SAGE open medical case reports
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SAGE Open Med Case Rep · Jan 2016
Case ReportsLeukemia cutis in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia presenting as bilateral helical nodules.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the most common adult leukemia worldwide, is considered an indolent but incurable non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Leukemia cutis is an uncommon manifestation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. ⋯ Local treatment is indicated in case of leukemia cutis; however, systemic treatment is recommended when there are systemic signs and symptoms. Better awareness of disease evolution and prompt diagnosis of this leukemia cutis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia will improve the effectiveness and outcome of its management.
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SAGE Open Med Case Rep · Jan 2015
Case ReportsQigong program on insomnia and stress in cancer patients: A case series report.
In recent years, the interest in Qigong as an alternative therapy has grown following reports of its ability to regulate psychological factors in cancer patients. This is a case series to evaluate the outcome measures of Qigong when used as an adjunct to standard medical care to treat insomnia and stress in cancer patients. ⋯ This study could provide a better understanding of Qigong's influence on insomnia and stress in cancer patients. However, a larger controlled trial should be conducted to confirm these findings.
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SAGE Open Med Case Rep · Jan 2015
Case ReportsFatal persistent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia and vascular graft infections complicated with the formation of multiple abscesses despite aggressive medical therapy.
A 40-year-old man underwent ascending aorta replacement for an acute type A aortic dissection. After the operations, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was identified in sputum and blood cultures. Although anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus drugs were administered, most of the intermittent blood cultures remained positive. ⋯ However, abscesses in the brain, mediastinum and spleen were found 3 years after the operation. The minimum inhibitory concentration of vancomycin gradually increased from 1 to 4 µg/mL during the course of treatment. This case provides evidence for a potential role of combination therapy.
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SAGE Open Med Case Rep · Jan 2015
Case ReportsTherapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest in Long QT syndrome: Could it be an adjunctive treatment to prevent dysrhythmias?
Therapeutic hypothermia has been used for neuroprotection following cardiac arrest presenting with ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation regardless of underlying cause. Long QT syndrome is a cause for polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, and we know that therapeutic hypothermia increases the QT interval. We managed a 27-year-old woman, who was 10 weeks post-partum, who collapsed secondary to ventricular fibrillation at home. ⋯ There has been a report of a patient also having ventricular dysrhythmia 2 h after re-warming post therapeutic hypothermia and also a report of arrhythmia free period during therapeutic hypothermia in a long QT syndrome patient; both these features are present in our patient. Re-warming is not usually known to cause any arrhythmias; however, it could be a problem in those with long QT syndrome. Whether therapeutic hypothermia has a place in helping to control ventricular dysrhythmias needs further study.
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SAGE Open Med Case Rep · Jan 2014
Case ReportsHeparin-induced thrombocytopenia among patients of a comprehensive cancer center.
Most clinical studies of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia have not included cancer patients who have high risk of thromboembolism, frequent exposure to heparin, and many potential causes of thrombocytopenia other than heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. To estimate the incidence and prevalence of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in cancer patients, we identified cases based on diagnostic codes, anti-heparin antibody testing, and clinical characteristics (4T score) at a comprehensive cancer center between 1 October 2008 and 31 December 2011. We estimated that the prevalence of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia to be 0.02% among all cancer patients and 0.24% among cancer patients exposed to heparin. ⋯ Of the 40 cancer patients with the International Classification of Diseases (Ninth Revision; ICD-9) code for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, positive anti-heparin antibody, and 4T score ≥4, 5 (12.5%) died of related thromboembolic or hemorrhagic complications. In a multivariate logistic regression model, male gender was a significant (p = 0.035) factor, and non-hematological malignancy was a significant (p = 0.017) factor associated with anti-heparin antibody positivity. Future studies may further examine the risk factors associated with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in larger cohorts.