Acta clinica Croatica
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Acta clinica Croatica · Apr 2023
COMPARISON OF C-REACTIVE PROTEIN LEVELS IN SERUM AND PERITONEAL FLUID IN EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF ANASTOMOTIC LEAKAGE AFTER COLORECTAL SURGERY.
In colorectal surgery, anastomotic leakage is a serious complication, leading to higher postoperative morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of serum and intraperitoneal C-reactive protein (CRP) in early diagnostics of anastomotic leakage on the first four postoperative days after colorectal surgery. ⋯ Comparing the levels of serum and intraperitoneal CRP, our study showed that serum CRP was a better predictor of anastomotic leakage. Serum CRP levels lower than 121 mg/L on postoperative day 4 were predictive of good healing of anastomosis.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Apr 2023
CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITIONS IN CROATIAN WAR VETERANS COMPARED TO THE GENERAL POPULATION: 25 YEARS AFTER THE WAR.
Many published reports have documented an increased prevalence of chronic medical conditions among veterans, but there were only a few studies that compared these increases with the general population. The aim of this study was to determine differences in chronic medical conditions between Croatian war veterans and the general population. This study included two groups of subjects, i.e. 1453 participants who are Croatian war veterans and 1429 participants from the general population. ⋯ Significant difference was found in favor of the general population for hypothyroidism (14.3% vs. 8%). There were no differences in the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cholelithiasis, nephrolithiasis, and smoking. Our findings confirmed the hypothesis of a higher prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, malignancy and psychiatric diseases among Croatian war veterans and emphasized the need of better control of their medical conditions.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Apr 2023
Case ReportsNECK HEMATOMA AFTER CENTRAL VENOUS CATHETERIZATION AND AWAKE INTUBATION AS RESCUE AIRWAY MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUE: A CASE REPORT.
Central venous catheterization (CVC) of the internal jugular vein is an invasive procedure commonly performed in anesthesiology practice. Usually it is an uneventful procedure but complications such as bleeding, infection, and potential damage to the surrounding structures can occur. One of the complications is neck hematoma, which can distort airway anatomy and cause upper airway obstruction. ⋯ Awake tracheal intubation (ATI) with video laryngoscopy was the technique of choice for reintubation because of the neck swelling and compression onto laryngeal structures. In this case, rushed extubation put the patient at risk. Video laryngoscopy ATI with appropriate preparation and titrated sedation can enable quick and safe rescue airway management in patients with rapidly developing neck hematoma, along with definitive evacuation and treatment.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Apr 2023
FACTORS AFFECTING PROGNOSIS AND MORTALITY IN SEVERE COVID-19 PNEUMONIA PATIENTS.
Fatality rate in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases has been reported to be 3.4% worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors that determine prognosis and mortality in severe COVID-19 pneumonia patients. Eighty adult patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia hospitalized and monitored at Izzet Baysal State Hospital (Bolu, Turkey) between August and November 2020 were included in this retrospective single-center study. ⋯ Mortality was significantly higher in patients using steroid pulse therapy + tocilizumab, steroid pulse therapy + hydroxychloroquine, or solely steroid pulse therapy, while it was significantly lower in patients receiving azithromycin therapy and those in the plasma + steroid pulse therapy group. The severity of pulmonary involvement, intubation, and increase in inflammation markers such as ferritin, troponin and procalcitonin were found to be significantly associated with mortality (p<0.05). Treatment approaches with azithromycin and plasma + steroid pulse therapy were found to reduce mortality.
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Acta clinica Croatica · Apr 2023
ASSESSMENT OF NEONATAL CARE STANDARD BY THE PREDICTIVE MODEL FOR RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY BASED ON WEIGHT GAIN.
Care of extremely premature infants is in constant need for evaluation and progress. WINROP, a predictive model based on weight gain, has been developed to reduce the number of stressful examinations for retinopathy for prematurity. Validation studies of WINROP emphasize the difference of applicability in neonatal units of various practice. ⋯ In conclusion, WINROP is not just a provider of predictive information on the severity of retinopathy of prematurity. High-risk alarm indicates the need of adjustment of nutritional strategies. Infants without pathological growth morbidities who develop severe retinopathy of prematurity in low-risk group point to other risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity to be evaluated and changed in future practice.