Plastic bronchitis is a rare complication of a variety of respiratory diseases and congenital heart disease surgery, particularly Fontan procedure. Bronchial casts with rubber-like consistency develop acutely and may cause severe life-threatening respiratory distress. The management of plastic bronchitis is yet not well defined. Early intermittent, self-administered nebulization of tissue plasm...

The incidence of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in premature neonates varies according to the gestational age and respiratory status. Failure of PDA closure in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome results in a left to right shunt across the duct which may lead to pulmonary congestion and deterioration in respiratory status. Although indomethacin and ibuprofen are the main stay of ...

Lower respiratory tract infection is the most common complication in the immunocompromised patient. From January 1991 to December 1995, 785 consecutive patients with suspected respiratory tract infections were studied. One hundred ninety-nine viruses were isolated from 182 (23%) of 785 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid specimens. Cytomegalovirus was isolated from 131 patients, herpes simplex virus w...

Pulmonary tumour thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is a rapidly progressive pulmonary disease that is a fatal complication of malignancy. It manifests clinically as subacute respiratory failure with pulmonary hypertension, progressive right sided heart failure, and sudden death. We describe here a case of PTTM associated with occult metastatic signet ring cell carcinoma of the stomach. Although...

The publication on ‘Fluid resuscitation, laryngeal oedema and severe dengue’ is very interesting.[1] Saran and Azim reported a case and raised an interesting question ‘can fluid resuscitation be a risk factor for laryngeal oedema in severe dengue?’[1] Indeed, good monitoring is required for fluid therapy for severe dengue since the complication of fluid overload is possible.[2] There is no doub...

Viral bronchiolitis is the most common lower respiratory tract infection in infants and children under the age of 2. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the infecting agent in more than 50% of the cases. Usually the clinical course is uneventful and complications are uncommon. Secondary air leaks are a recognized rare complication of bronchiolitis, although the real incidence remains unknown. ...

Transfusion-related acute lung injury is a life-threatening complication of hemotherapy associated with the transfusion of plasma-containing blood products. It is characterized by acute respiratory distress, pulmonary edema and hypoxemia. Although its frequency is unknown, Food and Drug Administration data suggest that it is the third most common cause of transfusion-associated deaths, represen...

Hydrocephalus is a well-known complication of head injury, but an uncommon complication of a spinal lesion. Here, we present a rare case of acute obstructive hydrocephalus secondary to a cervical fracture and dislocation. A 60-year-old female patient was transferred to the emergency department with quadriplegia and respiratory difficulty. Imaging studies showed a cervical fracture and dislocati...