We prospectively determined the intraoperative blood loss in 250 patients who underwent major head and neck surgical procedures over a 13-month period to demonstrate the efficacy of electrosurgical dissection for reducing blood loss and to determine those factors predictive of the need for blood replacement. Transfusions were required in 30 (12%) of the 250 patients, and a total of 66 units of packed red blood cells was administered. Two patients were transfused preoperatively, 16 patients intraoperatively, and 14 patients postoperatively. Factors predicting the necessity for blood replacement included the patient's preoperative hematocrit level, intraoperative blood loss, the duration and type of procedure, and the surgeon's level of experience. The principles of electrosurgical dissection are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Production of human B and T cell growth factors is enhanced by thymic hormones.

The thymic preparations thymosin fraction 5 (TF5) and synthetic thymosin alpha 1 (T alpha 1) were examined for their ability to enhance growth factor production by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). The results showed that both TF5 and T alpha 1 were capable of enhancing the production of a B cell growth factor (BCGF-12kD) and T cell growth factor (TCGF; IL-2). Enhancement by T alpha 1 could be obtained at 100-200-fold lower concentrations than that seen with TF5. In contrast, no enhancement of growth factor production was obtained with control preparations of non-thymic tissue extracts at any concentrations used. It was observed that stimulation of BCGF-12kD and IL-2 was most significantly obtained when the PBMC were activated with lectin. Furthermore, no direct effect of thymic hormones on test B and T cells was observed. These observations provide the first direct evidence that production of B cell growth factors can be enhanced by thymic hormones. In addition, these studies suggest that thymic hormones may regulate B cell responses by acting on mature activated T lymphocytes.

B-Lymphocytes↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Arterial waveforms: monitoring changes in configuration.

Arterial waveform configuration is an underused monitoring tool in the intensive care setting. Characteristic changes in configuration occur throughout the illness-wellness continuum for a number of disease processes. The cases presented illustrate the opportunity for preliminary diagnosis and early intervention.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Pain prevalence and pain treatments for residents in Oregon nursing homes.

The Client Care Monitoring Unit of Oregon's Senior and Disabled Services Division developed and conducted a study with survey-generated information to describe the prevalence of pain and the effectiveness of pain interventions for residents of Oregon nursing home facilities. Forty-four percent of sampled residents who were identified as having pain management needs were found to have problematic treatment regimens. Reports of surveyors' experiences during information collection and review of the Medicare/Medicaid recertification reports of the sampled facilities revealed that lack of assessment, and reevaluation of the effectiveness of treatment for pain were the chief contributing factors that led to these findings.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Self-assessment questionnaires document substantial variability in the clinical expression of rotator cuff tears.

The goal of this investigation was to document the variability in the clinical expression of full-thickness rotator cuff tears with practical and standardized patient self-assessment tools. One-hundred twenty-three consecutive patients with full-thickness cuff tears diagnosed by standard cuff-imaging methods (sonography, arthrography, or magnetic resonance imagery) assessed their own shoulder function and health status with the Simple Shoulder Test and the Short Form 36, respectively. As a group, these patients were substantially compromised in their ability to perform the functions of the Simple Shoulder Test and in the Short Form 36 scales of physical role, physical function, and comfort. As individuals, however, their self-assessments varied widely. The standard deviations were often greater than 50% of the mean and the range of responses often covered the entire scale from the minimum possible score to the maximum possible score. These results show the importance of documenting the clinical expression of cuff tears in patients at initial evaluation and when treatment is being considered. The results also show the practicality of standardized self-assessment questionnaires in such documentation.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Erectile dysfunction and its correlates among the Ariaal of northern Kenya.

To expand our crosscultural understanding of erectile dysfunction, we investigated erectile dysfunction among Ariaal men, pastoral nomads of northern Kenya. To measure erectile dysfunction, we administered the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) to 198 men aged 20 y and older during interviews. Marital status and anthropometric measures of body composition were also obtained. Men were classified into 10-y age groups. ANOVA revealed that erectile dysfunction increases with age (P<0.0005), with men 60 y and older showing significantly higher erectile dysfunction compared with men in their 20s, 40s and 50s. In a MANCOVA model, erectile dysfunction increased with age group (P<0.001), was negatively related to right-hand grip strength (P<0.01) and negatively related to number of wives (P<0.05). In addition, there was a significant interaction between age group and marital status (P<0.01). Erectile dysfunction showed no independent relationship to measures of body composition, including body mass index, fat free mass and percentage body fat. These findings provide further evidence of age-related increases in erectile dysfunction, even when factors commonly associated with erectile dysfunction (eg, metabolic complications of obesity, use of medicines causing erectile dysfunction) are absent. The finding that number of wives is negatively related to erectile dysfunction may represent the specific cultural conditions (political power and wealth) associated with polygyny among the Ariaal.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Acquired B antigen: an ABO typing discrepancy successfully reversed by transfusion with type A red blood cells.

Two elderly type A patients were found to have acquired B antigen, one secondary to Escherichia coli and the other to Pseudomonas septicemia. One received a transfusion of type A red blood cells without any apparent sequelae. The mechanism and diagnosis of the acquired B antigen are discussed.

ABO Blood-Group System↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A prospective, multipractice study of shoulder function and health status in patients with documented rotator cuff tears.

A total of 191 patients from 29 orthopedic practices are analyzed in this report. All had full-thickness tears documented by imaging tests and/or surgical observation; 190 had tears of the supraspinatus, 54 had tears of the infraspinatus, and 13 had tears of the subscapularis. The greatest functional deficits were in the ability to place 8 pounds on a shelf at the level of the head (93% unable), the ability to throw overhand (93% unable), and the ability to sleep on the affected side (86% unable). The SF-36 physical role function and comfort scores were 27% and 48%, respectively, of those of age- and sex-matched controls. Of the variables suggested by a review of the literature, only female sex, involvement of the infraspinatus in the cuff tear, and workers' compensation claims were significantly correlated with lower shoulder function in this series of patients.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Correlates with comfort and function after total shoulder arthroplasty for degenerative joint disease.

Although most patients are improved after shoulder arthroplasty, the degree of improvement is variable. The factors contributing to this variability are not well understood. In particular, little information is available regarding the preoperative characteristics of the patient that may influence the quality of the result. This study correlated patient demographics, preoperative health status, and preoperative shoulder function with 3 outcome metrics: comfort, physical role function, and shoulder-specific function. One hundred thirty-four shoulders having total shoulder arthroplasty for degenerative glenohumeral joint disease had an average follow-up of 3.4 +/- 1.8 years. The SF-36 Comfort score improved from 39 to 61 (P < .0001). The SF-36 Physical Role Function score improved from 30 to 52 (P < .0001). The average number of Simple Shoulder Test functions performable (out of 12) improved from 4 to 9 (P < .0001). The strongest correlates with postoperative comfort included preoperative physical function (P < .0001), general health (P < .0001), and social function (P < .001). The strongest correlates with postoperative physical role function included preoperative physical function (P < .0001) and general health (P < .001). The strongest correlates with postoperative shoulder function included male gender (P < .0001), and preoperative physical function (P < .0001), social function (P < .0001), mental health (P < .0001) and shoulder function (P < .0001). These data indicate that the overall well-being of the patient before surgery is strongly correlated with the quality of the outcome from total shoulder arthroplasty for degenerative glenohumeral joint disease.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The magnitude and durability of functional improvement after total shoulder arthroplasty for degenerative joint disease.

So that patients with degenerative glenohumeral joint disease who wish to consider total shoulder arthroplasty will be better informed, we sought to document the magnitude and durability of the improvement in shoulder function after this procedure. The function of 124 shoulders with primary degenerative joint disease was documented by patient self-assessment with the Simple Shoulder Test before and sequentially after total shoulder arthroplasty performed with a standardized technique. Patients reported that they could perform 3.8 +/- 0.3 (SEM) of the 12 Simple Shoulder Test functions before surgery. The total number of performable functions was consistent at different follow-up intervals: 8.0 +/- 0.4 at 6 months, 9.5 +/- 0.4 at 1 year, 10.0 +/- 0.3 at 2 years, 9.2 +/- 0.4 at 3 years, 9.6 +/- 0.4 at 4 years, and 10.0 +/- 0.4 at 5 years. We conclude that total shoulder arthroplasty can provide substantial and durable improvement in shoulder function.

Aged↗