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Biomedical subjects

P B Wilton

Publications and source records attributed to P B Wilton.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

The integration of laparoscopy into a surgical residency and implications for the training environment.

Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy is now an accepted part of resident training, the impact of operative laparoscopy (OL) upon the residency environment has not been examined in detail. We reviewed the first 3 years' experience with OL and the process by which it was introduced into our residency program. Data were obtained from our prospective computerized surgical laparoscopic registry as well as from a survey conducted midway in this experience. At that time, a questionnaire was sent to current residents in the program and residents who graduated after the inception of the OL program were interviewed by telephone. OL cases increased each year and comprised a progressively greater percentage of total cases. Residents performed over 97% of cases, with attending surgeons as first assistants. Initially, only senior-level residents participated as surgeons; however, after the first year we noted a significant tendency for cases to filter down the ranks. Junior-level residents have already participated in more laparoscopic than open cholecystectomies and expressed considerable concern about training in open procedures. Graduated residents without exception were able to obtain privileges to perform OL without additional training. They did not feel that resident education was compromised by the advent of laparoscopy. Both current and graduated residents considered didactic sessions including animal laboratories and simulators an important part of training.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Effects of biliary obstruction on hepatic clearance of bacteria.

High surgical mortality in patients with obstructive jaundice and sepsis have been attributed to reticuloendothelial system (RES) depression. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of mechanical biliary obstruction on RES clearance of pathogenic bacteria by comparing the phagocytic index (K) with the directly measured hepatic uptake of indium 111-labeled bacteria injected into the portal vein of normal dogs and dogs with partial (PBO) or complete biliary obstruction (CBO). No significant difference was observed between the K in normal dogs (0.19 +/- 0.08; n = 6) and that in dogs with PBO (0.24 +/- 0.06; n = 5) or CBO (0.21 +/- 0.03; n = 4). There was no significant difference in uptake of radiolabel by the liver among the three groups of dogs. In our model, biliary obstruction had no effect on hepatic RES function and may not represent a significant determinant of mortality in patients with obstructive jaundice.

Alkaline Phosphatase

Complement in local biliary tract defense: dissociation between bile complement and acute phase reactants in cholecystitis.

Biliary complement concentrations and activity are lower in patients with infected bile than in those with sterile bile in cholecystitis. Plasma complement is increased during the acute phase response to inflammation. To determine whether low biliary complement in infected bile is a specific response to biliary tract infection or part of a general systemic reaction, we analyzed bile complement proteins (C3 and C4) and activity (C4H50) and acute phase reactants fibronectin, C-reactive protein, and alpha 1-antitrypsin concentrations in acute and chronic cholecystitis. Results were correlated with bile cultures and gallbladder histology using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. While biliary C3, C4, and C4H50 were significantly lower in infected bile than in sterile bile, none of the acute phase reactants were different. The biliary acute phase reactants were all significantly higher in acute cholecystitis than in chronic disease, but there was no difference in the biliary C3, C4, or C4H50 levels. There was no clear relationship between plasma levels of complement and the acute phase reactants. The dissociation between biliary complement and acute phase reactants indicates that bile complement is not a reflection of a systemic reaction to inflammation. We propose that biliary complement is a specific host defense mechanism against bacterial infection in the biliary tract.

Acute Disease

Paranasal sinusitis: a common complication of nasotracheal intubation in neurosurgical patients.

Sinusitis secondary to nasotracheal intubation has not been reported to occur in neurosurgical patients. Over a 1-year period, 11 patients admitted to the Intensive Care/Trauma Unit at St. Paul Ramsey Medical Center developed this entity. The mean age of these patients was 36 +/- 4 years; 7 were trauma victims, 3 had each had a subarachnoid hemorrhage, and 1 had suffered hypertensive hemorrhage. The patients presented with fever of unknown origin (FUO) and evidence of persistent hypermetabolism without an obvious cause. In 8 cases, the diagnosis was not suspected until mucopurulent nasal discharge was noted. Three additional cases were evaluated for suspected sinusitis before the occurrence of discharge. The mean duration of intubation before the diagnosis of sinusitis was 7.8 +/- 1.5 days. The diagnosis was confirmed by sinus films with a Waters view in 7 cases or by computed tomographic scanning in 4 cases and by bacteriological cultures. Two cases involved only the maxillary sinus on the side of intubation; the rest were polysinusites. The organisms involved included gram-positive and gram-negative species; all were polymicrobial with a single organism predominant. Secondary pulmonary involvement was common, and 4 patients revealed a bacteremia consistent with the major sinus organism. One patient developed septic shock. Treatment involved either orotracheal intubation or tracheostomy. This was curative in all cases. It is concluded that neurosurgical patients nasally intubated are at risk for sinusitis, which can have untoward effects such as septicemia or pulmonary infection. A high degree of suspicion will permit early diagnosis and treatment.

Adult

Impaired skeletal muscle vasomotor response to infused noradrenaline in baboons with obstructive jaundice.

1. We have measured muscle blood flow by a 133Xe clearance technique, and its response to noradrenaline in baboons before and 2 weeks after ligation of the bile ducts when they were jaundiced. 2. In the normal baboons, the response to noradrenaline was a dose-dependent decrease in muscle blood flow. 3. Bile-duct ligation caused no significant alteration in skeletal muscle blood flow but the response to noradrenaline in the jaundiced baboons was significantly attenuated. This effect was not observed in four sham-operated baboons.

Animals

The effect of dopamine on renal cortical blood flow in baboons with experimentally induced obstructive jaundice.

The effect of dopamine hydrochloride on renal blood flow in bile duct ligated baboons was assessed using the 133Xe washout technique. Intrarenal infusions of dopamine in different concentrations did not significantly increase renal cortical blood flow. On the contrary, over the lower dose range, the normal dopamine-induced renal vasodilatation was abolished in the jaundiced state. An in vitro experiment that measured the perfusion pressure of an isolated rabbit kidney perfused with normal and jaundiced baboon plasma confirmed the in vivo results. These observations suggest that dopamine would not be of value in treating the renal failure that may develop in patients with obstructive jaundice.

Animals

The interaction between noradrenaline and 5-hydroxytryptamine in the isolated perfused rat hindlimb.

The vascular response to bolus injections of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) over the range 0.01-10.0 microgram was measured in isolated perfused rat hindlimbs. The hindlimb vasculature displayed a vasoconstrictor response to 5HT, which was potentiated by the addition of 0.01 microgram/ml noradrenaline (NA) to the perfusate at all doses tested. The response to 5HT was also enhanced by the monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor, tranylcypromine (0.05 mg/ml), suggesting that MAO located in the vascular wall is involved in the termination of the response to 5HT in the peripheral circulation. MAO inhibition abolishes the potentiation of 5HT by NA, indicating that this potentiation results from competition for MAO by both amines, leaving more amine intact to activate membrane receptors. Corticosterone (0.01 mg/ml), catecholamine extraneuronal uptake inhibitor, did not alter the response to 5HT, nor the increase of this response by NA, it thus appears that 5HT and NA have different membrane transport systems in the peripheral vasculature.

Animals

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Leave no (spilled) stone unturned.

Stones are sometimes spilled at the time of cholecystectomy. Retrieval may be difficult, especially during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Little is known about the natural history of missed stones which are left behind in the peritoneal cavity. We present a case in which a patient developed an intraabdominal abscess around such a stone. The abscess recurred after drainage and removal of the stone was needed for resolution. This case suggests that care should be taken to avoid stone spillage, and that stones which are spilled into the abdomen should be retrieved.

Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic