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Biomedical subjects

A Bell

Publications and source records attributed to A Bell.

246 records · Page 14Linked to original sources

Hospitals harbor hazards ignored in fight for life.

Conventional images of the hospital create two two misconceptions in the minds of people having sporadic or casual contact with it: First, that it's not really a workplace, like a factory; and second that since the function of the hospital is to promote health and wellbeing, it's a healthy and safe place for those in it, whatever their capacity there. Both are far from the truth, as hospital administrators and the medical and operational staffs are beginning to realize and discuss with increasing intensity. Government agenicies at the state and federal level also are turning their scrutiny to the country's 7,000-plus hospitals and even-larger number of private and semi-private clinics. They employ several million people, and more millions are cared for-plus visitors and vendors who every day enter the hospital's doors, walk its corridors and are exposed to a variety of environmental conditions. In short, occupational health and safety is coming to the hospital. The hospital has many of the hazards of any workplace, such as electrical deficiencies in equipment, toxic gases in the atmosphere, noise and weights to lift. But it has countless more hazards that are unique to it: bacterial infection, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week work schedules, and the fight for life in an intensive-care unit.

Back Pain↗

Transcutaneous blood gas monitoring during peritoneal dialysis in the neonate.

Transcutaneous oxygen and carbon dioxide were monitored continuously during peritoneal dialysis in an infant with severe idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome requiring mechanical ventilation. These showed marked changes in blood gases occurring in phase with the cycles of dialysis due to interference with ventilatory function by fluid in the peritoneal cavity. This finding has important implications for the management of infants requiring peritoneal dialysis during mechanical ventilation.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

The treatment of pain following photorefractive keratectomy.

The most effective management of the pain that follows excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) appears to be the use of topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents. A bandage contact lens for 2 days after photorefractive keratectomy is additive to pain relief. The helpfulness of patching was not confirmed. Surprisingly, drops of local anesthetic were not an efficacious means of managing the pain. This was possibly because they were not used frequently enough. The findings showed trends, but were not statistically significant.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗

Treatment of myopic astigmatism with photorefractive keratectomy using an erodible mask.

The Summit Technology erodible mask treatment of astigmatism does not alter the keratometric astigmatism significantly, even though the refractive astigmatism appears to improve by about 50%. Myopia is satisfactorily treated with the erodible mask, but there is slightly more undercorrection compared to photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) using an expanding diaphragm. Increasing the minus power in ordering the mask cylinder improves the myopia result, but not the keratometric astigmatism result. The following factors do not influence the keratometric astigmatism result: 1) The type of astigmatism (with-, against-the-rule, or oblique); 2) The initial keratometry readings; and 3) The time from the commencement of epithelial removal to laser treatment.

Astigmatism↗

A swimming pool-associated outbreak of Cryptosporidiosis in British Columbia.

An outbreak of Cryptosporidiosis occurred over three months in a British Columbia community, peaking in December 1990. Results of the case-control study and illness surveys support the hypothesis that transmission occurred in a public children's pool at the local recreation centre. Analysis using lab-confirmed cases revealed a matched odds ratio of 4.5 [95% CI 0.97, 20.83], and using clinical cases an unmatched odds ratio of 12.8 [95% CI 3.68, 46.77], associated with swimming in the children's pool within two weeks prior to onset of illness. Other risk factors were not significant. Attack rates in various groups of children's pool users ranged from 8% to 78%. The children's pool was closed for steam cleaning and disinfection. Unusually frequent defecations including liquid stools had occurred before and during the outbreak. Improvements were instituted for removal of feces and superchlorination of pool water.

Adolescent↗