"Downhill" varices. A rare cause of esophageal hemorrhage

"Downhill" varices or upper esophageal varices are a rare cause of proximal digestive tract hemorrhage with only 16 cases described in the literature. In our series, hemorrhage due to "downhill" varices represents 0.1% of all acute esophageal variceal bleeding. Their etiology differs from that of the usual "uphill" varices secondary to portal hypertension, and the clinical management should be directed to vascular obstruction if present. We report a case of an 89-year-old male with hemorrhagic "downhill" varices not associated, as usually, with superior vena cava obstruction or compression, but with severe pulmonary hypertension and drug-related hemorrhagic risk factors, whose removal proved sufficient to prevent rebleeding

Prognostic scores in a gastroenterology intensive care unit

BACKGROUND: Several prognostic systems have been developed and validated in general Intensive Care Units (ICUs). No assessment of these scores was performed in specialized Gastroenterology Intensive Care Units (GICUs). AIM: To assess the prognostic accuracy of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores systems to predict mortality in a GICU. METHODS: Retrospective study of 300 consecutively admissions in a GICU. Demographics, indication for admission, APACHE II, SAPS II and SOFA scores and survival at GICU discharge were recorded. Discrimination was evaluated using receiver operations characteristic (ROC) curves and area under a ROC curve (AUC). Calibration was estimated using the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. RESULTS: Overall GICU mortality was 5.3%. APACHE II, SAPS II and SOFA mean scores of nonsurvivors (21.9, 46.2 and 9.3, respectively) were found to be significantly higher than those of survivors (11.9, 26.7 and 2.2, respectively) (p < 0.001). Discrimination was excellent for all the prognostic systems, with AUC = 0.900, 0.903 and 0.965 for APACHE II, SAPS II and SOFA, respectively. Similarly, APACHE II, SAPS II and SOFA scores achieved good calibration, with p = 0.671, 0.928 and 0.775, respectively. Among the three scores, SOFA showed the best performance, with overall correctness of prediction of 94.0%, while it was 86.2% for APACHE II and 82.7% for SAPS II. CONCLUSIONS: in GICU, APACHE II, SAPS II and SOFA scores have excellent prognostic accuracy and, among the three scores, SOFA has the greatest overall correctness of prediction

O Doente Cirrótico na Unidade de Cuidados Intensivos: Avaliação do Prognóstico

INTRODUÇÃO: Os doentes com cirrose hepática admitidos em Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI) têm um prognóstico particularmente reservado. O prognóstico destes doentes pode ser avaliado com scores gerais (SOFA, APACHE, SAPS) ou com scores específicos de cirrose hepática (MELD, Child-Pugh). OBJECTIVOS: Avaliar o valor prognóstico dos scores gerais (SOFA, APACHE e SAPS) e dos scores específicos de cirrose hepática (MELD e Child-Pugh) em doentes com cirrose hepática admitidos em UCI polivalentes ou em Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos de Gastrenterologia (UCIGE). MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: Os autores fazem uma revisão da literatura sobre a avaliação do prognóstico de doentes com cirrose hepática admitidos em ICUs e relatam também a sua experiência sobre esta temática no contexto duma UCIGE incluindo a análise de 124 internamentos. RESULTADOS: Nos diversos estudos efectuados em doentes com cirrose hepática admitidos em UCI polivalentes, os diferentes scores gerais e específicos revelaram um bom poder discriminativo, ou seja, com uma área sob a curva ROC (AUC) > 0,7. Considerando os seis estudos mais representativos, o valor médio da AUC dos scores SOFA, APACHE II, APACHE III, MELD e Child-Pugh foi 0,86, 0,74, 0,81, 0,79 e 0,77, respectivamente. O estudo de 124 internamentos consecutivos na UCIGE de doentes com cirrose hepática revelou que os doentes que faleceram pertenciam todos à classe C de Child-Pugh e tinham valores médios dos scores SOFA, APACHE II, SAPS II e MELD significativamente superiores aos dos doentes que não faleceram (10,1, 22,0, 47,5 e 30,7 nos que faleceram e 3,5, 13,6, 25,4 e 18,0 nos que não faleceram, respectivamente; p >< 0,05). Conclusões: Tanto os scores gerais como os específicos de cirrose hepática têm valor prognóstico na avaliação do risco de doentes com cirrose hepática internados em UCI polivalentes ou em UCIGE. Nas UCI polivalentes os scores gerais, e em particular o SOFA, apresentam melhor capacidade prognóstica do que os scores específicos de cirrose hepátic

Correlation of Helicobacter pylori genotypes with gastric histopathology in the central region of a South-European country

BACKGROUND: Outcome of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection results from interaction of multiple variables including host, environmental and bacterial-associated virulence factors. AIM: This study aimed to investigate the correlation of cagA, cagE, vacA, iceA and babA2 genotypes with gastric histopathology and disease phenotype in the central region of a South-European country. METHODS: This prospective study involved 148 infected patients (110 female; mean age 43.5 ± 13.4 years) submitted to endoscopy with corpus and antrum biopsies. H. pylori was cultured and DNA extracted from the isolates. Genotypes were determined by PCR. Histopathological features were graded according to the updated Sydney system and OLGA/OLGIM classification. Only patients with single H. pylori genotypes and complete histopathological results were included. RESULTS: Antrum samples presented higher degrees of atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, chronic inflammation and neutrophil activity. Genotype distribution was as follows: cagA-31.8 %; cagE-45.9 %; vacA s1a-24.3 %; vacA s1b-19.6 %; vacA s1c-0.7 %; vacA s2-55.4 %; vacA m1-20.9 %; vacA m2-79.1 %; vacA s1m1-18.9 %; vacA s1m2-25.7 %; vacA s2m1-2 %; vacA s2m2-53.4 %; iceA1-33.8 %; iceA2-66.2 %; babA2-12.2 %. CagA genotype was significantly associated with higher degrees of intestinal metaplasia, neutrophil activity, chronic inflammation and OLGIM stages. BabA2 was linked with higher H. pylori density. Strains with vacA s1m1 or vacA s1m1 + cagA positive genotypes had a significant association with peptic ulcer and vacA s2m2 with iron-deficient anemia. CONCLUSIONS: cagA, vacA s1m1 and babA2 genotypes are relatively rare in the central region of Portugal. cagA-positive strains are correlated with more severe histopathological modifications. This gene is commonly associated with vacA s1m1, and such isolates are frequently found in patients with peptic ulcer.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Profilaxia de Úlceras de Stresse numa Unidade de Cuidados Intensivos: estado da arte

As lesões da mucosa gastro-duodenal relacionadas com o stresse fisiológico são frequentes nos doentes internados em unidades de cuidados intensivos. Podem condicionar hemorragia digestiva com repercussão hemodinâmica, estando associadas a aumento da mortalidade. A hipoperfusão esplâncnica tem um papel central na sua fisiopatologia. Foram identificados vários factores de risco para a sua ocorrência, sendo os mais importantes a necessidade de ventilação mecânica e a presença de coagulopatia. A ressuscitação hemodinâmica atempada e a manutenção da nutrição entérica são medidas importantes para prevenir estas lesões. Em doentes com factores de risco deverá ser realizada profilaxia farmacológica. Os medicamentos mais estudados são os anti-ácidos, o sucralfato e os antagonistas H2. Têm surgido recentemente estudos sobre o papel dos inibidores da bomba de protões. A escolha da terapêutica farmacológica deverá ter em conta a via de administração, as vantagens e desvantagens de cada fármaco, incluindo o seu custo comparado e a evidência sobre a sua eficácia

Fulminant hepatic failure: a Portuguese experience

BACKGROUND: Fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) is a rare condition. Several series have been reported either by individual centres or in multicentre studies but, to our knowledge, this is the first report from a Portuguese population and might be a good example of FHF cases in a SouthWestern European population. AIMS: To present the experience in FHF of a Portuguese Hepatogastroenterological Intensive Care Unit. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of 61 cases of FHF consecutively admitted between February 1992 and October 2006. Definition and classification of FHF were those suggested by Trey and Davidson (1970) and O'Grady et al. (1993), respectively. Criteria and contraindications for hepatic transplantation (HT) were those proposed by Bernuau et al. (1991) and Muñoz (1993), respectively. RESULTS: Fifty-seven per cent of patients were women and median age was 37 years (range: 8-73). Most common cause of FHF was indeterminate (26%) followed by viral (23%) and drug-induced (23%), with 51% of cases with a hyperacute evolution. Global HT rate was 54% with criteria for HT present in 87% of the patients resulting in an applicability rate of 62%. Overall survival was 69% and transplant-free survival was 15%; transplanted patients had survival rates of 70 and 68% at 6 and 12 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Drug-induced and viral agents were responsible for almost half of FHF cases with a clear predominance of hyperacute presentation. The HT rate was 54% and the applicability rate was 62%. The overall 1 year survival of 69% might reflect the adequacy of the HT criteria used