Hyperammonaemic coma in ureterosigmoid urinary diversion

Prognosis of Patients with Sepsis and Non-Hepatic Hyperammonemia: A Cohort Study

Background

Hyperammonemia has been reported in some critically ill patients with sepsis who do not have hepatic failure. A significant proportion of patients with non-hepatic hyperammonemia have underlying sepsis, but the association between non-hepatic hyperammonemia and prognosis is unclear.

Material/Methods

Information about patients with sepsis and non-hepatic hyperammonemia was retrieved from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-III database. Survival rates were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate logistic regression models were employed to identify prognostic factors. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to measure the predictive ability of ammonia in terms of patient mortality.

Results

A total of 265 patients with sepsis were enrolled in this study. Compared with the non-hyperammonemia group, the patients with hyperammonemia had significantly higher rates of hospital (59.8% vs. 43.0%, P=0.007), 30-day (47.7% vs. 34.8%, P=0.036), 90-day (61.7% vs. 43.7%, P=0.004), and 1-year mortality (67.3% vs. 49.4%, P=0.004). In the survival analysis, hyperammonemia was associated with these outcomes. Serum ammonia level was an independent predictor of hospital mortality. The area under the ROC curve for the ammonia levels had poor discriminative capacity. The hyperammonemia group also had significantly lower Glasgow Coma Scale scores (P=0.020) and higher incidences of delirium (15.9% vs. 8.2%, P=0.034) and encephalopathy (37.4% vs. 19.6%, P=0.001). Intestinal infection and urinary tract infection with organisms such as Escherichia coli may be risk factors for hyperammonemia in patients who have sepsis.

Conclusions

Higher ammonia levels are associated with poorer prognosis in patients with sepsis. Ammonia also may be associated with sepsis-associated encephalopathy. Therefore, we recommend that serum ammonia levels be measured in patients who are suspected of having sepsis.

Recurrent Hyperammonaemic Encephalopathy in a Patient with Urinary Tract Infection and Urinary Retention

Acute hyperammonaemia is a medical emergency. Most cases are resulted from severely impaired liver function but some cases of non-hepatic causes do occur. In patients with unexplained altered conscious state, immediate measurement of plasma ammonia level is a simple but important step in early diagnosis of hyperammonaemia and prompt reduction of ammonia level to minimise permanent brain damage. We reported a case of recurrent hyperammonaemia and cerebral dysfunction due to urinary tract infection with urinary retention in a patient without underlying liver disease.

Hyperammonemia in Urinary Tract Infections

Objectives

The present study investigated the incidence of hyperammonemia in urinary tract infections and explored the utility of urinary obstruction relief and antimicrobial administration to improve hyperammonemia.

Methods

This was an observational study. Subjects were patients who were diagnosed with urinary tract infection and hospitalized between June 2008 and June 2009. We measured plasma ammonia levels on admission in patients who were clinically diagnosed with urinary tract infection and hospitalized. We assessed each patient's level of consciousness on admission using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and performed urine and blood cultures. We also assessed hearing prior to hospitalization using the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG-PS). In cases with high ammonia levels on admission, plasma ammonia and GCS were measured 24 hours and 5–7 days later.

Results

Sixty-seven candidates were enrolled; of these, 60 cases (89.6%) with bacterial cell counts ≥10⁴ CFU/mL were studied. Five cases (8.3%) presented with high plasma ammonia levels. Cases with hyperammonemia were significantly more likely to present with low GCS scores and urinary retention rate. All five cases received antimicrobial therapy with an indwelling bladder catheter to relieve urinary retention. The case 5 patient died shortly after admission due to complicated aspiration pneumonia; in the remaining cases, plasma ammonia levels were rapidly normalized and the level of consciousness improved.

Conclusions

The occurrence of hyperammonemia in urinary tract infections is not rare. The cause of hyperammonemia is urinary retention obstruction. Therefore, along with antimicrobial administration, relief of obstruction is important for the treatment of hyperammonemia caused by this mechanism.

Valproic Acid-induced hyperammonemia in the elderly: a review of the literature

Valproic acid and its derivatives are commonly used to treat many psychiatric conditions in the elderly. Hyperammonemia is a less common but important side effect of these drugs. The elderly patient appears highly vulnerable to this side effect of this group of medications. In this paper, we systematically review the published literature for hyperammonemia induced by valproic acid and its derivatives. We describe the three reported cases and review possible treatment strategies for this condition.

[Hyperammonaemic encephalopathy, possible complication after urinary diversion in radical cystectomy. Review of the literature with regard to a clinical case]

INTRODUCTION

Radical cystectomy is an intervention with an important morbidity. Urinary diversion is a possible cause of metabolic complications like hyperammonaemic encephalopathy.

CASE REPORT

We present the case of a patient treated with a radical cystectomy and modified ureterosigmoidostomy after diagnosis of bladder cancer. After surgery the patient presented in 4 ocasions recurrent episodic confusion. Laboratory and image tests were normal. Levels of seric ammonium was increased. After supportive treatment and hemodyalisis symptoms disappeared. Later patient was reoperated and a reconstruction to ileal conduit was made.

DISCUSSION

Continent urinary diversions are advised due to important negative impact on quality of life produced by ileal conduit. However these diversions have several complications, like encephalopathy secondary to non-hepatic hyperammonaemia. Increased absortion of ammonium by intestinal tissue of the new-ladder induces encephalopathy. Early diagnosis of this complication is essencial in order to administer an effective treatment.

Case report: recurrent hyperammonaemic encephalopathy due to citrullinaemia in a 52 year old man

The present report describes a Chinese male who presented for the first time with recurrent encephalopathy and hyperammonaemia at the age of 52 years. He was found to have citrullinaemia. To our knowledge, this is the first Chinese with citrullinaemia and the first non-Japanese who has the variant form of presentation. The patient also has the longest asymptomatic period for citrullinaemia so far described. The patient's biochemical derangement, clinical features and the postulation of his late presentation are discussed. It is noteworthy that simple therapeutic measures, such as lactulose and dietary protein restriction, controlled his symptoms well.