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Biomedical subjects

A L Leahy

Publications and source records attributed to A L Leahy.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

A new look at an under-diagnosed poorly treated condition: restless legs syndrome.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common condition that is difficult to diagnose. However, once correctly diagnosed, its management is straightforward and evidence-based. The purpose of this article is to familiarise clinicians with both the symptoms and diagnostic criteria for RLS and to elucidate secondary and often curable causes of this prevalent condition. There is also a concise review of its pathophysiology and current management strategies. The authors hope this article will raise awareness of this condition among clinicians and in doing so improve the quality of life for the patients affected by it.

Dopamine Agents↗
PubMed1998

The patients' perception of quality in surgery.

The benefits of measuring patient satisfaction have been increasingly acknowledged in recent years. A range of techniques has been used including analysis of complaints made by patients and/or relatives, focus group interviews following discharge, postal and telephone surveys, face-to-face interviews and critical incident analysis. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies are often employed in patient-satisfaction research. It is suggested that a two-tier approach of methods can increase validity and reliability (i.e. utilizing qualitative approaches in order to develop a quantitative tool). Surgery will benefit through the identification of quality benchmarks based on this type of research. There must be an emphasis on incorporating the results of patient satisfaction studies into practice and the monitoring of improvements based on the identified benchmarks.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1998

Transient reduction in gastric acid secretion following gastric mucosal laser irradiation.

This study assessed a novel approach using defocused carbon dioxide (CO2) laser irradiation on the gastric mucosal surface to reduce gastric acid output. Ninety-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomised to three groups: control, surgical highly selective vagotomy (surgical-HSV), and gastric mucosal irradiation (laser-M). Cysteamine-induced peptic ulceration was studied, including ulcer index (product of the total number of ulcers by the sum of the ulcer length), at 4 weeks and 20 weeks. The mean ulcer index in the surgical-HSV group was significantly reduced compared with controls at 4 weeks and at 20 weeks. The mean ulcer index in the laser-M group was significantly reduced compared with controls at 4 weeks but not at 20 weeks. Histologic analysis did not reveal any mucosal changes in parietal cell mass at 4 weeks and at 20 weeks. The results show a transient antiulcer effect produced by the gastric mucosal irradiation seen at 4 weeks and abolished by 20 weeks. This data supports the feasibility of endoscopic management of peptic ulcer disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Beneficial effects of taurolidine in experimental pancreatitis.

Taurolidine has potent antiendotoxin and antimicrobial effects in vitro. This study assessed the effect of taurolidine in a well-described model of acute pancreatitis. Ninety-five male Wistar rats (250 g) were studied. Pancreatitis was induced by intraductal injection of 50 microliters of a 4% sodium taurocholate solution at a pressure of 25 cm water. Animals were randomly allocated to 1 of 10 groups: 4 groups were used to characterize the model and there were 6 treatment groups. Taurolidine (100 mg/kg) or saline was administered intravenously at Time 1, 4 hr, or 4 and 24 hr following induction of pancreatitis. Serum amylase, endotoxin levels, and blood cultures were assessed at 4 and 24 hr. Survival was documented at 1 week. Serum amylase levels were elevated in animals in whom acute pancreatitis was induced; however, there was no difference in serum amylase between animals treated with taurolidine and those treated with saline. Positive blood cultures were more numerous in saline-treated groups. Treatment with taurolidine was associated with significantly (P < 0.01) lower endotoxin levels (14 +/- 8 pg/ml) compared with saline-treated animals (350 +/- 87 pg/ml). Taurolidine administration significantly improved survival compared with controls, when given at 4, 24, and 4/24 hr postinduction of pancreatitis (P < 0.05). Taurolidine was beneficial in this model of acute pancreatitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1993

Oxygen free radicals and acute pancreatitis: fact or fiction?

The effect of oxygen free radical suppression was studied in the taurocholate model of acute pancreatitis in the rat using systemic allopurinol, superoxide dismutase (S.O.D.) and catalase. None of the treatments were beneficial which suggests that oxygen free radical suppression is unlikely to be clinically beneficial in acute pancreatitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1993

ERCP in the management of patients having laparoscopic cholecystectomy: re-appraising current indications.

This study assessed the ability of biochemical tests and ultrasound to predict the presence of ductal calculi, and thereby refine the indications for ERCP, in patients before or after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Thirteen of fifty-three patients investigated before laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and four of seventeen investigated after had stones confirmed at ERCP. The most sensitive indices for stones were raised serum alkaline phosphatase (0.76), aspartate transferase (0.75) and alanine transferase (0.76). The most specific indices were an abnormal ultrasound (0.92), raised serum amylase (0.78) and raised bilirubin (0.75). Serum bilirubin, amylase and ultrasound were all normal in twenty-seven patients and all of these had normal ERCPs. If patients with normal bilirubin, amylase and ultrasound were not referred for ERCP, no stones would have been overlooked and the number of ERCPs could have been reduced by 39%.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Post-cholecystectomy symptoms after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Abdominal symptoms persist in up to 40% of patients after laparotomy cholecystectomy and biliary lithotripsy. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is now the treatment of choice for symptomatic gallstone disease. However, no data exist as to the influence of laparoscopic cholecystectomy on symptoms. We analysed 100 patients who had undergone laparoscopic cholecystectomy at a median of 12 months (range 10-19 months) previously. Pre- and postoperative symptoms were compared and patient satisfaction was graded from 1 (best) to 5 (worst). Time to resumption of full activity (mean +/- SD) was recorded. All patients had more than two symptoms preoperatively. Postoperatively, 61 patients had complete absence of symptoms, 14 patients complained of only one symptom during the postoperative period and 25 patients continued to have at least two symptoms. The mean time taken to return to full activity was 2.4 +/- 1.7 weeks. In patients without any symptoms postoperatively, time taken to return to full activity was 2.3 +/- 1.5 weeks, 2.7 +/- 1.4 weeks for patients with one symptom postoperatively, while patients with two or more symptoms returned to full activity in 2.3 +/- 1.3 weeks and 2.6 +/- 1.7 weeks, respectively. Notwithstanding that 25% of patients reported two or more symptoms postoperatively, most patients (n = 84) considered the procedure to be a complete success. A further 10 patients had significant improvement after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Five patients considered themselves only slightly improved, while a single patient was no better off postoperatively. These data indicate that after laparoscopic cholecystectomy most patients return to full activity within 3 weeks. Thus, the incidence of post-cholecystectomy symptoms is similar after laparoscopic and laparotomy cholecystectomy and biliary lithotripsy.Patients should be advised of the risk of persistent symptoms after these procedures.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Early experiences of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in five Irish hospitals. Irish Laparoscopic Group.

There are many concerns about the widespread introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The initial experience of five hospitals in introducing laparoscopic cholecystectomy was reviewed. Three hundred and eight patients were operated upon, and the operations were completed laparoscopically in 279 (91 percent). One patient sustained a diathermy injury to the right hepatic duct. There was no mortality and the overall morbidity was 10 percent. Mean postoperative stay was 3.6 days. The participating surgeons considered training workshops to be desirable and felt that trainees should be supervised for at least ten cases. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be safely introduced and performed, and it should be considered in all patients undergoing cholecystectomy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

A safe new procedure for high-risk patients with symptomatic gallstones.

Cholecystectomy is associated with an appreciable mortality rate in elderly high-risk patients. Patients aged over 60 years with symptomatic gallstones, at high operative risk, underwent cholecystotomy under local anaesthesia through a 3-cm incision. Stones were removed and clearance was demonstrated endoscopically and by tube cholecystography. Catheter drainage was continued for 7 days until a further cholecystogram confirmed clearance. The procedure was attempted in 26 patients with concomitant cardiovascular, respiratory or malignant disease. Successful removal of all gallbladder stones was possible in 24 patients. Four patients had common bile duct stones demonstrated on cholecystography, all of which were successfully treated by endoscopic sphincterotomy. All patients are symptom-free at a mean follow-up of 36 weeks with no recurrent stones on ultrasonography.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Cystic duct obliteration and gallbladder mucosal destruction: a feasible alternative to cholecystectomy.

'Chemical cholecystectomy' has been proposed as an alternative to removal of the gallbladder. This study assessed cystic duct obliteration using bipolar electrocoagulation (with sham cannulation controls) and gallbladder mucosal treatment with tetracycline (or saline controls) in 29 mongrel dogs. Cystic duct obstruction was assessed by tube cholecystography at day 14, and epithelial damage by histology at day 42. Electrocoagulation by duct diathermy effectively occluded the cystic duct in 14 of 19 animals; however, this was associated with mucocele formation unless mucosal treatment with tetracycline was also performed. Immediate instillation of tetracycline after duct electrocoagulation produced only partial epithelial damage. The combination of duct electrocoagulation and delayed tetracycline instillation at 14 days produced complete destruction of all gallbladder epithelium and an effective chemical cholecystectomy.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Local beneficial effect of coumarin in experimental peritonitis.

Coumarin, a potent immune stimulant and macrophage activator, has been used to treat brucellosis and as an immune suppressor. The effect of Coumarin and systemic antibiotics on septicaemia, survival and peritoneal contamination in experimental peritonitis was assessed. Four groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were inoculated with Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli and Bacteroides fragilis. Group A received saline alone, Group B received Coumarin alone, Group C received antibiotics (Clindamycin and Cephradine) alone and Group D received both Coumarin and antibiotics. Septicaemia, confirmed by blood culture, occurred in all animals. Coumarin did not improve survival whether given alone or in combination with antibiotics. Animals given Coumarin (Groups B and D) had significantly less peritoneal soiling (54%, 0%) (P less than 0.02, P less than 0.001) than their controls (Groups A and C: 92%; 29%). While Coumarin did not improve resistance to septicaemia it did exert a local beneficial effect.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Transcatheter hepatic arterial therapy for symptomatic liver malignancy.

Transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization was performed in ten patients with symptomatic unresectable liver malignancy. Nine patients experienced control of symptoms for 52-100% of the duration of their survival, although one patient died 10 days after the procedure. No objective evidence of decrease in tumour size was seen at review but three cases showed selective decrease in tumour vasculature or tumour necrosis.

Aged↗