Recurrent abdominal pain associated with digoxin in a patient undergoing maintenance haemodialysis

Ischemic Colitis in a Patient Undergoing Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis

A 63-year-old patient undergoing CAPD developed abdominal pain and rectal bleeding during an episode of hypotension. Endoscopy and histology showed severe colitis extending from the upper part of the rectum to the splenic flexure. Stool bacteriology was negative with regard to bacteria or fungi causing colitis. With correction of body weight and blood pressure the colitis improved rapidly. These observations support the diagnosis of nonocclusive, hypotensive ischemic colitis.

Acute non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia of the small bowel in a patient started on hemodialysis: a case report

BACKGROUND

Non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia is not uncommon in chronic hemodialysis patients and is the major cause of an acute abdomen in this population. Intensive ultrafiltration and intradialytic hypotension are usually the precipitation factors. A definite diagnosis is usually late and associated with high mortality. We present a rare case of a patient who developed abdominal symptoms during his first week on HD without having obvious hypotensive episodes.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 76-year-old man was admitted with pulmonary edema and renal failure developed abdominal symptoms during his first week on hemodialysis without having obvious hypotensive episodes. Abdominal diagnostic procedures were all unrevealing. Mesenteric ischemia was diagnosed during laparoscopy done on the basis of physical findings and clinical suspicion. Ischemic small bowel of the distal ileum was resected and histopathology examination of the small bowel demonstrated transmural ischemic necrosis with hemorrhages and non-occluded mesenteric artery. Patient maid a steady recovery, and was discharged on the 11th post-operative day.

CONCLUSION

Mesenteric ischemia should be systematically suspected in dialysis patients experiencing even mild and nonspecific abdominal symptoms with or without hemodialysis-induced hypotensive episodes. Identification of patients at risk and prevention of intradialytic hypotension may help to reduce the incidence of this potentially fatal complication in hemodialysis patients.

Non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia in chronically dialyzed patients: a disease with multiple risk factors

BACKGROUND

Non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia (NOMI) can be a fatal complication in dialysis patients. Intradialytic hypotension is usually the precipitating factor. The occurrence of 16 cases in 5 years (1998-2002), compared with only 4 in previous years, led us to investigate other risk factors contributing to NOMI. A control group of stable hemodialysis patients was used for comparison.

RESULTS

20 patients were studied: 17 diagnosed surgically, and 3 clinically. The mean age was 70.8 +/- 1.8 years, and the male:female ratio 7:13. Nineteen patients were on hemodialysis. Clinically overt atherosclerosis was present in 17 patients. Preceding dialysis-associated hypotension was identified in all patients studied and access thrombosis in 6 patients. In all patients, abdominal pain was the presenting symptom. Initial abdominal examination was unimpressive in 16 patients. The hemoconcentration, leukocytosis and metabolic acidosis were the most prominent laboratory findings. 5/11 abdominal sonograms showed intestinal pathology. 2/3 angiographies were diagnostic. Three patients responded to early fluid challenge and did not require surgery. Pathology was related to the area of the superior mesenteric artery in all 15 patients operated. Twelve (60%) patients died from the event. The 1-year mortality rate was 17/20 patients (85%). Possible contributing factors, other than dialysis-associated hypotension, included: high-dose recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) therapy (179 +/- 35 vs. 116 +/- 10 U/kg/week in the control group, p < 0.05); metastatic calcifications (abdominal aorta 14/14, aortic valve 11/18; medial calcification of mesenteric arteries in 2/11 pathology specimens); digoxin, and hypoalbuminemia.

CONCLUSIONS

The increased incidence of NOMI in dialysis patients may be related to overly aggressive rhEPO therapy and the unsuspected presence of mesenteric arterial medial calcifications. Identification of patients at risk, prevention of intradialytic hypotension and a controlled increase in dry weight may help to reduce the incidence of NOMI in chronically dialyzed patients.

Digoxin-specific antibody fragments and a calcium antagonist for reversal of digoxin-induced mesenteric vasoconstriction

The effect of digoxin-specific antibody fragments on glycoside-induced mesenteric vasoconstriction were investigated. Digoxin caused a sustained contraction of strips of isolated feline mesenteric artery lasting for several hours, while in anaesthetized cats it produced a significant decrease in blood flow and increase in resistance in the mesenteric artery. In-vitro, digoxin's contractile effect was inhibited by 'prophylactic' addition of antibody to the organ bath, but the clinical use for prophylaxis is not a practical proposition. When the antibodies were added with the contraction of the arterial strip in response to digoxin already established, the tone of the preparation decreased significantly over 3 h, but the effect of the glycoside was not fully reversible. In-vivo, control animals not treated with antibodies developed arrhythmias, mesenteric blood flow fell by more than 50% and resistance increased by more than 80% relative to the initial values. These animals died of ventricular fibrillation before the end of the experiment. Animals treated with digoxin-specific antibody fragments after receiving digoxin injections showed no further decrease in mesenteric blood flow and 90 min after the last dose of digoxin, the flow was recovering and mesenteric resistance decreasing. Furthermore, all the animals that had received antibodies remained in sinus rhythm to the end of the experiment. In view of the latent period to onset of action of the antibodies, valuable time may be lost in impaired mesenteric blood flow. To bridge the gap or, indeed, as primary treatment, calcium antagonists merit consideration; in our experiments mesenteric vasoconstriction was abolished within a few minutes by application of the dihydropyridine calcium antagonist 4-(2,1,3-benzo-oxadiazol-4-yl)-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxylic aid, diethyl ester (PY 108-068).