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Moshe E Gatt

Publications and source records attributed to Moshe E Gatt.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Is prolonged immobilization a risk factor for symptomatic venous thromboembolism in elderly bedridden patients? Results of a historical-cohort study.

Prolonged immobilization and advanced age are considered to be important risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Nevertheless, the need for VTE prophylaxis in long-term bedridden patients is not known. To assess whether very prolonged immobilization (i.e. over three months) carries an increased risk for clinically apparent VTE, we performed a historical-cohort study of nursing home residents during a ten-year period. Data concerning patient's mobility and incidence of overt deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism were registered. The mean resident age was 85+/-8.4 years. Eighteen mobile and eight immobile patients were diagnosed with clinically significant thromboembolic events, during 1137 and 573 patient-years of follow up, respectively. The incidence of venous thromboembolic events was similar in both chronically immobilized and mobile patient groups, 13.9 and 15.8 per thousand patient years, respectively (p=0.77). The rate ratio for having a VTE event in the immobilized patient group as compared with the mobile group was 0.88 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.33 to 2.13). When taking into account baseline characteristics, risk factors and death rates by various causes, no differences were found between the two groups. In conclusion, chronically immobile bedridden patients are no more prone to clinically overt venous thromboembolic events than institutionalized mobile patients. Until further studies are performed concerning the impact of very prolonged immobilization on the risk of VTE, there is no evidence to support primary prevention after the first three months of immobilization. Evidence for efficacy or cost effectiveness beyond this early period is not available.

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PubMed2003

Prolonged ileus as a sole manifestation of pseudomembranous enterocolitis.

BACKGROUND: Pseudomembranous colitis usually manifests as fever and diarrhea in hospitalized patients treated with systemic antibiotics. We present a case that represents a unique variant. CASE PRESENTATION: The 44-year-old man suffered of several weeks of abdominal pain, low-grade fever, nausea, vomiting, and lack of bowel movements. Upper gastrointestinal barium swallow and passage series revealed evidence of severe intestinal hypomotility. A thorough evaluation for the cause of the patient's ileus and abdominal pain was unrevealing, and symptomatic treatment was ineffective. Following the administration of opiates and dietary fiber supplementation the patient's abdominal pain and distention rapidly worsened, requiring an urgent subtotal colectomy. The macroscopic and microscopic appearance of the excised colon as well as results of the colonic cytotoxin essay and fecal enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay essay confirmed the diagnosis of severe Clostridium difficile induced pseudomembranous colitis as the cause of the patient's illness. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of Clostridium-difficile induced disease consisting of prolonged ileus in the absence of diarrhea in a patient not previously taking antibiotics.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia presenting with extreme hyperleukocytosis and thrombosis of the common femoral vein.

Very few case reports dealing with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and hyperleukocytosis have been reported in the medical literature and none with venous thrombosis as a complication. Here, we describe a 73-year-old woman who presented with newly diagnosed CLL, leukostasis, and hyperleukocytosis (2000 x 10(9)/l), affecting the respiratory and nervous system. In addition, she also had deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Although hypercoagulability and thrombosis are well-described phenomena in solid tumors and in myeloproliferative neoplasms, CLL is generally not associated with an acquired coagulopathy. We hypothesize that in our patient the extreme number of circulating lymphocytes resulted in an abnormal accumulation of lymphocytes possibly causing stasis and occlusion of a larger vessel, which resolved after leukopheresis. The patient has since been successfully maintained with chemotherapy. We conclude that leukopheresis should be considered as the therapy of choice in CLL patients presenting with major complications of leukostasis.

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