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Biomedical subjects

Hartmut Zwick

Publications and source records attributed to Hartmut Zwick.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

[COPD-rehabilitation].

Rehabilitation of COPD-patients is an important part of the therapeutic management. The effects of endurance- and resistance-training as well as respiratory muscle-training are evident. Smoking cessation therapy is standardized, effective and cheap, and is the prerequisite of a successful COPD management. Patients with severe or very severe COPD not only have to inhale their medication exactly, but also have to undertake physical exercise and optimize their body weight. This cannot normally be achieved without adequate education. A structured patients' education optimizes all therapeutic action and is an integral part of the management of COPD.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed2004

Spontaneous bilateral diaphragmatic paralysis: a rare cause of respiratory failure.

Bilateral diaphragmatic paralysis (BDP) can occur in the course of motor neuron disease, myopathy, or from mechanical damage or the use of "ice slush" during cardiac surgery. BDP has been observed during and after infections, associated with systemic lupus erythematosus and mediastinal tumors, or may have idiopathic etiology. It is a serious and life-threatening condition. A 62-yr-old man presented with slowly progressive dyspnoea that worsened in the supine position and on bending forward. Chest X-rays, fluoroscopy, lung-function parameters and blood-gas analysis revealed respiratory failure. BDP was confirmed from a phrenic nerve stimulation test and measurement of transdiaphragmatic pressure (Pdi). Since there was no evidence of an obvious etiology, BDP was considered idiopathic. Other muscles were not involved. The pathological basis was probably focal demyelination in segments of the phrenic nerve. Because of increasing diaphragmatic muscle fatigue, the patient was treated with a nasal mask providing bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) ventilation during the night. Clinical suspicion of BDP should always be raised in patients suffering slowly progressive dyspnoea without any obvious cardiac, metabolic or traumatic predisposing factors, and orthopnoea and dyspnoea on bending forward. Electromyographic tests and measurement of Pdi can reveal the correct diagnosis.

Dyspnea↗
PubMed2002

Smoking habits of office-based general practitioners and internists in Austria and their smoking cessation efforts.

Tobacco smoking is the major cause of lung disease. This study aimed to determine: 1) the prevalence of tobacco smoking among office-based physicians; 2) their readiness to inquire about their patients' smoking habits and, if need be, to motivate them to stop smoking; 3) whether non-smoking doctors advise their patients more frequently to stop smoking than their smoker colleagues do. A self-designed questionnaire on a post card was sent to 7674 office-based general practitioners (GPs) and internists. 1395 (18.2%) questionnaires were returned. Independent telephone interviews with 91 doctors were also carried out to minimize the bias of self-presentation. Just under 11% of doctors were smokers. About 50% of all doctors who responded described themselves as ex-smokers. 38% of the smokers would accept outside help to stop smoking. About 50% of GPs and 90% of internists inquire about the smoking habits of their patients during history taking. Of these, 85% of GPs and 92% of internists recommend their patients to stop smoking. Doctors who themselves are smokers do so less than their non-smoker colleagues. For this reason, a further reduction in the smoking prevalence among doctors would be of special importance. Inquiry about smoking habits in the initial history taking should be stressed more to identify any smoker who can be subsequently encouraged to stop smoking.

Austria↗