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Biomedical subjects

N Taenaka

Publications and source records attributed to N Taenaka.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

An initial comparison of intensive care in Japan and the United States.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the utilization of, and outcome from, critical care services in selected medical centers providing secondary and tertiary care in the United States and Japan. DESIGN: Prospective data collection on 1,292 patients from each of the participating Japanese study hospitals in 1987 to 1989 and compared with the 5,030 patients in the United States 1982 Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) database used to develop the APACHE II equation. Detailed organizational characteristics of the participating ICUs and hospitals were also obtained. SETTING: Data collection took place in the ICUs of 13 U.S. hospitals and six Japanese hospitals. PATIENTS: Data were collected on consecutive, unselected patients from medical, surgical, and mixed medical/surgical critical care units, with a spectrum of medical and surgical diagnoses. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: U.S. and Japanese ICUs have a similar array of diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. Only 2% (range 0.6 to 3.5) of beds in Japanese hospitals were designated to intensive care. The organization of the Japanese and U.S. ICUs varied by hospital. There were significantly fewer women admitted to Japanese ICUs and a substantially lower proportion of low-risk-of-death patients. Despite a rapidly aging population, there were relatively fewer elderly patients with chronic health ailments in the Japanese ICU population (8%) compared with the U.S. cohort (18%). CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of hospitals, similar high-technology critical care is available in the United States and Japan. Variations in utilization between the two countries represent differences in case mix and bed availability. The APACHE II equation stratified patients in the Japanese patient cohort across the full spectrum of increasing severity of illness.

Chi-Square Distribution

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome associated with congenital right-sided diaphragmatic hernia and omphalocele.

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is associated with a variety of cardiac anomalies. However, its association with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is rare. We treated a female newborn with CDH, HLHS, and omphalocele. The operation for omphalocele and the diaphragmatic defect was successful, although the patient died of cardiac failure after Norwood's operation for HLHS. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case with a combination of these three major anomalies: CDH, HLHS, and omphalocele.

Female

Capnometry during high-frequency oscillatory ventilation.

We used capnometry during high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV), and compared CO2 measurements at the distal and proximal ends of an endotracheal tube with arterial CO2 values. Ten white rabbits (mean weight, 2.00 +/- 0.2 [SD] kg) underwent tracheostomy under anesthesia with pentobarbital. The trachea was intubated with an endotracheal tube with a second lumen for sampling respiratory gas at the distal tip. Capnometry was performed through the lumen (CO2d) and the proximal end of the endotracheal tube (CO2p). The internal carotid artery was cannulated to sample blood for measuring arterial blood gases. The differences between CO2d, CO2p, and PaCO2 were measured. Only the relation between CO2d and PaCO2 was good (r = 0.915). We concluded that capnometry can be used during HFOV to estimate PaCO2 provided that respiratory gas is sampled from the distal tip of the endotracheal tube.

Animals

Comparison of flow-resistive work load due to humidifying devices.

There are many kinds of humidifying devices. We evaluated six humidifiers from the viewpoint of AWLs. The AWL was obtained by calculating the area difference between pressure-volume tracings obtained without and with humidifiers. To examine the effect of pressure monitoring sites on AWL when a humidifier is placed, we measured AWL at three different pressure monitoring sites. The AWL was affected significantly by the pressure monitoring site for the ventilator. When a pressure monitor sensor was placed on the inspiratory limb between the inspiratory valve and humidifiers, the ventilator was not able to compensate for the pressure drop caused by impedance characteristics of the humidifier equipment. This resulted in significant inspiratory AWL on the patient. Thus, humidifying devices should be carefully selected from the viewpoint of not only humidifying capability but also AWL. Furthermore, we must recognize the importance of the pressure monitoring site for the ventilator.

Airway Resistance

Measurement of functional residual capacity during high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) by argon washout method without interruption of HFOV.

A modified indicator gas washout method was developed to measure functional residual capacity (FRC) during high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) without interruption of HFOV. A hot-wire flowmeter and medical gas analyzer measured the flow rate and argon concentration, respectively, at the expiratory end of the respiratory circuit. Upstream of the hot-wire flowmeter, two heat-and-moisture exchangers for resistance and a rubber balloon for capacitance were placed to convert the oscillating expiratory flow to an almost continuous flow. This made it possible to measure FRC during HFOV without interrupting HFOV. To measure the volume of the entire respiratory circuit, a 10 percent argon in 90 percent oxygen gas mixture was initially used as a bias flow, and after equilibration, the test gas was switched to 100 percent oxygen. By electrical integration of the product of the expiratory flow rate and argon concentration, the total amount of argon equilibrated in the entire respiratory circuit was calculated. The volume of the circuit was calculated by dividing the total amount of argon by the initial argon concentration. Functional residual capacity plus the volume of the respiratory circuit was similarly calculated and the difference was estimated as FRC. The accuracy and reproducibility of our method were evaluated by using a one-compartment lung model. There was a high correlation between the volume setting of the model lung and the estimated FRC. This method can be used to estimate FRC in a one-compartment lung model during HFOV, and it is potentially useful in clinical situations.

Argon

[A study on the utility of flumazenil for patients in the ICU].

Flumazenil, a specific antagonist of benzodiazepines, was administered to adult patients receiving treatment at ICU, and its utility to hasten recovery from sedation was evaluated in 40 patients and its usefulness for differential diagnosis of sedated conditions was also evaluated in 5 patients. The efficacy rate for recovery from sedation induced by benzodiazepines was 85.0%. Moreover, flumazenil was considered to be useful for differentiation of sedated conditions when causes were unknown. Depression of respiration improved in association with improvement of consciousness level. In some patients an elevation in blood pressure was also observed with improved consciousness.

Adult

[Measurement of flow-resistive work of heat and moisture exchangers during simulated active breathing].

The performance of seven commercially available heat and moisture exchangers (HME) was evaluated in the dynamic flow state. A piston pump was used as a simulator with operative conditions with stroke volume of 500 ml and with respiratory rates of 20 and 40 cycles.min-1. A pressure-volume loop was produced for each HME and the flow-resistive work calculated. Each HME was studied under both dry and wet conditions. It was found that the flow-resistive work of the Humid-Vent 2 was the smallest and that of the Breathaid the largest under both conditions. The results suggest that application of HME causes a significant increase in resistance and demands a greater breathing effort from patients. Its use should thus be avoided in marginal patients.

Anesthesiology

High-frequency oscillation for persistent fetal circulation after repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

A female neonate who had been diagnosed as having congenital diaphragmatic hernia by ultrasonography was delivered by cesarean section. After the hernia was repaired, she developed hypoxemia and hypercapnia, probably due to persistent fetal circulation (PFC). Neither conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) nor manual ventilation improved the respiratory status. High-frequency oscillation (HFO) successfully improved pulmonary gas exchange, but we failed to wean the patient from HFO by using intermittent HFO. The patient was again placed on CMV for weaning and was extubated on the 12th ICU day. We conclude that HFO can be an alternative respiratory modality in patients with respiratory failure due to PFC after the repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Female

Effects of norepinephrine on renal function in septic patients with normal and elevated serum lactate levels.

Effects of iv norepinephrine (NE) on renal function were investigated retrospectively in 15 patients with hyperdynamic septic shock. All patients had either a low systolic BP less than 80 mm Hg, and/or oliguria less than 0.5 ml/kg-h. We examined their serum creatinine level (SCr), daily urine flow (UF), 24-h creatinine clearance (Ccr), and hemodynamic indices before and during NE infusion. Before NE administration, the patients were divided into those with with a serum lactate level (Lac) less than 20 mg/dl (group A, n = 9) and greater than 20 mg/dl (group B, n = 6). NE was infused continuously at rates between 0.05 and 0.24 microgram/kg.min which increased systolic BP by greater than or equal to 20 mm Hg. Cardiac index was not significantly changed in either group. In group A, NE increased both UF (p less than .05), and systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI) (p less than .01), but did not affect Ccr. In group B, NE did not increase UF nor SVRI, and decreased Ccr significantly (p less than .05). It is concluded that NE increased UF and SVRI only when Lac was in normal range; otherwise, NE reduced renal function. Thus, when administering NE to increase UF, both Lac and renal function should be monitored carefully.

Adult

Prediction of arterial oxygen partial pressure from intrapulmonary venous admixture.

A short program was developed to predict the PaO2 at a given FIO2 by using arterial and mixed venous blood gas data obtained at an FIO2 of 1.0. Our program resolves Adair's equation and the shunt equation inversely, on the assumption that intrapulmonary venous admixture and the arteriovenous oxygen content difference remain constant during the study. The study was conducted on 19 patients with respiratory failure who were intubated and mechanically ventilated. According to linear regression analysis, regression coefficients of 0.91 and 0.97 were obtained between the measured PaO2 values and those estimated by the arterial/alveolar oxygen tension ratio (PaO2/PaO2) and our program, respectively (n = 23). The PaO2 values were predicted more accurately by our program than those calculated by PaO2/PaO2. Because our program is simple enough to be carried out with a pocket computer, it may be helpful in a bedside decision of lowering FIO2, especially in patients who require a high FIO2 level to maintain sufficient arterial oxygenation.

Blood Gas Analysis

Rapid screening for Staphylococcus aureus infection by measuring enterotoxin B.

We developed a simple, sensitive laser nephelometric assay (LNA) to detect circulating staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB). This assay yields the result within 2 h and needs no special treatment. Influence of protein A, a product generated by Staphylococcus aureus, was negligible in this assay. The levels of SEB in plasma were measured in 28 patients with and without S. aureus infection with the LNA. The levels of SEB in plasma increased significantly in patients with S. aureus infection. We also demonstrated that the levels of SEB in plasma were higher in patients with methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection than in patients with nonresistant staphylococcal infection. Our data indicate that LNA is a useful assay in the early diagnosis of methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection.

Cross Reactions

Analysis of acute and chronic heart failure in view of hepatic oxygen supply-demand relationship using hepatic venous oxygen saturation.

The adequacy of hepatic circulation in terms of oxygen supply-demand relation was assessed by measuring hepatic venous oxygen saturation (Shvo2) in patients. Among those with congenital cardiac lesions (n = 11), Shvo2 during the early postoperative period was markedly low as less than 20% in Fontan operation group (n = 5) with subsequent clinical findings of acute hepatic dysfunction. Significant correlations were found between Shvo2 values early after surgery and subsequent peak values in serum hepatic enzymes. Serum total bilirubin and prothrombin time started to deteriorate when Shvo2 became below 30%. Cardiac index, hepatic perfusion pressure and mixed venous oxygen saturation showed positive linear correlations with Shvo2, and central venous pressure (CVP) with an inverse relation. In chronic valvular disease (n = 28), those with NYHA class IV patients showed lower Shvo2 (average; 47.4%) at cardiac catheterization than the others (class-I; 66.4%, class-II; 63.9%, p less than 0.05). These results indicate that Shvo2 monitoring appears to be useful to assess the hepatic perfusion in terms of oxygen supply-demand relation in acute and chronic heart failure, and Shvo2 of 30% seems to be a critical level.

Adult

Jet flow-regulated expiratory resistance to maintain constant CPAP during the entire respiratory phase.

We have developed a new continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device that consists of a microcomputer, a pressure transducer, and a pair of electronic interface valves. One of these valves creates the inspiratory demand flow, and the other creates the opposing jet flow by acting as an expiratory valve to maintain a constant CPAP. By controlling the two electronic interface valves, the airway pressure can be kept constant during the entire respiratory cycle. We compared our device with CPAP systems supplied with commercially available ventilators: the Puritan-Bennett 7200a, the Bear 5, the Servo 900C, and the CV 2000. A two-chambered spring loaded model lung was used to simulate inspiration and a piston pump model lung to simulate active exhalation. We compared both the inspiratory triggering work (WWIt) and expiratory flow-resistive work (WE) of each ventilator while in CPAP mode by calculating the corresponding areas of the pressure-volume loops using electrical integration. The WWIt of our apparatus and demand-flow ventilators was much smaller than that of the CV 2000. In our device, WE was also much smaller than those of the others. These results indicate that our device can be used for CPAP without causing airway pressure fluctuation, and therefore, without imposing an extra workload on the patient.

Humans

Gravity-dependent atelectasis. Radiologic, physiologic and pathologic correlation in rabbits on high-frequency oscillation ventilation.

The authors identify the radiologic features of progressive atelectasis induced under conditions of reduced lung volume. Control (n = 5) and experimental (n = 7) animals were placed on high-frequency oscillation (HFO) ventilation (mean airway pressure: 3 cm H2O) for 6 hours. In the experimental animals, lung volume was artificially reduced by pneumoperitoneum during HFO ventilation. Computed tomography scans and chest radiographs were obtained every hour, and arterial blood gases analyzed. No changes were detected in the control animals. In the experimental animals, in which hypoxemia developed, homogeneous opacity in the dependent lung was found on CT images, and chest radiographs showed a diffuse homogenous shadow with loss of lung volume. Study of pathologic sections from the lung showed that the roentgenographic findings represented atelectasis. The lung was divided into three zones, from dependent to nondependent regions: severe atelectasis, mild atelectasis, and normal lung. Hyperinflations eliminated atelectasis seen on the CT images and alleviated hypoxemia; however an undesirable effect that causes barotrauma also was observed.

Animals

[Quantitative comparison of ventilator-induced work during simulated CPAP in eight demand-flow valve ventilators].

The ventilator-induced work during continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mode in demand-valve ventilators was evaluated by using a piston pump as a simulator for active breathing. A piston pump delivered and withdrew a stroke volume of 500 ml at rates of 10, 20 and 40 cycle.min-1 with a sinusoidal waveform. A hot-wire flowmeter and a differential pressure transducer were interposed between the pump and ventilators and their signals were fed to a microcomputer to display a pressure-volume loop. The area of the loop was divided into the four parts. Inspiratory work associated with the opening of the demand valve was represented by the area of baseline airway pressure (BPa) during inspiration. The remaining area during inspiration reflected the work done by the ventilators. Expiratory work for overcoming the flow resistance of the expiratory apparatus was represented by the area above BPa during exhalation. The fourth was the area below the baseline during exhalation. The Puritan-Bennett 7200a, the Bear 5, the Siemens Servo 900C, the Hamilton Veolar, the Bird 6400ST, the Engström Erica, the Dräger EV-A, and the CPU-1 were examined at varying CPAP and pressure support levels. Because of demand valve oscillation throughout inspiration, the inspiratory workload of the Bear 5, the Siemens Servo 900C, the Hamilton Veolar, the Bird 6400ST, and the Dräger EV-A could not be calculated. Expiratory flow-resistive work was higher in the Siemens Servo 900C and the Bird 6400ST than the others. The present system can assess the entire performance of ventilators, and may serve to compare ventilators' performance.

Evaluation Studies as Topic