Biomedical subjects

D Sommerwerck

Publications and source records attributed to D Sommerwerck.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

[Results of therapy in pulmonary tuberculosis: outcome monitoring in northern Lower Saxony].

BACKGROUND: Despite it importance standardized treatment outcome-monitoring in tuberculosis patients is not officially done in Germany. METHODS: In this retrospective study we investigated tuberculosis outcome in 494 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis using the international recommended definitions. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 62 month (36-180 month). A successful treatment could be observed in 378 (76.1%) of all patients. Treatment success was mostly documented as cure (n = 375). No documented treatment success was seen in 119 patients (23.9%). The most important reason for unsuccessful treatment was lost for follow up (transfer out) in 60/119 patients (51.2%), followed by death (24/119; 19.8%), an interrupted treatment (22/199; 18.3%) and treatment failure (13/119; 10.7%). No documented treatment success was significantly more common in retreatment cases compared to new cases (p = 0.0003) and in patients with at least a single drug resistance (p = 0.04). Beside these parameters treatment outcome was significantly superior in patients receiving a standard antituberculosis therapy including at least isoniazid and rifampin compared to patients treated with other regimens during both the initial phase (p = 0.0039) and the continuous phase (p = 0.0021) of therapy. CONCLUSION: In this retrospective study the use of the international definitions for outcome monitoring showed a substantial proportion of patients with unsuccessful therapy. For the evaluation of the success of the tuberculosis programme in Germany a prospective documentation of treatment outcome data in all patients using the international definitions seems essential.

Aged↗

PubMed1979

[Assessment of residual functional impairment after chest trauma (author's transl)].

Inadequate knowledge of the variety of residual functional lesions after a chest trauma accounts for the inconsistent assessment of these sequelae. An accurate analysis of the mode of the accident and the subsequent course greatly helps towards clarifying the situation. A final assessment should not be made until at least one year later, since improvement in respiratory function may still occur up to 12-18 months after the trauma. Tests of respiratory function should include all componente factors (ventilation, mechanics of breathing, diffusion, perfusion). An analysis of 41 cases submitted for assessment of residual respiratory lesions showed that lung scanning is the most sensitive method for detecting such damage. It revealed pathological changes in 94% of the cases, as compared with spirometric test (59%) and examination of the mechanics of breathing (33%). Whether and to what extent reduced perfusion without ergo-spirometric evidence of impairment should qualify as residual damage is a moot point.

Humans↗

PubMed1978

[Minocycline in the treatment of respiratory tract infections (author's transl)].

Minocycline concentrations in serum, saliva, sputum, pleural exudate and lung extracts after a single dose of 0.2 g (orally or intravenously) were measured on 32 patients with bronchial or lung disease. On the first day of treatment, concentrations in purulent sputum were five to ten times higher than in mucous sputum and saliva, after two hours they were one third, after three hours half the serum concentration (0.7 and 1.0 microgram/ml, respectively). After six hours the concentration was the same (1.6 microgram/ml). On the third day of treatment (after 0.2 g every 24 hours) concentrations in purulent sputum were higher than on the first day by 0.8 microgram/ml (after two hours) and by 0.95 microgram/ml (after three hours). After one-hour i.v. infusion of 0.2 g minocycline concentrations in mucous sputum and saliva rose more quickly on the first day than after oral administration. On the third day of treatment (after 0.1 g orally every 12 hours) pleural exudate level was almost as high as serum level. Minocycline concentration in lung extract on the third day of treatment--four, five and ten hours after the last dose--was 0.4 and 0.8 microgram/g, respectively (while serum concentration at the same time was 1.0-1.5 microgram/ml).

Humans↗

PubMed1978