Veno-occlusive disease (VOD) is one of the worst and a potentially life-threatening complication that can occur after blood or marrow transplantation (BMT).
VOD:
-clinical syndrome which can occur after BMTand, less commonly, after chemo, toxic alkaloids, high doses of radiotherapy, or liver transplant
-incidence varies from 2-60% because of different setting, application of different diagnostic criteria and BMT procedures
2/15
Clinic:
-rapid weight gain, often unresponsive to diuretics, hyperbilirubinemia, painful hepatomegaly, & ascites
-within 21 days after BMT
-late-onset VOD a distinct feature, occurring in 39.3% and 16.7%, respectively, in the adult and pediatric setting
-@TheEBMT criteria👇
3/15
A challenge called VOD!
-high mortality
-multiorgan disease, involving 🫁 + 🫘 function👉dismal outcome
-constrictive pericarditis, different ascites, drug-induced cholestasis and liver injury , sepsis etc make real-life differential diagnosis a true challenge or pitfall
4/15
Pathophysiology:
-liver sinusoidal endothelium injury👉loss of cell cohesions👉gaps in endothelial barrier👉RBC pass through👉accumulate in Disse space👉embolization👉postsinusoidal obstruction
-cell detachment~nitric oxide deficiency👉matrix metalloproteinase 9
5/15
Outcome:
-mortality rates can reach up to 80% in the severe forms
Risk factors:
-liver and lung disease
-preparative regimen for BMT
-graft source
-GVHD prophylaxis (sirolimus, cyclophosphamide, MTX with busulfan)
-monoclonal antibodies conjugated with calicheamicin (GO)
6/15
Evaluation:
-clinic and lab work up including hemostasis parameters
-ultrasound!!!👉abnormal portal vein waveform, marked thickening of the gallbladder wall, and a hepatic artery resistance index >0.75
-liver biopsy (transjugular)
7/15
Pathology:
-dilated sinusoids, congested by erythrocytes and nonthrombotic fibrous occlusion of the central veins and small venules
-severe cases: widespread zonal liver disruption and centrilobular hemorrhagic necrosis
-collagen, sclerosis, fibrosis of venular lumens
8/15
Treatment:
-by severity
-mild/moderate👉supportive care measures alone but MUST be monitored (maintain euvolumina, avoid hepatotoxic agents, paracentesis)
-severe👉defibrotide
9/15
Defibrotide:
-sodium salt of single-stranded oligodeoxyribonucleotides derived from DNA of porcine intestinal mucosa
-mechanism unclear
-inhibit the activation of endothelial cells, reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, and enhance the production of nitric oxide
10/15
Defibrotide administration:
-6.25 mg/kg every 6 hours IV for ≥21 days, until resolution or hospital discharge, maximum of 60 days
-discontinue ≥2 hours prior to invasive procedures and can be resumed
-check Hb/platelets frequently during treatment (PLT target best >30k)
11/15
Defibrotide outcome:
-multicenter study of children and adults compared with 32 historical control patients👉defibrotide with superior day +100 survival (38 versus 25%) and day +100
-fatal hemorrhagic events were reported in 15% of defibrotide versus 6% of controls
12/15
Prophylaxis:
-for adults, ursodeoxycholic acid can be considered from conditioning rather than no prophylaxis👉naturally-occurring hydrophilic bile acid👉reducing hydrophobicity of other naturally-occurring bile acids
-NOT defibrotide, as shown again recently @TheLancetHaem
13/15
Refractory VOD:
No pharmacologic agent has proven benefit for patients with severe hepatic SOS who do not respond adequately to ≥3 weeks of defibrotide treatment.
Consider:
-TIPS (also in acute disease)
-methylprednisolone
-liver transplant
14/15
Summary of VOD:
❗️life-threatening, high mortality
❗️~15% of adults after BMT
❗️careful monitoring required to make diagnosis
❗️prompt treatment needed
❗️supportive care for mild/moderate
❗️defibrotide for severe
❗️TIPS for acute or refractory disease
❗️UDCA only prophylaxis
Fin.
Today is World Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Day #WCMLD24
Time to educate, reflect and celebrate what has been achieved
A short educational thread on CML
Intro to CML:
-BCR-ABL1-positive
-classified as a myeloproliferative neoplasm
-predominantly composed of proliferating granulocytes and determined to have the Philadelphia chromosome/translocation t(9;22)(q34;q11.2)
-affects peripheral blood + bone marrow
Pathophysiology:
-fusion oncoprotein BCR-ABL1 defines CML
-90-95% have a shortened chromosome 22
👉reciprocal translocation t(9;22) (q34;q11.2)
👉Philadelphia chromosome
-oncoprotein acts as constitutively expressed defective tyrosine kinaseö
The stethoscope is the image of medicine, a commonly used tool, and its importance in the field is immeasurable.
But what is its past, present, and future?
A short thread
Can you imagine how anything got done without a stethoscope? In order to earn its place slung around the neck of a physician, it has undergone many changes and evolved with the times. Like all aspects of medicine, it has a long history and background.
So let's dive right in.
The first reference to listening to breath sounds was in the Ebbers Papyrus in 1,500 BCE, almost 4,000 years ago❗️
Some other early cases of listening to breath sounds are recorded in the Hindu Vedas 🇮🇳 from approximately 1,400-1,200 BCE.
Intro:
- caused by protozoa parasites of genus Plasmodium
- transmitted throughout most of the tropics
- in 84 countries and territories
- in 2023, WHO reported 247 million cases (up from 245 million in 2020)
- 619 thousand deaths (down from 625,000 in 2020) 1/
Plasmodium life-cycle:
-female Anopheles mosquitoes acquire parasites from infected person during blood meal
-subsequent human bite, transmit infection to new host👉injection of sporozoites
-infects hepatocytes
-replicates
👉exoerythrocytic merozoite
👉invades erythrocytes 2/