Biomedical subjects

S Lavender

Publications and source records attributed to S Lavender.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Relevance of postmortem radiology to the diagnosis of fatal cerebral gas embolism from compressed air diving.

AIMS: To test the hypothesis that artefact caused by postmortem off-gassing is at least partly responsible for the presence of gas within the vascular system and tissues of the cadaver following death associated with compressed air diving. METHODS: Controlled experiment sacrificing sheep after a period of simulated diving in a hyperbaric chamber and carrying out sequential postmortem computed tomography (CT) on the cadavers. RESULTS: All the subject sheep developed significant quantities of gas in the vascular system within 24 hours, as demonstrated by CT and necropsy, while the control animals did not. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of gas in the vascular system of human cadavers following diving associated fatalities is to be expected, and is not necessarily connected with gas embolism following pulmonary barotrauma, as has previously been claimed.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Job exposures as correlates of recovery in population-based rehabilitation intervention for work-related low back disorders.

PURPOSE: Evaluating the impact of population-based rehabilitation interventions for work-related low back disorders (WR-LBD) requires job exposure factors to be considered as time-varying covariates. The role of job factors in recovery has not been well-established as most studies are based upon clinic samples, not working populations. This report represents the initial exploration of variables to be included in modeling job exposures as time-varying covariates of a study of work-place based rehabilitation intervention.METHODS: The study sample consisted of 162 hourly production employees from two automotive plants with work-related low back disorder not due to external trauma. Data reported herein were collected at baseline from an on-going large randomized clinical trial of rehabilitation for WR-LBD. Low back pain as measured by the North American Spine Society Baseline Form was examined in relation to: self-reported job factors from the Job Content Questionnaire and job risk category for low back disorder determined by the Lumbar Motion Monitor (LMM), an electronic goniometer which transmits back motion signals to a computer for analysis.RESULTS: Low back pain, with and without leg pain, was not found to be associated with hours worked in the previous week, job shift, perceptions of the pace of the job, or job risk of low back disorder as measured by the LMM. Low back pain was significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with perceptions of: how hard the work was, how much physical effort was required, how hectic the job was, whether or not there was sufficient time to do the job, and how much concentration and physical effort were required for the job.CONCLUSIONS: Self-report of perceptions of job strain may be as important, if not more important, than current quantitative factors thought to influence recovery from work-related low back pain.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1994

Trunk muscle activation. The effects of torso flexion, moment direction, and moment magnitude.

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to quantify the electromyographic trunk muscle activities in response to variations in moment magnitude and direction while in forward-flexed postures. METHODS: Recordings were made over eight trunk muscles in 19 subjects who maintained forward-flexed postures of 30 degrees and 60 degrees. In each of the two flexed postures, external moments of 20 Nm and 40 Nm were applied via a chest harness. The moment directions were varied in seven 30 degrees increments to a subject's right side, such that the direction of the applied load ranged from the upper body's anterior midsagittal plane (0 degree) to the posterior midsagittal plane (180 degrees). RESULTS: Statistical analyses yielded significant moment magnitude by moment-direction interaction effects for the EMG output from six of the eight muscles. Trunk flexion by moment-direction interactions were observed in the responses from three muscles. CONCLUSIONS: In general, the primary muscle supporting the torso and the applied load was the contralateral (left) erector spinae. The level of electromyographic activity in the anterior muscles was quite low, even with the posterior moment directions.

Adult↗

PubMed1982

Delayed left ventricular rupture secondary to transatrial left ventricular vent.

The cases of 2 patients with delayed ventricular rupture secondary to ventricular venting through the left atrium during myocardial revascularization are reported. Both patients were weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass without difficulty and were transported to the intensive care unit in good condition. Rupture occurred in one patient two hours later and in the other, approximately twelve hours postoperatively; both patients died. Both patients were short in stature, and it is possible that advancing the catheter to the first guide mark left the tip unusually close to the ventricular apex. As the catheter cooled and hardened and as the heart was retracted, the catheter may have been pushed against the apical endocardium, thereby producing undetectable subendocardial damage. Our experience with these 2 patients has led us to become more selective in venting for coronary bypass operations. When venting is necessary, we insert the catheter so that its tip barely enters the ventricle.

Aged↗

PubMed1974