A 66-year-old white woman presented for an evaluation of her skin. Informed consent was obtained from the patient for being included in the study. Additional informed consent was obtained from all patients for which identifying information is included in this article. The patient’s past medical history was significant for systemic lupus erythematosus and myasthenia gravis. Since 1980, the patient has been treated with hydroxychloroquine at a daily dose of 400 mg.\nThere was diffuse hyperpigmentation. The patient’s forehead, face, neck, v-area of the upper central chest, and upper back were black (Figs. , ), and her right upper chest was blue (Figs. , ). Hyperpigmentation was absent from her oral mucosa and nails.\nFive years earlier, the patient had visited a new clinician on a Friday afternoon. The patient’s clinician misinterpreted her black and blue dyschromia to be trauma-induced and had notified Adult Protective Services. The following Monday morning, a worker from the agency was at her home to investigate the family for elder abuse. Eventually the situation was resolved and the family was cleared of all suspicion of elder abuse.\nDuring her current cutaneous evaluation, a skin biopsy from the area of blue dyschromia on the patient’s right upper chest was performed. Microscopic examination showed both intracellular and extracellular yellow-to-brown granules scattered throughout the reticular dermis. Pigmented granules were seen between the collagen bundles with some accentuation around eccrine glands. The granules stained positively for both Fontana Masson and Perl’s stains.\nCorrelation of the patient’s medical history, clinical presentation, and pathology findings confirmed the diagnosis of hydroxychloroquine-induced hyperpigmentation.
A 53-year-old man presented with unstable angina due to the severe stenosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery and obtuse marginalis, although the right coronary artery was normal. Laboratory findings, including a complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C reactive protein, were normal. Chest X-ray revealed no abnormal findings, and there was no valvular abnormality on preoperative echocardiography. The patient had no co-morbid disorders, but his left ventricular ejection fraction was reduced (40–45%).\nThe intraoperative course was uneventful. There were no findings of pericarditis. On physical examination, there was no respiratory distress, blood pressure was 130/80 mm Hg, heart rate was 80 beats per minute, respiratory rate was 23 per minute, the neck veins were not distended, and there was no ankle edema. Cardiovascular system examination showed regular first and second heart sounds with no gallop or murmur. The electrocardiogram (ECG) demonstrated a Q wave in the precordial leads. For temporary coronary artery occlusion, 4/0 Viline sutures and a Bulldog Clamp were used, and warm blood was employed to de air the graft. Temporary coronary artery occlusion was not prolonged, and the electrocardiogram and hemodynamic variables and objective data showed no signs of ischemia or contractile dysfunction. The operation was uneventful. No intra-coronary shunt was utilized.\nThe patient left the operating room without any inotropic support. Six hours later, however, he developed low cardiac output. At exploration, cardiac tamponade was excluded and flowmetry showed that the graft had adequate function. There were no findings as regards pericarditis, and the patient’s postoperative erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and cardiac enzymes were normal. A high dose of adrenalin and dobutamine was administered, and an intra-aortic balloon pump was used.\nIntraoperative transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated a depression in the left ventricular function due to an akinetic lateral left ventricular wall in the region of the obtuse marginalis. After hemodynamic stabilization, the patient left the Intensive Care Unit without an intra-aortic balloon pump and inotropic support. On the fifth postoperative day, a coronary angiogram demonstrated patent grafts and correct anastomotic sites ( & ). On the seventh postoperative day, the akinetic lateral wall of the left ventricle changed to dyskinesia. Finally, after hospital discharge on the thirtieth postoperative day, an echocardiogram showed a normal left ventricular function without regional wall motion abnormalities.