Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P Formosa.
Six children with meningococcemia-induced purpura fulminans were followed. Five of the six required amputations of 14 limb segments. Eight of these amputations required revisions to higher levels.
Superoxide radicals produced during acute intestinal ischemia are biochemically related with the presence of hydrogen peroxyde. In this study we have investigated the distribution of peroxidase-catalase activity, histochemically determined, in the ischemic ileal wall. In the rat, complete arterial and venous occlusion produced a progressive increase in extra-vascular peroxidase-catalase activity with a maximum corresponding to the ileal wall. Probably the tissue peroxidase-catalase activity is related to massive degranulation of polymorphonucleates.
In this research we studied the possible relationships between the level and the distribution of peroxidase-catalase activity and the degree of the morphological changes in the intestinal wall during mechanical occlusion. These researches have really proved that the increase of the peroxidase-catalase enzymes correlate proportionally with the damage of intestinal wall.
In this research we studied the interrelationships between the progression of morphological damage and leucocyte populations in the last ileal loop after blockage of blood supply subsequent to arterial and venous occlusion. Our morphological data on the staging of the ileal wall damage agree with those reported in literature. In addition we described that in the ischemic loop the number of lymphocytes appear decreased and polymorphonuclear cells degranulate actively.
Cutaneous blood flow may be an indirect measure of circulatory function estimated by continuous, noninvasive laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV). It has been postulated that LDV may be a useful monitor of cardiac output changes. To test this hypothesis, LDV was evaluated in 67 critically ill adult patients with simultaneous measurements of cardiac index (CI) and other physiologic variables. Heated and unheated laser probes were utilized. The results indicate that LDV reflects acute directional changes of CI. Further, with the heated laser probe, the magnitude of acute CI change is reflected. However, there are gradual changes over time of LDV which may occur independently of CI or other monitored variables. Hence, absolute LDV values are not predictive of absolute CI values.
Cardiac contusion following blunt chest trauma remains a diagnostic problem because of a lack of sensitive diagnostic tests. This study evaluated thallous chloride Tl 201 single-photon-emission computed tomography in a series of 48 patients following blunt chest trauma. Of the 48 patients, 23 had normal scans. None of these patients proved to have serious arrhythmias during three days of continuous monitoring. Of 25 patients with abnormal or ambiguous studies, five (20%) developed serious arrhythmias requiring therapy. Single-photon-emission computed tomography scanning thus was sensitive in indicating that group of patients at risk of serious arrhythmias, and may therefore prove to be a useful screening test to determine the need for hospitalization and arrhythmia monitoring following blunt chest trauma.
A new technique of permanent gastrostomy interposes a vascularized jejunal conduit with an intussuscepted valve between the stomach and abdominal wall, creating a "continent jejunal gastrostomy". In a series of dogs undergoing gastrostomy, the continent jejunal gastrostomy functioned well, with no leakage, and was superior to gastric tube gastrostomy in this regard. Furthermore, there was no evidence of marginal ulceration. A patient who underwent continent jejunal gastrostomy has an excellent one-month result.