Internal Medicine Commons^™

Bilateral Intercostal Lung Herniations: A Rare Incidental Finding In A Dyspneic Patient, Jillian Cooper, Md, Christine Kurian, Md

The Medicine Forum

A 63-year-old man with a past medical history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), stage IV sarcoidosis on 3-4 liters of home oxygen and chronic prednisone, moderate aortic stenosis, and a prior aspergilloma for which he had a left upper lobe lung resection presented to the hospital with two weeks of worsening shortness of breath.

Atypical Reactivation Of Varicella Zoster Virus Associated With Pancreatitis In A Heart Transplant Patient., Christine Shieh, Ashley Barnes, Drew Johnson, Ilya Danelich, Pharmd, Bcps, Bccp, Preethi Pirlamarla, Rene Alvarez, H. Todd Massey, Md, Mahek Shah

Division of Internal Medicine Faculty Papers & Presentations

BACKGROUND Acute pancreatitis is rare following solid organ transplantation but is associated with high mortality. It has been most commonly reported following renal transplant but can occur with other solid organ transplantations. CASE REPORT A 46-year-old male who had an orthotopic heart transplant 6 months ago presented with a 3-week history of abdominal pain. The patient described it as intermittent, sharp, and stabbing, originating in the periumbilical area and radiating to the back. His lipase was elevated at 232 U/L. Given that the patient's symptoms and lipase were elevated to greater than three times the upper limit of normal, he …

The Medicine Forum: Volume 21

The Medicine Forum

The Journal of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital - Department of Internal Medicine, Volume 21, 2019-2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Clinical Images

Case Reports

• Cardiology
• Gastroenterology and Hepatology
• Hematology and Oncology
• Infectious Disease
• Pulmonary Medicine

Literature Review

Editorial

A Mysterious Paratracheal Mass: Parathyroid Carcinoma., Qian Zhang, Khine S. Shan, Neethu Gopisetti, Md, Thomas Yoon, Iqra Iqbal

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare cause of primary hyperparathyroidism. We detail a 60-years-old gentleman who was otherwise healthy presented to the hospital due to acute encephalopathy. He was subsequently found to have parathyroid carcinoma as the cause of the acute encephalopathy with impressive serum calcium and parathyroid hormone levels. The parathyroid carcinoma was later surgically resected with the diagnosis confirmed via pathology specimen. The patient was safely discharged from the hospital with recommendations of close routine outpatient followup.

A Silent Fatal Presentation Of Pulmonary Embolism: Reflection And Discussion., Qian Zhang, Zain U. Abideen, Khine S. Shan, Thomas Yoon, Muhammad Farooq

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Acute pulmonary embolism is a common medical condition that clinicians face in practice. It is important to have a prompt diagnosis with proper management as it is associated with high morbidity and mortality. However, a timely diagnosis is often difficult to obtain especially when the presenting symptoms are atypical, but the consequence could be fatal. We present an 80-year-old gentleman who presented with a near-syncope episode who subsequently was found to have acute extensive bilateral pulmonary embolisms after a code blue event.

A Mysterious Paratracheal Mass: Pulmonary Agenesis., Qian Zhang, Khine S. Shan

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

A 35-year-old lady with a history of possible tuberculosis infection 15 years ago presented to the clinic with the chief complaint of cough. Incidental chest CT showed a right paratracheal and medial right apical heterogeneous soft tissue mass with central areas of calcification that warranted further investigation. A routine endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) discovered isolated lobar pulmonary agenesis as the underlying cause of the mass without findings of malignancy on pathology reports.

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: A Rare Complication Of Acute Viral Gastroenteritis, Ammar Ashfaq, Waqas Ullah, Shristi Khanal, Muhammad Abdullah Zain, Nishanth Thalambedua, Faisal Inayat, Muhammad Umair Atiq

Division of Internal Medicine Faculty Papers & Presentations

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy (TCM) is characterized by a transient but reversible ventricular dysfunction in post-menopausal females following, but not always, a recent emotional or physical stress. Typically, chest pain is reported as a presenting symptom in the majority of patients. The severe diarrheal illness secondary to acute viral gastroenteritis is not commonly reported as the stressor event prior to TCM. We report a unique case of a middle-aged male presented with syncope shortly after loose bowel movements. He was diagnosed with TCM and was successfully managed with supportive care. The purpose of this case is to make clinicians aware of this …

An Exceedingly Rare Presentation Of Severe Folate Deficiency-Induced Non-Immune Hemolytic Anemia., Qian Zhang, Khine S. Shan, Babatunde A. Ogunnaike, Atsoufi Amewuame-Kpehor, Travis Nace

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Macrocytic anemia is usually associated with vitamin B12 or folate deficiency. However, folate deficiency was rarely reported as a cause of hemolytic anemia. We present a case of a young man with a history of alcohol abuse who initially presented with an acute on chronic abdominal pain and was found to have jaundice and scleral icterus. His liver enzymes were unremarkable, and his abdominal imaging did not reveal any acute pathology. However, he was found to have a severe non-immune hemolytic anemia secondary to folate deficiency.

Efficacy Of Allopurinol In Cardiovascular Diseases: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Waqas Ullah, Shristi Khanal, Rozi Khan, Bikash Basyal, Samavia Munir, Artem Minalyan, M. Chadi Alraies, David L. Fischman

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Background: Given current evidence, the use of allopurinol for the prevention of major cardiovascular events (acute cardiovascular syn-drome (ACS) or cardiovascular mortality) in patients undergoing cor-onary artery bypass graft (CABG), after index ACS or heart failure remains unknown.

Methods: Multiple databases were queried to identify studies com-paring the efficacy of allopurinol in patients undergoing CABG, after ACS or heart failure. The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) was calculated using a random effect model.

Results: A total of nine studies comprising 850 patients (allopurinol 480, control 370) were identified. The pooled OR of periprocedural ACS (OR: 0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.06 …

Diagnostic Accuracy Of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Versus Fractional Flow Reserve: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis., Waqas Ullah, Sohaib Roomi, Hafez M. Abdullah, Maryam Mukhtar, Zain Ali, Ping Ye, Donald C. Haas, Vincent M. Figueredo

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Background: Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is considered the gold standard for diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). Stress Cardiac magnetic resonance (SCMR) has been recently gaining traction as a non-invasive alternative to FFR.

Methods: Studies comparing the diagnostic accuracy of SCMR versus FFR were identified and analyzed using Review Manager (RevMan) 5.3 and Stata software.

Results: A total of 28 studies, comprising 2,387 patients, were included. The pooled sensitivity and specificity for SCMR were 86% and 86% at the patient level, and 82% and 88% at the vessel level, respectively. When the patient-level data were stratified based on the FFR …

Improving Outpatient Pneumococcal Vaccination Rates In Patients Age <65, Evan Nardone, Md, Mark Mallozzi, Md, Alvin George, Md, Christine Kurian, Md, Omar Safdar, Md, Timothy Kuchera, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Objectives

• To increase pneumococcal vaccination rates for patients 19-64 at JHAP to reach 70% over 3 months.
• To increase resident knowledge of indications for pneumococcal vaccination in patients 19-64 by 25% over 3 months

Jefferson Internal Medicine Associates (Jima) Patient Triage Initiative, Mary White, Alexandra Leto, Barry Ziring, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

HOW MIGHT WE:

1. Contact patients to triage them for in-person versus virtual visits and teach them to use telehealth quickly?
2. How might we screen patients who are coming to the office for COVID-19 symptoms and exposures?

#Team-Based Approach To Sedation Management In Patients With Sars Cov-2 Aka Covid-19 In The Medical Icu, Hadiatou Barry, Md, Mph, Franklin Thelmo, Do, Atsoufi Amewuame-Kpehor, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a proliferation of patients developing ARDS and requiring prolonged supportive care on mechanical ventilation. As a result, patients need elevated levels of sedation, often on multiple agents for a period greater than typically seen in an ICU population. As a result of this high sedation phenomenon, patients are developing higher rates of expected complications including severe constipation, neurocognitive delay, ICU myopathy, poor sedation weaning, and high pain control requirements. These complications lead to an increased rate of mortality in a population that is already very high and decreases the rate of successful extubation and …

Changing Internal Medicine Residents’ Perspective On Social Determinants Of Health, Daniel Tran, Do, Hiba Ansari, Do, Layla Barrera, Do, Magdala Chery, Do

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Background: Social determinants of health (SDOH) shape the conditions of a person’s daily life and include factors such as housing, occupation, education, safety and income. While physicians are aware of the inequalities that exists in healthcare, not all physicians feel adequately able to address such concerns. Understanding of factors that contribute to the development and perpetuation of inequities in health care must be developed at the medical education training level.

Objectives: Evaluate internal medicine residents’ understanding of SDOH and implement a curriculum on health disparities in order to improve their comfort in addressing social needs.

Methods: A survey regarding several …

Assessing Internal Medicine Resident Comfort With Obtaining Consent For Autopsies, Zach French, Kelly Hughes, Edward Wang, Elizabeth Braden

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Objective

We aim to increase resident comfort and knowledge of the autopsy process by 20% based on average survey response scores

A Rare Association Of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy With Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome, Waqas Ullah, Muhammad Arslan Cheema, Ammar Ashfaq, Maryam Mukhtar, Zain Ali, Mamoon Ur Rashid, Vincent Figueredo

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome is a potentially fatal neurological condition secondary toantipsychotic medication. It is characterized by distinctive clinical findings and autonomicdisturbances. NMS has not been associated with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM).

TCM is an abnormal response to physiological stressors resulting from the autonomicabnormalities which at times can mimic myocardial infarction (MI). We present a unique caseof a 54-year-old female with bipolar disease presenting with lithium and haloperidol-inducedNMS complicated by TCM. The purpose of this case is to make clinicians aware of this rareassociation.

A Rare Case Of Coronary Artery Thrombosis In A Patient With Recently Diagnosed Giant Cell Arteritis: Is Anticardiolipin Antibody Involved?, Khine S. Shan, Qian Zhang, Sharmila Bisaria, Anubha Tewary

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an immune-mediated systemic inflammation of large-sized arteries that predominantly affects elderly women. It may be considered as one of the risk factors for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Moreover, patients with GCA may have increased anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL). However, its relationship with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is not clear. We present a case of a unique presentation of GCA with a connection to both ACS and APS. A 76-year-old woman who initially presented to the hospital with a chief complaint of intermittent unilateral headache, blurry vision along with transient aphasia was found to have a biopsy confirmed …

A Rare Presentation Of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) Induced Viral Myositis With Subsequent Rhabdomyolysis., Qian Zhang, Khine S. Shan, Artem Minalyan, Conor O'Sullivan, Travis Nace

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

A 38-year-old gentleman with no significant past medical history but had recent COVID-19 exposure presented to the hospital with the chief complaints of fever, shortness of breath, and generalized myalgia. He was unfortunately found to be severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive. Laboratory findings showed creatine kinase (CK) >42,670 U/L along with elevated inflammatory markers and unremarkable creatinine, cardiac troponin level. The cause of his rhabdomyolysis was discovered to be due to COVID-19 as he had no evidence of other viral infections, strenuous exercise, seizure, or other nontraumatic exertional etiologies. He received aggressive fluid resuscitation while we trended …

Empiric Treatment For Suspected Malaria In The United States: A Case Report., Jonathan C. Li, Emma Lundsmith

Division of Internal Medicine Faculty Papers & Presentations

Malaria in the United States is rare and most commonly presents among returning travelers from endemic areas. Diagnosis is classically dependent on a positive blood smear or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. The objective of this case report is to highlight a case of suspected malaria in a high-risk individual with negative diagnostic testing where a trial of empiric treatment was initiated based on clinical presentation after a thorough discussion of risks and benefits. However, empiric treatment based on a single case is limiting. We present a case of a 56-year-old man with extensive travel history throughout Asia, who presented …

Novel Coronavirus (2019-Ncov) In Disguise, Qian Zhang, Annyella Douglas, Zain U. Abideen, Shristi Khanal, Stephanie Tzarnas

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pandemic is currently one of the most influential topics as it not only impacts the field of medicine but most importantly, it affects the lives of many individuals throughout the world. We report an interesting 2019-nCoV case in a tertiary community hospital with the initial concern of acute pyelonephritis without respiratory symptoms that ultimately led to the quarantine of a number of healthcare providers. This case emphasizes the importance of radiological evidence in diagnosing 2019-nCoV in the setting of an initial atypical presentation. It also serves as an example of how healthcare providers may need to increase …

Angioimmunoblastic T Cell Lymphoma: A Diagnostic Dilemma, Nishanth Thalambedu, Md, Seema Sethi, Do, Herbert Auerbach, Do

Abington Jefferson Health Posters

Angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma(AITL) is one of the rarest T cell lymphomas. Diagnosing the type of lymphoma is crucial, as the management differs depending on the type. We present a case of a sixty-one-year-old woman who presented with generalized lymphadenopathy and how we unfolded the diagnosis.

Internal Medicine Consultation For Dentists, Nina Mingioni, Md

Clinical Education Teaching Tools

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize ubiquitous nature of common medical condition in general population
• Discuss implications of common medical conditions on dental care of patients
• Identify concerns affecting patients that would necessitate medical consultation prior to dental intervention

Case Report: Concomitant Diagnosis Of Plasma Cell Leukemia In Patient With Jak2 Positive Myeloproliferative Neoplasm., Christine J Kurian, Colin Thomas, Sarah Houtmann, Thomas Klumpp, Adam Finn Binder

Division of Internal Medicine Faculty Papers & Presentations

Plasma cell dyscrasias and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are hematologic malignancies arising from two distinct hematopoietic cell lineages. They rarely occur concomitantly. Here, we report a case of a patient with a recent diagnosis of a JAK2 V617F positive MPN who presented with a new diagnosis of plasma cell leukemia. The patient had presented to the hospital with a leukocytosis predominantly comprised of plasma cells, followed by work-up involving peripheral blood flow cytometry, FISH analysis, and bone-marrow biopsy. FISH analysis was suggestive of a common progenitor cell for these distinct hematologic malignancies. To our knowledge, this case represents the second reported …

Medical Student Attitudes Toward Cell Phone Use On Rounds, Jacob Garcia, Sarah E. Rosenberg, Md

Phase 1

Purpose: Mobile devices are ubiquitous and serve as an important resource for on-the-spot research about patient questions and conditions. However, even when a device is used to address patient needs, patients and members of the medical team may assume the student is using their phone for non-clinical activities and perceive the student as uninterested and disengaged. Medical students are aware of this potential for misperception, and as such, we designed a study to investigate the attitudes of third and fourth year medical students towards cell phone use on internal medicine rounds.

Methods: Our target learner population was third and fourth …

Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type-9 (Pcsk-9) Inhibitors Induced Liver Injury - A Retrospective Analysis., Yousuf Zafar, Yasar Sattar, Waqas Ullah, Sohaib Roomi, Mamoon-Ur- Rashid, Muhammad Shayan Khan, Laura Schmidt

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Background: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/Kexin type 9 (PCSK-9) inhibitors induced liver dysfunction in patients with or without previous liver injury, and this is not well discussed in the previous literature.

Methods: A total sample of 202 patients were retrospectively reviewed at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, from the year 2015 to 2018 based on predefined selection criteria. Inclusion criteria involved patients with dyslipidemia, with or without PCSK-9 inhibitors, liver function tests and lipid profile at baseline and at a mean of 6-month follow-up. The variables, including age, gender, and confounding factors like other medications (statin, oral antidiabetic, and antihypertensive) induced, …

Role Of Echocardiography In Diagnostic Evaluation Of Patients Admitted To Observation Unit., Muhammad Arslan Cheema, Hafez Mohammad Ammar Abdullah, Waqas Ullah, Yasar Sattar, Shujaul Haq, Khadija Cheema, Asrar Ahmad, Zain Ali, Asoka Balaratna

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

BACKGROUND: Syncope is a transient loss of consciousness due to transient decrease in cerebral perfusion. Syncope accounts for a 3-6% of all emergency department visits. Etiology of syncope can be neural, cardiogenic, or vascular. Previous studies have evaluated the types and management of syncope. Echocardiography is a commonly used test in the evaluation of causes of syncope. Whether the benefit compared to financial burden of this diagnostic study is in all subsets of syncope cases remains unclear.

AIM: To evaluate the impact of echocardiography in the diagnostic evaluation of syncope and to evaluate the subset of patients that would benefit …

Immune-Mediated Colitis From Dual Checkpoint Inhibitors., Nishanth Thalambedu, Yasir Khan, Qian Zhang, Shristi Khanal, Ammar Ashfaq

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Melanoma is a deadly disease with immunotherapy treatment options that emerged in the last few years and have changed the disease outcome. However, it is associated with immune-related toxic effects despite improving survival. We present the case of a 53-year-old woman who had two weeks of diarrhea after she was treated with dual immunotherapy agents for her advanced melanoma. The final workup revealed pancolitis, possibly due to immunotherapy adverse effects. Initial conservative treatment, unfortunately, did not lead to a clinical improvement until a steroid was introduced. We are reporting this case to alert our fellow physicians about the immune-mediated toxicities …

Poem Perceptions: A Survey Of Gastroenterologists And The Treatment Of Achalasia In The Philadelphia Region, Rebecca Loh, Md, Alexander Schlachterman, Md

Department of Medicine Posters

Introduction

Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a relatively new innovate technique that has been shown to be an effective treatment for achalasia. Despite studies demonstrating its effectiveness as a less invasive therapy, POEM is still not as widely implemented as the traditional Heller myotomy for the treatment of achalasia. We aimed to explore the barriers that may impact implementation of POEM and to assess the regional perception of POEM amongst gastroenterologists in an urban setting.

Which Student Characteristics Are Most Important In Determining Clinical Honors In Clerkships? A Teaching Ward Attending Perspective., Lauren Nicholas Herrera, Ryan Khodadadi, Erinn Schmit, James Willig, Andrew Hoellein, Christopher Knudson, Karen Law, Nina Mingioni, Katherine Walsh, Carlos Estrada, Winter Williams

Division of Internal Medicine Faculty Papers & Presentations

PURPOSE: To explore faculty perspectives on which characteristics of high-performing clerkship students are most important when determining an honors or top grade designation for clinical performance.

METHOD: In 2016-2017, the authors surveyed faculty (teaching ward attendings) for internal medicine clerkships and 1 pediatrics clerkship in inpatient settings at 5 U.S. academic medical centers. Survey items were framed around competencies, 24 student characteristics, and attitudes toward evaluation. Factor analysis examined constructs defining high-performing students.

RESULTS: Of 516 faculty invited, 319 (62%) responded. The top 5 characteristics as rated by respondents were taking ownership, clinical reasoning, curiosity, dependability, and high ethical standards …

When An Infected Meniscus Portends A Perforated Viscus, Michelle Hannon, Stephen Zachariah, Neha Bansal Etherington, Anusha Govind, Devin Weber, Bryan Hess

Division of Infectious Diseases and Environmental Medicine Faculty Papers

A 59-year-old woman with a status of post–renal transplant 7 years prior for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease on tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil presented with subacute left knee and right wrist pain. She received local steroid injections to both areas as an outpatient without improvement in her symptoms. She had recently traveled to India, her home country, to visit relatives. Aspiration of the knee revealed 4+ acid fast bacilli on smear, and she was taken for surgical debridement. She was started on empiric antibiotics for presumed infection with rapidly growing mycobacteria. Her course was complicated by acute onset abdominal pain …