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Acute hypercapnic ventilatory failure is becoming more frequent in critically ill patients. Hypercapnia is the elevation in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) above 45 mmHg in the bloodstream. The pathophysiological mechanisms of hypercapnia include the decrease in minute volume, an increase in dead space, or an increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) production per sec. They generate a compromise at the cardiovascular, cerebral, metabolic, and respiratory levels with a high burden of morbidity and mortality. It is essential to know the triggers to provide therapy directed at the primary cause and avoid possible complications.

Alcaligenes faecalis (A. faecalis) is a Gram-negative rod rarely isolated as an infective bacterium worldwide. The first cases of infections caused by this microorganism, such as pneumonia, soft tissue infections, urinary tract infections, bacteremia, and meningitis, date back more than 40 years and are almost entirely in newborns and immunosuppressed hosts. Optimal antibiotic therapy for A. faecalis has not been well established in the literature. We report a case of an immunocompetent patient in Colombia who had meningitis due to A. faecalis after a dental procedure. It is important to know about this microorganism that nowadays could be considered a potentially emerging pathogen in immunocompetent adults.

IntroductionInfection by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an important cause of chronic liver disease, considered a public health problem worldwide with high morbidity and mortality due to limited access to diagnostic tests in developing countries. Only a small percentage know their infection status and receive timely treatment. It is critical to make diagnostic tests for HCV infection accessible and to provide timely treatment, which not only reduces the spread of infection but also stops the progression of HCV disease without symptoms.ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of chronic infection by HCV in patients with risk factors by using rapid tests in Cartagena, Colombia, and describe their epidemiological characteristics.MethodologyA cross-sectional descriptive observational study was carried out on asymptomatic adults with risk factors for HCV infection in the city of Cartagena between December 2017 and November 2019. A rapid immunochromatographic test was performed to detect antibodies, characterizing the population.ResultsIn total, 1,023 patients were identified who met the inclusion criteria, 58.5% women and 41.4% men, obtaining nine positive results, confirming chronic infection with viral load for HCV, finding seven cases of genotype 1b and two genotype 1a.ConclusionIn our study, a prevalence of hepatitis C infection of 0.9% was found in asymptomatic individuals with risk factors, which allows us to deduce that the active search for cases in risk groups constitutes a pillar for the identification of the disease, the initiation of antiviral therapy, and decreased morbidity and mortality.

Introducción: La identificación temprana de hipoperfusión tisular es clave para guiar el manejo en pacientes en choque. El interés en obtener una valoración rápida y precisa de la perfusión tisular en el paciente crítico, ha llevado a estudiar diferentes productos metabólicos, sin embargo, ninguno satisface las necesidades sobre el enfoque y manejo de esta condición. La hiperlactatemia es un factor independiente de mortalidad y por ello, el desarrollo de parámetros como la diferencia arterio-venosa de lactato tendrían un valor agregado..Objetivo: evaluar la utilidad pronóstica de la diferencia arterio-venosa de lactato como predictor de mortalidad en pacientes críticamente enfermos.Métodos: estudio de prueba diagnóstica, realizado en las UCIs de la ESE Hospital Universitario del Caribe y Gestión Salud IPS, de enero/2017-enero/2018. Se tomaron muestras de gases arteriales-venosos centrales al ingreso, 12 y 24 horas de estancia en UCI. Se determinó el rendimiento diagnóstico del delta CO2, depuración arterial de lactato, lactato sérico y diferencia arterio-venosa de lactato como predictores de mortalidad.Resultados: se evaluaron 103 pacientes críticos, 49 fallecieron (47.5%). El choque séptico fue el estado más frecuente (57.2%). El delta de CO2 al ingreso mostró AUC de 0.53, el lactato de ingreso AUC 0.57, la depuración arterial de lactato exhibió un AUC de 0.52 y la diferencia arterio-venosa de lactato tuvo AUC de 0.50, con valores de p no estadísticamente relevantes.Conclusión: la diferencia arterio-venosa de lactato es un parámetro clínico con utilidad limitada para predecir mortalidad en la población global de pacientes ingresados a la UCI.

Context: Neuromuscular complications in the intensive care unit (ICU) are frequent, multifactorial, and clinically difficult to recognize during their acute phase. The physical examination is the starting point for identification. Case Report: We present a patient with a history of poorly controlled asthma who was admitted to the ICU with status asthmaticus. After 4 days of being under ventilatory support, he developed muscle weakness. The diagnostic approach made it possible to establish myopathic and neurological compromise through electrophysiology studies. Conclusions: ICU-acquired weakness (ICUAW) can bring long-term consequences, early identification, and management, as well as preventive measures, are essential to minimize chronic disability and morbidity.

Context: Since the end of 2019 with the identification of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and the disease it produces, named COVID-19, various manifestations have been described, initially pulmonary due to acute and severe respiratory syndromes, now systemic manifestations have been described. Case Report: We report 3 cases of patients with cardiovascular manifestations associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, highlighting the diagnostic approach and variety of presentation, from acute myocardial infarction, myocarditis, heart failure, shock, arrhythmias to sudden death. Conclusions: Every day is more frequent to find reports of patients with cardiovascular compromise during COVID-19 affecting the development and prognosis of this disease.