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Biomedical subjects

D R Murdoch

Publications and source records attributed to D R Murdoch.

54 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Importance of heart failure as a cause of death. Changing contribution to overall mortality and coronary heart disease mortality in Scotland 1979-1992.

AIMS: As heart failure is a syndrome arising from another condition, such as coronary heart disease, it is rarely officially coded as the underlying cause of death regardless of the cause recorded by the physician at the time of certification. We sought to assess the true contribution of heart failure to overall mortality and coronary heart disease mortality and to examine how this contribution has changed over time. METHODS AND RESULTS: We carried out a retrospective analysis of all death certificates in Scotland between 1979 and 1992 for which heart failure was coded as the underlying or a contributory cause of death. From a total of 833622 deaths in Scotland between 1979 and 1992, heart failure was coded as the underlying cause in only 1.5% (13695), but as a contributory cause in a further 14.3% (126073). In 1979, 28.5% of male and 40.4% of female deaths attributed to coronary heart disease (coded as the underlying cause of death) also had a coding for heart failure. In 1992 these percentages had risen significantly to 34.1% and 44.8%, respectively (both P<0.001). Mortality rates for heart failure as the underlying or contributory cause of death, standardized by age and sex, fell significantly over the period studied in all ages and in both sexes: by 31% in men and 41% in women <65 years and 15.8% in men and 5.1% in women > or =65 years, respectively (P<0.01 for all changes). CONCLUSIONS: Death from heart failure is substantially underestimated by official statistics. Furthermore, one third or more of deaths currently attributed to coronary heart disease may be related to heart failure and this proportion appears to be increasing. While the absolute numbers of deaths caused by heart failure remains constant, this study is the first to show that standardized mortality rates are declining.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1998

ACE inhibitors in acute myocardial infarction.

Approximately 50% of patients recovering from acute myocardial infarction have significant left ventricular systolic dysfunction and could benefit considerably from the long-term administration of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. This article summarizes the evidence for the use of these drugs and addresses the practical issues involved in their administration.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1998

Clinical epidemiology of heart failure: public and private health burden.

Clinically overt heart failure is common, costly, disabling, and deadly; it remains so despite the tremendous benefit of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Better treatments for and earlier detection of heart failure are needed if the situation to improve. However, even this may not be enough. The dramatic deterioration in quality of life and prognosis when a patient progresses from asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction to overt heart failure suggests that only a programme of screening and prevention will effectively reduce the public health burden of heart failure. Moreover, the economic consequences of developing overt heart failure suggest that such an approach is likely to be cost-effective.

Echocardiography↗
PubMed1997

Brain natriuretic peptide is stable in whole blood and can be measured using a simple rapid assay: implications for clinical practice.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the stability of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) to that of N-terminal atrial natriuretic peptide (NT-ANP) in whole blood and plasma stored under different conditions. To compare a rapid, simple, direct (unextracted) BNP assay to a conventional assay using plasma extraction. DESIGN: Blinded, prospective, comparative study. SETTING: Tertiary referral cardiology department. SUBJECTS: Forty two subjects (24 men, 18 women) comprising 28 patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) ranging from mild to severe and 14 healthy volunteers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Stability of NT-ANP and BNP when stored as whole blood or plasma at room temperature over three days. Reproducibility of measurements. RESULTS: BNP was stable in whole blood stored at room temperature for three days; mean change in concentration -7.4% (95% CI 0.6 to -14.8), (direct), -6.3% (5.0 to -16.4), (extracted); whereas a significant decline in BNP concentration was noted in plasma stored at room temperature; -23.2% (-13.7 to -31.6), (direct); -14.4% (-3.2 to -24.3), (extracted). By contrast a small nonsignificant rise in NT-ANP concentration was noted both in whole blood and plasma stored at room temperature for three days; whole blood +8.6% (+22.3 to -3.5), plasma +6.3%, (23.2 to -8.4). The reproducibility of the BNP measurements, and particularly the rapid, direct, measurement, was superior to that for NT-ANP. CONCLUSIONS: BNP is shown to be stable in whole blood for three days and can be measured using a rapid, simple assay. Routine assay of BNP is feasible in ordinary clinical practice and may be of value to general practitioners and hospital based physicians in the diagnosis and management of patients with LVSD. Samples can be sent to a central laboratory without special handling requirements.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Use of the polymerase chain reaction to detect Legionella DNA in urine and serum samples from patients with pneumonia.

Legionella pneumonia can be difficult to diagnose. Existing laboratory tests for detecting Legionella species lack sensitivity or provide only a retrospective diagnosis. We used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers that amplify a 104-base pair segment of the coding region of the 5S tRNA gene to detect Legionella DNA in urine and serum samples from patients with pneumonia. Stored urine and serum samples from patients enrolled in two prospective studies of pneumonia were tested. Legionella DNA was detected in urine and/or serum samples from 18 (64%) of 28 patients with legionella pneumonia diagnosed by conventional tests, but it was not detected in urine or serum samples from 24 patients with pneumonia due to other organisms. The sensitivity of PCR improved to 73% if testing was restricted to samples taken within 4 days of the onset of symptoms. Detection of Legionella DNA in urine and serum promises to be a valuable tool for the rapid diagnosis of legionella pneumonia.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Vertebral osteomyelitis due to Staphylococcus lugdunensis.

We present the first reported case of vertebral osteomyelitis due to Staphylococcus lugdunensis. The infection occurred in an 80-year-old woman who had been taking glucocorticosteroids. S. lugdunensis is a coagulase-negative staphylococcus with considerable potential as a human pathogen. Isolation of this organism should be regarded as significant unless evidence suggests otherwise.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Clinical and economic considerations in the use of third-generation oral cephalosporins.

A number of oral third-generation cephalosporins (cefixime, cefetamet pivoxil, ceftibuten and cefpodoxime proxetil) have been widely trialled and are becoming available. In addition, cefdinir may also be marketed. Compared with first- and second-generation agents, the oral third-generation cephalosporins have an improved antibacterial spectrum and reduced minimum inhibitory concentrations against common Gram-negative pathogens. In contrast, with the exception of cefdinir, they are less active against Staphylococcus aureus. They have favourable pharmacokinetic profiles and are generally administered in once- or twice-daily regimens. They are well tolerated, but cefixime has been associated with a particularly high rate of diarrhoea. Possible clinical indications for the use of oral third-generation cephalosporins include upper and lower respiratory, genitourinary and soft-tissue infections and follow-on treatment of severe infections requiring hospitalisation. At present, these drugs offer no particular clinical advantages over standard therapy in most circumstances. However, they may be considered where there is hypersensitivity to penicillins, a high incidence of resistance to first-line therapy in the community, or failure of standard therapy. Further studies are needed to define the efficacy of oral third-generation agents in the prevention of rheumatic fever and as follow-on therapy for severe infections. The oral third-generation cephalosporins are generally more expensive than standard agents, but detailed studies that include extended costs (e.g. treatment of adverse effects, treatment of clinical failure, return visits to physicians) have yet to be reported.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1995

Symptoms of infection and altitude illness among hikers in the Mount Everest region of Nepal.

Symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS) and infection were recorded daily in 283 hikers walking the Mount Everest base camp trek in the Nepal Himalaya. Some 57% of subjects developed AMS, and 87% experienced at least one symptom of infection during the study period. Coryza (75%), cough (42%), sore throat (39%), and diarrhea (36%) were especially prevalent. All symptoms of infection were more prevalent among those with AMS. The incidence of AMS was greater among those with more symptoms of infection (p = 0.00004), and the number of symptoms of infection experienced with positively correlated with AMS score (rs = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.33 to 0.52). These results suggest that symptoms of infection are common at high altitude and are associated with a higher incidence of AMS. People with infections should ascend at a slower rate at high altitude.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Handling during neonatal intensive care.

The handling received by very low birthweight newborns undergoing intensive care in the first few days of life and the effects of this were studied. Infants were handled an average of 4.3 hours (18%) of the total 24 hour observation time and received a mean 234 handling procedures. Parental handling contributed 35% of the total time but was usually benign except in that it could interfere with the infant's rest. Many procedures were associated with undesirable consequences. Endotracheal suctioning was invariably associated with hypoxaemia and was often carried out more frequently, or took longer, than was optimal. Transcutaneous oxygen monitoring, although considered routine for all intensive care infants, was only carried out for 50% of the observation time and often did not accompany periods of likely intensive handling. Increasing technology in neonatal intensive care often results in increased handling of sick infants. Each new innovation, as well as routine procedures, should be viewed in the light of the continuum of neonatal intensive care events, and handling kept to a minimum.

Critical Care↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Human metapneumovirus in children with bronchiolitis or pneumonia in New Zealand.

OBJECTIVES: To confirm the presence of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) in New Zealand and establish its prevalence in selected paediatric patient groups. METHODS: Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected in two separate paediatric studies enrolling children clinically diagnosed with either bronchiolitis or pneumonia and tested for hMPV by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Nucleic acid detection tests demonstrated 5.3% of paediatric bronchiolitis cases were positive for hMPV RNA and 2.7% of children admitted with pneumonia tested positive for hMPV RNA. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of hMPV in New Zealand has been confirmed in two selected paediatric patient groups, namely children diagnosed with bronchiolitis and pneumonia. These results indicate that hMPV is associated with a minority of cases of bronchiolitis or pneumonia in this patient group.

Bronchiolitis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Emerging infectious diseases in an island ecosystem: the New Zealand perspective.

Several unique features characterize infectious disease epidemiology in New Zealand. Historically, well-organized, government-run control programs have eliminated several zoonoses. More recently, however, communicable disease control has been mixed. Rates of rheumatic fever, tuberculosis, and enteric infectious are high, and rates of meningococcal disease are increasing. These diseases are over-represented in New Zealanders of Polynesian descent, who generally live in more deprived and overcrowded conditions than do those of European descent. Measles and pertussis epidemics are recurring because of inadequate vaccine coverage, despite a well-developed childhood immunization program. A progressive response to the HIV epidemic has resulted in relatively low rates of infection, particularly among injecting drug users; however, the response to other sexually transmitted infections has been poor. A key challenge for the future is to build on successful strategies and apply them to persisting and emerging infectious disease threats in a small, geographically isolated country with limited economic resources.

Animals↗