Hypoglykämie trotz Hyperglykämie

Hypoglycemia represents the most frequent endocrinologic emergency situation in prehospital patient care. As the patients are usually unconscious on arrival of emergency medical personnel, often the only way to establish a diagnosis is by determination of the blood glucose concentration. However, even normoglycemic or hyperglycemic levels cannot definitively exclude the diagnosis of a previous hypoglycemia as the cause of the acute cerebral deficiency. Therefore, and especially in the case of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, a differential diagnosis should be considered. We report a case of emergency treatment of a hypoglycemic episode in a female patient with prolonged neuroglycopenia together with cerebrovascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease.Hypoglykämien stellen den häufigsten endokrinologischen Notfall in der prähospitalen Patientenversorgung dar. Da die Erkrankten bei Ankunft des Notarztes meist bewusstseinsgestört sind, ist eine Diagnosesicherung häufig allein durch Bestimmung des Blutglukosespiegels möglich. Selbst bei normo- bzw. hyperglykämischen Messergebnissen kann eine stattgehabte Hypoglykämie als Ursache eines akuten zerebralen Defizits nicht mit Sicherheit ausgeschlossen werden und muss, besonders bei insulinpflichtigen Diabetes-mellitus-Patienten, differenzialdiagnostisch erwogen werden. Wir berichten über die notärztliche Diagnosestellung und Therapie einer hypoglykämischen Episode einer Patientin mit prolongierter Neuroglykopenie bei gleichzeitig vorliegender zerebrovaskulärer Demenz und Morbus Alzheimer

A novel blood-sparing agent in cardiac surgery? First in-patient experience with the synthetic serine protease inhibitor MDCO-2010: a phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass

BACKGROUND Antifibrinolytics have been used for 2 decades to reduce bleeding in cardiac surgery. MDCO-2010 is a novel, synthetic, serine protease inhibitor. We describe the first experience with this drug in patients. METHODS In this phase II, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 32 patients undergoing isolated primary coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass were randomly assigned to 1 of 5 increasing dosage groups of MDCO-2010. The primary aim was to evaluate pharmacokinetics (PK) with assessment of plasmatic concentrations of the drug, short-term safety, and tolerance of MDCO-2010. Secondary end points were influence on coagulation, chest tube drainage, and transfusion requirements. RESULTS PK analysis showed linear dosage-proportional correlation between MDCO-2010 infusion rate and PK parameters. Blood loss was significantly reduced in the 3 highest dosage groups compared with control (P = 0.002, 0.004 and 0.011, respectively). The incidence of allogeneic blood product transfusions was lower with MDCO-2010 4/24 (17%) vs 4/8 (50%) in the control group. MDCO-2010 exhibited dosage-dependent antifibrinolytic effects through suppression of D-dimer generation and inhibition of tissue plasminogen activator-induced lysis in ROTEM analysis as well as anticoagulant effects demonstrated by prolongation of activated clotting time and activated partial thromboplastin time. No systematic differences in markers of end organ function were observed among treatment groups. Three patients in the MDCO-2010 groups experienced serious adverse events. One patient experienced intraoperative thrombosis of venous grafts considered possibly related to the study drug. No reexploration for mediastinal bleeding was required, and there were no deaths. CONCLUSIONS This first-in-patient study demonstrated dosage-proportional PK for MDCO-2010 and reduction of chest tube drainage and transfusions in patients undergoing primary coronary artery bypass grafting. Antifibrinolytic and anticoagulant effects were demonstrated using various markers of coagulation. MDCO-2010 was well tolerated and showed an acceptable initial safety profile. Larger multi-institutional studies are warranted to further investigate the safety and efficacy of this compound

Cerebral Gaseous Microemboli are Detectable During Continuous Venovenous Hemodialysis in Critically Ill Patients: An Observational Pilot Study

BACKGROUND Continuous venovenous hemodialysis (CVVHD) may generate microemboli that cross the pulmonary circulation and reach the brain. The aim of the present study was to quantify (load per time interval) and qualify (gaseous vs. solid) cerebral microemboli (CME), detected as high-intensity transient signals, using transcranial Doppler ultrasound. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty intensive care unit (ICU group) patients requiring CVVHD were examined. CME were recorded in both middle cerebral arteries for 30 minutes during CVVHD and a CVVHD-free interval. Twenty additional patients, hospitalized for orthopedic surgery, served as a non-ICU control group. Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test or the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test, followed by Bonferroni corrections for multiple comparisons. RESULTS In the non-ICU group, 48 (14.5-169.5) (median [range]) gaseous CME were detected. In the ICU group, the 67.5 (14.5-588.5) gaseous CME detected during the CVVHD-free interval increased 5-fold to 344.5 (59-1019) during CVVHD (P<0.001). The number of solid CME was low in all groups (non-ICU group: 2 [0-5.5]; ICU group CVVHD-free interval: 1.5 [0-14.25]; ICU group during CVVHD: 7 [3-27.75]). CONCLUSIONS This observational pilot study shows that CVVHD was associated with a higher gaseous but not solid CME burden in critically ill patients. Although the differentiation between gaseous and solid CME remains challenging, our finding may support the hypothesis of microbubble generation in the CVVHD circuit and its transpulmonary translocation toward the intracranial circulation. Importantly, the impact of gaseous and solid CME generated during CVVHD on brain integrity of critically ill patients currently remains unknown and is highly debated

Hypertonic saline for fluid resuscitation after cardiac surgery (HERACLES): study protocol for a preliminary randomised controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND Intraoperative and postoperative management of cardiac surgery patients is complex, involving the application of differential vasopressors and volume therapy. It has been shown that a positive fluid balance has a major impact on postoperative outcome. Today, the advantages and disadvantages of buffered crystalloid solutes are a topic of controversy, with no consensus being reached so far. The use of hypertonic saline (HS) has shown promising results with respect to lower total fluid balance and postoperative weight gain in critically ill patients in preliminary studies. However, collection of more data on HS in critically ill patients seems warranted. This preliminary study aims to investigate whether fluid resuscitation using HS in patients following cardiac surgery results in less total fluid volume being administered. METHODS In a prospective double-blind randomised controlled clinical trial, we aim to recruit 96 patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery for ischaemic and/or valvular heart disease. After postoperative admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), patients will be randomly assigned to receive 5 ml/kg ideal body weight HS (7.3% NaCl) or normal saline (NS, 0.9% NaCl) infused within 60 min. Blood and urine samples will be collected preoperatively and postoperatively up to day 6 to assess changes in renal, cardiac, inflammatory, acid-base, and electrolyte parameters. Additionally, we will perform renal ultrasonography studies to assess renal blood flow before, during, and after infusion, and we will measure total body water using preoperative and postoperative body composition analysis (bioimpedance). Patients will be followed up for 90 days. DISCUSSION The key objective of this study is to assess the cumulative amount of fluid administered in the intervention (HS) group versus control (NS) group during the ICU stay. In this preliminary, prospective, randomised controlled clinical trial we will test the hypothesis that use of HS results in less total fluids infused and less postoperative weight gain when compared to the standard of intensive care in cardiac surgery patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03280745 . Registered on 12 September 2017