Biomedical subjects

M Zolkewitz

Publications and source records attributed to M Zolkewitz.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Differences in rehabilitation services and outcomes among stroke patients cared for in veterans hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship of services for post-acute care (PAC) to stroke patient outcomes. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals from two facility-level surveys and extant data files. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of veterans hospitalized with acute stroke during the period June 1995 through May 1996 in one of 182 geographically distinct locations within the VHA. Study variables included (1) a typological classification of hospitals according to the level of PAC; (2) a taxonomy of rehabilitation characteristics, including personnel, physical facilities, coordination of care, and hospital characteristics; and (3) patient outcomes (discharge destination, length of stay). DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: Data were collected from two mailed surveys and extant data files. Rehabilitation variables were identified for the study in conjunction with a panel of expert rehabilitation researchers and clinicians, using an a priori model for measuring rehabilitation characteristics. Two sets of variables were derived to categorize these rehabilitation characteristics: (1) a rehabilitation typology, classifying the VA hospitals according to the continuum of PAC settings in the facility, and (2) a rehabilitation taxonomy that used an empirical approach to derive a list of key rehabilitation characteristics. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Twenty-seven percent of veterans with acute stroke were cared for in VA hospitals with neither a geriatric nor a rehabilitation unit, and 50 percent were cared for in hospitals without a rehabilitation unit. Hospitals with rehabilitation units had the greatest sophistication, and those with geriatric units had intermediate sophistication in rehabilitation organization and resources. Statistically significant differences were found in outcomes for stroke patients cared for in hospitals classified according to the continuum of post-acute care on site. Exploratory multivariable analyses revealed independent associations between stroke patient outcomes and (1) staffing ratios for nurses and physicians, (2) the diversity of physician and rehabilitation staff, (3) presence of a simulated home environment, and (4) the total number of care settings on site. CONCLUSIONS: The PAC continuum defines an important hierarchy of stroke rehabilitation services.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

Case study to evaluate a standing table for managing constipation.

Standing devices have been advocated as a potentially beneficial treatment for constipation in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI); however, definitive data are lacking. A case of a patient who requested a standing table to treat chronic constipation is presented as an illustration of a method to address this problem on an individual patient level. The patient was a 62-year-old male with T12-L1 ASIA B paraplegia who was injured in 1965. The patient was on chronic narcotics for severe, nonoperable shoulder pain. His bowel program had been inadequate to prevent impactions. A systematic approach was used to measure the effects of a standing table on frequency of bowel movements (BMs) and on length of bowel care episodes. There was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in frequency of BMs and a decrease in bowel care time with the use of the standing table 5 times/week versus baseline. For this patient, the use of the standing table was a clinically useful addition to his bowel care program.

Constipation↗

PubMed2000

A taxonomy for classification of stroke rehabilitation services.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a taxonomy for use in measuring stroke rehabilitation services. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study using facility-level survey data and extant data files. SETTING: Veterans Administration medical centers (VAMCs). VARIABLES: (1) A list of rehabilitation characteristics, including personnel, physical facilities, coordination of care, and hospital characteristics; and (2) a classification or typology of VAMCs according to the type of postacute stroke care on-site. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data sources included extant Veterans Administration (VA) computerized databases, VA central office administrative files, and 2 mailed surveys to VA rehabilitation medicine services and stroke acute care services. The rehabilitation taxonomy was derived using 2 methods that assess face and construct validity, respectively: (1) an expert panel rating, using a modified Delphi process, of the clinical importance of each of the rehabilitation characteristics; and (2) a comparison of rehabilitation characteristics across the different types of VAMCs. Variables were included in the final taxonomy if the expert panel reached consensus that the variable was clinically important, or if there were statistically significant differences in these characteristics across the different types of medical centers. RESULTS: Of 67 possible rehabilitation characteristics, a multidisciplinary expert panel reached consensus about the likely clinical importance of 21 rehabilitation characteristics, 11 of which showed statistically significant differences across different types of VAMCs. An additional 9 variables that lacked expert panel consensus differed significantly among the different medical centers. These 30 variables represent a preliminary taxonomy of key rehabilitation characteristics. Among the 20 variables that varied significantly across the different types of medical centers, 18 showed a pattern with the greatest amount of resources and organizational sophistication being found in VAMCs with rehabilitation units, followed by medical centers with geriatric units, and the least amount of resources and organizational sophistication was seen in medical centers whose postacute care services were limited to nursing home or intermediate care. CONCLUSION: Thirty rehabilitation characteristics had face validity and/or construct validity, and can be considered to represent a preliminary taxonomy for measuring stroke rehabilitation services. This study also shows that there are significant differences among hospitals in resources and organization of care deemed to be important for stroke patients.

Aged↗

PubMed1993

Metabolic correlates of myocardial stunning and the effect of cardiopulmonary bypass.

In order to study the metabolic consequences of myocardial stunning, repeated coronary occlusions were performed in dogs. The production of CO2, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), phosphocreatine (PCr), and inorganic phosphate (Pi) by myocardial cells was assessed, along with extracellular and intracellular pH. Our results indicate that regional coronary artery occlusion reduces the ability of the myocardium to produce H+ and CO2 and to replenish ATP post ischemia. These alterations, then, represent the hallmark of metabolic viability during periods of ischemic insult. Decreases in PCr and Pi were completely eliminated during reperfusion and, therefore, are ot reflective of myocardial stunning. When normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is instituted and the coronary artery is occluded three times with reperfusion between each occlusion, alterations in myocardial H+ and high energy phosphates are identical to those observed using only repetitive coronary occlusion. Systemic hypothermia during CPB does not protect against myocardial stunning; however, it is anticipated that interventions that prevent the reduction in H+ and ATP levels may overcome the effects of myocardial stunning that occur during cardiac surgery.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗