Introduction: The average age and survival of heart transplant recipients have improved significantly over the last 10 years. In these long-term survivors, coronary allograft vasculopathy is one of the most common causes of death. There is a paucity of large-data research highlighting the short-term outcomes of percutaneous coronary interventions in cardiac allograft recipients. Methods: We compared the in-hospital outcomes of heart transplant recipient and non-transplant recipients following percutaneous coronary intervention using data from the National inpatient sample (NIS). All adult patients (age ⩾ 18 years) who had percutaneous coronary intervention in the index admissions from January of 2005 to December of 2014 were included in the analysis. They were then divided into two groups based on their heart transplant status. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes were stroke, cardiac arrest, duration of hospitalization, and total hospital charges. Logistic regression models were used to compare in-hospital outcomes between the two groups. Results: Of 1,316,528 patients who had percutaneous coronary intervention, 618 (0.05%) were heart transplant recipients and 1,315,910 (99.95%) were not. The heart transplant recipient group was significantly younger with lower rates of obesity and peripheral vascular disease but higher rate of chronic kidney disease, iron deficiency anemia, and chronic liver disease. There was significantly higher in-hospital mortality in transplant recipients below 65 years of age (adjusted odds ration = 2.3, p value < 0.0001). Subjects in the heart transplant recipient group also had longer hospital stays ( p value = 0.002). Conclusion: Heart transplant recipients younger than 65 years had higher in-hospital mortality. Subjects in the heart transplant recipient group were also younger and had longer duration of hospitalization than the non-transplant cohorts.

Laryngeal tuberculosis (TB) is a rare form of tuberculosis that most commonly presents with dysphagia and weight loss. We report a case of a 75-year-old Vietnamese male who presented with dysphagia, odynophagia, and a 30-pound weight loss over the two months prior to presentation. Nasopharyngeal evaluation with microdirect laryngoscopy was performed as part of the workup and revealed lesions of the epiglottis and left vocal cord. A tissue biopsy and quantiferon testing confirmed the diagnosis of tuberculosis. The patient was started on quadruple therapy and is currently receiving treatment. This case highlights the need for consideration of the rare, yet important, differential of laryngeal TB in patients presenting with non-specific complaints such as dysphagia and weight loss.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is thrombotic microangiopathy that is universally fatal if not promptly recognized and treated. Standard treatment includes plasma exchange (PLEX) therapy and immunosuppression. We present a case of an 80 years old African American male with a past medical history significant for essential hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and a recent TTP diagnosis for which he was treated with PLEX, glucocorticoids, and rituximab. The patient presented with complaints of shortness of breath of four days duration. He was hypoxemic on presentation; other vital signs were within normal limits. The basic metabolic panel and complete blood count were unremarkable. A computed tomography (CT) of the chest with contrast showed right lower lobe segmental and subsegmental pulmonary emboli. He was initiated on intravenous heparin therapy. During hospitalization, he had progressive clinical deterioration with progressive hypoxemia. A repeat CT scan demonstrated bilateral pulmonary infiltrates. The patient underwent bronchoscopy due to concerns of opportunistic infections in view of his recent immunosuppressive treatment. Bronchoalveolar lavage revealed cytomegalovirus (CMV), and the patient was initiated on ganciclovir. CMV pneumonia has been reported after rituximab therapy in patients with lymphomas and lymphoproliferative disorders. To our knowledge, this is the first case of CMV pneumonia after rituximab therapy in a patient with TTP.