Biomedical subjects

C Donnell

Publications and source records attributed to C Donnell.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Splenic sequestration associated with sickle cell trait and hereditary spherocytosis.

Coexistence of sickle cell trait and hereditary spherocytosis (HS) is unusual, and only 16 cases have been reported in the literature. These patients have the same clinical and hematological features as individuals having HS alone. We report a serious complication, acute splenic sequestration crisis (ASSC), occurring in two patients with sickle cell trait and HS. One patient experienced four episodes of ASSC during an 11-year span, while the other had two episodes of this complication during a 4-year period. Red blood cell studies and membrane protein analysis confirmed the diagnosis of HS as a consequence of spectrin deficiency. Splenectomy resulted in marked clinical and hematological improvement in both patients. Histological examination of spleens following splenectomy confirmed that significant erythrostasis and sickling had indeed occurred. ASSC can occur in patients with coexistence of sickle cell trait and HS, and this potentially life-threatening complication should be considered in this condition.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Immediate prediction of blood requirements in trauma victims.

Current recommendations for the management of trauma victims include immediate crossmatching of 4 to 6 units of blood. Unused crossmatched blood is withdrawn from the available blood pool for 48 hours and costs the patient $33 per unit. Growing blood shortages and increasing laboratory costs demand reexamination of this practice. The purpose of this study was to examine blood usage in trauma victims and to develop new guidelines for emergency room requests for blood. The following clinical variables were reviewed in 250 trauma victims to determine their value as predictors of blood usage: age, sex, mechanism of injury, initial vital signs, trauma score (TS), and injury severity score (ISS). The best predictor of blood use was the trauma score. Of the total group, 71% had a TS greater than 14; 91% of these patients did not require transfusion. Twenty-eight percent of the total group had a TS equal to or less than 14; 70% of these patients did require transfusion. The data strongly suggest that type and screen can safely replace type and crossmatch as the initial blood bank requests in patients with trauma scores greater than 14. Blood requirements in patients with a trauma score less than or equal to 14 continue to warrant immediate crossmatching.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988

Surface oximetry. A new method to evaluate intestinal perfusion.

Accepted methods to evaluate intestinal vascularity intraoperatively include standard clinical criteria (SCC), doppler ultrasound (DUS), and intravenous fluorescein (FLF). A combination of methods is often used to overcome disadvantages of individual techniques. Assessment of intestinal vascularity by FLF was compared to SCC, DUS, and pulse oximetry (POX) in segments of intestine demonstrating arterial, venous and arteriovenous occlusion, to determine if POX might supplement the assessment of intestinal vascularity. POX uses a commercially available instrument to assess tissue oxygenation and arterial flow, and is rapid, reproducible, and noninvasive. POX appears to be a superior technique when compared to SCC and DUS.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

Cognitive specificity in emotional distress.

Cognitive approaches to emotional distress posit that specific cognitive factors are critically linked to the etiology, course, or treatment of dysfunction. Although a number of empirical studies have assessed cognitive factors in emotional disorders such as depression and anxiety, research has yet to assess these variables simultaneously and with identical cognitive measures. Using depression and test anxiety as models of dysfunctional affective states, we examined cognitive specificity on measures of information processing, attributions, automatic thinking, and cognitive interference. Results indicated a pattern of specificity showing several differences and similarities in depression and anxiety. Specifically, "purely" depressed individuals showed evidence of selectively processing depressive information, making dysfunctional attributions, and engaging in more negative automatic thinking. "Purely" anxious individuals, on the other hand, showed evidence of selective anxious information processing and increased cognitive interference. Results are discussed in terms of a taxonomy for classifying depressive and anxious cognition.

Anxiety Disorders↗