• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.95-100
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• 2024

A 6-year-old neutered male Poodle with a body weight of 2.7 kg was diagnosed with a congenital extrahepatic portoazygos shunt presented with progressive hepatic encephalopathy. Five days after surgical attenuation, the patient showed post-attenuation neurological signs (PANS) such as generalized tonic-clonic seizure, dull mentation, and tremor. PANS were successfully managed with antiepileptic drugs, but third-space fluid accumulation (ascites and peripheral edema) and phlebectasia were newly identified, suggesting marked portal hypertension (PHT). Telmisartan, spironolactone, carvedilol, and prednisolone were sequentially administered. Three months after surgery, both abnormal clinicopathological values such as anemia and hypoalbuminemia, and clinical signs completely resolved. Herein, we report successful management strategies for PANS and PHT in a dog following surgical attenuation of a congenital portoazygos shunt.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2003

Purpose: In a retrospective study for the pediatric patients who underwent liver transplantation in the past 6 years at Samsung Medical Center, the clinical features of 5 patients with posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) were analyzed. Methods: Between June 1996 and June 2002, 41 pediatric patients underwent liver transplantation. Seven of them died in the postoperative period. Thirty-five including one patient who died of PTLD were finally reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups: high risk group, EBV naive recipients of EBV-positive grafts; low risk group, the patients other than those in high risk group. The authors reviewed age at operation, immunosuppressive agent, postoperative duration until diagnosis, postoperative duration until EBV seroconversion, presence of treatment against rejection, and presenting symptoms of PTLD. Results: Five of 41 patients (12.2%) developed PTLD. All of them belonged to high risk group, and the incidence of PTLD in high risk group was 31.3% (5/16). The mean age at operation was 10.8 months old and the mean duration between operation and diagnosis for PTLD was 9.8 months. Primary EBV infection developed after a median of 6 months after transplantation. One patient was diagnosed as laryngeal and gastrointestinal PTLD and the other four, gastrointestinal PTLD. The following symptoms and signs were seen in the patients: anemia (100%), hypoalbuminemia (100%), fever (80%), diarrhea (80%), gastrointestinal bleeding (80%), and anorexia (60%). Conclusion: PTLD is one of the major complications after pediatric liver transplantation, especially in the group of high-risk recipients. Anemia, hypoalbuminemia, fever, diarrhea and gastrointestinal bleeding were features that are characteristic of PTLD. The common features of PTLD development were: (i) EBV-positive donors placed into EBV naive recipients, (ii) primary EBV infection about 6 months after transplantation, (iii) young age, about 1 year old at operation, and (iv) the requirement for intensive posttransplant immunosuppression.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.9
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• pp.991-997
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• 2005

Purpose : Cow's milk protein-induced enterocolitis(CMPIE) is a symptom complex of vomiting and/or diarrhea caused by delayed hypersensitivity and may result in serious complications. This study was undertaken to identify high risk factors to facilitate the early recognition of CMPIE. Methods : We reviewed the data of 101 patients, aged 15 to 45 days, admitted due to vomiting and/or diarrhea between 2003 and 2004. After excluding 13 patients absolutely breast-fed and 2 patients transferred from other hospitals with the impression of CMPIE, the 86 study subjects were divided into three groups based on the underlying etiologies; CMPIE, infectious and non-infectious group. Results : CMPIE was diagnosed in 11 patients(12.8%). On admission, failure to gain weight(P=0.003), hypoalbuminemia(P=0.003), peripheral leukocytosis(P=0.015), and metabolic acidosis(P=0.014) were more significant in the CMPIE group than in the others. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the independent predictors of high risks for CMPIE were failure to gain weight <10 g/day(OR, 10.25[95% CI, 1.62-65.06]) and serum hypoalbuminemia <3.5 g/dL(OR, 9.18[95% CI, 1.69-49.74]). Cow's milk challenges were performed in the 11 CMPIE patients; vomiting(81.8%), abnormal stool test(80.0%), peripheral leukocyte count and absolute neutrophil count(ANC) increase(100.0%) (P<0.05), and enteropathy(100.0%). Conclusion : CMPIE is not a rare clinical disease in early infancy. The high risk factors of CMPIE were identified as follow : failure to gain weight below 10 g/day, hypoalbuminemia on admission and a rapid decrease during admission. Cow's milk challenge test with endoscopic duodenal biopsy was helpful to confirm CMPIE.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.68 no.5
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• pp.259-266
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• 2010

Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), requiring the intensive care unit (ICU) care, has been a high-mortality condition until now. In the present study, we aimed to investigate clinical features and parameters associated with TB mortality. Methods: From August 2003 to December 2008, patients with microbiologically or histologically confirmed pulmonary TB then admitted to the ICU, were retrospectively enrolled into the study. Upon enrollment, their medical records were reviewed. Results: Forty three patients (30 males, 13 females) were included and their mean age was 63.8 years (range: 17~87 years). Twelve patients died, an overall in-hospital mortality of 27.8%. The main reason for the ICU care was dyspnea or hypoxemia requiring mechanical ventilation (n=17). Other diagnoses for ICU care were hemoptysis, monitoring after procedures, neurologic dysfunction, shock, and gastrointestinal bleeding. On univariate analysis, the factors affecting the mortality were malnutrition-related parameters including low body mass index, hypoalbuminemia, lymphocytopenia, and hypocholersterolemia, as well as severity-related variables such as high acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) score, number of involved lobes, and high C-reactive protein. In addition, respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation and acute respiratory distress syndrome contributed to patient fatality. It was shown on multivariate analysis that respiratory failure and hypoalbuminemia were significantly independent variables associated with the mortality. Conclusion: Acute respiratory failure is the most common reason for the ICU care and also the most important factor in predicting poor outcome. In addition, our data suggest that the parameters associated with malnutrition could be possible factors contributing to mortality.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.431-436
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to evaluate urine protein-to-creatinine ratio as a parameter for early detection of nephrotic syndrome and as a parameter for monitoring effectiveness in early course of treatment. Nine healthy dogs were sensitized by intravenous injection with 1 $\mu$g of endotoxin and 5 mg of native bovine serum albumin. After 1 week, 120 mg of cationized bovine serum albumin was injected intravenously 5 times a week. Among nine dogs, five dogs were confirmed as having developed glomerulonephritis and nephrotic syndrome by increase of urine protein-to-creatinine ratio(>1.0), hypoalbuminemia (<1.5 g/dl), hypercholesterolemia (> 240 mg/dl) and azotemia (BUN>40 mg/dl). During the induction of glomerulonephritis and the progression to nephrotic syndrome, the increase of urine protein-to-creatinine ratio was firstly detected. 1 to 4 weeks later, hypoalbuminemia, hypercholesterolemia, and azotemia were detected. Prednisolone (2.2 mg/kg, bid) was administered orally to the dogs with induced nephrotic syndrome. In early stage of treatment, the increase of serum albumin and decrease of serum cholesterol were detected. 1 to 4 weeks later, decrease of urine protein-to-creatinine ratio was detected. It was concluded that urine protein-to-creatinine ratio is a useful parameter for early detection of nephrotic syndrome, and serum albumin and cholesterol are useful parameters for the monitoring in early course of treatment in nephrotic syndrome.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.244-251
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• 2023

Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been widely used in patients with cardiorespiratory failure. The serum albumin level is an important prognostic marker in critically ill patients. We evaluated the efficacy of using pre-ECMO serum albumin levels to predict 30-day mortality in patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) who underwent venoarterial (VA) ECMO. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 114 adult patients who underwent VA-ECMO between March 2021 and September 2022. The patients were divided into survivors and non-survivors. Clinical data before and during ECMO were compared. Results: Patients' mean age was 67.8±13.6 years, and 36 (31.6%) were female. The proportion of survival to discharge was 48.6% (n=56). Cox regression analysis showed that the pre-ECMO albumin level independently predicted 30-day mortality (hazard ratio, 0.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.11-0.59; p=0.002). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of albumin levels (pre-ECMO) was 0.73 (standard error [SE], 0.05; 95% CI, 0.63-0.81; p<0.001; cut-off value=3.4 g/dL). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the cumulative 30-day mortality was significantly higher in patients with a pre-ECMO albumin level ≤3.4 g/dL than in those with a level >3.4 g/dL (68.9% vs. 23.8%, p<0.001). As the adjusted amount of albumin infused increased, the possibility of 30-day mortality also increased (coefficient=0.140; SE, 0.037; p<0.001). Conclusion: Hypoalbuminemia during ECMO was associated with higher mortality, even with higher amounts of albumin replacement, in patients with CS who underwent VA-ECMO. Further studies are needed to predict the timing of albumin replacement during ECMO.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.129-136
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• 2003

Diabetic nephropathy is defined that renal glomeruluses are damaged by diabetes melitus and proteins that are not excreted to urine normally are exhausted, or do not excrete waste matter to urine, so-called chronic renal failure state. Clinical stage is explained divided 5. If reached 4 or 5 stage, overt proteinuria is occurred to clinical nephropathy, and hypoalbuminemia, azotemia, hypertension, and edema become serious. Concept about edema is differing comprehension about mechanism of a disease, and treatment methodaccording to Sasang Constitution in Sasang Constitutional Medicine. I treated edemtous Soyangin(少陽人) patient with Dojeokgangkitang(導赤降氣湯) who diagnosed as diabetic nephropathy and wrongly treated in Soeumin. I have got good results, so I do case study.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.253-259
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• 2004

Primary intestinal lymphangiectasia is a congenital lymphatic disorder in which intestinal lymphatic channels are dilated and ruptured resulting in loss of protein, lipid, and lymphocyte into the intestine or peritoneum. As a result, hypoalbuminemia, generalized edema, diarrhea are clinically manifested. We report a case of primary intestinal lymphangiectasia with generalized edema which occurred in a 7-year old boy who was treated with lipid restriction diet with medium chain triglyceride oil supplement.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.203-206
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• 2003

Castleman's disease is an atypical lymphoproliferative disorder of unknown origin. It has three histologic variants(hyaline vascular, plasma-cell, and mixed) and two clinical types(localized and multicentric). Some sufferers have constitutional symptoms and laboratory abnormalities such as anemia, hypoalbuminemia, hypergammaglobulinemia, and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The localized form is cured by complete surgical excision whereas the multicentric form is managed by prednisone and other immunosuppressor drugs. The prognosis of the multicentric form is worse than the localized form since malignancies and severe infections may lead to a rapidly fatal outcome. Castleman's disease has been rarely reported at pediatric age in Korea. We experienced two cases of Castleman's disease detected at 3 and 5 years of age. They were presented with painless enlargement of submandibulars and axillary lymph nodes but had no associated symptoms. The lesions were excised and diagnosed as Castleman's disease, and no recurrence was noted during follow-up periods.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.69-72
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• 1998

Thromboemolism is one of the severe complications of nephrotic syndrome. And arterial thromboembolism is rare than venous thromboembolism. Hypercoagulability is the main pathophysiologic factors of thromboembolism in nephrotic syndrome with severe hypoalbuminemia. We experienced one case of arterial thromboembolism which occured in right common iliac artery. It was seen in a 6 year-old male child that presented with generalized edema and rigth ankle joint pain. Emergency embolectomy and anticoagulant therapy (heparin and antithrombin III) was performed. He didn't have to be amputated and recovered to self ambulation. This is an uncommon case that successful recovery was possible by early diagnosis and invasive surgical management with proper anticoagulant therapy.