Santhosh Gheevarghese John

Outcome of patients on combined extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and continuous renal replacement therapy: a retrospective study

Background Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a lifesaving therapy used in the management of cardiopulmonary failure. Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is often added to the treatment for the correction of fluid and electrolyte imbalance in patients with acute kidney injury. Most of the literature on the use of combined ECMO and CRRT has been on pediatric patients. There are limited outcome data on the use of these combined modalities in adult patients. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of all the patients above the age of 18 years who underwent combined ECMO and CRRT at a tertiary care medical center during the period January 2007 to January 2012. The primary outcomes measured were mortality at one year and renal recovery or dialysis dependence at one month. Results A total of 40 patients who were treated concurrently with ECMO and CRRT were identified. The mean age was 47.01 ± 18.29 years. The most common indications for initiation of CRRT were combined fluid overload and electrolyte imbalance. Mortality at one month was (32/40) 80%. Among the 8 survivors (20%), 3 patients required continuation of hemodialysis and 5 patients were independent of dialysis at 30 days. Conclusions Mortality of patients treated with combined ECMO and CRRT is high. Initiation of CRRT in these patients is simply an indicator of severity of illness and fatality. Younger age, higher arterial pH, left ventricular dysfunction and use of VA ECMO are associated with improved survival in these patients.

Statins as a potential risk factor for autoimmune diseases: a case report and review.

Association of statins with autoimmune disorders is rarely reported. We report a case of an apparently healthy 76-year-old woman who was on long-term statin therapy presenting with severe rhabdomyolysis, autoimmune hepatitis, and positive lupus antibodies. Patient presented with complaints of worsening fatigue, leg cramps, and progressive weakening of lower extremities over 3 weeks. The patient was on simvastatin daily for several years. Clinical examination on admission included muscle tenderness, lower extremity edema, and ascites. Her laboratory values on admission showed elevated creatine kinase and transaminases. Immunologic workup revealed positive ANA, anti-dsDNA and anti-SSA antibodies. F-actin antibody was also positive at high titer. Magnetic resonance imaging of the lower extremities showed findings consistent with myositis. Patient underwent biopsy of the thigh muscles, which showed inflammatory myositis. Liver biopsy was characteristic of autoimmune hepatitis. Patient responded well to immunosuppressive therapy with azathioprine and prednisone. Although statins are generally considered safe, recent data from long-term follow-up on patients who are on statins for long duration suggest that prolonged exposure to statins may trigger autoimmune reactions. The exact mechanism of statin-induced autoimmune reaction is unclear. Statins, as proapoptotic agents, release nuclear antigen into the circulation and may induce the production of pathogenic autoantibodies. The role of statins in inducing an endoplasmic reticular stress response with associated upregulation of major histocompatibility complex-1 expression and antigen presentation by muscle fibers has also been reported. Systemic immunosuppressive therapy has proven to be effective in many reported cases.

Membranous nephropathy with crescents in a patient with Hashimoto's thyroiditis: a case report.

AbstractMembranous nephropathy is a common cause of nephrotic syndrome in adults. It usually occurs secondary to underlying disease processes such as autoimmune disorders, malignancy, infection, and drugs. The presentation of nephrotic syndrome with concomitant precipitous decline in renal function warrants investigation of a coexistent disorder.We report the case of a 30-year-old male who presented with symptoms and signs of hypothyroidism.A diagnosis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis was contemplated based on the presence of high serum levels of antithyroglobulin and antithyroid peroxidase antibodies. Upon initiation of treatment with levothyroxine, patient symptomatology improved; however, the laboratory studies demonstrated continued elevated creatinine, hematuria, and proteinuria, which had not been addressed. Two months following treatment initiation, he had progressive deterioration in renal function and proteinuria. A renal biopsy revealed coexistent necrotizing and crescentic glomerulonephritis and membranous nephropathy.The final diagnosis was necrotizing, crescentic glomerulonephritis with superimposed membranous nephropathy likely secondary to Hashimoto’s thyrodiitis.Induction treatment with oral cyclophosphamide and prednisone was started.At the end of 6 months of treatment, there was improvement in renal function and proteinuria and maintenance treatment with azathioprine and low-dose prednisone was initiated. This case highlights the importance of precise and detailed evaluation of patients with autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis particularly in the presence of active urine sediment. Proper evaluation and diagnosis of such patients has implications on the prognosis and response to treatment.

A rare case intractable diarrhea secondary to Clostridium difficile and cytomegalovirus coinfection.

Patient: Male, 63 Final Diagnosis: Cytomegalo virus (CMV) infection Symptoms: Diarrhea Medication:— Clinical Procedure:— Specialty: Infectious Diseases Objective: Unusual clinical course Background: Coinfection with cytomegalovirus in a patient with Clostridium difficile persistent diarrhea and colitis can lead to a delay in diagnosis and treatment. Case Report: A 63-year-old man with squamous cell carcinoma of the lower lip, status post surgical resection and currently on chemoradiation presented with intractable diarrhea and abdominal pain. Initial workup showed Clostridium difficile diarrhea with pancolitis. Diarrhea persisted despite being on antibiotics and bacteriological cure for C. difficile. Further noninvasive work up revealed associated cytomegalovirus infection, and patient had a dramatic response to ganciclovir without any relapse. Conclusions: Physicians should be cognizant about other causes of diarrhea and colitis in immunocompromised patient when treatment for primary diagnosis fails to resolve their symptoms.

Hyperammonemia as an adverse effect in parenteral nutrition

Nutritional support is an essential element in the aggregate care of the chronic disease and/or critical patient. Many a times, the patients’ nutritional status has been a major predictor for the outcome and prognosis of diseases. Since 1967, assisted nutrition, mainly as total parenteral nutrition (TPN) to provide the necessary calories from carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids and also to furnish selected minerals, electrolytes, and essential vitamins, has been administered intravenously through a central venous catheter to the extremely sick patients who cannot obtain their required nutrition through enteral route. The advantage of parenteral nutrition is that it can be customized for individual requirement, though a standard solution could still be used. Though studies have clearly proven the superiority of the assisted nutrition in the betterment of the outcome of these patients, TPN is certainly associated with adverse effects and complications. Of all the complications associated with TPN, we will focus on hyperammonemia which could be a complication related to the type and quantity of the amino acids present in the TPN (Ghadimi et al. Pediatrics 48:955–965; 1971). List of Abbreviations ALT Alanine aminotransferase ASPEN American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition AST Aspartate aminotransferase BCAT Branched-chain aminotransferase EAA Essential amino acids EDTA Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid fMRI Functional magnetic resonance imaging GI Gastrointestinal HE Hepatic encephalopathy IEM Inborn errors of metabolism LBW Low birth weight OTC Ornithine transcarbamoylase (ornithine carbamoyltransferase) PCT Proximal convoluted tubule PN Parenteral nutrition *Email: unnikrishnanpk@yahoo.com Diet and Nutrition in Critical Care DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-8503-2_159-1 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

Outcome of Patients with Infective Endocarditis who were Treated with Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation and Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy.

Infective endocarditis is a potentially life threatening condition. It is associated with high mortality and morbidity resulting mostly due to cardiorespiratory failure. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is a modality of treatment used to support hypoxic respiratory failure especially in patients who are already on mechanical ventilation. Continuous renal replacement therapy is added mainly for maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance. Here we report a case series of patients diagnosed with infective endocarditis who were treated with combined extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and continuous renal replacement therapy. Three patients in the age group 20-60 years were admitted with clinical features suggestive of infective endocarditis. During the course of hospital stay they developed cardiorespiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support for refractory hypoxia. It was complicated by heart failure, renal failure and fluid overload which required initiation of continuous renal replacement therapy. All the three patients succumbed in spite of the aggressive treatment. In addition to the role played by each complication, delayed start of continuous renal replacement therapy might have also contributed to the high mortality. Early initiation of continuous renal replacement therapy for management of fluid overload needs to be considered in the management of these critically ill patients.