A vicious cycle of acute catecholamine cardiomyopathy and circulatory collapse secondary to pheochromocytoma

Acute catecholamine cardiomyopathy is an uncommon, life-threatening manifestation of pheochromocytoma. The massive release of catecholamines from the adrenal medulla and their toxic effects on the coronary vessels and the cardiac myocytes play a significant role in the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathy in patients with pheochromocytoma. Severe manifestations, such as acute catecholamine cardiomyopathy, may be the initial presentation, especially in unsuspected and untreated pheochromocytoma cases. The clinical course of catecholamine-induced cardiomyopathy is unpredictable as patients may rapidly deteriorate into circulatory collapse and multisystem crisis. We report a case of a 25-year-old man who presented with catecholamine-induced cardiomyopathy

Impact of ABCDE Bundle Implementation in the Intensive Care Unit on Specific Patient Costs

To measure the impact of full versus partial ABCDE bundle implementation on specific cost centers and related resource utilization. Retrospective cohort study. Two medical ICUs within Montefiore Health System (Bronx, NY). Four hundred and seventy-two mechanically ventilated patients admitted to the medical ICUs during a hospitalization which began and ended between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013. The full (A)wakening, (B)reathing, (C)oordination, (D)elirium Monitoring/Management and (E)arly Mobilization bundle was implemented in the intervention ICU while a portion of the bundle (A, B, and D components) was implemented in the comparison ICU. Relative to the comparison ICU, implementation of the entire bundle in the intervention ICU was associated with a 27.3% (95% CI: 9.9%, 41.3%; = 0.004) decrease in total hospital laboratory costs and a 2,888.6% (95% CI: 77.9%, 50,113.2%; = 0.018) increase in total hospital physical therapy costs. Cost of total hospital medications, diagnostic radiology and respiratory therapy were unchanged. Relative to the comparison ICU, total hospital resource use decreased in the intervention ICU (incidence rate ratio [95% CI], laboratory: 0.68 [0.54, 0.87], = 0.002; diagnostic radiology: 0.75 [0.59, 0.96], = 0.020). Full ABCDE bundle implementation resulted in a decrease in total hospital laboratory costs and total hospital laboratory and diagnostic resource utilization while leading to an increase in physical therapy costs

Staged Implementation of Awakening and Breathing, Coordination, Delirium Monitoring and Management, and Early Mobilization Bundle Improves Patient Outcomes and Reduces Hospital Costs

To measure the impact of staged implementation of full versus partial ABCDE bundle on mechanical ventilation duration, ICU and hospital lengths of stay, and cost. Prospective cohort study. Two medical ICUs within Montefiore Healthcare Center (Bronx, NY). One thousand eight hundred fifty-five mechanically ventilated patients admitted to ICUs between July 2011 and July 2014. At baseline, spontaneous (B)reathing trials (B) were ongoing in both ICUs; in period 1, (A)wakening and (D)elirium (AD) were implemented in both full and partial bundle ICUs; in period 2, (E)arly mobilization and structured bundle (C)oordination (EC) were implemented in the full bundle (B-AD-EC) but not the partial bundle ICU (B-AD). In the full bundle ICU, 95% patient days were spent in bed before EC (period 1). After EC was implemented (period 2), 65% of patients stood, 54% walked at least once during their ICU stay, and ICU-acquired pressure ulcers and physical restraint use decreased (period 1 vs 2: 39% vs 23% of patients; 30% vs 26% patient days, respectively; p < 0.001 for both). After adjustment for patient-level covariates, implementation of the full (B-AD-EC) versus partial (B-AD) bundle was associated with reduced mechanical ventilation duration (-22.3%; 95% CI, -22.5% to -22.0%; p < 0.001), ICU length of stay (-10.3%; 95% CI, -15.6% to -4.7%; p = 0.028), and hospital length of stay (-7.8%; 95% CI, -8.7% to -6.9%; p = 0.006). Total ICU and hospital cost were also reduced by 24.2% (95% CI, -41.4% to -2.0%; p = 0.03) and 30.2% (95% CI, -46.1% to -9.5%; p = 0.007), respectively. In a clinical practice setting, the addition of (E)arly mobilization and structured (C)oordination of ABCDE bundle components to a spontaneous (B)reathing, (A)wakening, and (D) elirium management background led to substantial reductions in the duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay, and cost

Clinical impact of heparin kinetics during catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: Meta-analysis and meta-regression

Anticoagulation for Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation Introduction Appropriate activated clotting time (ACT) during catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (CA-AF) is essential to minimize periprocedural complications. Methods and Results An electronic search was performed using major databases. Outcomes were thromboembolic (TE) and bleeding complications according to ACT levels (seconds). Heparin dose (U/kg) and time (minutes) to achieve the target ACT was compared among patients receiving vitamin K antagonist (VKA) versus non-VKA oral anticoagulants (NOAC). Nineteen studies involving 7,150 patients were identified. Patients with ACT > 300 had less TE (OR, 0.51; 95% CI 0.35-0.74) and bleeding (OR, 0.70; 95% CI 0.60-0.83) compared to ACT 300 decreases the risk of TE without increasing the risk of bleeding. Patients receiving VKAs required less heparin and reached the target ACT faster compared to NOACs