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Biomedical subjects

R Lawlor

Publications and source records attributed to R Lawlor.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Choreographing trauma resuscitation in the OR.

Survival rates are enhanced if severely injured trauma patients are admitted directly to the OR for resuscitation and surgical intervention. To increase the survivability and decrease the morbidity of trauma patients with penetrating trauma to the chest or abdomen, a hospital in La Jolla, Calif, developed a "direct to the OR" resuscitation program. This program substantially increased the survival rate of these trauma patients. Perioperative nurses respond to all major trauma situations and assist with surgical procedures completed in a trauma resuscitation room or in the OR.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Surreptitious insulin administration in adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Six adolescents, 12 to 15 years old, with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus were discovered to be secretively taking extra insulin, not with the intent of improving metabolic control. Large discrepancies between reported and observed insulin requirements were noted. Psychosocial problems antedated the discovery of surreptitious insulin administration in all. Psychological testing and psychiatric evaluation revealed a variety of psychiatric conditions; depression was common. In two patients surreptitious insulin administration was believed to represent suicidal behavior. In others, it appeared to represent symptom substitution when use of other health-threatening behaviors such as recurrent ketoacidosis was made increasingly difficult through appropriate intervention. Surreptitious insulin administration may be one symptom of serious underlying psychiatric dysfunction in adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Doxepin therapy for duodenal ulcer: a controlled trial in patients who failed to respond to cimetidine.

Ten patients with endoscopically proven active duodenal ulcers completed a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of doxepin hydrochloride. All ten had previously failed to respond to conventional cimetidine therapy. Doxepin was given at bedtime in a single 50-mg dose for the first week and, if needed, in a single 75-mg or 100-mg dose for the remainder of the six-week trial. After two weeks of therapy the decrease in average ulcer size was 54% in the doxepin group versus 38% in the placebo group (P less than 0.01); at the end of six weeks the decrease in mean ulcer size was 69% in the doxepin group versus 97% in the placebo group, a difference that was not significant. No serious side effects were attributed to doxepin, but two patients complained of mild dryness of the mouth. Suggestions for using this tricyclic antidepressant and possible mechanisms of action are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Knowledge and attitudes to prescribed drugs in young and elderly patients.

Increasing patient knowledge of drug therapy is said to improve compliance and may reduce adverse drug reactions. We assessed patient knowledge of prescribed drugs in fifty patients attending a hypertension clinic [outpatients] and in elderly patients on admission to (n = 129) and on discharge from (n = 100) an acute geriatric assessment unit. We found that 88% of outpatients, 40% of elderly admissions, and 41% of elderly discharges knew the indications for their therapy; only 40% of outpatients, 8% of elderly admissions and 12% of elderly discharges could name their medications. Patients said that their information came principally from the prescribing doctor. In a further study we assessed doctor, nurse, young and elderly patients' ability to discriminate between commonly prescribed white tablets. Errors were made by the doctors on 25% occasions, nurses on 40% occasions and patients on 61% occasions. Young patients made errors 67% of the time and elderly patients 55% of the time. These studies indicate that both inpatients and outpatients, both young and elderly have poor knowledge of their medications. In addition, many commonly prescribed drugs are not easily distinguishable by patient, prescriber or drug administrator. We conclude that there is a need to improve knowledge both in patients and in prescribers. We suggest that prescribers should consider the colour and shape of medications prescribed concurrently as many "little white tablets" are difficult to tell apart.

Adult↗