The patient was a 74-year-old woman who had undergone mitral valve replacement with a mechanical valve for rheumatic mitral valve stenosis at age 60. She was scheduled for aortic valve replacement for severe aortic stenosis. However, she had significantly worsening anemia before the operation. Capsule endoscopy showed angiodysplasia with bleeding in her small intestine, which was considered the cause of the anemia. Because of progressive anemia, we tried embolization under angiography. However, there was no evidence of extravasation. Neither melena nor exacerbation of anemia was observed, and she underwent aortic valve replacement. She was discharged on postoperative day 22 without gastrointestinal bleeding. Heyde syndrome is aortic valve stenosis associated with gastrointestinal bleeding induced by von Willebrand disease and angiodysplasia in small intestine. Molecular multimeric analysis of von Willebrand factor and the existence of angiodysplasia with hemorrhage of the digestive tract are important for definitive diagnosis. Capsule endoscopy, which is a general examination, is more useful for diagnosis than molecular multimeric analysis of von Willebrand factor. Aortic valve replacement is the only therapeutic option for Heyde syndrome. It is important to decide the appropriate timing of AVR with cardiopulmonary bypass.

We report a case of type A acute aortic dissection in an elderly woman with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) who underwent replacement of the ascending aorta and aortic arch and later required aortic root replacement for redissection of the aortic root one month after her initial surgery. She was an 86-year-old woman with severe mitral regurgitation, and surgery was contraindicated because of her age and ITP. In October 2014, the patient presented with back pain. Computed tomography confirmed the diagnosis of her condition as type A acute aortic dissection, and she was immediately transferred to our hospital. Because echocardiography showed severe aortic regurgitation, severe mitral regurgitation, and moderate tricuspid regurgitation, we performed replacement of the ascending aorta and aortic arch, mitral valve repair, and tricuspid annuloplasty. We used Bioglue to fuse the false lumen of the type A acute aortic dissection and used a Teflon felt sandwich for the proximal anastomosis technique. Respiratory support was discontinued 91 h after her first operation ; however, 30 days after surgery, she developed a to-and-fro murmur-a sign of the progression of heart failure. Echocardiography showed aggravation of aortic regurgitation, and computed tomography showed aortic root redissection ; therefore, 39 days after the initial surgery, we performed aortic root replacement. During the operation, we found the entry under the proximal anastomosis with an almost semicircle form at the right coronary cusp to the noncoronary cusp, and the dissection extended close to the right coronary artery ; thus, we performed bypass to the right coronary artery. Pathologic findings did not establish a causal association between the redissection and Bioglue, and we believed the fragility of the tissue and the selection of the surgical procedure to be the cause of redissection. The patient was transferred to another hospital when she was able to walk and eat, which was 121 days after her first operation. The patient required 50 units of platelet transfusion during her first and second operations, but her bleeding was easily controlled during surgery. She needed two procedures of pericardium drainage for pericardiac effusion and cardiac tamponade, which may relate to ITP. The diagnosis of redissection of the aortic root was made 30 days after the patient's first operation, on the basis of exacerbation of the to-and-fro murmur. Here, we emphasize the clinical importance of basic observations over time, such as auscultation, that are liable to be overlooked in the intensive care unit.

Objective: Providing patients with information and medication instruction regarding direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC)antagonists is becoming increasingly important. Comprehensive knowledge of DOAC antagonists can expedite the transportation and treatment of emergency cases, such as bleeding with antagonists, in hospitals. We investigated the awareness of idarucizumab and whether the information provided in the Risk Management Plan was reflected in the actual provision of information and medication instruction.Methods: Pharmacists in dispensing pharmacies and Kameda Medical Center were included in the survey conducted from May 2022 to June 2022. Using a web-based questionnaire, we obtained answers to questions related to idarucizumab awareness. Respondents answered a series of questions regarding idarucizumab awareness, sources of information, patient information, and medication instruction.Results: We received responses from 1,118 people. In all, 25.9% pharmacists were aware of idarucizumab, and 10.3% provided information and medication instruction on DOAC antagonists to patients. Pharmaceutical companies, books, drug information departments, workshops, and wholesalers were the sources of information on idarucizumab for 24.8, 21.0, 19.0, 10.7, and 3.1% of the pharmacists, respectively.Conclusion: Pharmacists had knowledge of DOAC antagonists and provided information and instructions to patients infrequently. Improved awareness will lead to prompt response during the occurrence of adverse events such as bleeding.

Objective: Bevacizumab maintenance therapy following platinum-based combination chemotherapy for metastatic, recurrent, or persistent cervical cancer is not recommended as standard therapy. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab maintenance therapy and the contribution of the platinum-free interval to the efficacy of subsequent chemotherapy for advanced cervical cancer. Methods: We retrospectively identified 115 patients with metastatic, recurrent, or persistent cervical cancer treated with platinum-paclitaxel chemotherapy plus bevacizumab at 7 institutions between 2015 and 2020. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients who received bevacizumab maintenance therapy and those who did not. We also analyzed the adverse events associated with bevacizumab and survival time from the start of subsequent chemotherapy in both groups. Results: Following platinum-paclitaxel plus bevacizumab chemotherapy, 34 patients received bevacizumab maintenance therapy and 81 patients did not. Of the 115 patients, 56 received chemotherapy for subsequent relapse. Although bevacizumab maintenance therapy prolonged PFS (median of 16.0 months vs. 9.0 months, p=0.041), significant differences were not observed in OS (p=0.374). Furthermore, bevacizumab maintenance therapy did not prolong OS and PFS after the start of subsequent chemotherapy (p=0.663 and p=0.136, respectively). Bevacizumab maintenance therapy significantly increased hypertension (p=0.035) and proteinuria (p=0.005) but did not cause complications leading to death. Conclusion Bevacizumab single-maintenance therapy for advanced cervical cancer can be considered in selected cases, such as those with acceptable bevacizumab-related side effects. The outcomes of our study will likely contribute to decision-making regarding practical treatment strategies.

Distigmine has reversible and persistent cholinesterase (ChE) antagonism, and is used for the dysuria due to low activity bladders such as the neurogenic bladder dysfunction widely postoperatively, but fatal cases were reported by cholinergic syndrome. Therefore a dose was limited to 5mg only for adaptation of “the dysuria due to hypotonic bladder such as after surgery and the neurogenic bladder dysfunction” in March, 2010. In the current study, we examined a ministerial policy in the package insert revision using Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report database (JADER). Using a side effect report registered with JADER from January, 2004 to June, 2016, we calculated Reporting Odds Ratio (ROR) which was the index of the safe signal of the medical supplies adverse event and we compared number of reports and ROR of the cholinergic syndrome by the distigmine in approximately the measure in March, 2010 and evaluated it. The number of reports of the cholinergic syndrome by the distigmine was 138 cases before March 2010 and 65 cases after March 2010. After a measure, the number of reports decreased. The possibility that the package insert revision of the distigmine contributed to a decrease in cholinergic syndrome onset was suggested. Whereas monitoring careful sequentially needs the onset of the cholinergic syndrome in constant frequency to be found.