Project description:In this clinical vignette, we present the case of an 83-year-old female patient with acute limb ischemia, resulting from a large (1.8 × 2.8 cm) mobile thrombus in the descending aorta. The peripheral obstruction was treated with mechanical thrombectomy, whereas the intra-aortic thrombus was treated conservatively with clopidogrel and fondaparinux. (Level of Difficulty: Beginner.).
Project description:Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a devastating disease with an incidence that progressively increases with advancing age. Currently, only ∼40% of younger and 10% of older adults are long-term survivors. If untreated, the overall prognosis of AML remains dismal. Initiation of therapy at diagnosis is usually urgent. Barriers to successful therapy for AML are the attendant toxicities directly related to chemotherapy or those associated with inevitable aplasia. Organ dysfunction often further complicates such toxicities and may even be prohibitive. There are few guidelines to manage such patients and the fear of crossing the medico-legal abyss may dominate. Such clinical scenarios provide particular challenges and require experience for optimal management. Herein, we discuss select examples of common pretreatment comorbidities, including cardiomyopathy, ischemic heart disease; chronic renal failure, with and without dialysis; hepatitis and cirrhosis; chronic pulmonary insufficiency; and cerebral vascular disease. These comorbidities usually render patients ineligible for clinical trials and enormous uncertainty regarding management reigns, often to the point of withholding definitive therapy. The scenarios described herein emphasize that with appropriate subspecialty support, many AML patients with comorbidities can undergo therapy with curative intent and achieve successful long-term outcome.
Project description:Acute limb ischemia (ALI) is a rapid decrease in lower limb blood flow due to acute occlusion of peripheral artery or bypass graft, and in ALI not only limbs but also life prognosis will be poor unless quick and appropriate treatment is given. The etiology is broadly divided into embolism and thrombosis with various comorbidities. The symptoms of ALI are abrupt with pain, numbness, and coldness of lower limb, and paresthesia, contracture, and irreversible purpura will appear with the exacerbation of ischemia. Severity and treatment strategy should be determined based on physical findings and image findings. Considering life prognosis, limb amputation should be done without hesitation when the limb was diagnosed as irreversible. ALI can be treated by means of open surgical revascularization, endovascular, or hybrid approach with rapid systemic administration of heparin. In any cases, evaluating the lesions by intraoperative angiography and appropriate additional treatment are important. ALI is a serious disease requiring urgent treatment, and it is essential to promptly perform the best initial treatment that can be performed at each facility. (This is a translation of Jpn J Vasc Surg 2018; 27: 109-114.).
Project description:We report a case of t(8;21) acute myeloid leukemia presenting as severe aplastic anemia. While initial bone marrow biopsy lacked any cytogenetic abnormalities in 20 analyzed metaphases, repeat bone marrow biopsy eight days later demonstrated this translocation. Initial cytogenetic analysis of 20 metaphases was therefore insufficient to make the diagnosis of hypocellular acute myeloid leukemia. We discuss that further complementary molecular tests, such as CGH, would likely provide a more robust diagnosis of hematopoietic diseases.
Project description:This report presents a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and COVID-19 infection one month earlier who experienced embolic episodes resulting in acute lower-limb ischemia from an unusual source. The blood flow was successfully restored by femoropopliteal thromboembolectomy. In determining the source of the embolism, the patient underwent electrocardiogram, transthoracic echocardiogram, and aortic CTA. The latter revealed a large, pedunculated, and mobile thrombus arising from the aortic arch and the descending thoracic aorta. Considering the patient's general health condition, we performed anticoagulation of the floating thrombus in the aortic lumen. The mechanism of aortic floating thrombosis exhibits considerable complexity. There are no standardized treatment protocols or clinical guidelines, and its treatment mainly includes open surgery, aortic endoluminal stent -graft insertion and pharmacological anticoagulation. Treatment strategy should be based on the cause of the disease and the patient's physical condition.
Project description:Right-sided intracardiac thrombi are potential causes of right ventricular (RV) failure, particularly when tricuspid or pulmonary obstruction occurs. In most cases, RV thrombus develops in patients with RV dysfunction and concomitant thrombosis in the systemic veins. However, RV thrombosis can rarely present as an isolated mass and despite preserved RV function, particularly in patients with thrombophilic states. In this report, we describe an unusual case of giant isolated RV thrombus presenting with acute RV failure secondary to dynamic RV outflow tract obstruction in a patient with renal carcinoma. Bedside echocardiography allowed a rapid assessment of the hemodynamic effects of the mass. The possibility of a thrombotic RV outflow obstruction should be considered in patients with acute RV failure, even in those with no evidence of thrombosis in the venous district. This may be particularly important in patients with prothrombotic states, where the effectiveness of routine thromboembolic prophylaxis could be reduced.
Project description:Patients with acute myeloid leukemia and low circulating white count have a different gene expression profile compared those with high white count