Dexmedetomidine and sleep during HFNC

Purpose : High-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy (HFNC) is a new type of non-invasive respiratory support for acute respiratory failure patients. However, patients receiving HFNC often develop sleep disturbances. We therefore examined whether dexmedetomidine could preserve the sleep characteristics in patients who underwent HFNC. Patients and Methods : This was a pilot, randomized controlled study. We assigned critically ill patients treated with HFNC to receive dexmedetomidine (0.2 to 0.7 μg / kg / h, DEX group) or not (non-DEX group) at night (9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.). Polysomnograms were monitored during the study period. The primary outcomes were total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency and duration of stage 2 non-rapid eye movement (stage N2) sleep. Results : Of the 28 patients who underwent randomization, 24 were included in the final analysis (12 patients per group). Dexmedetomidine increased the TST (369 min vs. 119 min, p = 0.024) and sleep efficiency (68% vs. 22%, P = 0.024). The duration of stage N2 was increased in the DEX group compared with the non-DEX group, but this finding did not reach statistical significance. The incidences of respiratory depression and hemodynamic instability were similar between the two groups. Conclusions : In critically ill patients who underwent HFNC, dexmedetomidine may optimize the sleep quantity without any adverse events

extubation failure due to subglottic stenosis

Background : This report describes a case of dynamic inspiratory airway collapse concomitant with subglottic stenosis in a patient who previously underwent tracheostomy that led to repeated post-operative extubation failure. Case presentation : A 43-year-old woman who had undergone tracheostomy 25 years previously was admitted to our intensive-care unit (ICU) after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. On postoperative day (POD) 0, she was extubated, but stridor was observed. We suspected upper airway obstruction and she was therefore reintubated. Before reintubation, urgent laryngotracheoscopy revealed dynamic inspiratory airway collapse and obstruction concomitant with subglottic stenosis. Preoperative computed tomography showed mild subglottic stenosis. Although intravenous corticosteroids were administered to prevent tracheal mucosal edema and a cuff leak test was confirmed to be negative, she developed extubation failure on POD6. On POD12, we performed tracheostomy to reduce mechanical irritation from the endotracheal tube. Mechanical ventilation was withdrawn and she discharged from the ICU. On POD33, her tracheostomy tube was removed and she remained clinically asymptomatic. Conclusions : We should be aware of the history of tracheostomy, especially at high tracheostomy sites, even in the absence of respiratory symptoms as risk factors for dynamic inspiratory airway collapse concomitant with subglottic stenosis contributing to repeated respiratory failure after extubation

致死的低酸素血症をきたした神経芽細胞腫Stage4Sの一乳児症例

Background : Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor of childhood. Although the prognosis of neuroblastoma is relatively good, newborns less than two months of age with stage 4S neuroblastoma may present with aggressive hypoxia and restrictive respiratory impairment due to abdominal compartment syndrome. Case presentation : Two-month-old girl, height of 63 cm and body weight of 10 kg. She was diagnosed as neuroblastoma with Stage 4S. Because she was suffered from refractory hypoxemia and restrictive respiratory impairment due to abdominal compartment syndrome induced by multiple liver metastasis and massive ascites, she was transferred to our ICU. Her trachea was intubated and ventilated with assist/controlled mode, driving pressure 22 cmH2O, positive end-expiratory pressure（PEEP）8 cmH2O, fraction of inspiratory oxygen（FIO2）1.0, but tidal volume was obtained only 3.2 mL/kg and PaO2/FIO2 ratio of 55 mmHg. Therefore, we insert esophageal sensor and monitored esophageal pressure to performed transpulmonary pressure guided PEEP titration. When we changed PEEP from 8 to 15 cmH2O so that the end-expiratory transpulmonary pressure achieving 0 to 5 cmH2O, her oxygenation（PaO2/FIO2 ratio : 55 to 178 mmHg）and respiratory compliance（1.4 to 3.0 mL/cmH2O）were dramatically improved. Her respiratory condition was further stabilized by ascites puncture and radiotherapy, and the patient was extubated successfully on the 25th ICU day. Conclusions : Although pediatric neuroblastoma with stage 4S may induce severe respiratory efficiency, the responsiveness of treatment for neuroblastoma is promising. Multimodal treatments including optimal ventilator management such as transpulmonary pressure -guided PEEP titration contributes to improved patient’s prognosis

Can Erectile Dysfunction Severity Predict Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Men Undergoing Dialysis? A Prospective Cohort Study

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of severe erectile dysfunction (ED) on future major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in men on dialysis. Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study included 71 men on dialysis. ED was assessed using the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM). Men were divided into the mild/moderate ED (SHIM score ≥8) and severe ED (SHIM score ≤7) groups. The primary endpoint was MACE-free survival. MACE was a composite of myocardial infarction, cardiovascular death, and stroke. The secondary endpoints were cardiac event-free survival and overall survival (OS). Moreover, the predictive abilities of severe ED for 5-year MACE, 5-year cardiac events, and 5-year overall mortality were evaluated. Results: The median age and follow-up period of the included men were 64 years and 58 months, respectively. The median SHIM score was 4.0; all had a degree of ED, and 64.7% had severe ED. In the background-adjusted multivariable analyses, severe ED was not significantly associated with shorter MACE-free survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.890; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.533–6.706; p=0.324), cardiac event-free survival (HR, 2.081; 95% CI, 0.687–6.304; p=0.195), and OS (HR, 0.817; 95% CI, 0.358–1.863; p=0.630). Severe ED did not significantly improve the predictive abilities for 5-year MACE, 5-year cardiac events, and 5-year overall mortality (p=0.110, p=0.101, and p=0.740, respectively). Conclusions: ED severity was not associated with shorter MACE-free survival, cardiac event-free survival, or OS, and ED severity could not improve the predictive abilities for these outcomes in men undergoing dialysis

The utility of simple questions to evaluate cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVES:As the population of patients with cognitive decline grows, physicians and caregivers need brief screening tools. Comprehensive neurocognitive batteries require special training and time for evaluation. We focused on accessibility and compared the diagnostic power of several easy questions. DESIGN:"Attended With" (AW) and "Head-Turning Sign" (HTS) factors and participants' replies to following questions were recorded: "Do you feel that you have more difficulties in your daily life than you used to?", [no consciousness (C-) or consciousness+ (C+)], "Could you tell me about your daily pleasures or pastimes?" [no pleasure (P-) or pleasure + (P+)], "What are notable current/recent news/topics?" [no news (N-) or news+ (N+)]. SETTING:This took place in our Memory Clinic between May 2016 and July 2019. PARTICIPANTS:We enrolled 162 consecutive cases (44 cognitive normal (CN), 55 amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and 48 Alzheimer's disease (AD)). MEASUREMENTS:The sensitivity and specificity of each battery were calculated, and on account of those numbers, the population attributable risk percent % (PAR%) of (AW and HTS+), (C- and P-), (C- and N-), (P- and N-) as analysis of combination of questions, respectively, were calculated. RESULTS:AW had high sensitivity, 87.4, 95.8% (CN vs aMCI + AD, CN + aMCI vs AD) but the sensitivity of HTS was only 46.4, 57.7%, and HTS showed high specificity, 100.0, 71.8%. C- had high sensitivity, 80.6, 87.5%, whereas P- and N- had high specificity, both 83.9% in CN vs aMCI + AD, 88.1% and 75.9% in CN + aMCI vs AD, respectively. In combination analysis, the PAR% of (C- and N-) were as high as (AW and HTS+). CONCLUSIONS:The combination of (C- and N-) is as powerful as (AW and HTS+) in screening AD. Our findings provide novel insights for screening utility of brief questions "Consciousness of Impairment" and "Recent News.

全身麻酔下歯科治療

We report about general anesthesia for disabled patients with special needs or young children during dental treatment in Tokushima University Hospital. We have administered ambulatory anesthesia or general anesthesia with short-term hospitalization for the patients. In this report, we showed anesthesia as a behavior management technique and the system for the patients who schedule ambulatory anesthesia in our hospital. We indicated the present situation of dental treatment under general anesthesia and supposed the prospects of dental care for the patients with special needs

Performance of plasma Aβ42/40, measured using a fully automated immunoassay, across a broad patient population in identifying amyloid status

Abstract Background Plasma biomarkers have emerged as promising screening tools for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) because of their potential to detect amyloid β (Aβ) accumulation in the brain. One such candidate is the plasma Aβ42/40 ratio (Aβ42/40). Unlike previous research that used traditional immunoassay, recent studies that measured plasma Aβ42/40 using fully automated platforms reported promising results. However, its utility should be confirmed using a broader patient population, focusing on the potential for early detection. Methods We recruited 174 participants, including healthy controls (HC) and patients with clinical diagnoses of AD, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, dementia with Lewy bodies/Parkinson’s disease, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and others, from a university memory clinic. We examined the performance of plasma Aβ42/40, measured using the fully automated high-sensitivity chemiluminescence enzyme (HISCL) immunoassay, in detecting amyloid-positron emission tomography (PET)-derived Aβ pathology. We also compared its performance with that of Simoa-based plasma phosphorylated tau at residue 181 (p-tau181), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and neurofilament light (NfL). Results Using the best cut-off derived from the Youden Index, plasma Aβ42/40 yielded an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.949 in distinguishing visually assessed 18F-Florbetaben amyloid PET positivity. The plasma Aβ42/40 had a significantly superior AUC than p-tau181, GFAP, and NfL in the 167 participants with measurements for all four biomarkers. Next, we analyzed 99 participants, including only the HC and those with MCI, and discovered that plasma Aβ42/40 outperformed the other plasma biomarkers, suggesting its ability to detect early amyloid accumulation. Using the Centiloid scale (CL), Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient between plasma Aβ42/40 and CL was -0.767. Among the 15 participants falling within the CL values indicative of potential future amyloid accumulation (CL between 13.5 and 35.7), plasma Aβ42/40 categorized 61.5% (8/13) as Aβ-positive, whereas visual assessment of amyloid PET identified 20% (3/15) as positive. Conclusion Plasma Aβ42/40 measured using the fully automated HISCL platform showed excellent performance in identifying Aβ accumulation in the brain in a well-characterized cohort. This equipment may be useful for screening amyloid pathology because it has the potential to detect early amyloid pathology and is readily applied in clinical settings