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Biomedical subjects

B Schlemmer

Publications and source records attributed to B Schlemmer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Evaluation of risk factors for laryngeal edema after tracheal extubation in adults and its prevention by dexamethasone. A placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter study.

Because laryngeal edema (LE) after tracheal extubation is likely to result from an exudative response, corticosteroids often are given routinely as a preventive treatment. No adequate controlled study supports this strategy, however. A prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter trial that included 700 consecutive patients requiring tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation was conducted to determine risk factors for LE occurrence after tracheal extubation in adults and to evaluate the efficacy of corticosteroids in its prevention. One hour before extubation, patients were given either an intravenous bolus of 8 mg dexamethasone or a placebo. Patients were divided into two groups: 1) those in whom short-duration intubation (SDI, less than 36 h) was administered; and 2) those in whom long-duration intubation (LDI, more than 36 h) was administered. Minor LE was diagnosed when either stridor or laryngeal dyspnea, or both, occurred; major LE was diagnosed when reintubation due to LE was required, with LE evidenced during direct laryngoscopy. The overall incidence of LE was 4.2% and varied among the six participating centers from 2.3 to 6.9% (not significant). In only seven patients (1%), all with LDI, was tracheal reintubation required for LE. Laryngeal edema occurred more frequently after LDI than after SDI (7.2 vs. 0.9%; P less than 0.001). It also was more frequent in female than in male patients (20/284 vs. 8/379; P less than 0.05), irrespective of intubation duration and treatment. There was no association between LE and either difficulty/route of intubation or admission diagnosis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Outcome of patients with systemic rheumatic disease admitted to medical intensive care units.

The outcome of patients admitted to intensive care units is known to be influenced by such factors as age, previous health status, severity of disease, and diagnosis. To estimate the outcome of such patients with systemic rheumatic diseases and to determine if the severity of these diseases unfavourably influences the prognosis at the time of admission to a medical intensive care unit, the clinical courses of all patients with systemic rheumatic disease admitted to two medical intensive care units between January 1978 and December 1988 were studied retrospectively. Sixty nine patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 16), necrotising vasculitis (n = 19), rheumatoid arthritis (n = 19), and other systemic rheumatic diseases (n = 15) were included. The mean (SD) age on admission into the medical intensive care unit was 53 (17) years and the mean simplified acute physiological score was 12 (5.5). The principal diagnoses on admission were infectious complications (29/69 patients) and acute exacerbation of the systemic rheumatic disease (19/69 patients). The death rate in the medical intensive care unit was 33% (23/69 patients) and was similar to that of a non-selected population with comparable simplified acute physiological score. The death rate in hospital was 42% (29/69 patients). Infection was the main cause of death in the medical intensive care unit (19/23 patients) and the infection was mainly acquired in the unit. Only the simplified acute physiological score on admission was a statistically significant prognostic factor: the simplified acute physiological score in patients who died was 15 (5.2) v 9.9 (4.7) for survivors. Long term outcome analysis showed that 83% (33/40 patients) of patients were still alive after admission to the medical intensive care unit with a follow up time between two months and nine years (mean 38 months). The death rate was relatively high and was mainly due to nosocomial infections. It was not different, however, from that of nonselected patients and the long term prognosis was highly favourable. This shows that the complications are often reversible, particularly infectious applications, and justifies admission to the medical intensive care unit of this group of patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Outbreak of nosocomial infections due to Klebsiella pneumoniae producing SHV-4 beta-lactamase.

One hundred and fifty-four clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae resistant to broad-spectrum cephalosporins, aztreonam and amikacin were responsible for an outbreak of nosocomial infections lasting eight months in a university hospital in Paris. This outbreak occurred in the intensive care unit (39 patients), haematology units (8 patients) and surgical and medical units (11 patients). Antibiotic resistant strains were isolated from the urinary tract (48%), wound and drainage fluids (21%), respiratory tract (14%), blood (12%) and stools (5%). High resistance to oxyimino-beta-lactams was mediated by a plasmid-encoded beta-lactamase with an isoelectric point of 7.8 (SHV-4). This CAZ-type enzyme conferred a higher level of resistance to ceftazidime and aztreonam (geometric mean MIC 135 mg/l) than to cefotaxime (geometric mean MIC 14 mg/l). All isolates were of the same biotype (weakly urease positive and no sucrose fermentation). Eight Klebsiella pneumoniae strains isolated in different units and at different times of the outbreak were of the same serotype, had common plasmid patterns and harboured a large self-transferable plasmid of about 180 kilobases encoding resistance to penicillins, oxyimino-beta-lactams, aminoglycosides, tetracycline and trimethoprim. These eight large plasmids had indistinguishable EcoRI restriction patterns. These results suggest that a single strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae was responsible for this outbreak.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1990

Comparison of the activity of three antibiotic regimens in severe Legionnaires' disease.

Comparison of the activity of different antibiotic regimens in Legionnaire's disease has never been made because of the rarity of well documented cases of that disease. We have retrospectively compared severe cases of Legionnaires' disease treated with pefloxacin alone or in combination with erythromycin and/or rifampicin using computer-matched cases treated either with erythromycin or with erythromycin in combination with rifampicin. This study suggests that: (1) combined therapy including erythromycin, rifampicin and/or pefloxacin is superior to therapy with erythromycin alone; (2) combinations including pefloxacin may be the most active ones; and (3) pefloxacin alone may be as active as combination therapy. Although these results are in agreement with data obtained in cell and in animal models of legionella infection they need to be further confirmed by the study of larger number of patients.

Cause of Death↗
PubMed1988

[Lung diseases during therapeutic aplasia: diagnostic and therapeutic strategy].

Lung diseases that occur in patients with drug-induced bone marrow aplasia are part of a wider group of lung diseases in immunocompromised patients. Their most common causes are infections due to Gram-negative bacilli, staphylococci or Aspergillus spp. and intra-alveolar haemorrhages. Their diagnostic approach is often limited by disorders of coagulation, risks of infection by bronchial or pulmonary seeding during endoscopy and the lethal risk of mechanical ventilation after bronchoalveolar lavage in patients with respiratory failure. The therapeutic approach is frequently empirical due to the fact that antibiotic therapy cannot be delayed, even for a few hours, and to the aforementioned diagnostic problems. In practice, the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches usually result from a rational compromise depending on whether the lung disease has occurred at the onset or at the end of an episode of bone marrow aplasia.

Humans↗
PubMed1987

[Post-neurosurgical purulent meningitis. 31 cases].

Thirty-one cases of post neurosurgical bacterial meningitis from one center were reviewed to determine their promoting factors and responsible organisms. Most cases occurred after a protracted operation (6 hours on average). 26% cases were related to a primary cutaneous infection. 58% organisms were Gram negative bacilli. The course of meningitis was often complicated or prolonged due to a scalp decubitus ulcer or cerebrospinal fluid leakage. Vancomycin is often requested during staphylococcal meningitis. Third generation cephalosporins have low MIC against many Gram negative bacilli and should be used. Pefloxacin, a new quinolone, may be valuable. Treatment of scalp wound infection is often requested.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Bicarbonate hemodialysis of patients with acute renal failure and severe sepsis.

During hemodialysis (HD), septic patients with acute renal failure (ARF) often exhibit severe hemodynamic instability, with a fall in BP that requires a large-volume infusion or even cessation of dialysis. To investigate the hypothesis that acetate transfer plays a role in the BP decrease, we compared acetate (Ac) and bicarbonate (Bi) HD in ten septic ARF patients. Patients were dialyzed daily for 4 h with a single-pass system and 1.1 m2 cuprophan dialyzers, alternately using Ac and Bi as the dialysate buffer. Heart rate and systemic arterial resistance did not change significantly during use of either buffer, and changes in pulmonary wedge pressure were similar. However, decreases in cardiac output and mean arterial pressure were more pronounced during Ac-HD than during Bi-HD. Rapid correction of metabolic acidosis and a larger decrease of plasma potassium concentration occurred during Bi-HD. These results suggest that Bi-HD was better tolerated than Ac-HD because of changes in myocardial contractility that may be related to different effects on acid-base status and plasma potassium concentrations.

Acetates↗
PubMed1984

Oxygen consumption during septic shock. Effects of inotropic drugs.

Septic shock may be defined as a clinical entity wherein a patient has an inadequate peripheral metabolism in the presence of circulating bacteria. The demands for metabolic requirements of the tissues and hence for oxygen transport to these tissues are then markedly high. The average response to increased metabolism in such patients is a percentage increase in cardiac output that is comparable to the percentage increase in oxygen consumption while oxygen extraction rate does not change or even decreases in severe or/and advanced septic shock. This emphasizes the high priority placed by the body on the ability to increase blood flow from the heart in the presence of increased metabolic demands due to sepsis. Concerning the myocardium, oxygen consumption is low in hyper- and hypodynamic states of septic shock, probably and partially due to marked arterial vasodilatation. However, in hypodynamic states, the lower value of perfusion pressure may account for a decrease in myocardial oxygen supply, especially in subendocardial areas and may be responsible for myocardial ischaemia, more especially as myocardial oxygen extraction as well as systemic oxygen extraction is impaired. The goal of therapeutics is to improve oxygen availability through: (1) maintenance of haemoglobin levels and (2) increases in stroke volume using inotropic drugs since these drugs may produce a rise in myocardial oxygen supply higher than their drug-induced increase in oxygen requirements in hypodynamic states of septic shock.

Blood Pressure↗