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Biomedical subjects

M Spicer

Publications and source records attributed to M Spicer.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

A survey of pediatric nurses' knowledge about breastfeeding.

The purpose of this study was to obtain baseline data on pediatric nurses' knowledge about breastfeeding, to inform an education program being developed in a large Melbourne pediatric teaching hospital. A pediatric breastfeeding questionnaire was developed. A random sample of 278 nurses in a variety of clinical units was selected. The questionnaire return rate was 54%. Overall, the difference in the mean percentage knowledge scores between the most experienced and the least experienced nurses was small. The result indicate that an ongoing lactation education program and a Breastfeeding Day-Stay Unit would benefit nursing staff, mothers, and babies.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Risky business: pre-powdered gloves or powder-free gloves in the operating suite?

Two of the emerging issues for the health-care sector in the 1990s are occupational health and safety, and iatrogenic issues. Both of these issues are implicated in the use of pre-powdered latex gloves. Hospital health-care workers are exposed to latex in many ways: gloves, intravenous sets, ventilator circuits, dental products, resuscitation equipment, anaesthetic equipment. Post-operative complications, delayed wound healing, scar formation, and the potential for misdiagnosis, in the presence of starch powder, have been well documented in the literature with the need for through glove rinsing prior to surgery. Another route for glove powder to enter wounds is through a barrier breach. For an institution to ensure it provides the most durable and effective barrier for healthcare worker protection and patient safety, knowledge is needed regarding the various factors which lead to glove barrier failure. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the in-use durability of the surgical gloves in current use against powder-free gloves. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data, in addition a cost analysis was calculated. The results of this study demonstrated clinically important differences between existing glove products in terms of barrier quality.

Australia↗
PubMed1998

Exhalation flow and pressure-controlled reservoir collection of exhaled nitric oxide for remote and delayed analysis.

BACKGROUND: Expiratory flow rate, soft palate closure, and dead space air may influence exhaled levels of nitric oxide (NO). These factors have not been evaluated in the reservoir collection of NO. METHODS: Exhaled NO was collected into a reservoir during a single flow and pressure controlled exhalation. RESULTS: NO collected in a reservoir containing silica gel was stable for 24 hours. Nasally delivered 4.8% argon measured by mass spectrometry did not contaminate exhaled argon levels (0.1 (0.02)%) in five volunteers during exhalation against a resistance (10 (0.5) cmH2O), hence proving an effective soft palate closure. Exhaled NO in the reservoir was 11 (0.2) ppb, 8.6 (0.1) ppb, 7.1 (0.6) ppb, and 6.6 (0.4) ppb in five normal subjects and 48.3 (18) ppb, 20.3 (12) ppb, 16.9 (0.3) ppb and 10.1 (0.4) ppb in 10 asthmatic subjects at four studied expiratory flows (5-6, 7-8, 10-11, and 12-13 l/min, respectively), with NO levels equal to direct measurement (7.3 (0.5) ppb and 17.4 (0.5) ppb for normal and asthmatic subjects respectively, p < 0.05) at the flow rate 10-11 l/min. Elimination of dead space proved necessary to provide NO levels comparable to the direct measurement. Exhaled NO collected into the reservoir without dead space during flow controlled exhalation against mild resistance provided close agreement (mean (SD) difference -0.21 (0.68), coefficient of variation 4.58%) with direct measurement in 74 patients (NO range 1-69 ppb). CONCLUSIONS: Flow and pressure controlled collection of exhaled NO into a reservoir with silica gel provides values identical to the direct measurement and may be used to monitor asthma at home and where analysers are not on site.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

A non-invasive system to evaluate diaphragmatic strength in ventilated patients.

In this paper we describe a system that allows an indicator of diaphragmatic strength to be determined non-invasively in mechanically ventilated patients. The system is comprised of an occlusion device that can be incorporated into the ventilator tubing and an occlusion control unit to operate the occlusion. The system electronically coordinates the timing of airway occlusion at the mouthpiece, application of a magnetic phrenic nerve stimulus and rapid removal of the occlusion once the measurement has been made. The system therefore permits measurement of the change in airway pressure produced by a stimulated diaphragm contraction, without disconnection from the ventilator. Other important respiratory measurements such as twitch mouth pressure, simulated cough and P0.1 can also be performed on non-ventilated patients in a repeatable and systematic manner.

Air Pressure↗
PubMed1992

Cardiac stimulator for the study of refractory period control using current pulses of programmable duration and shape.

A programmable current stimulator has been developed that allows unipolar current pulses of complex shape, long duration and high current to be generated. The stimulator conforms to the safety requirements for devices connected directly to the heart. It incorporates additional safety features to prevent unintended current being delivered, even under fault conditions. The stimulator has been used to investigate the effects of long duration current pulses on the refractory period of cardiac tissue. The flexibility of the device suggests that it may well have uses in other fields of electrophysiology.

Electric Stimulation↗
PubMed1981

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

We have described a patient with type 4 Ehlers-Danlos syndrome who died of a ruptured pulmonary artery. Of the six subtypes of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which can usually be clinically differentiated, only types 1 and 4 appear to be associated with a substantial risk of arterial rupture.

Adult↗