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Biomedical subjects

L M Robinson

Publications and source records attributed to L M Robinson.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Efficacy and safety of potassium infusion therapy in hypokalemic critically ill patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of potassium replacement infusions in critically ill patients. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Multidisciplinary critical care unit. PATIENTS: Forty-eight critically ill adult patients, age 25 to 86 yrs. Patients entered the study when hypokalemia (potassium less than 3.5 mmol/L) was noted on routine laboratory blood analysis. Most common primary diagnoses on ICU admission included postoperative cardiac surgery (n = 9), sepsis and multiple organ system failure (n = 9), complicated myocardial infarction (n = 7), and respiratory failure (n = 5). INTERVENTION: Potassium chloride infusions (20, 30, or 40 mmol in 100 mL normal saline over 1 hr) were administered to patients for serum potassium levels of less than 3.5 but greater than 3.2 mmol/L (n = 26), 3.0 to 3.2 mmol/L (n = 11), and less than 3.0 mmol/L (n = 11), respectively. Serum and urine potassium levels were monitored during and for 1 hr after the infusion. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: All patients tolerated the infusions without evidence of hemodynamic compromise, ECG change, or new dysrhythmia requiring treatment. The mean maximum potassium increase was 0.5 +/- 0.3 mmol/L, 0.9 +/- 0.4 mmol/L, and 1.1 +/- 0.4 mmol/L in the 20-, 30-, and 40-mmol groups, respectively. The increase in serum potassium was maximal at the completion of the infusion and was significant (p less than .05) compared with baseline in all groups. Peak potassium levels were the same in patients with normal renal function (n = 33) compared with those with renal insufficiency (n = 15). Urinary excretion of potassium increased in all groups during the infusion and was significant (p less than .05) in the 30- and 40-mmol groups, but was no greater in those patients who had received diuretics (n = 8) compared with those patients who had not (n = 40). CONCLUSIONS: In the select group of hypokalemic patients studied, potassium infusions of 20 to 40 mmol delivered over 1 hr were safe to administer and effectively increased serum potassium levels in a dose-dependent and predictable fashion. Furthermore, these results were independent of the patient's underlying renal function or associated diuretic administration.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Laterality of performance in fingertapping rate and grip strength by hemisphere of stroke and gender.

To determine whether individuals with unilateral cerebrovascular accident (CVA) have different motor abilities depending on hemisphere of lesion, we tested fingertapping rate (TAP) and grip strength (GRIP) in 20 right-handed right (R) and left (L) chronic CVA survivors and 19 right-handed age- and gender-matched controls. GRIP and TAP tests are common measures of motor function selected to distinguish rapid repetitive vs sustained performance. As expected, performance was significantly worse for contralateral-to-lesion arms than for control arms (p less than .001). Ipsilateral-to-lesion performance confirmed predictions of lateralized motor disabilities: R-GRIP in R-CVA survivors was inferior to R-GRIP in controls (p less than .05); L-TAP in L-CVA survivors was inferior to L-TAP in controls (p less than .01). In addition, male CVA survivors had the enhanced abilities predicted in the converse tests: R-TAP in R-CVA men was superior to R-TAP in controls (p less than .10); L-GRIP in L-CVA men was superior to L-GRIP in controls (p less than .01). It was concluded that individuals move differently depending on hemisphere of stroke, and some implications for the poststroke motor rehabilitation program were discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Co-contraction in the hemiparetic forearm: quantitative EMG evaluation.

Co-contraction of antagonist muscles is a recognized clinical phenomenon in patients surviving a cerebrovascular accident. Yet, discrepancies persist in the literature as to whether or not antagonist electromyographic activity is increased in hemiparesis. We have developed a technique to obtain simultaneous counts of motor unit activity in a wrist flexor and extensor muscle using monopolar needle electromyography. Stable stroke patients and age/sex matched control subjects were tested during maximal voluntary isometric wrist flexion and extension. Fewer agonist events (p less than 0.05) and more antagonist events (p less than 0.10) were counted in paretic than in control muscles. A co-contraction ratio of antagonist activity to total (agonist and antagonist) activity was much greater for patients than controls (p less than 0.01). We conclude that both agonist recruitment and antagonist inhibition are impaired in the hemiparetic arm.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

A report on the EC/IC bypass study.

In 1967 the first extracranial to intracranial (EC/IC) arterial anastomosis was performed. Since that time, EC/IC bypass surgery has become a widely accepted surgical treatment for patients with intracranial stenotic or occlusive atherosclerotic lesions. In 1977 an international multicenter randomized trial was established to determine whether EC/IC bypass surgery reduced the rate of stroke and stroke-related death in patients with recent hemispheric and/or retinal ischemic symptoms. Completed and analyzed in 1985, the International Cooperative Study of Extracranial/Intracranial Arterial Anastomosis of 1,377 patients provides an evaluation of the surgical procedure for stroke prevention. This paper will discuss the study's objectives and organization, the methods employed, the trial results, and implications.

Cerebral Arteries↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Trends in the prescribing of antidepressant pharmacotherapy: office-based visits, 1990-1995.

Data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for the period 1990 through 1995 were used to discern the population-adjusted rate of office-based physician-patient encounters at which the prescribing or continuation of antidepressant pharmacotherapy (tricyclic antidepressants [TCAs], selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs], or others), a diagnosis of depression (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification codes 296.2 through 296.36, 300.4, or 311), or both were documented. National estimates of the number of office-based visits resulting in a prescription for or continuation of antidepressant pharmacotherapy for any purpose escalated from 16,534,268 in 1990 to 28,664,796 in 1995, a 73.4% increase. Although the number of office-based visits at which a diagnosis of depression was documented increased 23.2% during this period, the proportion of patients with a diagnosis of depression who were prescribed or continued antidepressant pharmacotherapy increased only 14.9%, from 52.1% in 1990 to 67.0% in 1995. Among patients with a diagnosis of depression, use of a TCA declined from 42.1% in 1990 to 24.9% in 1995. In contrast, use of an SSRI for the treatment of depression increased from 37.1% in 1990 to 64.6% in 1995. The rate of office-based visits at which the use of antidepressant pharmacotherapy for any purpose was documented increased from 6.7 per 100 US population in 1990 to 10.9 in 1995, a 62.7% increase; documentation of a diagnosis of depression increased from 6.1 per 100 US population in 1990 to 7.1 in 1995, a 16.4% increase; and the recording of a diagnosis of depression in concert with the prescribing or continuation of antidepressant pharmacotherapy increased from 3.2 per 100 US population in 1990 to 4.8 in 1995, a 50.0% increase. Further research is required to elucidate the effect of observed trends on clinical and financial outcomes.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Antidepressant pharmacotherapy: a review of pharmaco-economic research].

Recent pharmacotherapeutic advances in the treatment of depression have included the development of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), thereby providing an alternative to tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). SSRIs have achieved a rapid acceptance by prescribers worldwide due to a superior safety profile to that observed with the TCAs, and the potential for once daily administration. However, to date there exists limited data regarding the effect of antidepressant pharmacotherapy on health service expenditures. Herein, we review the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the five study designs which have been employed in the economic appraisal of antidepressant pharmacotherapy: randomized controlled trials; meta-analyses stemming from the results of controlled clinical trials; decision-analytical models predicated on results stemming from randomized clinical trials and/or meta-analyses; retrospective data archive investigations; and prospective randomized naturalistic inquiry. What emerges is the necessity of establishing a portfolio of evidence as to the safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of a given pharmacotherapeutic category (e.g. SSRIs) and/or a specific medication. Thus, the economic appraisal of antidepressant pharmacotherapy will require an iterative process extending from the developmental through post-marketing phase.

Antidepressive Agents↗