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Biomedical subjects

C N Storrs

Publications and source records attributed to C N Storrs.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1982

Alcohol consumption in pregnancy. How much is safe?

Nine hundred and seventy-three white women attending an antenatal clinic completed a questionnaire on parity, social class, smoking habits, and consumption of alcohol and coffee. Forty-nine per cent said they were non-drinkers and none of their babies had a major congenital abnormalities; whereas 1.2% of the babies of the women who did consume alcohol had major abnormalities. The babies of women who said they drank more than an average of 20 ml alcohol a day had significantly smaller head circumferences than the babies of non-drinkers in some gestational age groups. Maternal serum gamma-glutamyltransferase levels predicted abnormal fetal outcome in the 3 women in whom they were raised. There is no safe level of alcohol consumption in pregnancy and even moderate 'social' drinking is associated with abnormal fetal outcome.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1978

Isolated ACTH deficiency. Metabolic and endocrine studies in a 7-year-old boy.

Metabolic and endocrine studies on a 7-year-old boy who presented with hypoglycaemic convulsions are reported in detail, proving the diagnosis of isolated ACTH deficiency--a rare cause of hypoglycaemia in childhood. Adrenaline secretion during insulin-induced hypoglycaemia was reduced. Low blood alanine levels occurred during starvation-induced hypoglycaemia, together with raised total blood ketone bodies; blood glucose did not increase adequately after oral alanine at this time. Hypoglycaemia in isolated ACTH deficiency appears to be due to a combination of impaired alanine mobilisation and a decreased rate of gluconeogenesis.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1977

Cardiovascular effects of apnoea in preterm infants.

Cardiovascular reflex responses have been studied in 9 newborn preterm infants with apnoeic episodes and in 2 preterm infants with periodic breathing. Respiration, blood pressure, heart rate, and peripheral blood flow were simultaneously recorded. Peripheral blood flow was measured in the leg by venous occlusion plethysmography. During apnoea, bradycardia and peripheral vasoconstriction occur. There is little change in blood pressure though pulse pressure increases. No cardiovascular changes were seen before the onset of apnoea. Periodic breathing had little effect on peripheral blood flow. Preterm infants with gestations as low as 27 weeks apparently have well developed chemoreceptor reflexes which would tend to preserve blood supply to the brain during conditions of hypoxia.

Apnea↗
PubMed1970

Transport of sick newborn babies.

When sick newborn babies are transferred to Hammersmith Hospital they are collected from the referring hospital or from home by a paediatric resident doctor and a nurse. They prepare the baby for the journey by giving any urgent treatment required, for procedures are difficult to carry out in a moving ambulance. Babies who are likely to become apnoeic are intubated before transport so that ventilation can be started immediately if required. The baby travels in a portable incubator, and special attention is paid to prevention of hypothermia, adequate oxygenation, and respiration. Altogether 122 babies were transferred in 1969, the main reasons being prematurity, hyaline membrane disease, and apnoeic attacks. Five improved during the journey, 102 did not change significantly and 15 became worse. There was no evidence that travel per se harmed any of the babies, though in a few cases deterioration might have been prevented had observation and treatment been easier in the ambulance. Fifty-eight (47%) of the babies eventually died, but the group was a highly selected one with a high proportion of small, immature, and ill babies. We conclude that for very ill newborn babies the advantages of transfer to an intensive care unit probably outweigh the disadvantages of transport, provided that the precautions described here are taken.

Acidosis↗