We report a case of subclavian artery laceration caused by the removal of a pigtail pleural drainage catheter in a patient with a pneumothorax. The patient was successfully resuscitated through diagnostic angiography with subsequent balloon occlusion and primary repair of the injured subclavian artery. Although pigtail drainage of a pneumothorax is known to be safe and effective, proper insertion and removal techniques should be emphasized to reduce the risk of complications.
Angiography ; Balloon Occlusion ; Catheters* ; Drainage ; Hemothorax ; Humans ; Lacerations* ; Pneumothorax* ; Subclavian Artery* ; Thoracostomy

BACKGROUND: Unplanned extubation (UE) of patients requiring mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit (ICU) is associated with poor outcomes for patients and organizations. This study was conducted to assess the clinical features of patients who experienced UE and to determine the risk factors affecting reintubation after UE in an ICU. METHODS: Among all adult patients admitted to the ICU in our institution who required mechanical ventilation between January 2011 and December 2013, those in whom UE was noted were included in the study. Data were categorized according to noninvasive or invasive management after UE. RESULTS: The rate of UE was 0.78% (the number of UEs per 100 days of mechanical ventilation). The incidence of self-extubation was 97.2%, while extubation was accidental in the remaining patients. Two cases of cardiac arrest combined with respiratory arrest after UE were noted. Of the 214 incidents, 54.7% required invasive management after UE. Long duration of mechanical ventilation (odds ratio [OR] 1.52; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32-1.75; p = 0.000) and high ICU mortality (OR 4.39; 95% CI 1.33-14.50; p = 0.015) showed the most significant association with invasive management after UE. In multivariate analysis, younger age (OR 0.96; 95% CI 0.93-0.99; p = 0.005), medical patients (OR 4.36; 95% CI 1.95-9.75; p = 0.000), use of sedative medication (OR 4.95; 95% CI 1.97-12.41; p = 0.001), large amount of secretion (OR 2.66; 95% CI 1.01-7.02; p = 0.049), and low PaO2/FiO2 ratio (OR 0.99; 95% CI 0.98-0.99; p = 0.000) were independent risk factors of invasive management after UE. CONCLUSIONS: To prevent unfavorable clinical outcomes, close attention and proper ventilatory support are required for patients with risk factors who require invasive management after UE.
Adult ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intensive Care Units* ; Critical Care* ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Respiration, Artificial ; Risk Factors

Conventional medical therapies have not been very successful in treating adults with refractory septic shock. The effects of direct hemoperfusion using polymyxin B and veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for refractory septic shock remain uncertain. A 66-year-old man was admitted to the emergency department and suffered from sepsis-induced hemodynamic collapse. For hemodynamic improvement, we performed direct hemoperfusion using polymyxin B. Computed tomography scan of this patient revealed emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN), for which he underwent emergent nephrectomy with veno-arterial ECMO support. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of successful treatment of EPN with refractory septic shock using polymyxin B hemoperfusion and nephrectomy under the support of ECMO.
Adult ; Aged ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Endotoxins ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation* ; Hemodynamics ; Hemoperfusion ; Humans ; Nephrectomy* ; Polymyxin B ; Pyelonephritis ; Shock, Septic*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Military Personnel ; Tuberculosis

Mucormycosis is an uncommon opportunistic fungal infection mostly affecting immunocompromised patients and gastrointestinal mucormycosis is a rare and life-threatening. We describe a 31-year-old man with a history of idiopathic cyclic neutropenia who developed perforations of the stomach and intestine and intra-abdominal bleeding due to disseminated gastrointestinal mucormycosis after the initial operation.
Adult ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Intestines ; Mucormycosis* ; Neutropenia ; Stomach

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most frequent nosocomial infection in the intensive care unit (ICU), with an incidence ranging from 8% to 38%. Patients who acquire VAP have higher mortality rates and longer ICU and hospital stays. Because there are other potential causes of fever, leukocytosis, and pulmonary infiltrates, clinical diagnosis of VAP is overly sensitive. The only alternative approach to the clinical diagnosis of VAP is the Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score (CPIS). Employing quantitative cultures of respiratory secretions in the diagnosis of VAP leads to less antibiotic use and probably to lower mortality. With respect to microbiologic diagnosis, however, it is not clear that the use of invasive sampling using bronchoscopy is associated with better outcomes. Delayed administration of antibiotic therapy is associated with an increased mortality, and inadequate antibiotic therapy is also associated with higher mortality. Therefore, prompt initiation of adequate antibiotic therapy is a cornerstone of the treatment of VAP. The initial antibiotic therapy should be based on the most common organisms in each hospital and the most likely pathogens for that specific patient. When final cultures and susceptibilities are available, de-escalation to less broad spectrum antibiotics should be done. Since clinical improvement usually takes 2 to 3 days, clinical responses to the initial empirical therapy should be evaluated by day 3. A short course of antibiotic therapy appears to be equivalent to a traditional course of more than 14 days, except when treating non-fermenting gram-negative organisms. If patients receive initially adequate antibiotic therapy, efforts should be made to shorten the duration of therapy to as short as 7 days, provided that the etiologic pathogen is not a non-fermenting gram-negative organism.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bronchoscopy ; Cross Infection ; Fever ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intensive Care Units ; Length of Stay ; Leukocytosis ; Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated

No abstract available.
Drug Therapy* ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult*

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: Pneumocystis jirovecii is a fungus that has become an important cause of opportunistic infections. We present a summary of the clinical status and findings from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of patients with Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP). METHODS: We selected 30 cases of PJP that were proven through a surgical specimen evaluation. BAL fluid cytology was reviewed, and agreement with the initial diagnosis was evaluated. RESULTS: All 30 cases of PJP occurred in immunocompromised patients. Only 15 of the 30 cases were initially diagnosed as PJP. We found PJP in 13 of the 15 cases that were negative at the initial diagnosis. The most characteristic finding of PJP was frothy exudates, and BAL fluid tended to show rare neutrophils. Two of seven patients with PJP and diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) revealed no frothy exudates in BAL fluid. CONCLUSION: BAL fluid cytology was reconfirmed as a sensitive and rapid method to diagnose PJP. We must be aware of the possibility of PJP to maintain high diagnostic sensitivity. We cannot exclude PJP in cases of PJP with DAD, even if frothy exudates are not observed in the BAL fluid.
Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Exudates and Transudates ; Fungi ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Neutrophils ; Opportunistic Infections ; Pneumocystis ; Pneumocystis carinii ; Pneumocystis jirovecii ; Pneumonia