Liver transplantation from a SARS-COV-2-positive donor: A road ahead or not.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a remarkable impact on the field of liver transplantation. Increasing evidence demonstrates a minimal risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from non-lung donors who test positive for SARS-CoV-2; however, the risks of donor-derived SARS-CoV-2 from liver donors are unknown. We present our experience with two cases in which a liver was transplanted successfully from a brain-dead donor with incidental SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Extrahepatic Health Effects of Alcohol Use and Alcohol-associated Liver Disease.

Purpose: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a growing public health concern and an important contributor to global morbidity and mortality. While the hepatotoxic effects of alcohol are well known, the adverse effects of alcohol are manifested in almost every organ system. With the growing public health impact of AUD, the aim of this narrative review is to highlight the epidemiology and burden of AUD and its association with extrahepatic diseases including malignancy and disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI), cardiovascular, immunologic, neurologic, endocrine, and hematologic systems.

Cold snare endoscopic mucosal resection for colon polyps: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background:  Cold snare endoscopic mucosal resection (CS-EMR) can reduce the risks associated with electrocautery during colon polyp resection. Data on efficacy are variable. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled efficacy and safety rates of CS-EMR.

Analysis of Reported Adverse Events Related to Hemospray: An FDA MAUDE Database Study.

Background: Topical hemostatic powder is a mineral powder that forms an adherent barrier and coagulates active bleeding in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Hemospray is the first hemostatic powder approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States. Hemospray has been increasingly used to manage GI bleeding.

Not every pancreatic mass is cancer: a case of a large intra-pancreatic splenule.

We report a case of a 72-year-old man who was referred to our tertiary medical center for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) evaluation for an incidental 2-cm mass in the tail of the pancreas seen on computed tomography (CT). On EUS, a 22 mm by 13 mm, well-defined hypoechoic mass was identified within the pancreatic tail, and a fine-needle biopsy was performed. Histopathology revealed benign pancreatic parenchyma and the presence of lymphocytes.

Elevated Liver Enzymes in a Patient With Hepatocellular Carcinoma on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy: A Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenge.

We present a patient with untreated hepatitis C virus and metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma treated with combination immunotherapy who developed elevated liver enzymes. The immunotherapy was withheld, and the liver enzymes continued to rise. A liver biopsy was performed, which demonstrated findings consistent with chronic viral hepatitis.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Rescue for Severe Aspiration Pneumonitis in Two Patients after Roux-en-y Gastric Bypass Procedure.

Roux-en-y gastric bypass (RYGB) is one of the most common weight loss surgical procedures performed in the United States. Early post-operative small bowel obstruction is a rare but potentially morbid, complication of RYGB. We report two patients who underwent RYGB and required subsequent treatment for a post-operative small bowel obstruction.

Outcome benefit of arterial duplex stent imaging after superficial femoral artery stent implantation.

Objective: In-stent stenosis is a frequent complication of superficial femoral artery (SFA) endovascular intervention and can lead to stent occlusion or symptom recurrence. Arterial duplex stent imaging (ADSI) can be used in the surveillance for recurrent stenosis; however, its uniform application is controversial. In this study, we aimed to determine, in patients undergoing SFA stent implantation, whether surveillance with ADSI yielded a better outcome than in those with only ankle-brachial index (ABI) follow-up.

Identifying the broken heart: predictors of mortality and morbidity in suspected blunt cardiac injury.

Background: Blunt cardiac injury (BCI) is an infrequent but potentially fatal finding in thoracic trauma. Its clinical presentation is highly variable and patient characteristics and injury pattern have never been described in trauma patients. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of mortality in BCI patients.