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Biomedical subjects

S M Podolsky

Publications and source records attributed to S M Podolsky.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Adenosine use during pregnancy.

Adenosine is a naturally occurring endogenous nucleoside that suppresses atrioventricular nodal conduction time, terminates supraventricular tachycardia, and restores sinus rhythm. Its use has been reported in children and adults but not in pregnant patients. This case documents the successful termination of a supraventricular tachycardia in a 39-week pregnant hypotensive patient. Emergency physicians may wish to consider adenosine use in pregnant patients needing emergency therapy or when conventional therapy fails.

Adenosine↗

Lactic acidosis in theophylline overdose.

An 18-year-old man with theophylline overdose developed an increased anion gap metabolic acidosis. Serum lactate levels were markedly elevated. A direct correlation was found between the increasing theophylline level, clinical hyperadrenergic state, and the worsening acidosis. Early hemoperfusion reversed the acidosis, the elevated serum theophylline level, and the hyperadrenergic state. This case substantiates the role of lactate accumulation in the metabolic acidosis associated with isolated theophylline toxicity.

Acidosis, Lactic↗

Conjunctival oxygen monitoring: relationship to ventricular arrhythmias.

The results of conjunctival oxygen monitoring in a critically ill patient whose cardiac rhythm changed from sinus tachycardia to ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation and back to sinus tachycardia are described. Monitoring revealed a significant decrease in conjunctival oxygen tension 2 minutes before ventricular tachycardia was manifested by continuous electrocardiography, and an immediate rise in conjunctival oxygen tension was seen with the resumption of sinus tachycardia. This monitoring modality may be a useful adjunct in the hemodynamic evaluation of critically ill patients.

Aged↗

Characteristics of emergency medicine fellowships.

Little has been reported in the literature on the characteristics of existing and planned emergency medicine fellowships. To help answer important questions about fellowships, a 28-question survey was developed by representatives from the University Association for Emergency Medicine education and fellowship committees, the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association, and a health services researcher. This questionnaire was sent to all emergency medicine residency directors and known emergency medicine fellowship programs. The results of our survey indicate that there are 18 current and 11 planned fellowships. The fellowships primarily last one year, are research oriented, and place a large emphasis on toxicology, emergency medical services, and critical care. They are based mostly in university or university-affiliated hospitals, and will graduate physicians who stay in academic emergency medicine. The major problems with fellowships include inadequate funding and lack of adequate candidates.

Emergency Medicine↗

Use of conjunctival oxygen monitoring in cardiac patients in the emergency unit.

Conjunctival oxygen monitoring (PcjO2) measures conjunctival tissue organ. It has proved useful in helping to evaluate hypovolemic multiple trauma patients, carotid artery surgery patients, as well as others. Little has been written about its use during medical resuscitations. This report reviews its accident and emergency department use in 13 cardiac arrest/life-threatening cardiac dysrhythmia patients. Nine patients expired and four patients survived. Accident and emergency department PcjO2 values in the group which expired averaged 6.3. Those patients who survived averaged 35.4. Subjects who maintained PcjO2 values below 20 did not survive. Furthermore, PcjO2 values taken within the first 8 min of accident and emergency department resuscitation appear to indicate outcome. Conjunctival oxygen monitoring may be useful in monitoring critically ill cardiac patients in the accident and emergency department.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗

Research topics, author's specialty, and funding sources of articles published in an emergency medicine journal.

All original articles published in JACEP and Annals of Emergency Medicine in 1972, 1975, 1978, and 1981 were reviewed and classified according to topic, author's specialty, and funding source. The number of articles published in each category was as follows: toxicology, 44; emergency medical services (EMS), 34; general surgery, 31; emergency department, 28; educational techniques, 19; orthopedics, 17; cardiovascular disease, 15; pulmonary, 13; cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), 10; shock, 8; airway management, 8; and other, 71. The number of authors per article ranged from one to eight; the mean number of authors increased from 1.1 in 1972 to 2.6 in 1981 (P less than .001). The authors' backgrounds most frequently included were as follows: emergency medicine, 53.4%; surgery, 12.8%; internal medicine, 7.9%; and pediatrics, 1.6%. The percentage of articles with specific funding sources increased from 2.9% in 1972 to 25% in 1978, then decreased to 14.3% in 1981. The percentage for each funding source was as follows: government, 7.9%; industry, 2.0%; university, 3.3%; foundation, 2.0%; other, 1.0%; and none, 83.8%. This study demonstrates that there is a defined body of knowledge in emergency medicine, that emergency physicians author the majority of publications in this emergency medicine journal, and that emergency medicine is not supported by traditional funding sources.

Authorship↗

Neurologic complications following immobilization of cervical spine fracture in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis.

Axial traction is widely recommended for stabilization of cervical spine fractures. This procedure may be inappropriate and even dangerous in patients with long-standing ankylosing spondylitis (AS). We present the case of an 80-year-old woman with AS who fell at home and suffered an unstable large C5-C6 fracture/dislocation associated with left-sided weakness and decreased sensation. Medical treatment included placing her neck in a neutral position, despite her preference for neck flexion. This procedure increased her pain and paresthesias; the complications decreased, but did not entirely resolve, when the patient resumed a semi-flexed position. This patient's neurologic sequelae may have been exacerbated by attempts to stabilize her neck in a neutral position. Standard stabilization recommendations should be appropriately altered in some patients with cervical spine AS.

Aged↗