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Biomedical subjects

W L Schoolmeester

Publications and source records attributed to W L Schoolmeester.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1981

Radionuclide angiographic assessment of left ventricular function during exercise in patients with a severely reduced ejection fraction.

To study the effect of exercise on left ventricular ejection fraction in patients with congestive cardiomyopathy and the relation of the response to the origin of the myocardial dysfunction, 30 patients with a severely reduced ejection fraction (30 percent or less) were evaluated with radionuclide angiography. Group I consisted of 16 patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and a mean (+/- standard deviation) resting ejection fraction of 22.3 +/- 6.1 percent. Group II was composed of 14 patients with primary cardiomyopathy and a mean resting ejection fraction of 19.3 +/- 4.7 percent. The mean age, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, cardiac index and resting left ventricular ejection fraction of Groups I and II were similar; however, the change in the ejection fraction during similar levels of exercise differed significantly. The mean exercise ejection fraction decreased to 16.7 +/- 6.8 percent in Group I, but increased to 24.6 +/- 6.4 percent in Group II (p less than 0.001). Thus, exercise usually results in a directionally opposite change in left ventricular ejection fraction depending on the origin of the congestive cardiomyopathy.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Arsenic poisoning.

Arsenic poisoning continues to require awareness of its diverse clinical manifestations. Industry is the major source of arsenic exposure. Although epidemiologic studies strongly contend that arsenic is carcinogenic, there are little supportive research data. Arsenic poisoning, both acute and chronic, is often overlooked initially in the evaluation of the patient with multisystem disease, but once it is suspected, many accurate methods are available to quantitate the amount and duration of exposure. Treatment with dimercaprol remains the mainstay of therapy, and early treatment is necessary to prevent irreversible complications.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1978

Multivalvular vegetations in a patient with enterococcal endocarditis diagnosed by echocardiography.

A patient with enterococcal endocarditis of 11 months' duration is presented, and the role of surgery and echocardiography is reviewed. Echocardiography revealed vegetations of the aortic and mitral valves. After appropriate antibiotic therapy the patient had successful aortic and mitral valve replacement with porcine heterografts. Enterococcal endocarditis is increasing in frequency and is likely to infect young women of childbearing age, elderly men who have had genitourinary tract manipulation, and abusers of intravenous drugs. Aortic and mitral valves are most frequently affected, cardiac failure is common, and often no evidence of underlying heart disease can be found. The use of echocardiography in this patient provided accurate diagnosis of valvular vegetations and assessment of the hemodynamic severity of the lesion, thus preventing the need for cardiac catheterization and its potential risk of septic embolization.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Role of the psyche in recovery from myocardial infarction.

The need for psychosocial counseling in survivors of myocardial infarction is often overlooked. A few casual remarks at the bedside will not suffice. These patients progress through three definable stages: (1) stress, (2) disorganization, and (3) reconstruction. The assistance of the physician in helping the patient through these phases is imperative to complete recovery.

Adaptation, Psychological↗