A study of flow-volume curves pre- and post-operatively demonstrated a marked difference between bronchitic and non-bronchitic patients. All bronchitic patients showed lower flow rates at low lung volumes post-operatively, when compared with their pre-operative values. Non-bronchitic patients all had higher flow rates for the same comparison.

Abdomen↗

PubMed1977

Post operative pulmonary compliance.

Lung compliance was studied pre-operatively and post-operatively in a group of patients having abdominal surgery. Lung compliance was shown to be markedly reduced post-operatively especially in the patients with chronic bronchitis.

Abdomen↗

PubMed1977

Postoperative arterial hypoxaemia.

Postoperative arterial oxygen tension was measured in a group of patients. Unacceptably low levels were found in 32% of the patients and this hypoxaemia persisted in some cases for three days. The results enforce the principle that some patients whould be given prolonged oxygen therapy and this should cease only when blood gas analysis demonstrate the patients ability to maintain a safe PaO2 breathing air.

Humans↗

PubMed1977

Radiological lung volume in surgical patients.

Radiological total lung capacity (T.L.C.) was measured preoperatively and postoperatively in a group of patients. A decrease in T.L.C. postoperatively in patients who smoke was demonstrated. The use of radiological T.L.C. in the study of postoperative respiratory dysfunction is suggested.

Aged↗

PubMed1977

Post-operative respiratory resistance.

Respiratory resistance was studied pre-operatively and post-operatively in a group of patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Respiratory resistance was shown to be markedly increased post-operatively in patients with chronic bronchitis and slightly increased in non-bronchitic patients.

Abdomen↗

PubMed1977

The effect of oral contraceptives on colour vision in diabetic women.

The results of previous studies of the effect of oral contraceptives on visual function have produced discrepancies and have lacked specific restraints on the control and experimental groups. We compared 14 diabetics with normal acuity who were taking oral contraceptives with equivalent diabetic and control groups and used the Pickford-Nicholson anomaloscope and the Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue test. Diabetics using oral contraceptives showed a definite trend to increases in tritanomaly and extended red-green matching ranges. When these losses were classified by degree of defect a significantly higher incidence of major defects was found among diabetics on "the pill". Partial correlations for colour variables, duration of diabetes and duration of contraceptive therapy revealed a compounding effect. While subjects using oral contraceptives demonstrated trends toward the extreme scores, these effects were found only in one out of every four users.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1976

Patient monitoring.

Optimum results are obtained in the care of the critically ill patient if efforts are directed to maintaining the internal environment in a state as near normal as possible. This cannot be done without the use of basic monitoring procedures. Complex investigations may have a legitmate and necessary role as research tools. There is, however, a real risk of complex procedures becoming an end in themselves in general intensive therapy units, where they are apt to distract overworked nurses and medical attendants from the care of their patients. It is important, therfore, for clearcut indications for various monitoring procedures to be defined, and in this paper an attempt has been made to outline alogical approach to the monitoring of critically ill genral surgical patients admitted intensive therapy units.

Blood Pressure↗