Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) currently is being used as an effective palliative therapy for unresectable cancers especially hepatocelluar carcinoma (HCC). Accidental lipiodol embolism to the lungs is a rare but potentially fatal complication of TACE. This procedure involves injection of drug-eluting microspheres (LC Bead) loaded with doxorubicin, followed by embolization with embozene microspheres until stasis is evident, being used in advanced HCC. We report a patient with inoperable HCC with underlying Hepatitis C and liver cirrhosis, who developed acute lung injury following targeted chemoembolization of selective feeding hepatic artery with LC beads loaded with doxorubicin. Acute lung injury as a complication of unintended lung chemoembolization with doxorubicin has not been previously reported in the literature. Interventional radiologists screen patients for potential hepatic A-V shunt and take appropriate precautions to prevent unintended pulmonary embolization. These include appropriate selection of LC bead particle size especially in patients who are embolized with radiation pellets. This report highlights the need for a screening total body scintigraphy after injection of radionuclide Tc-99 MAA in the feeding hepatic artery to identify patients with hepatic A-V shunt. In such patients, appropriate size selection of LC bead particles is critical to prevent unintended pulmonary chemoembolization and acute lung injury. Other measures include careful patient selection, low dose of chemotherapy, and transient selective hepatic vein balloon occlusion.

The potential etiologies of fulminant myocarditis include autoimmune diseases, infections, drug hypersensitivity, and drug/toxin reactions. We present an atypical case of fulminant myocarditis in a patient with a history of diabetic ketoacidosis with recent novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, who presented with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The patient improved with a three-day course of methylprednisolone 1 gram daily.

Serum sodium assay is a commonly performed laboratory test in a clinical setting and the results are taken for granted without being aware of the actual methods involved. In conditions like hyperlipidemia and hyperproteinemia, excessive lipids in serum dilute the water component of the serum. Since sodium is dissolved only in the aqueous phase of serum, the sodium content per unit volume of plasma is reduced. Currently, most of the laboratories use the indirect ion-selective electrode method (ISE), where the plasma sample is diluted before the measurement. Indirect ISE may not give accurate results in conditions with higher serum lipid and protein levels. Overcorrection of the serum sodium levels in pseudohyponatremia may cause serious complications. We report a case of a 26-year-old Asian male with a past medical history of chronic pancreatitis, familial hypertriglyceridemia, and fatty liver who presented to the emergency department with acute pancreatitis. Initially, the patient was found to have hyponatremia and he was started on hypertonic saline for one day. Later the patient’s condition deteriorated and then it was determined that serum sodium results were a measurement artifact since the patient had extremely high levels of triglycerides. After realizing that it was a measurement artifact, the saline infusion was stopped and he was started on desmopressin. However, the patient deteriorated neurologically and expired later. As this patient had normal sodium levels, administration of hypertonic saline led to a fatal outcome.

Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP), also known as idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP), is a rare inflammatory condition. It often presents as sequelae of existing chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and various connective tissue conditions. This case describes a 28-year-old African American female who presented with a complex clinical picture involving chronic inflammatory processes and the pulmonary system. The initial evaluation suggested pneumonia to be the underlying cause of respiratory symptoms; however, ultimately, a diagnosis of BOOP with dermatomyositis was made.

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