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Biomedical subjects

C Suter

Publications and source records attributed to C Suter.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

[Bone perfusion after plate osteosynthesis. A study of the intact rabbit tibia with disulfin blue vital staining].

After operative fracture treatment an interference with blood supply has to be expected. The fixation of a plate to an intact rabbit tibia lead to extended areas where circulation is disturbed. These disturbances were partially reversible within one week without structural changes visible in the recovering bone. Only the zones remaining without vascular supply after one week started to recover in the 4th week, when intracanalicular remodelling and the formation of new Haversian systems became visible at the borders of the avascular regions.

Animals

Alpha-pattern coma: 24 cases with 9 survivors.

Alpha-pattern coma denotes the association of a comatose state with an electroencephalogram consisting predominately of alpha-frequency activity. Over the past three years we have studied 24 such cases: 14 following cardiopulmonary arrest, 6 following respiratory arrest, and 3 following brainstem infarction. Of the 9 patients who survived, only 1 had a significant neurological deficit. It was found that: (1) alpha-pattern coma can result from a variety of neurological insults; (2) a significant proportion of patients survive, often with little or no deficit; (3) clinical evidence of intact brainstem function implies a favorable outcome; (4) the electroencephalogram was similar in survivors and nonsurvivors and did not differentiate diffuse cerebral dysfunction from focal brainstem disease; and (5) neuropathological studies demonstrated diffuse cortical as well as brainstem changes.

Adult

"Alpha-pattern coma" in high voltage electrical injury.

Two cases are reported in which reversible deep coma subsequent to high voltage electrical injury occurred in association with alpha frequencies in the EEG. The EEG pattern differs from the alpha rhythm of the normal awake patient by its diffuse distribution and unresponsiveness to a variety of stimulation. The term "alpha-pattern coma" is introduced to designate the occurrence of this pattern in comatose patients. The EEG in the cases described initially demonstrated activity in the alpha frequency which occurred in a generalized distribution and was unresponsive to stimulation. During the early stages of recovery an increased incidence of theta and delta activity was observed. The recovery records contained a low voltage alpha rhythm and responded to photic stimulation. The literature on this subject is reviewed and the possible modes of pathogenesis are discussed. The authors conclude that such examples of alpha-pattern coma are the result of diffuse cerebral damage and might be detected more frequently in comatose patients who survive if these patients are studied earlier in their clinical course with EEGs.

Adult