Reversion of Severe Mitral Insufficiency in Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Using Levosimendan

Idiopathic peripartum cardiomyopathy presenting with heart failure is a true diagnostic and treatment challenge. Goal oriented clinical management aims at the relapse of left ventricular systolic dysfunction. A 35-year-old patient on her 12th day post-delivery presents progressive signs of heart failure. Transthoracic echocardiography showed severe mitral insufficiency, mild left ventricular dysfunction, mild tricuspid insufficiency, severe pulmonary hypertension, and right atrial enlargement. With wet and cold heart failure signs, the patient was a candidate for inodilator cardiovascular support and volume depletion therapy. As the patient presented a persistent tachycardia at rest, levosimendan was chosen over dobutamine. Levosimendan was administered at a dose of 0.2 g/kg/min during a period of 24 hours. After inodilator therapy, the patient's signs and symptoms of heart failure began to decrease, showing improvement of dyspnea, mitral murmur grade went from IV/IV to II/IV, filling pressures and systemic and pulmonary resistance indexes decreased, arterial blood gases improved, and an echocardiography performed 72 h later showed non-dilated cardiomyopathy, mild cardiac contractile dysfunction, mild mitral insufficiency, type I diastolic dysfunction and improvement of pulmonary hypertension. Cardiovascular function in peripartum cardiomyopathy tends to go back to normality in 23-41% of the cases, but in a large group of patients, severe ventricle dysfunction remains months after initial symptoms. This article describes the diagnostic process of a patient with peripartum cardiomyopathy and a successful reversion of a severe case of mitral insufficiency using levosimendan as a new therapeutic strategy in this clinical context

Erosive Pustular Dermatosis of the Leg Successfully Treated With an Oral Retinoid and a Bi-layered Skin Substitute

Erosive pustular dermatosis is a rare inflammatory skin disorder characterized by crusted erosions, sterile pustules, skin atrophy, and scarring alopecia. Cases of involvement of lower extremities, with or without scalp lesions, have been scarcely reported in the literature, and have been denominated Erosive Pustular Dermatosis of the Legs. The disorder usually affects elderly patients associated with chronic venous insufficiency and venous dermatitis. Topical corticosteroids and topical calcineurin inhibitors have been reported to be effective. On the other hand, several treatments have also failed to achieve appropriate results; hence we present a case of erosive pustular dermatosis of the leg, who was unresponsive to compression and antibacterial ointments, but successfully treated systemically with an oral retinoid and locally with the application of a bioengineered bi-layered skin substitute. This condition may be overlooked, which represents its low prevalence in literature

Comparison of 3-dimensional Wound Measurement With Laser-assisted and Hand Measurements: A Retrospective Chart Review

Wound area measurements provide an objective assessment of wound healing; however, most commonly used measurement techniques are imprecise. A new portable 3-dimensional (3D) wound measurement device was tested against laser- and hand-measurement methods. A retrospective comparative analysis was conducted to analyze the difference in wound measurements using records of patients seen at the University of Miami Hospital (Miami, FL) outpatient wound healing clinic between November 2017 and February 2018 who had wounds of various etiologies measured using 3 different techniques during a single visit: the 3D device, a laser-assisted wound measurement device (laser), and standard hand measurements. Patients with circumferential wounds were excluded (the laser and 3D devices are incapable of assessing these wounds). Differences were compared using paired t tests. The wounds ranged in area from 0.8 cm² (hand measurements) and 0.2 cm² (3D and laser devices) to 100.94 cm², 61.9 cm², and 65 cm² by hand measurement, 3D, and laser device, respectively. Among the 23 wounds measured, the majority (16) were venous ulcers. No statistically significant difference was noted between the 3D measurements compared with the laser (P = .340). Statistically significant differences in the measurements between the 3D device and hand measurements (P = .008) and the laser device and hand measurements (P = .006) were found. Measurements of the 3D device appear analogous to laser devices, making it an alternative tool for clinicians interested in monitoring wound progression. Because the 3D device has the capacity to examine wound volume, prospective comparative trials should be used to examine the accuracy and precision of the device to measure volume

Treatments to prevent primary venous ulceration after deep venous thrombosis

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess whether compression stockings or other interventions reduce the incidence of venous ulceration after acute deep venous thrombosis. We searched PubMed and Embase for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), restricted to English, Spanish, and Hebrew, related to post-thrombotic syndrome and venous ulceration in participants with confirmed deep venous thrombosis. Our primary statistical assessment was the Peto odds ratio (OR). Our search generated 23 RCTs meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria, summing 6162 patients and 146 ulcerative events. Trials were categorized into compression, low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), procedural thrombolysis, medical thrombolysis, or miscellaneous. Six compression trials were identified, of which five were included in meta-analysis. Compression compared with placebo did not reduce venous ulceration (OR, 0.915; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.475-1.765), and long-term compression was not superior to short-term compression (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 0.014-1.31). Four LMWH trials were identified but were not subjected to meta-analysis because of intertrial heterogeneity. One trial, comparing extended tinzaparin with warfarin, demonstrated eight ulcers in the warfarin group and one ulcer in the LMWH group (relative risk, 0.125; P < .05). Three procedural thrombolysis trials were pooled into meta-analysis; fewer ulcerative events occurred in procedural thrombolysis patients, but the effect was not significant (OR, 0.677; 95% CI, 0.338-1.358). Eight medical thrombolysis trials were identified. Pooled analysis of five trials demonstrated a protective effect on ulceration in streptokinase patients vs standard heparinization (OR, 0.125; 95% CI, 0.021-0.739). However, these trials were of poor-quality study design, had small sample size, and had poor overall outcomes. Miscellaneous studies included a trial of hidrosmina, a vasoactive flavonoid, and a trial comparing 6-month warfarin treatment with 6 weeks; neither trial had significant outcomes. Intertrial heterogeneity was not adequately assessed with the I2 value as venous ulceration is a rare event; the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation evidence for most trials was very low, with the exception of procedural thrombolysis trials, for which it was low. We found insufficient evidence to assess whether compression or other interventions protect against venous ulceration. To develop guidelines for treatment decisions related to prevention of venous ulceration, high-powered RCTs investigating venous leg ulcers as a primary outcome are required

Dermatologic Wounds

A wound is characterized as a disruption on the epidermis continuity of either skin or mucosa as a result of physical damage or an underlying disease. Dermatologic wounds may be produced by infection, prolonged pressure, malignancy, neuropathy, ischemia, venous insufficiency, inflammatory conditions, drugs, and external causes. The most common etiologies of chronic wounds are venous leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, and arterial ulcers. These types of wounds are called typical wounds, whereas wounds that do not belong to this group are called atypical. We present a comprehensive review in which we describe the concept, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of dermatologic wounds.  This review contains 2 figures, 2 tables and 82 references Key Words: atypical wounds, unusual wounds, chronic wounds, typical wounds, dermatological wounds, wound healing, hard-to-heal wounds, trauma, infection

The Role Of Il-17 In The Human Immune System And Its Blockage As A Treatment Of Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, And Psoriatic Arthritis

Interleukin 17 (IL-17) functions as a bridge between the innate and adaptive immunity. In addition to being a crucial defense mechanism against extracellular pathogens, it plays a significant role in inflammation, therefore considered a decisive factor in inflammatory conditions; hence the importance of its understanding for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Animal models have demonstrated that blockage of the IL-17 receptor (IL-17R) may prevent these pathologies. For instance, there is evidence that IL-17R-deficient mice may be protected against the development of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE). Furthermore; inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis (PSA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have been associated with IL-17, and therapeutically targeting this inflammatory pathway could improve patients\u27 outcomes. The discovery and subsequent studies of this interleukin have aided in the understanding of the immune system, and its potential therapeutic blockage provokes optimism for the treatment of these distressing conditions

Evaluation of Donor Site Pain After Fractional Autologous Full-Thickness Skin Grafting

Background: Despite the development of numerous wound treatment alternatives, 25% to 50% of leg ulcers and >30% of foot ulcers are not fully healed after 6 months of treatment. Autologous skin grafting is a time-tested therapy for these wounds; however, the creation of a new wound in the donor area yields a considerable limitation to this procedure. Innovation: Fractional autologous full-thickness skin grafting (FFTSG) is a technique wherein multiple small full-thickness skin grafts (FTSGs) are harvested with possibly minor donor-site comorbidities. The first device used to harvest FFTSG (ART™ system, Medline, Northfield, IL) is a device capable of harvesting >300 small FTSGs and transferring them to a target wound. Objective: To better evaluate patients' clinical experience, we sought to evaluate pain at the donor site associated with this procedure. Approach: Pain was assessed with numeric visual analog pain scales at days 1, 2, 4, and 7. Nine subjects underwent this procedure with only six of them reporting any level of pain on day 1, and none disclosing pain after day 2. Conclusion: In this study, we evidenced that this device manages to harvest FTSGs with minimal associated pain. Future research will need to evaluate other aspects of the procedure as well as long-term outcomes at the donor and recipient areas