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Biomedical subjects

D L Seckinger

Publications and source records attributed to D L Seckinger.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Late-term abortion.

Recent proposed federal legislation banning certain abortion procedures, particularly intact dilatation and extraction, would modify the US Criminal Code such that physicians performing these procedures would be liable for monetary and statutory damages. Clarification of medical procedures is important because some of the procedures used to induce abortion prior to viability are identical or similar to postviability procedures. This article reviews the scientific and medical information on late-term abortion and late-term abortion techniques and includes data on the prevalence of late-term abortion, abortion-related mortality and morbidity rates, and legal issues regarding fetal viability and the balance of maternal and fetal interests. According to enacted American Medical Association (AMA) policy, the use of appropriate medical terminology is critical in defining late-term abortion procedures, particularly intact dilatation and extraction, which is a variant of but distinct from dilatation and evacuation. The AMA recommends that the intact dilatation and extraction procedure not be used unless alternative procedures pose materially greater risk to the woman and that abortions not be performed in the third trimester except in cases of serious fetal anomalies incompatible with life. Major medical societies are urged to collaborate on clinical guidelines on late-term abortion techniques and circumstances that conform to standards of good medical practice. More research on the advantages and disadvantages of specific abortion procedures would help physicians make informed choices about specific abortion procedures. Expanded ongoing data surveillance systems estimating the prevalence of abortion are also needed.

Abortion, Legal↗
PubMed1985

Argon laser radiation of human clots: differential photoabsorption in red cell rich and red cell poor clots.

Since argon laser radiation (454-514 nm) can vaporize human clots, we determined whether the absorption of laser energies can differ among different types of blood clots. Thus we performed spectrophotometric studies and examined the ability of this laser to penetrate red cell rich and red cell poor clots. Fifty-four red cell rich and red cell poor clot samples, varying in depth from 1.8 to 5.0 mm, were subjected to 3, 5 and 7 watts from an argon laser beam. At a given power intensity, the deeper the red cell rich clot, the longer was the time needed to penetrate the clot. The higher the power used, the shorter was the red clot penetration time. In contrast, all power levels used up to 5 minutes did not penetrate any of the varying depths of red cell poor clots. Spectrophotometrically, the red cell rich clot had an absorption curve typical of hemoglobin pigment while the red cell poor clot, in the absence of hemoglobin, had poor absorption between 350 and 600 nm and was unable to absorb argon laser energies. Thus, the argon laser provides a therapeutic modality for human red cell rich clot dissolution but the present approach does not appear to be effective against red cell poor clots.

Blood Coagulation↗
PubMed1983

Effects of laser irradiation on human thrombus: demonstration of a linear dissolution-dose relation between clot length and energy density.

Because vascular thrombosis often accompanies arteriosclerotic disease in occluding blood vessels, the dissolution properties of laser irradiation were investigated and the energies needed to penetrate different lengths of thrombus were quantitated. Spectrophotometric studies show that the blood clot due to the presence of hemoglobin is well absorbed by argon laser energies, which emit blue-green wavelengths between 454 and 514 nm. Thus, laser energies transmitted directly from an argon-ion source produced vaporization and penetration of human thrombus in a linear dose-response fashion; the longer the thrombus, the greater the power intensity or time exposure necessary to penetrate the clot.

Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation↗
PubMed1983

Cardiac isoenzyme methodology and the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction.

In view of rapidly evolving technology, a thorough appreciation of the subtle nuances of isoenzyme analysis is mandatory in the selection of appropriate methods. The effectiveness of a given laboratory in diagnosing and monitoring ischemic heart disease is related to the sensitivity and specificity of the methods employed. The occurrence of variants of creatine kinase will decrease the specificity of some isoenzyme methods. This study compares the sensitivity and efficiency of four methods for CK-MB and two methods for LD isoenzymes currently available to the laboratory community. The significance of isoenzyme patterns in confirming myocardial infarction was compared with other cardiac diagnostic parameters to determine the most effective laboratory methods. The selection of methods for measurement of cardiac isoenzymes will determine the effectiveness of the laboratory in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1982

Evaluation of a new serum separator.

We tested the Centri-Sep filter (DADE) for its effectiveness in separating serum from clotted blood samples used for chemical analysis. Although statistical analysis by paired t-test showed differences in results for some analytes with the use of this device as compared with use of no separator or of a serum-decanting device, we concluded from the small bias of the paired means that the new separator device did not interfere with the clinical usefulness of reported values for the analytes studied. The separator is not an effective barrier for long-term storage of serum on its clot; however, we could obtain about 10% more serum with the separator than with decanting devices.

Blood Chemical Analysis↗
PubMed1981

Determination of glycohemoglobins by a rapid batch separation.

Glycohemoglobin, a minor component of hemoglobin, reaches elevated levels in uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. Because of the long-term effects of glycosylated hemoglobin, its determination in blood can prove to be an effective clinical tool in the management of the diabetic patient. This paper will describe a new batch ion exchange method for the determination of glycohemoglobins that precludes the necessity for specialized equipment. Eighty-four ambulatory subjects having no indication of diabetes mellitus and 32 diabetic patients receiving insulin therapy were assayed for blood glycohemoglobin content by the rapid batch method. The effectiveness and reliability of this method were tested by correlating parallel assays of the method with commercially available column methods. The diagnostic usefulness of the rapid batch method was determined by its predictive value. Results from this study support the validity of the rapid batch method.

Blood Glucose↗