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Biomedical subjects

D H Bass

Publications and source records attributed to D H Bass.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Paediatric trauma care.

Paediatric trauma care varies in different countries. In South Africa injury is the leading cause of death in the 5-14-year-old age group--1.5-3.8 times higher than in the USA. In 1978 the Child Safety Centre was established and prospectively collected data on paediatric injuries. The various types of injuries are discussed. Trauma is responsible for the highest percentage of years of life lost but the least amount of money is being spent on research and prevention of injuries. The Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Southern Africa has been constituted to research, prevent and reduce the risk factors of the injuries and to improve facilities for the injured child.

Adolescent↗

Pseudomonas septicaemia after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography--an unresolved problem.

Over a 6-month period 5 patients with obstructive jaundice developed Gram-negative septicaemia, all within 48 hours of undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. The sepsis proved fatal in 3 patients, despite prompt decompression of the obstructed biliary system. In all cases the organism responsible was Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the source of infection appeared to be a contaminated water-bottle attached to the endoscopic apparatus. This report highlights the importance of disinfection techniques and reviews the present situation in respect of antibiotic prophylaxis.

Aged↗

Topical anaesthesia for repair of minor lacerations.

One hundred traumatic skin wounds were sutured under topical anaesthesia using a solution of lignocaine, adrenaline, and cocaine, and the effectiveness of the anaesthesia produced was assessed on a behavioural scale. The procedure was tolerated well by 63 patients, poorly by 11, and in 26 the response was uncertain. The response correlated well with age and with the field of anaesthesia measured from the wound margin. No toxic reactions were observed.

Administration, Topical↗

Parasitic infestation in Cape Town children. A random study of 101 patients.

Over a 12-month period random stool specimens were collected from 101 children admitted to the trauma unit of the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Cape Town. The majority of the children were resident on the Cape Flats or in Mitchell's Plain. Examination of the stools showed evidence of parasitic infestation in 46 of the children, of whom 39 harboured Ascaris lumbricoides (8), Trichuris trichiura (11) or both (20). Cysts of Giardia lamblia were identified in 8 patients. These findings suggest that at least half the children living in a well-defined area of Cape Town may be at risk of complications from intestinal parasitic infestation.

Animals↗

Tuberculous perforation of the bowel. A report of 8 cases.

Eight patients with tuberculous perforation of the bowel, representing 15% of all cases of intestinal tuberculosis, were seen over a 13-year period. A wide spectrum of presentations was encountered. A history of acute abdominal pain was not always obtained, but it could be the first indication of the presence of associated intestinal involvement in a patient receiving treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis. Free subdiaphragmatic air was detected radiologically in only 2 cases (25%). It is suggested that emergency surgery should be limited to dealing with only the perforated and any obviously obstructed bowel, and the advantages of delaying additional procedures are stressed. Despite the invariable accompanying suboptimal nutritional status and associated medical problems found in this group of patients, only 2 died.

Adolescent↗

Antimicrobial prophylaxis for fractured base of skull in children.

The details are reviewed of 50 children who were treated over a 10-year period with clinical signs of fractured base of skull. Two patients died early without signs of sepsis--due to the severity of their head injuries. Of the remainder, 23 received antibiotic prophylaxis and 25 did not. One patient from each of these groups developed pneumococcal meningitis, and they were successfully treated. Our results correlate well with those previously published, confirming the low incidence of infective complications with or without prophylaxis. The need to assemble a large enough series to make statistically significant conclusions regarding this infrequent condition is highlighted throughout the literature, which is reviewed here.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Otorrhea↗