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Biomedical subjects

J J Skillman

Publications and source records attributed to J J Skillman.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Antacid titration in the prevention of acute gastrointestinal bleeding: a controlled, randomized trial in 100 critically ill patients.

We randomized 100 critically ill patients at risk of developing acute gastrointestinal ulceration and bleeding into two groups. One (51 patients) received antacid prophylaxis, and the other (49 patients) received no specific form of prophylaxis. Hourly antacid titration kept the pH of the gastric contents above 3.5. Two of the 51 patients who received antacid prophylaxis and gastrointestinal bleeding. Twelve of the 49 control patients bled (P less than 0.005). Of the 12 patients in the control group who bled, seven were placed on antacid medication, and all seven apparently stopped bleeding. Analysis of all the patients showed that an increasing prevalence of respiratory, failure, sepsis, peritonitis, jaundice, renal failure and hypotension was correlated with a greater frequency of bleeding. No patients required operative treatment to control bleeding. These data indicate that the occurrence of acute gastrointestinal bleeding in critically ill patients can be reduced by antacid titration.

Acute Disease

Albumin uptake by skin, skeletal muscle and lung in living and dying patients.

Quantitative changes in albumin and water content which occur in skin and muscle tissue obtained by biopsy from clean surgical incisions at the time of skin incision and at the time of wound closure were assessed in seven patients who had major abdominal and vascular operations. Biopsies from skin, muscle and pulmonary tissue were obtained in a second group of nine patients who had thoracotomy for suspected bronchogenic carcinoma. The intravascular albumin mass decreased linearly with the duration of the operation (r = 0.69, p <0.01) and was correlated significantly with a linear increase of extravascular albumin content in muscle (r = 0.63, p < 0.01). A significant increase of extravascular albumin occurred from the time of incision to the time of wound closure in the skin and muscle samples from both groups (p < 0.05-p < 0.001). Extravascular albumin and water content were assessed in a third group of three postoperative patients who died with acute respiratory failure. Although the concentration of extravascular albumin in pulmonary tissue taken from this group was not different from the thoracotomy group, calculations based on the mean combined post mortem lung weights showed two to three times more extravascular albumin content. The histopathological findings are consistent with these changes. Thoracotomy was not associated with an abnormal increase in pulmonary extravascular albumin and water content, possibly because albumin does not gain access to the pulmonary extravascular space in increased amounts during operation in this clinical setting.

Albumins

Prevention of deep vein thrombosis in urological patients: a controlled, randomized trial of low-dose heparin and external pneumatic compression boots.

A prospective, randomized clinical trial in 83 patients undergoing open urological operations was performed to compare the relative prophylactic efficacy of low-dose heparin and external pneumatic compression (EPC) of the calves in comparison to no treatment in the prevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis was established by the I125 fibrinogen scan and contrast phlebography. The data indicate that EPC is more effective than no treatment (p less than 0.04) and more effective than low-dose heparin (p less than 0.04) in the prevention of DVT. There was one pulmonary embolus in each of the three groups, and in the treatment groups this occurred without evidence of DVT.

Adult

Prevention of deep vein thrombosis in neurosurgical patients: a controlled, randomized trial of external pneumatic compression boots.

A prospective, randomized clinical trial in 95 patients undergoing neurosurgical operative procedures was performed to investigate the efficacy of external pneumatic compression (EPC) of the calves as compared with results in a control group that received no specific form of prophylaxis for prevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The diagnosis of DVT was established by the I125 fibrinogen scan and radiographic contrast phlebography. The data indicate that EPC provides significant protection against the development of DVT in comparison with results in the control group (p less than 0.005). There were no known pulmonary emboli in any of the EPC-treated patients. There were no complications of EPC.

Evaluation Studies as Topic

Cardiorespiratory and sympathoadrenal responses during weaning from controlled ventilation.

Weaning from controlled ventilation was attempted in 20 patients who were ventilated with volume constant ventilators for at least 24 hours before study. Measurement of alveolar to arterial oxygen tension differences on 100% oxygen (Aa DO2 1.0) in patients who failed to wean (nonweaners, n = 10), showed a mean AaDO21.0 at 5 minutes after beginning to wean of 388 +/- 56 mm Hg (SEM), and right-to-left shunt (QS/Qt) of 21% values which were significantly different from control (p less than 0.025) and significantly different from ten patients who weaned (p less than 0.005). Since rises in QS/Qt were not accompanied by increased pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, the increased QS/Qt was most likely due to acute atelectasis and not left ventricular failure. These data suggest that patients who fail an initial period of weaning should be placed on positive end-expiratory pressure during subsequent weaning attempts. Significant increases in cardiac output and atrial PCO2 occurred in both groups. Assessment of urinary catecholamine excretion during weaning suggests that sympathoadrenal stimulation often is intense and usually is greater in those patients who weaned successfully. Increased arterial PCO2 may be the mechanism for sympathoadrenal stimulation and rises in cardiac output (r = 0.39, p less than 0.01) during weaning.

Adrenal Medulla

Improved albumin synthesis in postoperative patients by amino acid infusion.

To determine whether intravenous 3.5 per cent amino acid solution enhanced the rate of albumin synthesis in postoperative patients, we measured the albumin synthesis rate by the (14C) carbonate technic in 10 patients on the fourth day after elective gastrointestinal-tract operations. Five patients were randomized to receive a 3.5 per cent solution of essential and non-essential amino acids, and five to receive 5 per cent glucose. A mean (+/-S.E.M.) of 75.0+/-2.0 per day of amino acids or 111.0+/-12.4 glucose was given. In the amino acid group the mean (+/-S.E.M.) albumin synthesis rate was 237+/-24 mg per kilogram per day, in comparison to 157+/-23 in the glucose group (P less than 0.05). The infused amino acids were apparently more effective than plain glucose in promoting albumin synthesis.

Adult

Positive end-expiratory pressure in weaning patients from controlled ventilation. A prospective randomised trial.

Twenty-five patients in acute respiratory failure were randomised to receive either 5 cm of positive end-expiratory pressure (P.E.E.P.) or no-P.E.E.P. while weaning from controlled ventilation. The use of P.E.E.P. resulted in a significant reduction in the increase in alveolar-arterial oxygen tension gradient (AaDO21) which occurred in the group of patients who were converted from controlled ventilation to spontaneous ventilation without P.E.E.P. Patients who weaned without P.E.E.P. had a mean increase in AaDO21 of 102+/-35 mm Hg S.E. while those who weaned with P.E.E.P. had a mean increase of only 10+/-22 mm Hg (P less than 0-03). The use of P.E.E.P. was also associated with a significant improvement in the vital capacity and the maximum inspiratory force. Patients who weaned with P.E.E.P. had an increase in vital capacity of 258+/-108 ml (P less than 0-05) and an increase in inspiratory force of -15+/-5 cm H2O (P less than 0-01), while patients who weaned without P.E.E.P. did not have significant changes in these measurements. The use of P.E.E.P. during weaning may be helpful in patients who fail to wean because of the development of hypoxaemia due to rapid alveolar collapse, since P.E.E.P. appears to minimise the increase in intrapulmonary right-to-left shunt which normally occurs during weaning from controlled ventilation.

Acute Disease