response (SVR) at 12 weeks post treatment (SVR12), and adverse reactions were assessed. Results Fifty-two patients of Middle Eastern (primarily Egyptian) descent were included in the study. Thirty-two patients were treated with ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (Harvoni®) ± ribavirin, 12 patients were treated with ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir/dasabuvir (ViekiraPak®) ± ribavirin, and eight patients were treated with sofosbuvir/Velpatasvir (Epclusa®). Ten patients (19.2%) had compensated cirrhosis. Overall, SVR at 12 weeks was achieved in 94% in patients who received one of the three DAA regimens (93.8% in Harvoni® group, 91.7 % in ViekiraPak® group and 100% in Epclusa® group). Prior treatment status and type of regimen used in the presence of compensated cirrhosis had no statistical significance on overall SVR achievement (P value = 0.442 and P value = 0.091, respectively). The most common adverse effect was fatigue (27%). Conclusions In the real-world setting, DAAs are effective and well tolerated in patients with chronic HCV GT-4 infection with a high overall SVR rate of 94%. Large-scale studies are needed to further assess this SVR in these groups.

Rectourethral Fistula Secondary to Transurethral Resection of the Prostate

An 82-year-old male with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) presented to the hospital with suprapubic pain, abdominal distension, and diarrhea. The physical examination was remarkable for an indwelling Foley’s catheter. Diagnostic imaging confirmed the diagnosis of a rectourethral fistula (RUF). The most common presenting symptoms of RUF are pneumaturia, fecaluria, and urine leakage from the rectum, which may present similarly to diarrhea. He lacked the common features of RUF such as pneumaturia and fecaluria, which may be explained by a blockage of the catheter with fecal material. This case represents a rare outcome following a TURP, and it is significant due to the high morbidity associated with RUF. As such, clinicians must suspect a RUF in a post-TURP patient with diarrhea and no other obvious etiology due to the morbidity associated with RUF.

Acquired Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia and Pure Red Cell Aplasia in Thymoma

Association of thymoma with myasthenia gravis, pure red cell aplasia, and aplastic anemia is well documented. However, thymoma complicated by acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia (AAMT) is rarely reported. Here, we present a case of a 60-year-old male with past medical history of recurrent invasive thymoma who presented with cough and blood in sputum. He was found to have severe normocytic normochromic anemia and thrombocytopenia that did not improve with intravenous steroids or multiple transfusions of red cells and platelets. Subsequent bone marrow biopsy showed severely depleted megakaryocytes and erythroid precursor cells with relative myeloid hyperplasia suggestive of amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia and red cell aplasia. He was started on oral cyclosporine but subsequently developed leukopenia and refused any further treatment or diagnostic procedures and left the hospital against medical advice. AAMT, thus, may be a very early presentation of impending aplastic anemia, and treating physicians need to be aware of this entity.

Scleredema Diabeticorum with Superimposed Cellulitis and Abscess Formation

Scleredema diabeticorum is a rare cutaneous manifestation of diabetes mellitus. We present a case of an obese male with poorly controlled diabetes who came to the hospital with upper back pain and subsequently developed sepsis due to a small deep-seated abscess in his back that was drained and treated with antibiotics. He was also found to have extensive induration of the skin over his back and neck. Skin biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of scleredema diabeticorum.