PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

R Engelbrecht

Publications and source records attributed to R Engelbrecht.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

A chip card for patients with diabetes.

DIABCARD provides the specification for the core of a Chip Card Based Medical Information System (CCMIS) for the treatment of patients with chronic diseases. It will provide an instrument for assessing health care services, improve the links between health care providers and set up communication between the different levels of health care. It will therefore improve the quality of care and thus the life of patients with chronic diseases. DIABCARD concentrates on diabetes at the moment, the concept of the diabetes chip card will, however, be extendable to other chronic diseases.

Chronic Disease

[The characterization of semirigid coaxial antennae for interstitial and endocavitary microwave hyperthermia].

PURPOSE: The increased dissemination of interstitial hyperthermia techniques requires suitable action in quality assurance for the used applicators. This work presents physical-technical methods for complete characterisation of interstitial and endocavitary coaxial antennas used for microwave hyperthermia. METHODS: After a short introduction about the antennas' physical principle 2 fundamental experiments for acquisition of specific absorption rate (SAR) are described: There are the thermometric method, especially the power pulse technique, using a static solid state phantom and the direct measurement of the amplitude square of emitted electric field using miniaturized E-field probes in a fluid phantom. Principal problems occurring during E-field measurements in the near field zone of insulated antennas in media (phantom fluid) are discussed in detail. RESULTS: Characteristic relative SAR profiles were found for each tested applicator design. The profiles were described using the following parameters: depths of SAR maximum, effective heating lengths and lengths of the dead end of the antennas relative to the 50%-iso-SAR-surface. Antenna designs for endocavitary and interstitial purposes were measured at variable insertion depths. The changing SAR-patterns were discussed regarding the found measurement data. Additionally measurements of parallel and inclined antenna arrays consisting of 4 interstitial applicators are described. CONCLUSION: The final discussion give future perspectives to forthcoming developments for interstitial and endocavitary microwave hyperthermia.

Equipment Design

Smart cards and their opportunities for controlling health information systems.

The specification for a Chip Card-Based Medical Information System (CCMIS) for the treatment of patients with chronic diseases was developed to improve the communication in Health Care. Diabetes, which is a 'typical' chronic disease was chosen as an example. Patients with chronic diseases are treated at all levels of health care and in various health care sectors. Having a Portable Personal Medical Record (PPMR) on a chip card means that the necessary information of the patient is available at any time. Such a communication tool will thus have an important impact on the quality of health care and also contribute to cost reduction of European health budgets. As the main issues of the CCMIS the data security, data protection and privacy have been integrated. The system architecture allows an implementation into different networking environments and is covered by approved standards. A demonstrator has been developed to show medical applications and the security aspects.

Computer Communication Networks

[Drug interactions in the prescriptions of patients before and after a heart infarct: results of the MONICA Augsburg heart infarct registry].

The prescriptions of 603 patients who had survived acute myocardial infarction (AMI) for at least one year and were registered from 1 Oct 84 to 31 Dec 86 in the Coronary Event Register of the MONICA project Augsburg were analyzed for the presence of drug-drug interactions with the aid of a computerized drug information system (SMA). Prior to AMI, 59% of patients were treated (average of 2 active substance per patient), 100% were treated on release from hospital (4.5 active substances), and 96% one year after AMI (5.8 active substances). Potential drug-drug interactions were found in 18% of patients before AMI, 65% on discharge from hospital, and 66% one year after AMI. While the potential frequency and severity of interactions are minor on average, prescriptions frequently contain several interactions. Calculations show that at least 5-6% of all prescriptions after AMI will produce interactions, so that drug safety for this high-risk patient group can be enhanced by a drug information system. Beta-blockers are the substance group most frequently involved in potential interactions in AMI patients.

Adult

Analysis and processing of data in a hospital-based diabetes management system.

Both short-term care (blood glucose monitoring) and long-term care (clinical examinations) of diabetes generate an ample amount of data for each patient. Health care in hospitals has to provide services with respect to both demands. The quality of control depends on obtaining the right finding at the right time and taking the individually adequate measures. These repetitive activities follow to a certain extent standardized algorithms and computer-programs are able to support demands like this; however, up to now no attempts have been made to provide useful tools for this environment. DIALIN is a data-bank especially designed for the use in hospitals or outclinics and Camit is a diabetes management system for advanced evaluation of long-term blood glucose monitoring data. The expert-system DIACONS up to now determines diabetes type and adequate initial therapy from data of patients' history alone; it operates on the DIALIN-databank via SQL. DIALIN has proven to be a useful tool for data-processing in hospitals. Camit was well accepted by patients in a feasibility study. DIACONS has been tested with 83 diabetic patients to provide the correct diabetes-type and the proper initial regimen with a precision of 96% compared to the correspondence between two independent experts. The combination of all three systems is a step towards the Munich Medical Information system MAMIS.

Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring

[Abnormalities-retardation syndrome caused by incomplete triploidy].

We report on a four year old boy with multiple congenital anomalies and mental retardation due to incomplete triploidy (diploid triploid mixoploidy). Initially, we had thought of the Silver-Russell syndrome. The main characteristics in the patient are short stature, body asymmetry, hypogenitalism, and considerable mental retardation. In addition, there are several minor anomalies of the hands and feet. The diagnosis was verified by microscopic detection of a triploid cell line in cultivated skin fibroblasts and by supplementary studies using flow cytometry. The characteristics of this recognizable multiple congenital anomalies/mental retardation syndrome are discussed with reference to the pertinent literature. As differential diagnosis, in particular the Silver-Russell syndrome has to be taken into account.

Abnormalities, Multiple

[Coffin-Siris syndrome in a 5-year-old girl].

A 5 1/2 year old female patient with Coffin-Siris syndrome is described. This syndrome is characterised by multiple congenital anomalies and mental retardation. The important clinical features include postnatal growth retardation, microcephaly, considerable psychomotor retardation, coarse facies with thick lips, sparse scalp hair with hypertrichosis of the face and body, as well as hypoplasia or even aplasia of distal phalanges of fingers and toes. Chromosomal aberrations, which could be considered as differential diagnosis are excluded by the finding of a normal karyotype. The aetiology or pathogenesis of this syndrome are not really known.

Abnormalities, Multiple

The Weaver syndrome in a girl.

This paper reports the first female case of the Weaver syndrome. The prominent clinical features are gigantism, macrocephaly, and the characteristic facial dysmorphism. Hypertonia and bone maturation acceleration are somewhat less pronounced than in the formerly published cases of male patients. The etiology of the syndrome remains unclear, but if genetic, X-linked recessive inheritance can be excluded.

Bone Development

[Medical check-ups in childhood (author's transl)].

Eight year's experience indicates that medical check-ups in childhood have found a firm place in preventive medicine. The purpose of the examinations, the number of participants and the efficiency are dealt with and the importance of proceeding specifically emphasized. The special problems of early recognition of diseases which may lead to disability or chronic disease, e.g. cerebral motor disturbances, psychic handicaps, disturbances of vision, hearing and speech, and disorders of the hip joint are discussed. From the knowledge of risk factors, early symptoms and course of the disease, and the optimal beginning of treatment of each disease, the main point of attack for each age group emerges. An informative and instructive discussion with the parents is indispensable. Interdisciplinary cooperation is to be aimed at.

Child

[Acute occlusion of the arterial blood supply of the right arm in a newborn following entanglement of the umbilical cord (author's transl)].

Report on the rare event of a complete ischemia of the right arm immediately postpartum. The infant was delivered by Caesarean Section because of cervical dystocia and fetal distress. The umbilical cord was twice around the neck and the ischemia of the right arm appeared to be due to spasm of the axillary artery. Treatment for shock and infusion of vasodilating drugs (Complamin) relieved the arterial spasm.

Arm