Biomedical subjects

J Sorli

Publications and source records attributed to J Sorli.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

Functional electrical stimulation of abdominal muscles to augment tidal volume in spinal cord injury.

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) of abdominal muscles as a method of enhancing ventilation was explored in six neurologically intact subjects and five subjects with spinal cord injury (SCI) who had levels of injury between C4 and C7. Pulmonary ventilation was augmented in both groups predominantly due to an increase in tidal volume. The average increase in tidal volume during FES for the neurologically intact group was 350 ml, while in the SCI group it was 220 ml. The FES caused active volume decreases in both the lower thorax and upper abdomen, which together appear to be the mechanism behind the increases seen in tidal volume. Therefore, the proposed method might be useful in future clinical practice. The results indicate that FES of abdominal muscles should be more thoroughly explored as a potential technique of ventilatory support in SCI. The results also point to the necessity for further studies of maintaining the condition of the chest wall in the pulmonary rehabilitation of individuals with tetraplegia.

Abdominal Muscles↗

PubMed1999

Bronchoscopic removal of foreign bodies in adults: experience with 62 patients from 1974-1998.

The authors reviewed their experience with therapeutic bronchoscopy for removal of tracheobronchial foreign bodies in the adult. Bronchoscopy records and collection of foreign bodies in the endoscopic department were retrospectively examined. Among 37,466 bronchoscopies performed between 1974-1998, 62 (0.2%) were performed for the removal of tracheobronchial foreign bodies. Medical history was suggestive of foreign body aspiration in 33 patients and the chest radiograph was suggestive in 10 patients. The procedure was performed with the flexible bronchoscope in 42 patients (68%), rigid bronchoscope in 4 (6%), and with both in 16 (26%) patients. Foreign bodies were found in the right bronchial tree on 42 occasions, in the left on 20 and in the trachea once. In 39 patients, inflammatory granulations were found around the foreign body. The origins of the foreign bodies included: bone fragments (n=31), vegetable (n=10), broncholith (n=8), a part of dental prosthesis (n=7), endodontic needle (n=2), a metallic (n=2), or plastic (n=1) particle, a tracheostomy tube (n=1) and a match (n=1). In one patient, 2 foreign bodies were found. The foreign bodies were successfully removed in all but 2 patients (3%). The most useful instruments for removal were alligator forceps and the wire basket. Foreign bodies in the tracheobronchial system are rare in adults. They can be successfully removed in the majority of patients under either flexible or rigid bronchoscopy.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

[The effect of cost evaluation in the treatment of asthma].

AIM: To present value of cost effectiveness evaluation in asthma treatment Material and methods. Meta-analysis of asthma treatment studies compared with data from National Healthcare Plan in Slovenia. RESULTS: Patients treated with fluticasone propionate (FP) were successfully controlled for 41.7% of treated weeks compared with 34.1% in the group treated with budesonide (B) (p < 0.001). Purchase price for FP (1.524 SIT/week) is not significantly different from B (1.462 SIT/week). The overall mean weekly cost per patient was 3.077 SIT for patient treated with B and 1.916 SIT for patient treated with FP. Cost of health care contacts were 56 SIT in the FP group and 1.275 SIT in B group per week. The total expenditure per week of successful treatment would be 4.594 SIT/week in the FP group and 9.025 SIT/week in patients treated with B. DISCUSSION: It is evident that by evaluation of purchase price only no final conclusion of cost effectiveness of treatment of asthma is possible. CONCLUSION: Limited resources in the health care could be properly distributed only after carefully weighting costs and comparing outcomes.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Construction of anthropometric measuring chair (AMC) for lung function prediction.

An anthropometric measuring chair (AMC) was constructed in order to predict lung function parameters (vital capacity--FVC and forced expiratory flow in the first second-FEV1) in normal Caucasian subjects. Design of a chair was aimed toward the fast and reliable recording of body dimensions, particularly of the human thorax. Static and dynamic measurements of thorax dimensions, arm span and sitting height were used to predict FVC and FEV1 with an accuracy better than standard prediction equations based only on body height and age. Computer program for automatic calculation of FVC and FEV1 according to prediction equations was constructed in VisualBasic 4.0 software. The prediction values for FVC and FEV1 based on anthropometric variables could be used in paraplegic, disproportional and handicapped individuals, where standard body height is unobtainable.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Bronchopulmonary changes after laryngeal cancer treatment--differentiation between metastatic laryngeal and second primary cancer.

The survivors of laryngeal cancer have an increased risk of second primary cancer, especially in the lung. Therefore, the authors were interested, if there is an increase of precancerous lesions or malignancies in bronchopulmonary biopsies of the patients after laryngeal cancer treatment. There were 70 (38 transbronchial and 32 bronchial) of 5,097 bronchopulmonary biopsies in 58 patients (55 men and 3 women) with history of laryngeal carcinoma. The age of the patients ranged from 39 to 81 years (mean value 62.5 years). The biopsies were performed from 1 month to 23 years after surgical treatment and/or radiation therapy due to squamous laryngeal carcinoma. The frequency of metaplastic, dysplastic and tumorous lesions was contrary to expectation a bit lower than in routine bronchial biopsies. But in contrast with the latter, metastases were 10 times more common among tumorous lesions. In 19 of 58 patients malignancies appeared from 1 month up to 276 months after laryngectomy. Four patients had definitively, and another 5 very probably second primary carcinoma. Ten patients presented with metastases from laryngeal cancer. The possibilities to differentiate metastatic laryngeal and second primary carcinoma are discussed.

Biopsy↗

PubMed1996

Ventilatory assistance using electrical stimulation of abdominal muscles.

Nine neurologically intact subjects were studied to demonstrate the feasibility of stimulating the muscles of expiration during, and in synchrony with, naturally occurring breathing. A breath-by-breath analysis showed that both tidal volume and the frequency of respiration could be increased during periods of electrical stimulation. A single subject with complete spinal cord injury was studied to eliminate the possibility that the results from the normal subjects could be attributed entirely to either subconscious or conscious volitional response to the stimulation. The results provide a basis for future studies with patients in borderline ventilatory failure.

Abdominal Muscles↗

PubMed1994

Bronchoalveolar lavage in the diagnosis of peripheral primary and secondary malignant lung tumors.

The success rate of cytological examination of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in patients with primary or metastatic lung tumors varies considerably according to different authors. In a prospective study, we have tried to establish the sensitivity of BAL in comparison with both transbronchial lung biopsy (TBB) and brushing. BAL was performed in 61 patients with lung malignancies and in 56 patients with nonmalignant lung disease: 39 patients had primary lung cancer, 22 had metastatic spread into the lungs. First the part of the lung involved was washed out with 100 ml physiological saline solution during bronchoscopy. Following BAL, 5 TBB and brushing were performed. The smears were stained by the May-Grünwald-Giemsa method. Malignant cells were found in BALF from 17 patients, in TBB specimens from 43 and in brushing smears from 26. TBB was significantly the most successful method applied. Malignant cells were never found in BALF only, nor were they ever found in patients with non-malignant lung disease. The sensitivity of the three methods was equal for primary as compared to metastatic tumors and for interstitial infiltrates as compared to coin lesions. Malignant cells were most frequently found in centrifuged specimens. BAL may be used in suspected malignant interstitial or rounded pulmonary infiltrates when it cannot be reached by forceps or brush, or when TBB and brushing are contra-indicated.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed1994

Persistent adenoviral infection and chronic airway obstruction in children.

Previous studies from several laboratories have established that adenovirus is a common cause of severe childhood bronchiolitis. The observation that children with an established history of bronchiolitis subsequently developed unremitting airways obstruction even after adequate steroid therapy led us to postulate that this bronchial obstruction might be due to persistence of an adenoviral infection. This hypothesis was tested by performing bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) on a group of 34 children with a mean age of 5 yr (range, 14 mo to 14 yr) who showed an unfavorable response to standard corticosteroid and bronchodilator therapy. Analysis of cytospin preparations of BAL fluid at the light-microscopic level, using a monoclonal antibody to detect adenoviral antigens, demonstrated that capsid protein was present in 31 of 34 (94%) of the children examined. Limited repeat studies within 1 yr showed 6 of 8 (75%) were positive twice when tested on two occasions, and that three were positive in all occasions when sampled three times. Cultures of the BAL fluid were also positive for adenovirus in six of six cultures performed, indicating that the virus was in some cases replicating. Similar studies of control patients without persistent asthma showed no evidence of adenovirus. We conclude that persistent and/or latent adenoviral infection may contribute to the pathogenesis of childhood asthma in which there is an unfavorable response to steroid and bronchodilatation therapy.

Adenovirus Infections, Human↗

PubMed1978

Control of breathing in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease.

1. Using the mouth occlusion pressure technique, we have studied the control of breathing in seven hypercapnic and eight non-hypercapnic patients with chronic obstructive lung disease. 2. When breathing room air, pulmonary ventilation, mean inspiratory flow and P0.1 (mouth occlusion pressure developed 0.1 s after the onset of occluded inspiration at functional residual capacity) were not significantly different between the two groups of patients. Tidal volume, however, was significantly lower in the hypercapnic than in the non-hypercapnic patients, as a result of a significantly lower duration of inspiration. 3. The lower tidal volume in the hypercapnic patients leads to decreased alveolar ventilation, and appears to be the main cause of retention of carbon dioxide.

Adult↗

PubMed1974