Aim: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a known complication of patients undergoing cardiac catheterization or percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI).The Mehran score was developed to identify patients at risk for AKI after cardiac catheterization or PCI, but its use of contrast volume as part of the score calculation limits its application prior to the procedure. In this study, we evaluated the utility of a modified Mehran score that utilizes only pre-procedural data by excluding contrast volume. Methods: This was done in a retrospective fashion using data from patients who received PCI at our institution between July 2015 and December 2017 by evaluating the discriminative ability of the scoring systems for predicting outcomes through a receiver-operator characteristic curve analysis. Results: One thousand five hundred and seven patients were included in the study. A total of 70 (4.6%) patients developed AKI. The removal of contrast volume from the Mehran score resulted in a small loss of discrimination with AUROC 0.73 vs 0.74, P = .01 for the pre-procedural Mehran and the original Mehran, respectively. When compared to the original score, the pre-procedural Mehran score had a four-category net discrimination index (NRI) of-0.10 and an integrated discrimination index (IDI) for of −0.12. Conclusion: Despite a small loss in discrimination, there was no difference in the four-category net discrimination index between the two scores. The pre-procedural modified Mehran score is a useful clinical predictor of the risk of AKI in patients undergoing PCI. K E Y W O R D S acute kidney injury, cardiac catheterizations, Mehran score, percutaneous coronary interventions More than two million cardiac catheterizations and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) are performed in the United States each year. 1 Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in these patients, affecting 3% to 14% of cases. 2 AKI after PCI is associated with increased mortality, increased risk of cardiac events, and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), prolonged hospital stay, and higher healthcare costs. 3-8 The National Quality Forum established a patient safety objective to reduce the prevalence of AKI related to contrast administration 9 and the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) published guidelines for AKI prevention, which include screening for patients at risk and initiating volume expansion in those at high risk. 10 Multiple scores have been developed to identify patients at risk for AKI after cardiac catheterization or PCI. The Mehran score is one

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) usually occurs after an inciting injury. Poor understanding of pathophysiology, management, and disease awareness has led to misdiagnosis of this condition. We report a rare case of a 69-year-old male who developed CRPS following a Florida Coral snake bite on his right foot. Initially, it was misdiagnosed as recurrent cellulitis; however, he developed chronic right lower extremity (RLE) pain with worsening flares associated with right leg swelling and erythema. Examination was remarkable for nonpitting edema, erythema, and severe tenderness to light touch of the RLE, all symptoms that highly supported the diagnosis of CRPS. Treatment was initiated and consisted of physical therapy in addition to gabapentin which resulted in marked improvement. CRPS remains a challenging diagnosis due to lack of gold standard test and can be easily misdiagnosed. Clinical evaluation applying Budapest criteria can aid with diagnosis and should be routinely used for all patients with suspected CRPS.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic and its high virulence along with its variable presentation have generated a significant amount of interest within the medical community. The heterogeneous nature of the symptoms of the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), ranging from being asymptomatic to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), has created significant interest in potential therapeutics. Given the lack of randomized controlled trials, most medications are experimental, and only anecdotal evidence is available so far regarding their efficacy. One medication that emerged as an early frontrunner as a promising therapeutic was hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a common antimalarial and lupus drug. The adverse side effects that could result from its use did not gain much attention initially. We present the cases of two COVID-19-positive patients treated with HCQ at our institution, which showed adverse effects of the medication. While HCQ may have some therapeutic effect, it should be borne in mind that patients may experience more harm than benefit from its use.