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Biomedical subjects

D J Plevak

Publications and source records attributed to D J Plevak.

46 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Intubation of critically ill patients.

Respiratory failure is one of the most common causes for admission to an intensive-care unit. Any patient with loss of central nervous system control of breathing, neuromuscular respiratory failure, or impairment of gas exchange may require tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. Tracheal intubation provides a conduit for ventilatory support, maintains the patency of an airway that has potential for obstruction, protects the airway from the contents of the stomach, and allows access to the trachea for pulmonary hygiene. Although the mechanics of intubation are easily learned, many factors must be considered in critically ill patients. Herein we summarize the principles of tracheal intubation in acutely ill patients.

Critical Care↗
PubMed1989

Comparison of analgesic requirements after liver transplantation and cholecystectomy.

In a prospective study of 10 patients who underwent liver transplantation and 10 patients who underwent cholecystectomy, we analyzed the postoperative analgesic requirements and the resultant plasma morphine concentrations. Analgesia was more intense, with less medication, and the plasma morphine concentration was significantly lower in the liver transplant group than in the cholecystectomy group. This finding is most likely attributable to endogenous factors rather than to altered morphine pharmacokinetics.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Assessment of nutritional status of patients with end-stage liver disease undergoing liver transplantation.

Nutritional assessment factors (including dietary history, anthropometric and biochemical measurements, and evaluation of immunocompetence) were retrospectively reviewed in 74 patients undergoing an initial liver transplantation procedure. The patients were subdivided into four categories on the basis of type of liver disease: chronic active hepatitis (N = 24), primary sclerosing cholangitis (N = 22), primary biliary cirrhosis (N = 20), and acute or subacute hepatitis (N = 8). Our nutritional assessment data indicated that malnutrition was present preoperatively in all liver transplantation groups but that each group had distinct characteristics. The group with primary biliary cirrhosis seemed to have the best hepatic synthetic function despite extreme wasting of muscle and fat. On the basis of all criteria, the group with acute hepatitis was the most malnourished of the various disease groups. Aggressive nutritional support, which includes adequate intake of nutrients and supplementation of vitamins and trace minerals, should be encouraged for all potential liver transplant patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Acute hepatic failure: the emerging role of orthotopic liver transplantation.

From 1985 through 1987, we diagnosed acute hepatic failure in 13 patients. Spontaneous recovery occurred in three of these patients. Eight patients underwent liver transplantation, five of whom survived and three of whom died. In addition, two patients died before undergoing transplantation. The survival rate of 62% was better than that among our previous series of similar patients. This improvement seems to be related to the use of orthotopic liver transplantation as a therapeutic alternative among these patients. One of the three patients who died after liver transplantation had normal liver function, but respiratory failure caused by Pneumocystis carinii developed 4 months after the transplantation. The surgical procedure was less difficult in patients with acute fulminant hepatitis than in those with chronic liver disease because fewer problems arose from adhesions, venous collaterals, and ascites. The emerging role of orthotopic liver transplantation in patients with acute hepatic failure is demonstrated by the improvement of survival rates observed by various groups, including ours, when this therapeutic modality is available.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1989

Intensive-care unit experience in the Mayo liver transplantation program: the first 100 cases.

The first 100 liver transplantations at the Mayo Clinic were performed in 83 patients, who required a total of 917 patient days in the intensive-care unit (ICU). The mean duration of stay in the ICU was 5.91 days after liver transplantation and 6.15 days for patients who subsequently required readmission to the ICU. During the immediate postoperative period, hypothermia and hyperglycemia invariably occurred. Later during the initial admission or on readmission to the ICU, there arose the possibility of infections and renal insufficiency. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are necessary for hypertension, hypokalemia, severe metabolic alkalosis, fever, altered mental status, oliguria, and signs of graft failure in liver transplant patients. In our patient series, selective bowel decontamination minimized the occurrence of gram-negative and fungal sepsis, and use of antihypertensive agents and correction of coagulopathies may have decreased the risk of intracranial bleeding in patients with hypertension and clotting defects. Anticipation of potential conditions postoperatively and early implementation of treatment are key factors in the successful ICU management of patients who have undergone liver transplantation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Thrombocytopenia after liver transplantation.

Thrombocytopenia occurs in postoperative liver transplant patients, with platelet counts reaching a nadir on the third postoperative day. Significant bleeding episodes are not uncommon during the first five days postoperatively when platelet counts are low. This thrombocytopenia may be the result of platelet sequestration in the newly grafted liver. The sequestration phenomenon does not appear to be on the basis of antiplatelet antibody activity. Further work defining the time course of this organ sequestration and evaluating the possible release of previously sequestered platelets back into the circulation need to be done. Also, it may be productive to study medications known to inhibit platelet activation (ie, cyclooxygenase inhibitors, prostacyclin, and calcium channel blockers) with the intent of interrupting platelet adhesiveness-sequestration at the time of recirculation of the newly grafted liver.

Hemorrhage↗
PubMed1986

Adverse effects of vancomycin administered in the perioperative period.

Indications for the administration of vancomycin in the perioperative period have expanded in recent years. Used in this situation, vancomycin has caused adverse reactions, the most serious of which is hypotension. We describe five patients who had adverse reactions to vancomycin perioperatively. Vancomycin-induced hypotension usually results from a negative inotropic and vasodilator effect produced in part by a histamine-release phenomenon, which occurs most commonly with rapid intravenous infusion of the drug. Such a release of histamine may also produce an acute urticarial flushing of the upper torso (the "red neck syndrome") and symptoms of pain and muscle spasm in the chest or paraspinal muscles, which may mimic myocardial infarction. These effects usually abate promptly when the infusion of vancomycin is discontinued, and their resolution may be expedited by administration of an antihistamine.

Adult↗