Reflections on the Ebola Public Health Emergency of International Concern, Part 2: The Unseen Epidemic of Posttraumatic Stress among Health-care Personnel and Survivors of the 2014-2016 Ebola Outbreak.
Paladino Lorenzo; Sharpe Richard P; Galwankar Sagar C; Sholevar Farhad; Marchionni Christine; Papadimos Thomas J; Paul Elisabeth; Hansoti Bhakti; Firstenberg Michael; Garg Manish; Watson Mindy; Baxter Ric A; Stawicki Stanislaw P
Journal of global infectious diseases
2017
2017-06
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.4103/jgid.jgid_24_17" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.4103/jgid.jgid_24_17</a>
Torsades de Pointes in Intravenous Drug Abuse-Associated Infective Endocarditis.
Adult; Bacteremia/complications; Female; Heart Valve Prosthesis/*adverse effects; Humans; Postoperative Complications; Torsades de Pointes/*etiology; Tricuspid Valve/*surgery; Endocarditis; Bacterial/*complications/*surgery; Intravenous/*complications; Substance Abuse
Intravenous drug abuse rates in the United States have increased exponentially in recent years. Ohio is one of 5 states with the highest age-adjusted drug overdose death rates, with drug overdose causing 39.1 of every 100,000 deaths. In patients who survive, the associated morbidity poses a significant public health burden. Infective endocarditis, defined as an infection of the endocardium of the heart, is a potentially lethal consequence of bacteremia related to intravenous drug abuse. Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) is the most commonly implicated organism and may affect the tricuspid valve. Indications for surgery include failure of medical management, worsening embolization, heart failure, and arrhythmias-typically bradyarrhythmias from infectious extension into the conduction system. Vegetation size and type of infection, such as drug-resistance pattern, fungal infection, and presence of prosthetic material, are becoming known risk factors for complications. Studies have demonstrated that early surgery tends to have a better prognosis than delayed intervention. Established guidelines for right-sided surgery are slowly evolving. Tricuspid valve surgery is becoming more common in these cases, but there is known risk for heart block owing to proximity of the conduction system to the tricuspid valve annulus. If patients develop complete heart block postoperatively, pacemaker placement may be indicated. There may be reluctance to implantation because of the risk of device infection with infective endocarditis. In addition, many may recover conduction as infection and edema resolve. Generally, bradyarrhythmias are well tolerated. However, we present 2 cases of torsades de pointes related to post-tricuspid-valve-replacement bradyarrhythmia. Torsades de pointes is a potentially lethal form of polymorphic ventricular arrhythmia associated with QT interval prolongation. Post-tricuspid-valve- replacement mortality may be secondary to induced lethal ventricular arrhythmias.
Eapen Sarah; Firstenberg Michael
The heart surgery forum
2018
2018-12
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1532/hsf.2167" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1532/hsf.2167</a>
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Extreme Obesity: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
Adult; Female; Humans; Obesity; *Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation; Pneumonia; Respiratory Distress Syndrome; Adult/*complications/etiology/*therapy; Aspiration/complications; Morbid/*complications
The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has been described as early as 1972 [Hill 1972]. Though a subsequent randomized trial showed no survival benefit over conventional mechanical ventilation [Zapol 1979], protective ventilation strategies and evolving extracorporeal technology improvements have led to a resurgence in the use of ECMO for patients with ARDS. The most recent randomized clinical trial, Conventional Ventilation or ECMO for Severe Adult Respiratory Failure (CESAR), showed a significant mortality reduction in ARDS patients who were treated with ECMO [Peek 2009]. The results of the trial have led some to believe that the widespread adoption of ECMO as a feasible treatment for severe respiratory failure is forthcoming [MacLaren 2012; Del Sorbo 2014]. As the use of ECMO continues to increase, clinicians must be aware of the extremes in patient characteristics for which therapy might be considered reasonable. For example, many studies focus on the limited benefit of advanced therapies, such as ECMO, in the elderly [Salna 2014]. However, there is a paucity of literature on using veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) to treat ARDS in patients with extremity obesity [Ull 2015; Belliato 2016; Kadakia 2017]-a population that is often inherently discriminated against with regards to advanced medical and surgical therapies because of the practical challenges of treating someone of great size as well as the inherent social (and professional) biases against such patients. This case demonstrates application of ECMO in a patient with an extreme body mass index (BMI) and confirms the successful use of ECMO in this BMI patient population.
Azouz Vitali; Hill Sarah; Firstenberg Michael
The heart surgery forum
2018
2018-11
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1532/hsf.2057" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1532/hsf.2057</a>