PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R T Murdock

Publications and source records attributed to R T Murdock.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Serious soft tissue infections of the head and neck.

The head and neck contain a number of spaces that can be invaded by organisms of the mouth or by spread of cervical osteomyelitis. Infection in these spaces may progress from superficial infection to cellulitis to the formation of an abscess requiring immediate drainage. Spread of infection between spaces depends on anatomic location. Most patients require hospitalization and intravenous antibiotic therapy. Because a deep space infection may be occult, a high index of suspicion is required for diagnosis. Early recognition is necessary to avoid tissue damage, bacteremia or airway compromise. The possibility of deep space infection should be considered in any patient who does not respond to the usual treatment of an abscessed tooth or tonsillitis. This type of infection also should be considered in a toxic patient who has a fever of unknown origin, with or without blood cultures that show anaerobic organisms. Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging is usually necessary to locate the infection and to detect suppuration that will be amenable to surgical exploration and drainage.

Clinical Protocols↗
PubMed1991

Essential health education for deployment in underdeveloped countries.

Educating personnel regarding issues related to health and foreign travel has always been an important deployment concern. This article provides general health education guidelines pertinent to any deployment, but especially foreign deployment. The report is intended as a vehicle for initiating the health education process of nonmedical personnel prior to deployment.

Developing Countries↗
PubMed1990

Physician assistants in ophthalmology: a national survey.

Fifty-two physician assistants employed in ophthalmologic practice throughout the United States were identified. Demographic and role-delineation data from 40 PAs agreeing to participate in the study were collected by questionnaire and telephone interviews. The data indicated that the majority of ophthalmologic PAs are employed in large practices that specialize in cataract and radial keratotomy procedures and that those practices are primarily located in the Southeast and Gulf regions of the United States. The authors conclude that most PAs are being utilized appropriately by ophthalmologists, that more formalized educational and credentialing programs may be necessary for the future, and that PAs can be positive adjuncts to ophthalmologic practice.

Employment↗
PubMed1990

Prevention and emergency field management of venomous snakebites during military exercises.

Summer exercises in the continental United States bring many military personnel in contact with our four types of indigenous venomous snakes. Personnel with a knowledge of these snakes, their habits, and habitat, and who exercise common sense are much less likely to fall victim to a venomous bite. When a bite does occur, timely and appropriate first aid can help to reduce the sequelae of an envenomation. Military medical personnel should be prepared to discuss snakebite prevention and field management with all personnel taking to the field this summer.

Humans↗
PubMed1990

Development of a tool to assess suicide risk factors in urban adolescents.

Dramatic increases in the adolescent suicide rate over the past three decades have underscored the need for risk-assessment tools. The tools that do exist are oriented to older populations and their application to adolescents is questionable. A project was initiated at the University of Utah's Health Education Department to develop a pilot instrument to examine the differences between adolescents who have attempted suicide and other teenagers. Eighty-two subjects between the ages of 14 and 19 participated in the test of this instrument. Twenty-five subjects were identified by a physician or psychologist as having failed in a sincere suicide attempt within the previous 18 months. Fifty-seven nonsuicide attempters with similar demographic profiles served as a comparison group. An 86-item questionnaire was administered to both groups. Questions were generated from a review of the literature of the past three decades for problems associated with suicide in this population. Questions were sorted into three domains (family environment, social environment, and self-perceptions), with each domain having several subdomains. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences for each of the three domains and on 55 of 86 questions. The results were used to create a streamlined instrument for assessing suicide risk that can be administered in 20 minutes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Primary congenital glaucoma.

Primary congenital glaucoma is a rare but potentially devastating disorder that family physicians must recognize as early as possible in infants and young children. Symptoms, which may not be present at birth, classically include photophobia, excessive tearing and blepharospasm. The cornea may be enlarged and hazy. Increased intraocular pressure rapidly damages the optic nerve in infants. Treatment includes surgery with regular follow-up evaluation.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1986

Humanitarian responsibilities and corporate medicine.

The practitioner's moral mandate to administer to those in need is seriously compromised by recent changes in the medical marketplace. A clinician and an administrator encourage emerging medical corporations voluntarily to assume more responsibility for the poor and indigent. They also challenge PAs to champion the cause of those who cannot afford proper medical attention.

Economics, Hospital↗
PubMed1986

What patients should know about radial keratotomy.

Radial keratotomy is a relatively new, widely advertised procedure that promises patients with myopia 20/20 vision without corrective lenses. However, radial keratotomy sometimes does not fulfill this promise. New studies have reported numerous cases in which patients were not helped or were actually harmed by radial keratotomy. Also, its long-term effects are unknown. Family physicians should advise patients to approach the procedure with caution.

Cornea↗