EMERGENCY TROLLEYS: AVAILABLE AND MAINTAINED, BUT ARE THEIR LOCATIONS KNOWN? – CLOSING THE LOOP

Emergency trolleys are developed and placed in strategic locations to improve the efficiency of the medical teams‘ response to emergencies. In order to close the loop on a previous audit, conducted a year earlier, a second survey was performed to assess the team of Anaesthetists‘ knowledge on the presence and location of those trolleys at the Victoria Ambulatory Care Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland. The results highlighted a considerable deficiency in the knowledge of those trolleys‘ locations, in both surveys. We suggest that similar surveys should be conducted as part of regular audits in all units and should include all staff involved in such emergencies. We also propose new approaches to tackle the problem and help improve the staff knowledge for quick and easy access; thus avoiding delays in critical care management

Mechanical pulmonic valve thrombosis: expanding role of cardiac CT and multimodality imaging

We report a case of a 44-year-old man with a clinical history of Tetralogy of Fallot status post staged surgical correction with mechanical pulmonic valve replacement who presented with progressive exertional dyspnea in the setting of non-compliance with anticoagulation. In the context of this suggestive clinical presentation, the diagnosis of mechanical pulmonic valve thrombosis (MPVT) was made possible via multimodality imaging, including transthoracic echocardiogram and cardiac computed tomography angiography. Due to the uncommon nature of the condition, the patient was treated with systemic thrombolysis and anticoagulation using evidence-based guidelines, largely extrapolated from left-sided mechanical valve thrombosis. Our case underscores the importance of anticoagulation in MPVT and recognizing the features of MPVT on clinical history, physical examination, and multimodality imaging. It is essential to understand the pivotal role of multimodality imaging in the assessment of MPVT and realize the limitations of available data regarding the management of MPVT in the current era

Assessment of associations between hypoglycemia and cardiovascular outcomes in the randomized CARMELINA and CAROLINA trials of the antihyperglycemic medication linagliptin

Introduction: Bidirectional associations between hypoglycemia and cardiovascular (CV) outcomes were evaluated in 2 CV outcome trials of the DPP-4 inhibitor, linagliptin. Methods: CARMELINA and CAROLINA trials evaluated CV outcomes with linagliptin vs placebo or glimepiride, respectively, in adults with type 2 DM at high CV ± kidney risk; of the 2, CARMELINA was longer duration/higher risk cohort. The primary outcome for both trials was CV death, myocardial infarction (MI), or stroke (3P-MACE), with heart failure (HHF) added to the primary outcome for the present analyses. Hypoglycemia was defined as plasma glucose <54 mg/dL; severe hypoglycemia defined as needing external help. Associations between the first hypoglycemic episode and subsequent CV events, and conversely, between non-fatal CV events (MI, stroke, HHF) and subsequent hypoglycemic episodes, were assessed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. Sensitivity analyses explored the risk of CV events within 60 days after each hypoglycemic episode. Results: In CARMELINA, there was an association between hypoglycemia and subsequent 3P-MACE + HHF (adjusted HR: 1.23; 95% CI 1.04-1.46), and between non-fatal CV events and subsequent hypoglycemia (adjusted HR: 1.39; 95% CI 1.06-1.83). In CAROLINA, there was no significant association between hypoglycemia and subsequent 3P-MACE + HHF (adjusted HR: 1.00; 95% CI 0.76-1.32), nor between non-fatal CV events and subsequent hypoglycemia (adjusted HR: 1.44; 95% CI 0.96-2.16) (Fig). In analyses of CV events occurring within 60 days after hypoglycemia, in both trials, there was either no association observed or too few events to analyze. Conclusion: The observed bidirectional associations between hypoglycemia and CV outcomes in CARMELINA and no significant associations in CAROLINA challenge the notion that hypoglycemia causes adverse CV events, but rather suggest that both hypoglycemia and CV events identify vulnerable patients at risk for both