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Biomedical subjects

F J Nachtwey

Publications and source records attributed to F J Nachtwey.

2 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1982

Bronchial hyperreactivity in chronic obstructive bronchitis.

Patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis commonly suffer acute, transient exacerbations, which suggests that episodic bronchoconstriction may play a role in this disease. We studied 22 patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis and no acute improvement in pulmonary function after inhaled sympathomimetics, using methacholine bronchial provocation tests to evaluate the incidence of bronchial hyperreactivity. Patients with clinical or laboratory findings indicative of asthma were excluded. The group demonstrated significant baseline airway obstruction (mean +/- SD forced expiratory volume in one second, 0.96 +/- 0.44) and no improvement after inhalation of isoproterenol (1.68 +/- 8.54% baseline change). All patients were very sensitive to inhaled methacholine, reacting at a dose of 4.29 +/- 5.49 cumulative units. There were no normal responses. These data suggest that airway hyperreactivity may contribute to acute, transient exacerbations experienced by patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis, even in the absence of acute improvement in pulmonary function after the administration of sympathomimetics, and may warrant chronic prophylactic bronchodilator therapy.

Aged↗
PubMed1981

Deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Frequency in a respiratory intensive care unit.

Radiofibrinogen leg scans were performed in 34 patients admitted to a respiratory intensive care unit (ICU) for treatment of acute respiratory failure. In 23 patients, the leg scans were performed during the first ICU week, and abnormal leg scans developed in three (13%). In 11 patients, leg scans were done beyond the first week; all were normal. Autopsy incidence of embolism was 20%. No patient died of embolism. The low frequency of fatal embolism had led us to discontinue the routine use of low-dose heparin prophylaxis in these patients in our respiratory ICU. In its place, we have substituted an ongoing investigation of noninvasive monitoring with both radioactive fibrinogen leg scanning and impedance plethysmography. From such investigations should emerge more definitive strategies for dealing with venous thromboembolism in this complex patient population.

Acute Disease↗