Heart and brain: a case of focal myocytolysis in severe pneumococcal meningoencephalitis with review of the contemporary literature

Comprehensive Histological and Immunochemical Forensic Studies in Deaths Occurring in Custody

In-custody deaths have several causes, and these include homicide, suicide, natural death from chronic diseases, and unexplained death possibly related to acute stress, asphyxia, excited delirium, and drug intoxication. In some instances, these deaths are attributed to undefined accidents and natural causes even though there is no obvious natural cause apparent after investigation. Understanding these deaths requires a comprehensive investigation, including documentation of circumstances surrounding the death, review of past medical history, drug and toxicology screens, and a forensic autopsy. These autopsies may not always clearly explain the death and reveal only nonspecific terminal events, such as pulmonary edema or cerebral edema. There are useful histologic and biochemical signatures which identify asphyxia, stress cardiomyopathy, and excited delirium. Identifying these causes of death requires semiquantitative morphologic and biochemical studies. We have reviewed recent Bureau of Justice Statistics on in-custody death, case series, and morphological and biochemical studies relevant to asphyxia, stress cardiomyopathy, and excited delirium and have summarized this information. We suggest that regional centers should manage the investigation of these deaths to provide more comprehensive studies and to enhance the expertise of forensic pathologists who would routinely manage potentially complex and difficult cases.

CNS-disease affecting the heart: brain-heart disorders

There are a number of hereditary and non-hereditary central nervous system (CNS) disorders, which directly or indirectly affect the heart (brain-heart disorders). The most well-known of these CNS-disorders are epilepsy, stroke, subarachanoid bleeding, bacterial meningitis, and head injury. In addition, a number of hereditary and non-hereditary neurodegenerative disorders may impair cardiac functions. Affection of the heart may manifest as arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy, or autonomic dysfunction. Rarer cardiac complications of CNS disorders include heart failure, systolic or diastolic dysfunction, myocardial infarction, arterial hypertension, or pulmonary hypertension. Cardiomyopathy induced by hereditary CNS disease mainly include stress-induced myocardial dysfunction, known as Takotsubo syndrome (TTS). CNS disease triggering TTS includes epilepsy, ischemic stroke, subarachnoid bleeding, or PRES syndrome. Arrhythmias induced by hereditary CNS disease include supraventricular or ventricular arrhythmias leading to palpitations, dizziness, vertigo, fainting, syncope, (near) sudden cardiac death, or sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Appropriate management of cardiac involvement in CNS-disorders is essential to improve outcome of affected patients.

Serum level of cardiac troponin I in pediatric patients with sepsis or septic shock

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate serum level of contractile protein troponin I (cTnI) within the 24 hrs of sepsis and septic shock diagnosis in children and to correlate with the outcome (discharge from hospital or death).

DESIGN

Prospective, observational study.

SETTING

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, at Hospital Infantil Nossa Senhora da Glória, Vitória, ES, Brazil.

PATIENTS

Two hundred eighteen consecutive admissions of septic patients.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Measurement of serum cTnI (IMMULITE cTnI assay, Diagnostic Product Corporation, Los Angeles, CA) and creatine kinase MB isoenzyme and electrocardiographic tracings were performed within 24 hrs of sepsis or septic shock diagnosis. The pediatric index of mortality, pediatric index of mortality-2 was calculated for each patient. Primary diseases most frequently associated were pneumonia (42%) and meningitis (18%). The overall mortality was 12% (27 cases), 2.7% in the sepsis group, and 33% in the septic shock group. Both Pediatric Index of Mortality and Pediatric Index of Mortality-2 reached good discrimination. Electrocardiographic abnormalities were infrequent (9.2%). Abnormal serum levels of cTnI occurred in ten (4.5%) patients, significantly more frequent in the septic shock group than in sepsis group (13% vs. 0.7%, respectively; p = 0.000). Although frequency of elevated serum cTnI was significantly higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors (5 of 27 vs. 5 of 191, respectively; p = 0.003), this frequency not showed significant relationship with electrocardiogram alteration, creatine kinase MB isoenzyme levels, etiology of sepsis, or length of hospital days. In addition, a logistic regression analysis, taking in account age, gender, length of hospital days, sepsis definition, presence of meningitis, creatine kinase MB isoenzyme, and cTnI serum levels, demonstrated that severity of septic disease was the only variable significantly associated with the death.

CONCLUSIONS

Evaluation of serum levels of cTnI within the first 24 hrs of diagnosis of sepsis or septic shock in children was not better than creatine kinase MB isoenzyme or clinical evaluation, to predict the outcome (death or discharge from hospital) of septic process.

Cardiopulmonary complications of brain injury

Cardiac and pulmonary complications following acute neurologic injury are common and may be a cause of morbidity and mortality in this population. Examples include hypertension, arrhythmias, ventricular dysfunction, pulmonary edema, shock, and sudden death. Primary neurologic events are represented by stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, and encephalitis and have been frequently reported. Given the high frequency of these conditions, it is important for physicians to become familiar with their pathophysiology, allowing for more prompt and appropriate treatment.