[Respiratory disease in the tertiary emergency hospital]

We studied treatment for respiratory emergencies over the past 11 years at our hospital, a tertiary emergency center. We supply intermediate management services to a general hospital. A total of 13,667 patients received tertiary emergency medical care (annual mean: 1243). Of these, 1592 had severe respiratory disturbances (11.5% of the total; 971 males, 621 females; annual mean: 143). The most frequently seen conditions were COPD, respiratory failure due to old pulmonary tuberculosis) 35.2%, mortality failure due to old pulmonary tuberculosis (35.2%, mortality rate: 29.7%), bronchial asthma (26.0%, mortality rate 9.6%), pneumonia (19.0%, mortality rate 20.4%), and pneumothorax (10.3%). Very few of the patients with bronchial asthma who arrived in cardiopulmonary arrest survived. Patients with interstitial pneumonia, paraquat lung, pulmonary obstruction, adult respiratory distress syndrome, and near-drowning all had poor prognoses, as did victims of attempted suicide by hanging and attempted murder by strangulation. About 25% of the patients required mechanical ventilation, and about half of those patients died. Changes in prehospital care and in care given after critical care is no longer needed are important in improving the prognoses for patients with respiratory emergencies.

Mixed tumor of salivary gland type arising in the bronchus

During bronchoscopy for atelectasis of the middle lobe, a 61-year-old man was found to have a polypoid mass obstructing the bronchus. Right middle and lower lobectomy disclosed a tumor growing into the lumen of the middle lobe bronchus. The histological features of the tumor were indistinguishable from those of the mixed tumor of the salivary gland. A review of the literature reveals only 7 cases of this extremely rare tumor.

[CEA and CA19-9 in BALF from patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia]

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) were measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in 21 patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) and 7 healthy volunteers. The concentrations of both CEA and CA19-9 in the BALF were significantly higher in patients with IIP than those in healthy subjects. Significant correlations were present between the concentration of CEA and neutrophil percentage of the total BALF cells and between the concentration of CA19-9 and neutrophil percentage of the total BALF cells in the patients with IIP. Immunohistochemical study of tissue CEA and CA19-9 in the postmortem lungs of patients with IIP showed that CEA staining was present in the epithelia of respiratory bronchioles and alveoli, and it was especially increased in the region of alveoli where type II pneumocytes proliferate. CA19-9 staining was present in the epithelia of the respiratory bronchioles but absent in the epithelia of alveoli. It seems that assay of CEA in BALF may be useful to estimate the degree of pathological change and the activity of IIP.

Tuberculous mediastinal lymphadenitis in an adult patient

A 40-year-old woman was presented with a fever, which proved to be due to mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis. Up to 1988, 149 cases of tuberculous mediastinal lymphadenitis have been reported in the literature in Japan. This case was very rare because a chest plain film revealed neither mediastinal widening nor lung parenchymal involvement. On the other hand, a CT scan of the chest was very useful because it showed unsuspected mediastinal lymph nodes enlargement. The diagnosis of tuberculous mediastinal lymphadenitis was made by the findings of a supraclavocular lymph node biopsy, which showed granulomas, compatible with tuberculosis. A good response from the patient to antituberculous therapy confirmed this diagnosis.

A case of intralobar pulmonary sequestration with high serum CA19-9 levels

A 38-year-old female presented with cough and fever. A chest X-ray examination revealed an abnormal shadow in the posteroinferior portion of the left hemithorax, and a laboratory examination showed that the serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) level was markedly high (1000 U/ml). A left thoracotomy showed an intralobar pulmonary sequestration of the left lower lobe, and after a left lower lobe lobectomy, the serum level of CA19-9 decreased to normal. Increased CA19-9 activity was detected by immunohistochemistry in the epithelia of bronchioles in the pulmonary sequestration. This communication is the first to report a case of increased activity of CA19-9 in pulmonary sequestration.

The oral administration of stannous chloride to rats

The dose-effect of inorganic tin (Sn) was examined in rats given 6 oral doses of stannous chloride at 12-h intervals. Of the biochemical indices for the toxicity of Sn reported previously, i.e. gastric acid secretion, duodenal alkaline phosphatase and hepatic phosphorylase activities, serum calcium (Ca) concentration, and femoral calcium content, significant decreases were found, except in gastric acid secretion (6X10 mg/kg). Sn, 6X3 mg/kg, decreased significantly the calcium content in the epiphysis of the femur but the decrease was not significant at 6X1 mg/kg. These results suggest that the critical organ in inorganic Sn toxicity is bone and that the oral no-effect dose level is 6X3 mg/kg.