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C E Forsmark

Publications and source records attributed to C E Forsmark.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Effect of octreotide on refractory AIDS-associated diarrhea. A prospective, multicenter clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy and safety of octreotide for treatment of refractory, profuse diarrhea in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). DESIGN: A prospective, open-label study. SETTING: Inpatient metabolic units of four university medical centers. PATIENTS: Fifty-one patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who had uncontrolled diarrhea (greater than or equal to 500-mL liquid stool per day) despite treatment with maximally tolerable doses of antidiarrheal medications. INTERVENTION: After initial baseline studies, patients received octreotide, 50 micrograms every 8 hours for 48 hours. If stool volume was not reduced to less than 250 mL/d, the dose of octreotide was increased stepwise to 100, 250, and 500 micrograms. MAIN RESULTS: Fifty men and one woman (mean age, 36.3 +/- 1.1 years) entered and completed the 28-day protocol (14 days of inpatient therapy and 14 days of outpatient therapy). Stool frequency and volume decreased significantly (6.5 +/- 0.5 stools per day on day 0 compared with 3.8 +/- 0.3 stools per day on day 21 [P less than 0.001] and 1604 +/- 180 mL/d on day 0 compared with 1084 +/- 162 mL/d on day 14 [P less than 0.001], respectively). Twenty-one patients (41.2%) were considered to be partial or complete responders (reduction in daily stool volume by greater than or equal to 50% of initial collections or reduction to less than or equal to 250 mL/d). Of the 21 responders, 14 (67%) had no identifiable pathogens at initial screening compared with 9 of 30 (30%) nonresponders (P less than 0.01). CONCLUSION: Patients with AIDS-associated refractory watery diarrhea, especially those without identifiable pathogens, may respond favorably to subcutaneously administered octreotide. This drug deserves further study in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

High-protein ascites in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Diseases of the liver or peritoneum resulting in ascites have been infrequently reported in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Since 1985, eight noncirrhotic patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome presenting with new onset high-protein ascites have been evaluated. All but one patient had nondiagnostic paracentesis studies. Laparoscopy with biopsy of identified abnormalities or percutaneous omental biopsy were diagnostic in four patients. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was the cause in three patients, and disseminated cryptococcosis occurred in one patient. In the four other patients, chronic nonspecific peritonitis was found at laparoscopy; follow-up of these latter patients, including exploratory laparotomy in one patient and autopsy in two patients, disclosed no specific cause. Patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and high-protein ascites of uncertain etiology should undergo directed peritoneal evaluation as a potentially treatable disorder may be found. However, despite extensive evaluation, a subset of patients in whom no specific cause can be identified still remains.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Characterization of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 strains recovered from the bowel of infected individuals.

HIV-1 isolates were recovered from biopsy tissues from the small bowel, colon, and rectum of 10 infected individuals with severe diarrhea. In general, the bowel strains grew well in primary macrophage and lymphocyte cultures, not in T or B cell lines. They induced cytopathic effects such as syncytia formation and cell killing in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and were usually sensitive to serum neutralization. Several of these isolates were able to infect bowel epithelial cell lines, but this characteristic was also observed with blood-derived strains. Differences could be identified in 3 of 6 cases of paired bowel and blood isolates from the same individual. When compared to blood-derived isolates, the bowel strains exhibited a relative inability to grow in established cell lines, a reduced ability to induce cytopathology in infected cells, and a greater sensitivity to serum neutralization. Thus, although distinct characteristics of bowel-derived HIV-1 strains were not found, certain biological and serological properties might differentiate these viruses from those isolated from other tissues.

Biopsy↗

Cytomegalovirus-associated acute pancreatic disease in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Report of two patients.

Pancreatic disease has been infrequently reported in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Over the last 3 years at our hospital, two patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and acute pancreatic or biliary disease, demonstrated at autopsy to be secondary to cytomegalovirus infection of the pancreas, have been evaluated. However, pancreatic disease was not recognized antemortem in our two patients because of their underlying diseases and the atypical presentation. Cytomegalovirus infection of the pancreas may cause acute symptomatic disease in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Campylobacter-like organisms are uncommon pathogens in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.

Over a 25-month period, we prospectively evaluated 36 patients with symptomatic human immunodeficiency virus disease (including 27 with unexplained chronic diarrhea) by flexible sigmoidoscopy for the presence of Campylobacter-like organisms. No Campylobacter-like organisms were isolated. Campylobacter-like organisms appear to be an uncommon cause of idiopathic chronic diarrhea in symptomatic human immunodeficiency virus disease.

Campylobacter↗

Utility of droperidol for conscious sedation in gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures.

Although narcotics and benzodiazepines are widely used as premedications for gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures, we have found a significant number of patients in whom this combination is either inadequate for sedation or results in paradoxical agitation. Over the last 54 months, we have administered droperidol, a neuroleptic, as an adjunct to narcotics and benzodiazepines in 764 patients undergoing 1,102 procedures. The most common indication for droperidol usage was active alcohol abuse or withdrawal (45%). The most frequent dose administered was 2.5 mg (41.1%) followed by 3.75 mg (25.8%). The level of sedation and cooperation was adequate in all but 22 procedures (2.0%). Complications related to droperidol use were infrequent, occurring in 17 procedures (1.5%). There was no mortality or major morbidity resulting from droperidol usage. In our endoscopic population, we find droperidol to be a safe and efficacious adjunctive agent for conscious sedation.

Anxiety↗