Severe Methemoglobinemia due to Sodium Nitrite Poisoning

Case. We report a case of severe methemoglobinemia due to sodium nitrite poisoning. A 28-year-old man was brought to our emergency department because of transient loss of consciousness and cyanosis. He was immediately intubated and ventilated with 100% oxygen. A blood test revealed a methemoglobin level of 92.5%. Outcome.We treated the patient with gastric lavage, activated charcoal, and methylene blue (2mg/kg) administered intravenously. Soon after receiving methylene blue, his cyanosis resolved and the methemoglobin level began to decrease. After relocation to the intensive care unit, his consciousness improved and he could recall ingesting approximately 15 g sodium nitrite about 1 hour before he was brought to our hospital.The patient was discharged on day 7 without neurologic impairment. Conclusion. Severe methemoglobinemia may be fatal. Therefore, accurate diagnosis of methemoglobinemia is very important so that treatment can be started as soon as possible

Risk Factors of Mortality from Foreign Bodies in the Respiratory Tract : The Japan Collaborative Cohort Study

Objective This study assessed the risk factors of mortality from foreign bodies in the respiratory tract using the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for the Evaluation of Cancer Risk data. Methods Data of 110,585 participants 40-79 years old living in 45 areas in Japan were collected between 1988 and 2009. Mortality from foreign bodies in the respiratory tract was assessed in a multivariable-adjusted analysis using a Cox proportional hazard regression model. Results Among all participants, 202 deaths occurred from foreign bodies in the respiratory tract. In the multivariable-adjusted model, older age [50-59 (hazard ratio, 4.93; 95% confidence interval, 1.91-12.74), 6069 (hazard ratio, 14.96, 6.01-37.25) and 70-79 (hazard ratio, 53.81; 95% confidence interval, 21.44-135.02) years old compared to 40-49 years old], male sex (hazard ratio, 2.34; 95% confidence interval, 1.54-3.54), a history of apoplexy (hazard ratio, 7.04; 95% confidence interval, 4.24-11.67) and the absence of a spouse (hazard ratio, 1.56; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-2.32) were associated with an increased risk of mortality from foreign bodies in the respiratory tract. Conclusions Older age, male sex, medical history of apoplexy and the absence of a spouse were potential risk factors of mortality from foreign bodies in the respiratory tract. Especially in elderly men, social connections, such as cohabitation or relationships, may be important for ensuring the early detection of asphyxia and preventing death due to foreign bodies in the respiratory tract

Sivelestat (Selective Neutrophil Elastase Inhibitor) Improves the Mortality Rate of Sepsis Associated With Both Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation Patients

Introduction: Neutrophil elastase plays an important role in the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in sepsis. Sivelestat is a selective neutrophil elastase inhibitor. It is possible that sivelestat improves the outcome of septic patients associated with ARDS and DIC. Methods: A retrospective data analysis of septic patients associated with ARDS and DIC was conducted to investigate the effects of sivelestat. Observational period was 5days after admission to ICU. Results: The study included 167 septic patients associated with ARDS and DIC. Control group included 133 patients without sivelestat and sivelestat group included 34 patients started to de administered sivelestat on the admission to ICU. The lung injury scores and Pa_[O2]/Fi_[O2] ratio of the sivelestat group were significantly more severe than those of the control group from day 1 to day 4. On day 5, the lung injury score and Pa_[O2]/Fi_[O2] ratio of the sivelestat group improved to the same levels of those of the control group. The DIC score of sivelestat group improved on day 3 in comparison to day 1, those of control group remained unchanged until day 4. The length of ICU stay of the sivelestat group was significantly shorter than that of the control group. A stepwise multiple logistic-regression analysis showed the sivelestat administration to be an independent predictor of survival of the septic patients associated with both ARDS and DIC. Conclusions: The length of ICU stay of the sivelestat group was significantly shorter than that of the control group. In addition, sivelestat administration was found to be an independent predictor of survival of those patients

Should laryngeal tubes or masks be used for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients?

Objective: Few studies have compared airway management via laryngeal masks (LM) or laryngeal tubes (LT) in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This study evaluated whether LT insertion by emergency medical service (EMS) personnel affected ventilation and outcomes in OHCA patients (vs. the standard LM treatment). Methods: This prospective, cluster-randomized, and open-label study evaluated data that were collected by the Sapporo Fire Department between June 2012 and January 2013. We selected the 14 EMS teams that treated the greatest number of OHCA patients in Sapporo, Japan during 2011, and randomized the teams into Groups A and B. In the first study period (June 2012 to September 2012), Group A treated OHCA patients via LT and Group B treated OHCA patients via LM. In the second period (October 2012 to January 2013), Group A treated OHCA patients via LM and Group B treated OHCA patients via LT. If necessary, both groups were allowed to use an esophageal obturator airway (EOA) kit. The primary endpoints were time from cardiopulmonary resuscitation to device insertion and the rate of successful pre-hospital ventilation. The secondary endpoints were return of spontaneous circulation and survival and favorable neurological outcomes at 1 month after cardiac arrest.Results: LT was used in 148 OHCA patients and LM was used in 165 OHCA patients. Our intention-to-treat analyses revealed no significant differences in the primary and secondary outcomes of the LT- and LM-treated groups. Conclusion: Prehospital advanced airway management via LT provides similar outcomes to those of LM in OHCA patients

Rapid Evaluation of Fibrinogen Levels Using the CG02N Whole Blood Coagulation Analyzer

Rapid evaluation of fibrinogen (Fbg) levels is essential for maintaining homeostasis in patients with massive bleeding during severe trauma and major surgery. This study evaluated the accuracy of fibrinogen levels measured by the CG02N whole blood coagulation analyzer (A&T Corporation, Kanagawa, Japan) using heparinized blood drawn for blood gas analysis (whole blood-Fbg). A total of 100 matched pairs of heparinized blood samples and citrated blood samples were simultaneously collected from patients in the intensive care unit. Whole blood-Fbg results were compared with those of citrated plasma (standard-Fbg). The whole blood coagulation analyzer measured fibrinogen levels within 2 minutes. Strong correlations between standard-Fbg and whole blood-Fbg were observed (ρ = 0.91, p < 0.001). Error grid analysis showed that 88% of the values were clinically acceptable, and 12% were in a range with possible effects on clinical decision-making; none were in a clinically dangerous range without appropriate treatment. Using a fibrinogen cutoff value of 1.5 g/L for standard-Fbg, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of whole blood-Fbg was 0.980 (95% confidence interval 0.951-1.000, p < 0.001). The whole blood coagulation analyzer can rapidly measure fibrinogen levels in heparinized blood and could be useful in critical care settings where excessive bleeding is a concern

Imbalance between macrophage migration inhibitory factor and cortisol induces multiple organ dysfunction in patients with blunt trauma

Migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is associated with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Our purposes were to determine the serum MIF, cortisol and tumor narcosis factor-α (TNF-α) and to investigate the influences of the balance between the levels of MIF and cortisol in patients with blunt trauma. The cortisol levels were identical between the patients with and without MODS. However, the MIF and TNF-α levels in the patients with MODS were statistically higher than those of the patients without MODS. The cortisol/MIF ratios in the patients with MODS were statistically higher than those of the patients without MODS. The results show that MIF and TNF-α play an important role together in post-traumatic inflammatory response. An excessive serum MIF elevation overrides the anti-inflammatory effects of cortisol and leads to persistent SIRS followed by MODS in blunt trauma patients

The response time threshold for predicting favourable neurological outcomes in patients with bystander-witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Objective: It is well established that the period of time between a call being made to emergency medical services (EMS) and the time at which EMS arrive at the scene (i.e., the response time) affects survival outcomes in patients who experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, the relationship between response time and favourable neurological outcomes remains unclear. We therefore aimed to determine a response time threshold in bystander-witnessed OHCA patients that is associated with positive neurological outcomes and to assess the relationship between response time and neurological outcomes in OHCA patients. Methods: This study was a retrospective, observational analysis of data from 204,277 episodes of bystander-witnessed OHCA between 2006 and 2012 in Japan. We used classification and regression trees (CARTs) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to determine the threshold of response time associated with favourable neurological outcomes (Cerebral Performance Category 1 or 2) one month after cardiac arrest. Results: Both CARTs and ROC analyses indicated that a threshold of 6.5 min was associated with improved neurological outcomes in all bystander-witnessed OHCA events from cardiac origin. Furthermore, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) prolonged the threshold of response time by 1 min (to 7.5 min). The adjusted odds ratios for favorable neurological outcomes in OHCA patients who received care within ≤ 6.5 min was 1.935 (95% confidential interval: 1.834-2.041, P<0.001). Conclusions: A response time ≤ 6.5 min was closely associated with favourable neurological outcomes in all bystander-witnessed OHCA patients. Bystander CPR prolonged the response time threshold by 1 min

Simultaneous external validation of various cardiac arrest prognostic scores: a single-center retrospective study

Background This study aimed to compare and validate the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA); cardiac arrest hospital prognosis (CAHP); non-shockable rhythm, unwitnessed arrest, long no-flow or long low-flow period, blood pH 7.0 mmol/L, end-stage chronic kidney disease, age >= 85 years, still resuscitation, and extracardiac cause (NULL-PLEASE) clinical; post-cardiac arrest syndrome for therapeutic hypothermia (CAST); and revised CAST (rCAST) scores in OHCA patients treated with recent cardiopulmonary resuscitation strategies. Methods We retrospectively collected data on adult OHCA patients admitted to our emergency department between February 2015 and July 2018. OHCA, CAHP, NULL-PLEASE clinical, CAST, and rCAST scores were calculated based on the data collected. The predictive abilities of each score were tested using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results We identified 236 OHCA patients from computer-based medical records and analyzed 189 without missing data. In OHCA patients without bystander witnesses, CAHP and OHCA scores were not calculated. Although the predictive abilities of the scores were not significantly different, the NULL-PLEASE score had a large AUC of ROC curve in various OHCA patients. Furthermore, in patients with bystander-witnessed OHCA, the NULL-PLEASE score had large partial AUCs of ROC from sensitivity 0.8-1.0 and specificity 0.8-1.0. Conclusions The NULL-PLEASE score had a high, comprehensive predictive ability in various OHCA patients. Furthermore, the NULL-PLEASE score had a high predictive ability for good and poor neurological outcomes in patients with bystander-witnessed OHCA