Medical Specialties Commons^™

Clostridium Sporogenes Bacteremia In An Immunocompetent Patient, Waiel Abusnina, Mena Shehata, Emhemmid S. Karem, Zeynep C. Koc, Elie Khalil

Internal Medicine

Of the 200 Clostridium spp. known to exist, approximately 30 have been associated with human disease. Commonly found in soil, marine sediment and mammalian intestinal tracts, these gram-positive bacilli are known to cause infections ranging from cellulitis to septicemia. Isolates that are identified by clinical microbiology laboratories include Clostridium perfrigens species in 20–40% of cases. However, when Clostridium sporogenes is identified, is rarely considered to be pathogenic. We present a case of Clostridium sporogenes bacteremia secondary to lower limb cellulitis and osteomyelitis in an immunocompetent patient.

The Influence Of Body Mass Index On Survival And Length Of Stay In Patients With Septic Shock, Yasir Jawaid, Waseem Ahmed, Damir Kusmic, Aman Ajmeri, Kanaan Mansoor, Cristie Mannino, Thomas Judge, Larry E. Carter, Akash V. Ajmera

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Background: Obesity is one of the most widespread epidemics of our time. In fact, currently 65.7% of US adults age 20 and older are overweight, while 30.6% are obese. It has been well-established that obesity has numerous adverse effects on long-term health, however the specific effect on patients treated for sepsis and septic shock is unclear. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure of total body fat content and surrogate marker for obesity. In our study, we aimed to identify if BMI was an independent risk factor for poor survival or increased length of stay (LOS) in patients with sepsis. …

Perceptions Of Specialties And Primary Care Careers: Findings From West Virginia Medical Student And Resident Focus Groups, April L. Vestal, Laura Boone, Robert Walker, A. Brianna Sheppard, Dakota Morris, Ashley J. Noland

Marshall Journal of Medicine

The purpose of this study was to improve the understanding of how perceptions of practicing specific medical specialties contribute to career decisions. Participants included medical students and residents from training programs in West Virginia. Focus groups were conducted between September 2013 and February 2015. Thematic content analysis of focus group interviews was used to identify phrases indicating perceptions of person- versus technique-oriented personality medical specialties.

“Self-focused” and “other-focused” themes emerged within person-oriented comments. Factors affecting “self”, including work/life balance and salary and practice environment, made certain specialties more appealing. Technique-oriented comments included working in a hospital setting, performing technical procedures, …

Optimizing Quality Of Care By Patient Satisfaction For The Department Of Orthopaedics - A Survey Study, Milad Modarresi, Ammar Qureshi, Rodrigo Aguilar, Meghan Anderson, Felix Cheung

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Introduction: Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and System (HCAHPS) has provided a standardized survey method in order to evaluate the patient’s satisfaction on the care they are provided. While overall patient satisfaction is clearly a multidimensional concept, the HCAHPS survey covers 8 domains of health care. This study tries to identify and establish the main determinants to patient’s level of satisfaction during their visit to Cabell Huntington Hospital Orthopaedics department.

Methods: Data was collected from surveys handed in 3 consecutive months; June, July and August of 2013. Sixteen questions were selected from HCAHPS that were appraised to be relevant …

Predicting Adverse Outcomes In End Stage Renal Disease: Machine Learning Applied To The United States Renal Data System, Zeid Khitan, Alexis D. Jacob, Courtney Balentine, Adam N. Jacob, Juan R. Sanabria, Joseph I. Shapiro

Marshall Journal of Medicine

We examined machine learning methods to predict death within six months using data derived from the United States Renal Data System (USRDS). We specifically evaluated a generalized linear model, a support vector machine, a decision tree and a random forest evaluated within the context of K-10 fold validation using the CARET package available within the open source architecture R program. We compared these models with the feed forward neural network strategy that we previously reported on with this data set.

Outcomes Of Transcutaneous Aortic Valve Replacement Among High Risk Wv Sample Population., George M. Yousef, Julia Poe, Cameron Killmer, Basel Edris, Jason Mader, Ellen A. Thompson, Daniel Snavely, Silvestre Cansino, Joseph I. Shapiro, Mark A. Studeny

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Introduction:Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a relatively new strategy for replacing the aortic valve. We elected to review our early experience to see if we could identify clinical characteristics at baseline or immediately following the procedure that would predict death within one year.

Methods:Charts for all patients assigned to receive TAVR procedure at St Mary’s medical center, Huntington, West Virginia between April, 2013 till November, 2016 were identified and reviewed. A total of seventy-two (72) cases were included.

Results: All cause mortality rate at index hospitalization, 30 days, and 12 months was 5.6%(N=4), 6.9%(N=5), 19.4%(N=14) respectively. Stroke …

Nadolol In Pregnancy: A Medical Student’S Reflection On Her Pregnancy, Rebecca King-Mallory, Shawndra Barker, Kaitlin Mcgrogan, Adam M. Franks

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Hypertension is a common concern during pregnancy. Beta-blockers are one potential treatment, but third trimester exposure has correlated with an increased risk of perinatal events. Nadolol, a nonselective beta blocker, has properties that differ from those of its selective counterparts, including longer half-life, decreased protein binding, and renal excretion in the unchanged form. There is very limited data on the use of nadolol during pregnancy, and its safety has not been completely evaluated. This case study documents the perinatal outcomes of nadolol use throughout a medical student’s pregnancy and explores the experience in obtaining and undergoing medical care.

Telepsychiatry: Access In Rural Areas, David P. Paul Iii, Brianna Washington, Annie Robinson, Mike Tonnie, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Rural areas have experienced higher than average healthcare workforce problems, especially concerning limited access to mental health services. Telepsychiatry may provide at least a partial solution, as it has improved access and quality of care available in rural environments despite implementation problems. As technology continues to advance access, telepsychiatry will also need to strengthen making access more readily available. Additional research is required to identify modalities and diverse methods that can be used to increase access to mental health services further and improve outcomes in rural and underserved areas.

The Continuing Epidemic Of Hepatitis C In The United States: The Case Of West Virginia, David P. Paul Iii, Neha Botre, Maggie Phillips, Jumana Abboud, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the most significant public health problems currently facing the U.S. If it is left untreated, the likelihood of sustaining a treatment response decreases. While early identification has been identified as a critical focus in trying to obtain better health outcomes, new drug treatments appear quite promising.

Cellular Senescence And Their Role In Liver Metabolism In Health And Disease: Overview And Future Directions, Matthew Schade, Jacqueline A. Sanabria, Rodrigo Aguilar, Milad Modarresi, Brad Gillon, Zach Hunter, Jacqueline Fannin, Amrita Mallick, Henri Brunengraber, Juan Sanabria

Surgery

Chronic liver disease has globally risen mainly due to a prevalent Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection rate and an epidemic of obesity. It is estimated by the year 2030, 2.2 billion people around the world will be overweight and 1.1 billion people will be obese. Diabetes and obesity are the main risk factors for the development of the metabolic syndrome and in the liver of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) which could progress to NASH related cirrhosis and liver malignancy. At present there is not effective therapy for NASH besides loss of weight and exercise. Furthermore, optimal management of HCC …

A Rare Case Of Metastases From A High-Grade Astrocytoma To The Pleura, Bones, And Liver Within Six Months Of Diagnosis, Jennifer L. Dotson, Ala Nijim, Krista L. Denning, Yousef R. Shweihat, Yehuda Lebowicz

Internal Medicine

High grade astrocytomas such as anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme are aggressive central nervous system malignancies with a poor prognosis. Due to shortened survival times, their devastating effects are usually localized intracranially and rarely metastasize outside of the central nervous system. When metastases occur, they usually present in patients with longer survival times and they typically coincide with a primary site recurrence. We present a rare case of metastases from a high-grade astrocytoma/glioblastoma to the pleura, bones and liver within six months of diagnosis, without primary site recurrence.

Nonketotic Hyperglycemia Induced Occipital Lobe Seizures: A Case Report, Samantha Richardson, Sona K. Shah

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Typically, nonketotic hyperglycemia induces partial motor seizures. We present a rare case of nonketotic hyperglycemia induced occipital lobe seizures and discuss the impact of hemoglobin A1c on seizure activity, typical imaging results, and use of anti epileptic drugs in management.

Improving Postoperative Pain Control After Cesarean Delivery With Enhanced Recovery In Patients On Buprenorphine Therapy, Kevin D. White, Shirin Azadi, Nadim Bou Zgheib, Brenda L. Mitchell

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Abstract:

Introduction:

Prescription drug abuse presents a significant challenge to the management of post operative pain.Pain control amongst the opioid addicted patient can be especially challenging. We aimed to improve pain control after caesarian delivery with enhanced recovery in patients who are on buprenorphine medication-assisted therapy for the treatment of opioid addiction.

Materials and Methods:

We conducted a pilot study by implementing a protocol using liposomal bupivacaine injected at the time of cesarean delivery. Patients were then given 500mg acetaminophen every 4 hours, 800mg ibuprofen every 8 hours and 0.3mg IV buprenorphine every 6 hours as needed. The patients’ maintenance …

The State Of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome In West Virginia, Sean Loudin

Marshall Journal of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery In Pediatric Urology: Capacity Building And Reflecting On Five Years’ Experience In West Virginia, Chad B. Crigger, Osama Al-Omar

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Robotic surgery was born at the turn of the millennium as it was first approved by the US food and Drug Administration in 2000 with the introduction of the da Vinci (Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Mountain View, Ca) robotic surgical platform. However, its adoption by pediatric urologists did not occur until 2002, and even then it was used by only a select handful of surgeons. While the use of robotics in pediatric urology has grown steadily worldwide, its implementation in treating pediatric urology patients in West Virginia has been much slower. Reasons for this are twofold: historically, the lack of pediatric …

Ammonia Vs. Lactic Acid In Predicting Positivity Of Microbial Culture In Sepsis: The Alps Pilot Study, Yazan Numan, Yasir Jawaid, Hisham Hirzallah, Damir Kusmic, Mohammed Megri, Obadah Aqtash, Ahmed Amro, Haitem Mezughi, Emmon Maher, Yonas Raru, Jamil Numan, Sutoidem Akpanudo, Zeid Khitan, Yousef Shweihat

Internal Medicine

Objective: The use of serum ammonia as a novel marker for sepsis compared to lactic acid levels in intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

Design and Interventions: Single arm, prospective clinical trial to collect arterial blood samples from patients with sepsis. Serial ammonia and lactic acid levels were sent every six hours for a total of three days.

Measurements and results: Compare mean levels of ammonia and lactic acid in terms of diagnosing sepsis and patient outcome, including length of stay and mortality. A total of 30 patients were enrolled in the pilot study. On admission, mean ammonia level was 35.7 …

Exploring The Excluded Stomach: A Case Series Of Novel Endoscopic Techniques To Diagnose Gastric Cancer In The Excluded Stomach After Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery, Saeed Ali, Abdelkader Chaar, Wesam Frandah, Rola Altoos, Zeeshan Sattar, Muhammad Hasan

Internal Medicine

Gastric cancer is the fifth most common malignancy worldwide and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The diagnosis is usually made by direct visualization with supporting histopathology. However, patients with gastric bypass surgery pose a challenge in diagnosis due to the difficulty in the evaluation of the excluded stomach. We present two cases of gastric cancer in the excluded stomach after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery was diagnosed using two different endoscopic approaches.

Urinothorax Caused By Xanthogranulomatous Pyelonephritis, Waiel Abusnina, Hazim Bukamur, Zeynep C. Koc

Internal Medicine

Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis is a rare form of chronic pyelonephritis that generally afflicts middle-aged women with a history of recurrent urinary tract infections. Its pathogenesis generally involves calculus obstructive uropathy and its histopathology is characterized by replacement of the renal parenchyma with lipid filled macrophages. This often manifests as an enlarged, nonfunctioning kidney that may be complicated by abscess or fistula. This case details the first reported case of xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis complicated by urinothorax, which resolved on follow-up chest X-ray after robot-assisted nephrectomy.

Characterizing The Recovery Trajectories Of Knee Range Of Motion For One Year After Total Knee Replacement, Saurabh Mehta, Andrew Rigney, Kyle Webb, Jacob Wesney, Paul W. Stratford, Franklin D. Shuler, Ali Oliashirazi

Physical Therapy Faculty Research

DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of routinely collected clinical data.

OBJECTIVE: This study modeled the recovery in knee flexion and extension range of motion (ROM) over 1 year after total knee replacement (TKR).

BACKGROUND: Recovery after TKR has been characterized for self-reported pain and functional status. Literature describing target knee ROM at different follow-up periods after TKR is scarce.

METHODS: Data were extracted for patients who had undergone TKR at a tertiary care hospital at 2, 8, 12, 26, and 52 weeks after TKR. A linear mixed-effects growth model was constructed that investigated the following covariates age, sex, pre-TKR range, body mass …

A Review Of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Injections For Osteoarthritis, Ammar Qureshi, Jill Goodwin, Franklin D. Shuler, Timothy Wilson-Byrne, John J. Jasko, Charles Giangarra

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) injections for osteoarthritis is reviewed.

Methods- PubMed search identifying articles in English from 2003-2018 that used intra- articular injection (IA), cartilage repair, cartilage regeneration, chondral injury, adipose stem cells, bone marrow stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, or autologous stem cells.

Results – 388 patients receiving IA MSC injections are discussed with data obtained from 10 case reports or case series, 4 randomized clinical trials (RCT), 1 cohort study, and 3 case controlled therapeutic studies.

Conclusions – MSC injections may be an effective adjunct in the management of osteoarthritis and a variety of cartilage related pathologies.

The Effect Of Hepatitis C On Maternal Bile Acid Level And The Fetal Left Ventricular Tei Index, Kelly Cummings, Jesse Cottrell, Songthip Ounpraseuth, Ryan Stone, David G. Chaffin, Everett Magann

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Hepatitis C (HCV) is a common form of liver disease encountered in pregnancy. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if hepatitis C is associated with elevated maternal serum bile acids and abnormal fetal cardiac function measured by the left ventricular Tei index in the absence of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. This is a prospective cohort study on pregnant women with hepatitis C seen through Marshall University’s high-risk obstetrics clinic from 2013 to 2014. Women with hepatitis C had a laboratory evaluation and an ultrasound on the fetus to calculate the left ventricular Tei index. Demographic information and delivery …

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Review Of Dsm Criteria And Functional Neuroanatomy, Cornelius W. Thomas

Marshall Journal of Medicine

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) consist of over twenty possible symptoms that can be divided into six broad categories. These categories correlate with specific brain networks that regulate emotions, behaviors, and autonomic function. Normal functioning of these networks depends on two key regions; the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. The prefrontal cortex provides top-down executive control over amygdala, whereas the amygdala is critical for threat detection and activation of the ‘fight or flight’ response. Events that trigger extreme and/or prolonged fear can cause persisting dysregulation within the prefrontal-amygdala circuit; resulting …

Pyomyositis Mistaken For Septic Hip Arthritis In Children: The Role Of Mri In Diagnosis And Management, Franklin D. Shuler, Grant S. Buchanan, Cody Stover, Brock Johnson, Milad Modarresi, John J. Jasko

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Septic arthritis is an orthopaedic emergency which requires timely management to prevent joint destruction and poor outcome. Differentiating septic arthritis from transient synovitis in pediatric patients is aided by the use of Kocher criteria which have excellent sensitivity but lack specificity. In addition to these two disorders, primary pyomyositis is bacterial infection of skeletal muscle that most commonly affects children. Patients present with pain, swelling, fever, and elevated inflammatory markers which mimics septic arthritis. If left untreated, pyomyositis can lead to abscess formation and sepsis.

Due to potential for nearly identical presentations of septic arthritis and pyomyositis, differentiation of these …

Urgent Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Due To Multi- Vessel Coronary Aneurysm, Obadah Aqtash, Ahmed Amro, Bilal Alam, Amal Sobeih, Melissa Lester, Rameez Sayyed

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Coronary Artery Aneurysm (CAA) is defined as a dilation of more than 1.5 times normal in a segment of the coronary artery. While the incidence of CAA is highest in the Right Coronary Artery (RCA), it is agreed that left main coronary artery or three-vessel involvement is extremely rare. Wide ranges of factors have been implicated in the cause of CAA with atherosclerosis being the most common at 50%. Congenital CAA occurs in 20-30% of cases followed by connective tissue disease at 10%. Blood stagnation and exposure of the underlying collagen make aneurysms prone to thrombosis, dissection, and vasospasm. Depending …

Going Beyond The Final Impression With Radiologic Data In The Era Of Clerical Medicine: A Case Report Of Coronary Artery Disease Found Incidentally On Computed Tomography, Andrea M. Lauffer

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Introduction:

Given the challenges in modern healthcare, physicians find themselves devoting a great deal of mental and emotional energy into executing the appropriate care for patients as well as performing their daily clerical duties. Many clinicians have resorted to innovative ways to minimize their tasks which often leads to narrowing the focus of a patient’s overall care and the birth of medical errors described in the Swiss cheese effect model.

Case Description:

A 66 year old male established care with a new primary care physician. Previous radiologic data revealed a pulmonary nodule that did not have appropriate follow up imaging. …

Gastric Calcifying Fibrous Tumor Mimicking Gi Stromal Tumor, Nneoma Okoronkwo, Shima Ghavimi, Ravi Chokshi, Stephen Peters, Sushil Ahlawat

Internal Medicine

A 27-year-old female with no significant medical history was referred for an EUS to evaluate a large, firm, gastric mass, which was detected during esophagastroduodenoscopy done for persistent reflux symptoms and intermittent epigastric pain. EUS revealed a polypoid, broad-based, solid intramural mass, 2 cm x 4 cm in size, heterogeneous in echo-texture with calcifications and post-acoustic shadowing. The polypoid gastric mass appeared to arise from the muscularis propria.

The Role And Safety Of Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration In The Diagnosis And Management Of Infected Bronchogenic Mediastinal Cysts In Adults, Hazim S. Bukamur, Emad Alkhankan, Haitem Mezughi, Nancy J. Munn, Yousef R. Shweihat

Internal Medicine

Bronchogenic and other duplication cysts are congenital abnormalities that can present at any age including adulthood years. They are usually asymptomatic and discovered incidentally on radiological imaging of the chest. They are commonly treated by surgical resection. Recently, endobronchial ultrasound has been used to assist in diagnosis when radiologic imaging is not definitive. Endobronchial ultrasound has been used rarely to drain infected cysts, a rare complication of the bronchogenic cyst. We present a unique case of an infected large bronchogenic cyst treated with endobronchial ultrasound drainage combined with conservative medical therapy. We also review the scarce available literature describing such …

Small Cell Carcinoma Of Prostate: A Case Report Of A Patient With Concomitant Transitional Cell Cancer Of The Bladder, Waiel Abusnina, Eric Y. Auyoung, Mohammed Megri, Toni H. Pacioles

Internal Medicine

Small cell carcinomas (SCCs) are aggressive neoplasms commonly associated with a pulmonary origin. However, albeit rare, extrapulmonary SCC can occur in a variety of sites with an incidence in North America approximated to be 0.1% to 0.4%. Among these sites, approximately 10% of extrapulmonary SCC cases occur in the prostate and are associated with a poor mortality with a median survival of 10 months. Because of the rarity of the prostatic SCC, there is no formal treatment protocol. In this case report, we present a patient who was diagnosed with SCC in the prostate as primary origin. Adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy …

A Case Review Of A Morel Lavellee Lesion With Delayed Presentation, Ammar Qureshi, Pradeep Monoot

Marshall Journal of Medicine

A Morel Lavellee lesion is a relatively rare post traumatic condition which is missed at the time of early presentation. It involves a closed internal degloving injury where the subcutaneous tissue is torn away from the underlying fascia and thus creating a cavity containing hematoma and necrotic fat. It occurs most commonly over the greater trochanter. The lesion can be treated conservatively and surgically. Here we report an unusually delayed presentation of a Morel Lavellee lesion that was treated by incisions, drainage and primary closure.

A Rare Case Of Asystole During A Laparoscopic Appendectomy In A Young Patient, Rachit Gupta, George Yousef, Melissa Lester

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Laparoscopic surgery has become the mainstay of treatment for uncomplicated appendicitis cases. We describe a case of a 29 year old male with a pertinent past medical history of poorly controlled hypertension who was undergoing a routine laparoscopic appendectomy for confirmed appendicitis and developed bradycardia and subsequent asystolic cardiac arrest approximately one hour into the operation. Urgent cardiopulmonary resuscitation and intravenous (IV) atropine were required to reinitiate sinus cardiac rhythm. While the patient was admitted to the intensive care unit for close monitoring following his operation, he ultimately had an uncomplicated postoperative period and an unremarkable cardiac work up and …