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    Rakhee Sodhi

    Brain death is defined as the cessation of cerebral and brainstem function. A 12-year-old boy presented with alleged history of snake bite. He was brain dead with Glasgow Coma Score of 3 and absent corneal reflexes. However, it was only... more
    Brain death is defined as the cessation of cerebral and brainstem function. A 12-year-old boy presented with alleged history of snake bite. He was brain dead with Glasgow Coma Score of 3 and absent corneal reflexes. However, it was only neuroparalytic effect of the venom, which improved in due course of time with antivenoms. This case highlights the occurrence of both internal and external ophthalmoplegia, which would mimic brain death in many ways, thus prompting an intensivist to consider withdrawing ventilatory support, which would be disastrous.
    1. Mandal A, Sahi PK. Mapleson D continuous positive airway pressure system for weaning of mechanical ventilation in pediatric patients. Lung India 2016;34:215‐6. 2. Edmunds S, Weiss I, Harrison R. Extubation failure in a large pediatric... more
    1. Mandal A, Sahi PK. Mapleson D continuous positive airway pressure system for weaning of mechanical ventilation in pediatric patients. Lung India 2016;34:215‐6. 2. Edmunds S, Weiss I, Harrison R. Extubation failure in a large pediatric ICU population. Chest 2001;119:897‐900. 3. Farias JA, Alía I, Retta A, Olazarri F, Fernández A, Esteban A, et al. An This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as the author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.
    ... ANTIOXIDANTS REDUCES ALVEOLAR INFLAMMATORY ME-DIATORS AND PROTEIN INFLUX IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME (ARDS) Elamin M. Elamin MD* Larry F. Hughes PhD Diane Drew RN University of South Florida, Tampa, FL ...
    Chronic cough and chest pain should be dealt seriously in a young adult. Sometimes we may miss a diagnosis in such patients. We present a case of Pulmonary Langerhans Histiocytosis who presented with complaints of cough and chest pain
    Background: An Intensive care unit (ICU) is an area where highest level of care is given with close invasive and non-invasive monitoring to a critically ill patient. Medical audit is must to assess the quality care provided and lay down... more
    Background: An Intensive care unit (ICU) is an area where highest level of care is given with close invasive and non-invasive monitoring to a critically ill patient. Medical audit is must to assess the quality care provided and lay down policies for future. Objectives: To review retrospectively the profile of patients admitted to ICU and assess their outcome. Methods: From January 2016 to December 2016, ICU records of all admissions, referred, discharges, and deaths were utilized for the purpose of this study. Data extracted from the records included age, sex, diagnosis and outcome. Results: A total of 2316 patients were admitted to ICU. Males were 1489 (64.3%) and females were 827 (35.7%). Most of the patients (42.8%) were between 46-70 years. Most of the patients were shifted from emergency (48.5%) and it was associated with better outcome. A total of 49.6% patients were shifted out of ICU in stable condition while mortality was 28.6%. Around 21.8% patients left ICU against Medica...
    The granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), formerly known as Wegener�s granulomatosis, is a pauci-immune vasculitis involving small- and medium-sized blood vessels. Classically, the patients inflicted with this disease present with a... more
    The granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), formerly known as Wegener�s granulomatosis, is a pauci-immune vasculitis involving small- and medium-sized blood vessels. Classically, the patients inflicted with this disease present with a triad of necrotizing granulomatous inflammation of the respiratory tract, cutaneous necrotizing vasculitis, and glomerulonephritis (GN). The antinuclear (ANA) and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) are considered as relatively specific markers of the disease. Herein, we presented the case of a patient who initially presented with sepsis but did not respond to the conventional antibiotics and later diagnosed with GPA.The granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), formerly known as Wegener�s granulomatosis, is a pauci-immune vasculitis involving small- and medium-sized blood vessels. Classically, the patients inflicted with this disease present with a triad of necrotizing granulomatous inflammation of the respiratory tract, cutaneous necrotiz...
    Introduction: Medical thoracoscopy is a minimally invasive procedure for diagnosing and treating pleural diseases. Despite its proven role in diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, it is infrequently used, which could be because of cost of... more
    Introduction: Medical thoracoscopy is a minimally invasive procedure for diagnosing and treating pleural diseases. Despite its proven role in diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, it is infrequently used, which could be because of cost of equipment and lack of training. We analyzed our initial 3 years record of thoracoscopy at Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, a tertiary care center in Himalayan region of north India. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was to analyze our experience of medical thoracoscopy which was started in Jan 2011 at our center. All patients who underwent thoracoscopy during the period between Jan 2011 to Dec 2013 were included in the study. Thoracoscopy was performed for diagnosis of undiagnosed pleural effusions. Clinical, radiological, cytological & histopathological data of the patients were collected prospectively and analysed. Results: The diagnostic yield for a pleuroscopic pleural biopsy in our study was 87.23% (41/47). Malignancy wa...
    Idiopathic Pulmonary Hemosiderosis (IPH) is characterized by the triad of iron deficiency anemia, pulmonary infiltrates and haemoptysis with no recognizable cause. Since the first description of its association with Celiac Disease (CD) by... more
    Idiopathic Pulmonary Hemosiderosis (IPH) is characterized by the triad of iron deficiency anemia, pulmonary infiltrates and haemoptysis with no recognizable cause. Since the first description of its association with Celiac Disease (CD) by Lane and Hamilton in 1971, only a few isolated cases have been reported in literature. Although it has been considered an uncommon association of two disease entities, recent reports indicate that prevalence of celiac disease is as high as one percent. Further, individually both celiac disease and IPH are known to present as refractory anemia only. We are reporting a young adult with Lane Hamilton Syndrome, who realized that he was having significant gastrointestinal complaints only when they disappeared on gluten free diet (GFD). This case report reiterates the fact that celiac disease should be considered in all patients of IPH because of the therapeutic implications. Further on review of literature, we believe that covert hemoptysis may be respo...
    Tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) refers to a condition in which structural integrity of cartilaginous wall of trachea is lost. Excessive dynamic airway collapse (EDAC) is characterized by excessive invagination of posterior wall of trachea. In... more
    Tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) refers to a condition in which structural integrity of cartilaginous wall of trachea is lost. Excessive dynamic airway collapse (EDAC) is characterized by excessive invagination of posterior wall of trachea. In both these conditions, airway lumen gets compromised, especially during expiration, which can lead to symptoms such as breathlessness, cough, and wheezing. Both these conditions can be present in obstructive lung diseases; TBM due to chronic airway inflammation and EDAC due to dynamic compressive forces during expiration. The present study was planned with the hypothesis that TBM/EDAC could also produce expiratory wheeze in patients with obstructive airway disorders. Hence, prevalence and factors affecting presence of this entity in patients with obstructive airway diseases were the aims and objectives of this study. Twenty-five patients with obstructive airway disorders (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] or bronchial asthma), who were s...
    Diffuse parenchymal lung diseases (DPLD) are a group of disorders characterized by chest radiological findings of bilateral diffuse shadowing. Lung biopsy is generally required to make an etiological diagnosis of... more
    Diffuse parenchymal lung diseases (DPLD) are a group of disorders characterized by chest radiological findings of bilateral diffuse shadowing. Lung biopsy is generally required to make an etiological diagnosis of DPLD's. Transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) is a minimally invasive method to achieve a lung sample which has been found to be a useful diagnostic tool in patients with DPLD. As per American Thoracic Society guidelines for management of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias, TBLB is not required in patients who have findings consistent with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) on HRCT scan thorax. Some Indian researchers have evaluated, on a small number of subjects, the role of TBLB in patients with DPLD, but they had not excluded patients with 'IPF pattern'. This study was planned to assess TBLB in patients with DPLD after excluding patients with 'IPF pattern'. A prospective non-randomized study on 49 patients with DPLD without a characteristic 'IPF pattern' were subjected to TBLB. The overall diagnostic yield of TBLB was 85.7%. Non-specific interstitial pneumonitis, tuberculosis and sarcoidosis were the most common histology patterns found (22.4, 18.4 and 16.3%, respectively). Procedure-related mortality was nil. Iatrogenic pneumothorax occurred in five patients (10.2%). Minor complications included hemorrhage and transient hypoxia. TBLB is a safe and effective tool in the diagnosis of DPLD.
    Brain death is defined as the cessation of cerebral and brainstem function. A 12-year-old boy presented with alleged history of snake bite. He was brain dead with Glasgow Coma Score of 3 and absent corneal reflexes. However, it was only... more
    Brain death is defined as the cessation of cerebral and brainstem function. A 12-year-old boy presented with alleged history of snake bite. He was brain dead with Glasgow Coma Score of 3 and absent corneal reflexes. However, it was only neuroparalytic effect of the venom, which improved in due course of time with antivenoms. This case highlights the occurrence of both internal and external ophthalmoplegia, which would mimic brain death in many ways, thus prompting an intensivist to consider withdrawing ventilatory support, which would be disastrous.
    Kerosene ingested, intentionally or accidentally, is toxic. Data is scarce on complications and outcomes of hydrocarbon poisoning following kerosene aspiration in adults and there has been no known case of bilateral hemorrhagic effusion... more
    Kerosene ingested, intentionally or accidentally, is toxic. Data is scarce on complications and outcomes of hydrocarbon poisoning following kerosene aspiration in adults and there has been no known case of bilateral hemorrhagic effusion occurring due to it in literature. We, hereby, report a case of a bilateral hemorrhagic pleural effusion secondary to hydrocarbon aspiration in a 40-year old adult.