Severe systemic vasoconstriction starting with acute limb ischemia leading to death in a patient with well-differentiated pulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma: a new paraneoplastic syndrome?

Continuous Tunneled Infraclavicular Nerve Catheter for Palliative Management of Critical Limb Ischemia: A Case Report

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is limb pain occurring at rest or impending limb loss as a result of lack of blood flow to the affected extremity. CLI pain is challenging to control despite multimodal pharmacologic analgesia and surgical intervention. We describe the successful use of a continuous local anesthetic infusion via an infraclavicular nerve catheter to control severe refractory ischemic upper limb pain in a patient with metastatic lung cancer for whom surgical and pharmacological intervention was unsuccessful. As her opioid requirements increased due to worsening ischemic pain, she subsequently developed opioid toxicity, hence prompting the palliative use of a tunneled infraclavicular nerve catheter under ultrasound guidance to minimize opioid requirements. Her opioid requirements tailed down subsequently with the successful insertion of the infraclavicular nerve catheter and she remained pain free till her death. Palliative use of nerve catheters is a safe and an effective alternative in patients with refractory cancer pain, and we describe our methods to prolong its use and minimizing its associated long-term complications.

Fatal Systemic Vasoconstriction in a Case of Metastatic Small-Intestinal NET

An increased release of serotonin secreted by ileal NETs is thought to be the major factor causing the carcinoid syndrome. However, in acutely arising carcinoid crisis also other vasoactive factors may lead to hazardous fluctuations in blood pressure and bronchial constriction. In rare cases, systemic vasoconstriction can be observed, probably caused by catecholamines or similar acting substances. Here, we report a fatal case of fulminant systemic vasoconstriction possibly caused by catecholamines in a patient with metastasized ileal NET. The vasospasm was detected by CT-angiography, and hemodynamic monitoring revealed a high systemic vascular resistance. Epinephrine, norepinephrine, and chromogranin A levels in plasma were elevated as was the urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA). The cause of death was heart failure due to severe circulatory insufficiency. The progression of the tumor disease was confirmed by autopsy.

Fatal paraneoplastic embolisms in both circulations in a patient with poorly differentiated neuroendocrine tumour

Arterial embolism with lower limb ischemia is a rare manifestation of paraneoplastic hypercoagulability in cancer patients. We report a unique case of fatal thromboembolism involving both circulations associated with a poorly differentiated neuroendocrine tumor of the lung with rapid progress despite high doses of unfractioned heparin and review the current literature on anticoagulative regimen in tumour patients.