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Biomedical subjects

G Quinn

Publications and source records attributed to G Quinn.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Systemic complications associated with retinal cryoablation for retinopathy of prematurity.

Eighty infants with proliferative retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) were treated with peripheral retinal cryoablation. Among the serious systemic complications encountered were three instances of respiratory arrest and one of cardiorespiratory arrest. Recommendations that may help prevent these adverse systemic effects in premature infants include: (1) avoidance of excess subconjunctival anesthetic doses, (2) preoperative administration of systemic atropine to minimize the oculocardiac reflex, (3) consideration of an analgesic agent to decrease the pain and exhaustion, and (4) cardiorespiratory monitoring in a hospital setting, with an intravenous line in place, at the time of treatment.

Anesthetics

Medico-legal aspects of cross infection: dental scenario.

The epidemiology of Hepatitis B infection is used to show that dental health care workers are at greater risk of acquiring serious infective diseases than is the population at large. The significance of this greater risk is that dental employers must take the proper steps to protect their employees' health. A five fold strategy is put forward to achieve this end. The law governing a (dental) employer's duty in this regard is examined. Failure to take appropriate action leaves the dental employer open to legal action in the event that an employee acquires a serious infection in the course of his work. The similarity is stressed between Irish and British law in protecting the needs of authority and established bodies such as for instance the dental profession. However, the developments in Irish law are mentioned which show that following established practice in a profession does not guarantee protection from legal suit.

Cross Infection

Early results of combined electrohydraulic shock-wave lithotripsy and oral litholytic therapy of gallbladder stones at the University of Iowa.

One hundred thirty-three patients were entered into a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy for symptomatic gallstones versus extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy plus adjuvant litholytic therapy with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). Six months after lithotripsy, patients receiving placebo were crossed over to UDCA therapy without unblinding the study. One hundred sixteen patients have completed 6 months of follow-up. Five patients were dropped from the study. Nine percent have required cholecystectomy (11 patients with biliary colic and 1 with acute cholecystitis). Ninety-one patients had a solitary stone (64 patients had stones less than or equal to 20 mm and 27 patients had stones greater than 20 mm in diameter), and 25 patients had two to three stones. Fifty percent were retreated. Cumulative stone-free rates at 6, 12, and 18 months were 26%, 39%, and 41%, respectively. At 6 months there was a significant advantage for patients treated with UDCA versus placebo (36% vs 17% were stone free) that had disappeared by 12 months (placebo-treated patients had received 6 months of UDCA). Patients with solitary stones equal to or less than 20 mm in diameter treated with UDCA had stone-free rates at 6, 12, and 18 months of 58%, 58%, and 62%, respectively, versus 27%, 56%, and 50%. The difference was significant only at the 6- month follow-up. Stone-free rates for patients with large solitary stones and multiple stones were very low. Extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy is both safe and effective therapy for treatment of symptomatic gallstones in patients with a solitary stone equal to or less than 20 mm in diameter. UDCA markedly improves the efficiency of the procedure and results in a stone-free gallbladder sooner.

Administration, Oral

Cryotherapy for active retinopathy of prematurity.

Twenty-eight patients with bilateral symmetrical stage-III retinopathy of prematurity and plus disease had one eye treated using cryotherapy, while the other acted as a control. Eleven patients showed improvement in both the treated and untreated eye, while 11 others were noted to improve in the treated eye while demonstrating deterioration in the untreated eye. The P value obtained by applying binomial distribution tests suggested that, in the sampled population, cryotherapy was preferable to no treatment.

Clinical Trials as Topic

Cryotherapy for active retinopathy of prematurity.

Twenty-eight patients with bilateral symmetrical Stage 3 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and plus disease had one eye assigned to cryotherapy and the other to control. The majority of patients weighed under 1000 grams at birth and females outnumbered males by nearly a two-to-one ratio.+ Cryotherapy was generally performed at a gestational age of less than 40 weeks and a mean chronologic age of 10 weeks. Eleven patients showed improvement in both the treated and untreated eyes possibly due to variables among prematures not identified in the study. Eleven other patients experienced improvement in the treated eye and progression in the untreated eye. Using the binomial distribution on the latter group the P value was 0.0005 with a one-tailed hypothesis test and 0.001 with a two-tailed test, suggesting that in the sampled population cryotherapy appears to be preferred over no treatment.

Cryosurgery