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S Fiorani

Publications and source records attributed to S Fiorani.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1981

Cimetidine and antacid prophylaxis of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding in high risk patients. Controlled, randomized trial.

A randomized, controlled clinical trial was performed to compare the efficacy of prophylactic cimetidine treatment, antacid treatment and no treatment in high risk patients. Sixty patients received cimetidine (200 mg every 6 hours), 52 patients received antacids (Maalox, 10 ml/hour), and 56 patients received no treatment. One hundred thirty-five patients completed the study. Eight patients in the control group and one patient in the antacid-treated group presented with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. No bleeding occurred in the cimetidine-treated group. Patients considered at low risk had no bleeding. Cimetidine or antacid prophylaxis significantly decreased the incidence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in the high risk patients.

Antacids↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Tracheostomy: indications, techniques, and complications].

The authors report their experience relative to 46 tracheostomies performed over a 10-year period. In 6 cases the indication for a tracheostomy was a post-traumatic respiratory failure; in 20 cases a chronic respiratory insufficiency, in 6 cases a malignant neoplasm of the larynx; in 10 cases a postoperative respiratory insufficiency; in 4 cases for tongue and/or neck wounds. The authors stress the importance of a correct indication, the use of large volume-low pressure cuffs and an appropriate surgical technique to prevent complication of tracheostomy.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Hypothyroidism and megacolon].

A 71 years old woman, affected by ischemic heart disease from the age of 50 and by chronic constipation was admitted to the emergency department for drowsiness, intense dyspnea and acute abdominal distension. Laparotomy evidenced a megacolon. Because of the age and sex of the patient the congenital form of the megacolon was ruled out. No one of the more common causes of megacolon was recognized, but a severe hypothyroldism and Hashimoto's thyroiditis was discovered. Treatment with levothyroxine caused a progressive improvement of the general condition of the patient and of the megacolon so that the authors hypothesize that the intestinal pseudo-occlusion was caused by the hypothyroidism. In this paper the authors make a thorough analysis of the literature about the association between hypothyroidism and megacolon. Although many hypothesis have been put forward about the possible pathogenetic association between these two diseases, until now no definitive result has been reached. The authors, moreover, hypothesize that the pleural and pericardial effusion and the peculiar metabolic state characterized by plasma hyponatremia and hyposmolarity, with a constant urinary hyperosmolarity, were also caused by hypothyroidism; in fact the clinical and metabolic conditions improved after levothyroxine therapy. In the end the authors discuss if it is preferable to use tetraiodothyronine or triIodothyronine for the treatment of intense hypothyroidism in a patient in critical clinical state.

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