Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A N Bamji

Publications and source records attributed to A N Bamji.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Better practical evaluation for lower limb amputees.

PURPOSE: To avoid wastage of prostheses and unfair selection methods for prosthetic prescription, we aimed to develop a practical assessment tool for amputees with doubtful potential, using refurbished second hand modular prostheses. METHOD: Thirty-seven primary amputees (33 transfemoral, 4 transtibial; 22 males, 15 females; median age 71 years, range 19-91) were considered to have doubtful potential for prosthetic use, due to single or multiple impairments. Amputees were assessed using custom-made socket and refurbished second-hand modular prostheses. Liability issues were fully covered. RESULTS: Two patients died before completing the assessment. Median duration of assessment was 4 weeks (range 1-31 weeks). Among the 35 amputees who completed the trial, 14 (38%) proceeded to final prosthesis successfully and 21 (58%) decided to abandon the prostheses. The main reasons for prostheses rejection identified by the team were: hip flexion deformity (4); frailty (4); bilateral amputations (4); COAD (6), stroke (4), stump pain (3) and contralateral leg problems (2) CONCLUSION: High prosthetic rejection rate was expected and confirmed in this group (58%), but considerable number did proceed to definitive prosthesis. The method is practical and fair for amputees of doubtful potential, with considerable cost saving.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The painful shoulder: can consultants agree?

As a two-phase exercise in inter-district audit, with the emphasis on critical evaluation of routine clinical practice, three rheumatologists each examined the same 44 patients with shoulder pain, and recorded their diagnosis and the investigations and treatment they would carry out. In the first phase, 26 patients were seen by each rheumatologist separately; there was complete diagnostic agreement in only 46%, with wide variation in the frequency of requests for standard investigations, but all three rheumatologists recommended steroid injections for most patients. In the second phase, all three rheumatologists examined a further 18 patients together, discussed the symptoms and signs, and recorded their diagnoses separately. There was complete agreement in 78%. The presence of more than one lesion, and differences in the interpretation of certain physical signs, partly explain the lack of agreement in Phase 1. Treatment of specific shoulder lesions is highly concordant, with injection the major treatment modality, followed by physiotherapy. Perhaps the different diagnoses reached, and the fact that treatment might therefore be administered for the wrong diagnosis, may explain some treatment failures. Also, recruitment of patients for studies of the treatment of shoulder lesions requires care to avoid selection of a heterogeneous group.

Arthralgia↗
PubMed1993

The Macalister archive: records from the Queen's Hospital, Sidcup, 1917-1921.

The Queen's Hospital opened in 1917 to care for soldiers receiving facial injuries in Western Front trenches, usually as a result of a gunshot wound. Some 8000 patients were treated by the medical teams of the UK, the Dominions and the USA. The wartime records were removed by their respective sections in 1921, but Queen Mary's Hospital has recently reacquired those of the New Zealand section, rescued from imminent destruction by Professor A.D. Macalister, late Dean of the Dental School at Dunedin, and kindly donated by him. There are 282 sets of case-notes containing typescript summaries, clinical photographs and radiographs, drawings, 77 watercolor paintings and a life-size wax model of head and upper torso illustrating some of the surgical techniques. The archive is a fine example of medical illustration 75 years ago, and provides invaluable detail on the plastic surgery and dental reconstructive methods that were developed at Sidcup.

England↗
PubMed1990

What do rheumatologists do? A pilot audit study.

Four consultant rheumatologists from different health districts compared their out-patient and in-patient workloads for 3 months. Data collection proved simple and valuable to each local unit. Inflammatory joint disease (particularly severe rheumatoid arthritis) dominated the workload in all centres. Large differences in the number of new referrals with osteoarthritis, soft tissue diseases and polymyalgia rheumatica were observed. Differences were also apparent in the organization of clinics, provision of follow-up appointments for different diagnostic groups, and usage of steroid injections. Although there may be a variety of explanations for these similarities and differences, the data emphasize the need for further audit of rheumatology practice in the UK.

Ambulatory Care Facilities↗
PubMed1983

Gold and pulmonary function in rheumatoid arthritis.

The effect of gold therapy on pulmonary function in rheumatoid arthritis has been studied prospectively in a group of 14 patients and retrospectively in 96 patients. There was no evidence that gold had any adverse effect on pulmonary function.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Idiopathic parkinsonism treated with bromocriptine.

The efficacy and toxicity of bromocriptine, a drug which simulates dopamine, have been studied in twenty-eight patients with idiopathic parkinsonism. A double-blind, within-patient comparison between maximum tolerated doses of bromocriptine (mean 46-9 mg daily) and placebo revealed a substantial and statistically significant therapeutic response to the active drug. Adverse reactions were dose dependent, reversible, and similar to those encountered with levodopa. While taking bromocriptine fourteen patients were able to stop levodopa (with or without carbidopa); in five patients the dose of levodopa was reduced by 54% (mean). Eight patients could not tolerate bromocriptine; one patient failed to comply with prescribed adjustments of dosage.

Aged↗