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J Dunning

Publications and source records attributed to J Dunning.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

Carpal tunnel syndrome: evaluation of a new method of assessing median nerve conduction at the wrist.

OBJECTIVE: To compare median nerve conduction velocity measured using a new, portable electroneurometer with measurements made using conventional hospital nerve conduction apparatus. METHODS: Twenty five patients were studied who were consecutively referred to a hospital neurophysiology department with a clinical diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. Sensory and motor latencies for the median nerve at the wrist were measured bilaterally using the portable electroneurometer and a Medilec MS 92 hospital apparatus operated by a trained technician. RESULTS: There was strong agreement between motor latency values obtained by the two techniques (r = 0.89, p < 0.001; mean difference -0.03 ms, limits of agreement -0.33 to 0.27 ms). Sensory latencies were less easy to detect with the electroneurometer, and correlated less well with the hospital apparatus (r = 0.78, p < 0.001; mean difference -0.16 ms, limits of agreement -0.50 to 0.18 ms). CONCLUSION: The portable electroneurometer provides a convenient, rapid, and inexpensive means of assessing median nerve conduction velocity at the wrist. Measurements of motor latency obtained with this new instrument agree more strongly with those made by conventional apparatus than do measurements of sensory latency. Although the utility of the instrument in clinical practice will be limited, it provides a helpful tool in epidemiological studies of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Adult

Heart-lung-liver transplantation.

We report three patients with cystic fibrosis and one patient with primary biliary cirrhosis and plexogenic pulmonary hypertension who have undergone heart-lung-liver transplantation as a combined procedure. Liver transplantation was necessary in the three patients with cystic fibrosis because of portal hypertension secondary to either hepatic fibrosis or established cirrhosis in addition to their advanced lung disease. Three of the four patients were alive at 20, 50, and 100 months after transplantation (one patient with cystic fibrosis died on day 16 of pneumonia) with well-preserved pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in 1 second 110%, 49%, and 100% predicted, respectively), normal hepatic function and New York Heart Association class 1 performance status. Heart-lung and concurrent liver transplantation is a feasible and successful procedure with a satisfactory long-term outcome in selected patients with advanced pulmonary and hepatic disease.

Adult

Aprotinin and bleeding in profoundly hypothermic perfusion.

Clinical observation led us to believe that aprotinin fails to preserve haemostatic function in patients undergoing deep hypothermic perfusion with or without circulatory arrest. A retrospective study was made of blood loss in 80 consecutive acute Type A dissection patients before and during the aprotinin era (1987-1992). After 1988 all patients were cooled below 20 degrees C pending circulatory arrest. Fourteen patients underwent aortic root replacement and 66 replacements of the ascending aorta. Age distribution (range 22-79 years) and type of operation were similar in the aprotinin and control groups. The impervious Hemashield (Meadox) graft was used for all but five patients. These underwent aortic root replacement with preclotted, valved conduits. Overall the mean blood loss for 27 patients operated without aprotinin was 837 ml per 24 h (standard error +/- 90) and for 53 patients with aprotinin 1,929 ml per 24 h (standard error +/- 90). There was a significant difference between the two groups when profoundly hypothermic perfusion was used, with greater bleeding in aprotinin-treated patients. There were six re-entries in the aprotinin group and none in the control patients. There were ten hospital deaths (11.1%). A greater incidence of bleeding and thrombosis-related deaths was recorded for the aprotinin-treated patients. In addition, four surviving aprotinin patients suffered severe coagulation defect with blood loss greater than 4,500 ml and platelets less than 50 x 10(6). We suggest that aprotinin inhibits the protease enzymes which maintain the fluid state of blood during hypothermic low flow and arrest states. Disseminated intravascular coagulation may consume platelets thereby predisposing to abnormal bleeding and potentially fatal thrombotic events. The use of aprotinin in profoundly hypothermic perfusion should be adopted cautiously.

Adult

Apparent obstruction of the superior vena cava and a continuous murmur: signs of a fistula between a vein graft aneurysm and the right atrium.

A previously undescribed complication of a saphenous vein aortocoronary bypass graft, namely formation of a fistula between a vein graft aneurysm and the right atrium is reported. A patient presented with a continuous murmur and a combination of signs suggesting superior vena cava obstruction. This pathology was shown by both echocardiography and angiography. Surgical treatment was attempted.

Aged

Clinical factors and the size of the external callus in tibial shaft fractures.

The influence of clinical factors on external callus formation was investigated by prospectively studying 50 closed adult unilateral tibial shaft fractures. The fractures were treated by closed methods and all united normally within 20 weeks of injury. The callus volume and a quantitative index of size, calculated from roentgenograms, did not correlate with clinical factors such as severity of trauma, interval from fracture to weight bearing, fracture morphology, presence or absence of a fracture gap, or fracture displacement.

Adult

The use of exercise technetium-99m 2-methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile (99mTc-Sestamibi) perfusion scanning in the detection of acute rejection after cardiac transplantation.

Acute cardiac rejection remains an important cause of death during the first year following cardiac transplantation. Right ventricular biopsies at regular intervals are the main method of detecting rejection, although it is invasive. Unfortunately, non-invasive methods of detecting rejection have not proved reliable enough to replace cardiac biopsies. We assessed the usefulness of technetium-99m 2-methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile (99mTc-Sestamibi) perfusion scanning in detecting acute rejection in 12 human orthotopic cardiac transplant recipients. Rest and exercise studies and right ventricular biopsies were performed on two occasions. Isotopic evidence of rejection was defined as a perfusion abnormality on either the resting or exercise studies. 99mTc-Sestamibi studies successfully identified acute rejection in 8 of 11 rejection episodes (p less than 0.04). The calculated sensitivity and specificity of 99mTc-Sestamibi scanning were both 72%. Perfusion scanning with 99mTc-Sestamibi may be useful in the diagnosis of acute rejection in cardiac transplant recipients.

Adult

Influence of recipient and donor gender on outcome after heart transplantation.

To investigate the effect of recipient and donor genders on the outcome after heart transplantation, a retrospective survey was undertaken of 356 patients (366 transplants: 316 males, 40 females) undergoing transplantation between January 1979 and December 31, 1989, at Papworth Hospital. Ninety-three organs came from female donors; 263 organs came from males. Twelve females (30%; 95% confidence interval 16% to 44%) and 51 males (16%; 95% confidence interval 12% to 20%) died in the early postoperative period (within 90 days of operation). To date, two females (5%) and 51 males (16%) have died in the late postoperative period. Comparison between recipient genders showed no statistically significant difference in early mortality rates from any cause or in actuarial survival overall, although fatal acute rejection was significantly more common in female recipients (7 of 40 female recipients versus 19 of 316 male recipients). The higher incidence of fatal rejection among female recipients was related to the higher proportion of female donors in this group, because recipients of female donor grafts had significantly higher mortality rates, particularly in the early postoperative period and as a result of acute rejection, than did recipients of organs from male donors. Death from rejection after the first 3 months and death from infection were not gender-related. Recipients of grafts from female donors did not suffer significantly more early morbidity, such as rejection and infection, or late morbidity in the form of coronary artery disease. Acute rejection episodes were more common in female recipients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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