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Biomedical subjects

H Laufman

Publications and source records attributed to H Laufman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

Airflow effects in surgery.

Accumulated evidence of the last decade has emphasized the multifaceted nature of wound infection control. Clean air is definitely one of the facets in the complex, but its place in the hierachy of precautions against wound infection has not been established, nor has the method of achieving acceptably clean air been universally agreed on. The surgical team and the patient are the prime sources of contamination during an operation, as evidenced by the good matches between bacteria of infected wounds and those of the team or the patient and by the poor matches between bacteria of infected wounds and airborne bacteria. Therefore, special air-handling systems, despite their ability to lower ambient bioparticulate counts, cannot be credited with being a highly relevant factor in the reduction of wound infection rates.

Air↗
PubMed1979

Moist bacterial strike-through of surgical materials: confirmatory tests.

New tests consisting of modifications of the inverted Mason jar test confirm our previously reported studies which showed that woven and nonwoven surgical materials vary greatly in their ability to serve as barriers against moist bacterial strike-through. Among the woven materials, only tightly woven Pima cloth or materials treated with Quarpel waterproofing process or with polythene layer lamination was invariably resistant. However, tight-woven Pima cloth, which had been treated with Quarpel became permeable after 100 washing-sterilizing cycles. Of the nonwoven materials, single-layer nonwoven materials tended to unevenly permeable to moist bacterial strike-through. Only the front and sleeves of nonwoven gowns reinforced with polyethelene layer were invariably resistant to moist contamination.

Antisepsis↗
PubMed1977

Immune response to L2 guinea pig leukemia-specific antigens.

Strain 2 guinea pigs were immunized with the LE-L2C cell line and challenged with either LE-L2C or BZ-L2C, a subline of L2C leukemia deficient in la gene product and C3 receptor. The LE-L2C-immune animals were completely protected from a challenge of 5 X 10(6) cells (100 times the lethal dose) of either cell line, and the delayed skin test responses for both lines of injected cells were equivalent. Thus established in vivo immune recognition of the leukemia antigen was similar for both cell lines. After repeated immunization of strain 2 animals with BZ-L2C cells, animals were challenged with 3 X 10(5) viable cells; 9 of 13 animals survived. A subsequent 5 x 10 (6) challenge lowered survival to 8 of the 13 animals. The skin test response to BZ-L2C developed slowly during the immunization period, but survivors of the viable cell challenge exhibited good responses to skin testing with BZ-L2C or LE-L2C leukemic cells. Thus the BZ-L2C cell line possesses a leukemia-specific antigen, but the immunogenicity of this mutant line is decreased when compared to that of the LE-L2C line.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Synthetic absorable sutures.

Based on the many reports published in the past several years, the synthetic absorbable sutures have been recognized as an important step forward in the history of suture materials. Synthetic absorbable sutures have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for almost all surgical uses with the exception of certain cardiovascular and neurologic surgical procedures in which nonabsorbable sutures are mandatory, as, for example, in the suturing of a prosthesis to tissue. They have been used in many thousands of surgical operations of many types and show prospects of replacing other absorbable suture materials traditionally used in surgical operations. Moreover, because of their retained strength and low tissue reactivity, the synthetic absorbable materials are being used in some procedures in place of nonabsorbable materials. Thus, instead of using several different suture materials during some operations, the surgeon may find himself using one synthetic absorbable suture in different sizes for an entire procedure.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1976

Use of disposable products in surgical practice.

Disposable products today are an important part of the multibillion dollar health devices industry. A few heavy-usage and low-usage examples of disposable products used by surgeons are chosen to demonstrate that in a 1,000-bed hospital, economy is rarely, if ever, a reason for converting from reusables to disposables. The actual reasons are more closely related to individual preference, availability, convenience, dependability, safely, and, in some cases, manufacturer's promotion. In a 24-hospital study of surgical apparel, it was found that only caps, masks, shoe covers, and other small items approached partly in cost between disposable and reusable items, where as the per-use cost of reusable larger items such as gowns and drapes was still much lower than that of their disposable counterparts. However, each hospital must make its own decisions based on all factors, not on economy alone.

Cellulose↗
PubMed1975

Strike-through of moist contamination by woven and nonwoven surgical materials.

A test is described which correlates the stress of stretching surgical gown and drape material with moist bacterial strike-through. By application of this test to a number of woven and nonwoven surgical gown and drape materials, it was found that not all of these materials, either woven or nonwoven, are impermeable to moist contamination for equal periods of time. Nonwoven disposable materials now in use range from those which remain impermeable to moist bacterial permeation through all tests while some remain impermeable for limited periods of time, and others almost immediately permeable to moist bacterial penetration. The same situation holds for woven materials. Under conditions of our test, Quarpel treated Pima tight-woven cotton cloth was impermeable to moist bacterial strike-through, through up to 75 washing and sterilizing cyclings, while ordinary linen and untreated Pima cloth permitted bacterial permeation almost immediately. These results have significance in lengthy wet surgical operations.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1975

Television in the operating room.

Television serves a number of useful purposes in the operating room. For the operating room supervisor, television surveillance provides an easy, economical method of keeping abreast of surgical and turnaround activities in each operating room. For the surgeon it provides an excellent vehicle for teaching, record keeping, remote viewing, and two way communication with the clinical pathology and x-ray departments, as well as with other consultants.

Education, Medical↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Is laminar airflow necessary for prophylaxis against wound infection?

Abuse of an otherwise properly installed and maintained operating room system may result in rendering the environment unsatisfactory for critical types of surgery, especially when a patient's resistance is lowered by disease or drugs, or when a large foreign body is implanted. No type of special air-handling system will correct these abuses even though it may reduce ambient bioparticle counts. From all available valid evidence, the conclusion is drawn that laminar flow is less effective against wound infection than adherence to proper techniques and correction of abuses of the operating room environment by the surgical team and support personnel.

Air Microbiology↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Design, devices, and discipline in operating room infection control.

The prevention of surgical infection in the operating theatre is a complex pursuit. Every facet of activity, whether it is part of the surgical act itself or a remote activity with indirect effects on the surgical operation, constitutes part of the whole realm of infection control. These many facets may be divided into four main components, all interdependent: (a) the surgeon and his team (surgical technique; adherence to surgical anatomic, physiologic, and aseptic principles; discipline); (b) education and communiction--a functioning infections committee, repeated tutorials for all prefessional and technical operating room personnel, constant review of methods and systems, effective reporting of offenses, enforcement of discipline; (c) dependable support services--sterilizing techniques, barrier materials, apparel, laundry methods; materials handling and processing methods; efficiency and personal hygiene of all techincal and support personnel; discipline; and (d) environmental factors--architecture, engineering, and air handling; electrical and mechanical requirements; communication; discipline).

Air Microbiology↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Trends in operating room devices.

Although trends in the use of operating room devices have generally followed advances in technology, the trends are not always influenced as much by surgical need as they are by industrial expediency and commercial promotion. Nonetheless, a broad view of trends in OR devices definitely points to efforts at greater compatibility between devices made by different manufacturers. To mention a few examples, operating tables are being made more compatible with OR X-ray equipment; surgical lighting is being designed for greater compatibility with air-handling systems and video equipment; power consoles have reduced the clutter of tubes, hoses, and wires in complicated operations, and have become more functional in keeping with the trend away from electrical power and toward nitrogen power for driving surgical tools; cabinetry is being designed to employ clean-air principles; and surgical apparel and barrier materials are undergoing close scrutiny for their effectiveness against moist bacterial strike-through in lengthy wet operations. Operating room devices form an important segment of the devices classified by the FDA, and are expected to benefit by the application of standards in performance and safety. This trend will affect not only the devices themselves, but all other facets of operating room design and engineering.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A new bedside emergency resuscitation cart.

Existing bedside emergency resuscitation carts all have certain shortcomings, which interfere with the rapid, efficient care of the hospitalized patient in a catastrophic episode. A systems study was made of the performance criteria of such a cart under conditions which require its use. The primary result of the study was a new design for a bedside emergency resuscitation cart and a suggested list of emergency medications and equipment, every item of which is visible and available without opening drawers to search for it. It is suggested that such a cart, fully equipped, be kept on every nursing station and in every special care department of a hospital.

Critical Care↗