We report a rare case of adult human metapneumovirus(HMPV) in a healthy 32-year-old man. There was dramaticdeterioration in his condition developing pneumonia withType-I respiratory failure and encephalitis. He neededmechanical ventilation in the intensive care setting and wastreated with intravenous ribavirin. Post-extubation heremained severely physically and cognitively impaireddespite rehabilitation. Treatment of HMPV pneumonia is atpresent, still without specific antiviral therapy. ManagingHMPV-encephalitis remained supportive and challenging.More definite treatment strategies are needed.

INTRODUCTIONOrthodeoxia is a rare clinical syndrome characterised by dyspnoea and arterial deoxygenation that accompanies a change from a supine to erect position.

CLINICAL PICTUREWe describe an unusual case of "paradoxical orthodeoxia" in a 70-year-old man with a thoracic aortic aneurysm: arterial desaturation when supine that improved when erect.

TREATMENT AND OUTCOMENon-invasive imaging revealed compression of the left pulmonary artery by the aneurysm (thoracic computed tomography) and patent foramen ovale (transesophageal echocardiography). Nuclear studies show decreased relative left lung perfusion attributable to the former, and right-to-left atrial shunt attributable to the latter. The degree of right-to-left shunt increases in the supine position: nuclear pulmonary shunt study shows shunt extent of 21% when supine versus 10% erect.

CONCLUSIONA physioanatomical explanation is proposed.

Aged ; Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic ; epidemiology ; Dyspnea ; etiology ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Female ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Oxygen ; blood ; Posture ; physiology ; Supine Position ; physiology

Rehabilitation medicine is the medical specialty that integrates rehabilitation as its core therapeutic modality in disability management. More than a billion people worldwide are disabled, and the World Health Organization has developed the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health as a framework through which disability is addressed. Herein, we explore paradigm shifts in neurorehabilitation, with a focus on restoration, and provide overviews on developments in neuropharmacology, rehabilitation robotics, virtual reality, constraint-induced therapy and brain stimulation. We also discuss important issues in rehabilitation systems of care, including integrated care pathways, very early rehabilitation, early supported discharge and telerehabilitation. Finally, we highlight major new fields of rehabilitation such as spasticity management, frailty and geriatric rehabilitation, intensive care and cancer rehabilitation.
Disability Evaluation ; Disabled Persons ; classification ; rehabilitation ; Humans ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Rehabilitation ; methods ; standards ; trends ; World Health Organization

Aged ; Endovascular Procedures ; methods ; Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Reoperation ; Singapore

A 67-year-old Chinese woman with comorbidities of chronic obstructive lung disease, hypertension and prior coronary artery bypass surgery presented with severe functional mitral regurgitation (MR) and severely depressed left ventricular function. She was in New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II-III. Due to high surgical risk, she was referred for percutaneous treatment with the MitraClip valve repair system. This procedure is typically performed via the femoral venous system and involves a transseptal puncture. A clip is delivered to grasp the regurgitant mitral valve leaflets and reduce MR. This was performed uneventfully in our patient, with reduction of MR from 4+ to 1+. She was discharged on post-procedure Day 2 and her NYHA class improved to Class I. This was the first successful MitraClip procedure performed in Asia and represents a valuable treatment option in patients with severe MR, especially those with functional MR or those at high surgical risk.
Aged ; Cardiac Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Cardiology ; instrumentation ; methods ; Catheters ; Echocardiography ; methods ; Equipment and Supplies ; Female ; Heart Ventricles ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Mitral Valve ; surgery ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; surgery ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; complications ; Risk ; Ultrasonography, Doppler ; methods ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left ; surgery

Aged ; Atherosclerosis ; Case-Control Studies ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; methods ; Coronary Artery Disease ; surgery ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Mammary Arteries ; physiology ; transplantation ; Middle Aged ; Pulsatile Flow ; Radial Artery ; physiology ; transplantation ; Rheology ; Saphenous Vein ; physiology ; transplantation ; Shear Strength ; Stress, Mechanical ; Vascular Patency ; physiology

INTRODUCTIONHigh workload volumes in a Cytogenetics laboratory can lead to long result turn-around times (TAT). This study aimed to improve laboratory efficiency by adopting Lean Management System initiatives to increase productivity through the elimination of wastes. This study examined if the prerequisite 20-cell analysis was sufficient for a conclusive result or if additional cell workup was necessary to ascertain the presence of a previous chromosome abnormality among cases on follow-up, or when a single abnormal cell was encountered during the analysis to determine the presence of a clone.

MATERIALS AND METHODSThe karyotype results of cases that had additional workup were retrieved from among 8040 bone marrow cases of various haematological disorders performed between June 2003 and June 2008.

RESULTSOf 8040 cases analysed, 2915 cases (36.3%) had additional cell workup. Only 49 cases (1.7%) led to the establishment of a clone. The majority of these cases could have been resolved without the additional workup, especially if fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) or polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays had been utilised.

CONCLUSIONThis study shows that the additional workup procedure is redundant. The time saved by discontinuing the workup procedure can be used to analyse other cases, leading to increased laboratory efficiency and a faster TAT without compromise to patient care. The practice of additional workup over and above the 20- cell analysis should be dispensed with as little benefit was derived for the amount of additional manpower expended. FISH or PCR-based assays should be utilised to elucidate a case further.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bone Marrow ; Bone Marrow Cells ; Cytogenetics ; Efficiency ; Efficiency, Organizational ; Female ; Hematologic Diseases ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; instrumentation ; methods ; Karyotyping ; instrumentation ; methods ; Male ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

INTRODUCTIONPercutaneous transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become an established therapy for inoperable and high-surgical-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. Although TAVI in patients with degenerated surgical aortic bioprostheses (i.e. valve-in-valve TAVI) is increasingly reported in Western studies, such data is lacking in Asian patients. We describe the initial experience of valve-in-valve TAVI in Asia.

METHODSEight patients who underwent valve-in-valve TAVI due to degenerated aortic bioprostheses were enrolled. The mechanism of bioprosthetic valve failure was stenotic, regurgitation or mixed. All procedures were performed via transfemoral arterial access, using the self-expanding CoreValve prosthesis or balloon-expandable SAPIEN XT prosthesis.

RESULTSThe mean age of the patients was 71.6 ± 13.2 years and five were male. Mean duration to surgical bioprosthesis degeneration was 10.2 ± 4.1 years. Valve-in-valve TAVI was successfully performed in all patients. CoreValve and SAPIEN XT prostheses were used in six and two patients, respectively. There were no deaths, strokes or permanent pacemaker requirement at 30 days, with one noncardiac mortality at one year. All patients experienced New York Heart Association functional class improvement. Post-procedure mean pressure gradients were 20 ± 11 mmHg and 22 ± 8 mmHg at 30 days and one year, respectively. Residual aortic regurgitation (AR) of more than mild severity occurred in one patient at 30 days. At one year, only one patient had mild residual AR.

CONCLUSIONIn our experience of valve-in-valve TAVI, procedural success was achieved in all patients without adverse events at 30 days. Good clinical and haemodynamic outcomes were sustained at one year.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aortic Valve ; surgery ; Aortic Valve Insufficiency ; surgery ; Aortic Valve Stenosis ; surgery ; Arteries ; Bioprosthesis ; Cardiac Catheterization ; methods ; Female ; Fluoroscopy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Valve Prosthesis ; Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pacemaker, Artificial ; Prosthesis Failure ; Severity of Illness Index ; Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement