PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S M Sharpe

Publications and source records attributed to S M Sharpe.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Behavioral correlates of action potentials recorded chronically inside the Cone Electrode.

Long-term recording of stable action potentials with a new electrode configuration has been achieved for up to 15 months in monkeys. Action potentials are separated from the continuous multi-unit recordings made between two wires inside a glass open ended cone implanted in the motor cortex. Neural tissue is induced to grow into the glass cone by autologous sciatic nerve placed inside prior to implantation. Data presented here show that behavioral correlates of neural activity are related to flexion and extension movements of the contralateral hand and digits. These data suggest that this electrode can be used in both basic and applied studies.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1986

The use and implications of do not resuscitate orders in intensive care units.

To describe current "do not resuscitate" (DNR) order writing practices, we studied 7,265 intensive care unit (ICU) admissions at 13 hospitals. All of the ICUs used DNR orders and 39% of all in-unit deaths were preceded by them. Patients with DNR orders were often elderly and in severely failing health. They were more severely ill than other patients in ICUs, and often had multiple organ failure. Most patients with DNR orders (94%) died in the hospital, and 86% died or were discharged from the ICU three days after a DNR order. The frequency of DNR orders ranged from 0.4% to 13.5%, and the mean interval from ICU admission to DNR order was from 5.4 to 24 days. These variations could not be explained by differences in patient characteristics, and may reflect varying physician attitudes. Do not resuscitate orders are now an accepted practice in ICUs and their use follows basic ethical and scientific guidelines. The brief interval between writing a DNR order and death or ICU discharge suggests that they often represent a decision point for placing broader limits on therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Prolonged surgical intensive care. A useful allocation of medical resources.

To determine factors related to outcome following prolonged stays in the surgical intensive care unit (ICU), we reviewed the charts of all 59 patients who required surgical ICU stays of one week or longer during 1982 (63 admissions). Overall ICU survival was 58.7% and varied inversely with acute illness severity, length of ICU stay, and hospital cost. The need for renal dialysis and prolonged mechanical ventilatory support were associated with bad outcomes. Age did not affect ICU survival. Follow-up survival was 33% of the original group or 56.8% of ICU survivors. Poor chronic health was associated with a high late mortality. The functional status of surviving patients was satisfactory, with 18 of 21 patients living independently. We conclude that there is significant survival following prolonged ICU therapy, and that, although identifiable factors related to outcome exist, none alone permit the discontinuation of therapy on an individual basis.

Adult↗