São Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina
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Case Reports
To shunt or not to shunt a pulmonary adenomatoid cystic malformation after 33 weeks of gestation: a case report.
Macrocystic adenomatoid malformation of the lung can cause severe mediastinal shift, hydrops and polyhydramnios, thereby increasing the risk of perinatal deaths. After 33 weeks of gestation, repeated puncturing of the cyst is recommended. We present a case in which a cyst-amniotic shunt was placed instead of performing this procedure. ⋯ A cyst-amniotic shunt was placed at 33 weeks of gestation because of a large macrocystic adenomatoid malformation of the lung associated with severe mediastinal shift and polyhydramnios. Although it was confirmed that the catheter was in the correct place, the cyst increased in size again two weeks later, associated with repetition of polyhydramnios. It was postulated that the catheter was blocked, and we chose to place another catheter instead of performing repeated punctures. The cystic volume, polyhydramnios and mediastinal shift regressed progressively. At 38.5 weeks, a 3,310/g male infant was delivered without presenting any respiratory distress. The infant underwent thoracotomy on the 15th day of life. Thus, in the present study, we discuss the possibility of placing a cyst-amniotic shunt instead of performing repeated cystic punctures, even at a gestational age close to full term.
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Review Case Reports
Round pneumonia: a rare condition mimicking bronchogenic carcinoma. Case report and review of the literature.
Round pneumonia is a condition usually described in children, with few reports addressing adult patients. It is an oval-shaped consolidation that, due to its radiological appearance, simulates bronchogenic carcinoma. Its evolution tends to be benign, although diagnostic dilemmas have sometimes required exploratory thoracotomy. Deaths caused by this condition have even been reported. To the best of our knowledge, there have been 31 previous cases of round pneumonia in adults reported in the English and Portuguese-language literature, of which only one was completely asymptomatic. ⋯ The case of a 54-year-old female patient presenting a lung mass found on routine imaging evaluation is reported. Respiratory symptoms and signs were absent, but the patient had a significant history of smoking. Her physical examination gave normal results. On chest radiographs, a mass located in the middle third of the right lung was observed. Three weeks after the initial evaluation, the patient was admitted for a complete evaluation and for staging of a pulmonary malignancy, but repeated chest radiographs showed complete resolution.
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Sedation scales are used to guide sedation protocols in intensive care units (ICUs). However, no sedation scale in Portuguese has ever been evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of Portuguese translations of four sedation-agitation scales, among critically ill patients: Glasgow Coma Score, Ramsay, Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) and Sedation-Agitation Scale (SAS). ⋯ All scales demonstrated good interrater reliability and were comparable. RASS and SAS showed the best correlations and the best agreement results in all professional categories. All these characteristics make RASS and SAS good scales for use at the bedside, to evaluate sedation-agitation among critically ill patients in terms of validity, reliability and applicability.
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Case Reports
Sulfasalazine-induced DRESS syndrome (Drug Rash with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms).
DRESS syndrome (Drug Rash with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms) is a type of drug reaction commonly mistaken for a viral infection. It must be recognized promptly due to its high morbidity and 10% mortality rate. Few cases of DRESS syndrome induced by sulfasalazine have been reported in the literature. ⋯ The case of a 47-year-old white Brazilian woman who developed DRESS syndrome eight weeks after starting a course of sulfasalazine for treatment of seronegative arthritis is reported. She presented a skin rash, fever, hepatitis, lymphadenopathy, eosinophilia and atypical lymphocytes. The causative drug was discontinued immediately, but she only improved after treatment with prednisone.
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Pressure ulcers are lesions caused by inadequate blood flow and tissue malnourishment secondary to prolonged pressure on skin, soft connective tissues, muscle and/or bones. The authors report two distinct clinical situations of severely compromised neurological patients who shared several predisposing factors for pressure ulcers, but with opposite outcomes regarding the development of pressure ulcers. ⋯ The first case was a young patient in a persistent vegetative state who developed pressure ulcers that resulted in secondary sepsis and death. The second case was a patient with a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis who, in spite of being bedridden for several months with severe immobility, never developed pressure ulcers. These intriguing contrary clinical situations had already been defined by Charcot in the nineteenth century, with his creation of the expression "decubitus ominosus". He indicated that patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis usually did not develop this form of complication, as was illustrated by the cases presented here.