Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

F Kennedy

Publications and source records attributed to F Kennedy.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Relationship between supranormal circulatory values, time delays, and outcome in severely traumatized patients.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the temporal patterns of hemodynamics and oxygen transport in survivors and nonsurvivors of severe trauma in relation to time delays, mortality, and morbidity. DESIGN: Prospective, empiric analysis. SETTING: University-run, inner city county hospital with a Level I trauma center. PATIENTS: A series of 90 consecutively monitored, severely ill trauma patients. METHODS: We followed 90 patients from admission through their hospital course, and divided the study group into patients with estimated blood loss of < or = 3000 mL and those patients with an estimated blood loss of < 3000 mL. For each patient, vital signs were recorded in the Emergency Department, operating room, recovery room, and surgical ICU. Hemodynamic and oxygen transport variables were measured at least every 12 hrs for 96 hrs postadmission. Final outcome and complications were recorded. RESULTS: In the first 24 hrs, the values of 60 survivors were significantly higher than the values of 30 nonsurvivors for mean cardiac index (4.52 +/- 1.45 vs. 3.80 +/- 1.20 L/min/m2; p < .05), oxygen delivery (670 +/- 230 vs. 540 +/- 200 mL/min/m2; p < .01), and oxygen consumption (166 +/- 48 vs. 134 +/- 47 mL/min/m2; p < .01). Thirteen (50%) of 26 patients who never attained mean survivors' values (defined as the mean survivors' values listed above) died. Also, 12 (57%) of 21 patients who took > 24 hrs to attain these values died. In contrast, only five (12%) of 43 patients who reached mean survivors' values in < or = 24 hrs died. Thirty-five of 90 patients lost < 3000 mL of blood; 17 of these 35 patients failed to reach survivors' values within 24 hrs, and 12 (71%) patients died. However, of 18 patients with an estimated blood loss of > 3000 mL, who reached survivors' values in < or = 24 hrs, only two (12%) died. The patients reaching survivors' values in < or = 24 hrs, > 24 hrs, or not at all had similar Injury Severity Scores (28 +/- 13, 26 +/- 13, and 26 +/- 12, respectively) and Trauma Scores (12 +/- 3, 13 +/- 3, and 12 +/- 3, respectively). Only six (12%) of 43 patients reaching survivors' values in < or = 24 hrs developed adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), while 27 (57%) of 47 patients showed these values in > 24 hrs or never developed ARDS. CONCLUSIONS: Reaching supranormal circulatory values, especially within 24 hrs of injury, may improve survival and reduce the frequency of shock-related organ failure in severely traumatized patients.

Hemodynamics↗

The Glasgow Coma Scale and prognosis in gunshot wounds to the brain.

To determine which factors predict survival in patients with gunshot wounds to the brain, 192 patients who had intracranial injury demonstrated on computed tomographic (CT) scanning were retrospectively reviewed. Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores on admission seemed to be the most important factor in predicting survival. Age, the presence of extruded brain, and use of a shotgun could not be shown to be factors independent of admission GCS score. Findings on CT scans (single lobe vs. multilobe involvement) helped to predict survival only in patients with GCS scores 5-13. The mortality rate was 35%. Among survivors 18% had brain-related long-term disability, and an additional 27% had long-term disability related to associated eye injury.

Adolescent↗

Injury and violence in Los Angeles. Impact on access to health care and surgical education.

The Los Angeles County (California) Trauma Hospital System was designed to ensure that all patients requiring specialized trauma care would be transported directly to a trauma center using established trauma triage criteria. The designation and implementation of all level 1, 2, and 3 (rural) trauma centers were completed between October 1983 and July 1985. However, by February 1, 1985, one level 2 trauma center withdrew, and nine other level 2 and 3 trauma centers followed suit over the next few months and years. The reasons for closure of these 10 trauma centers were almost exclusively related to economic factors. The major impact of trauma center closure on surgical educational programs at the Drew University of Medicine and Science and the Martin Luther King, Jr/Charles R. Drew Medical Center have been additive and cumulative. The high volume of patients with trauma has been cited, sometimes correctly and sometimes incorrectly, as the primary reason for a lack of access to health care for patients without trauma. We have developed a blueprint for survival that, when fully implemented, will improve access to health care for all residents in our catchment area and optimize surgical education. While the Los Angeles County Trauma Hospital System has had many difficulties during the last 9 years, the population it serves is greater than that in 42 states in the United States. The experiences gained in Los Angeles County may be beneficial to statewide systems in the United States and in countries of comparable size.

General Surgery↗

Prospective trial of supranormal values as goals of resuscitation in severe trauma.

We prospectively tested the effect of the early postinjury attainment of supranormal values of cardiac index (> or = 4.52 L/min per square meter), oxygen delivery (> or = 670 mL/min per square meter), and oxygen consumption (> or = 166 mL/min per square meter) on outcome in traumatized patients with an estimated blood loss of 2000 mL or more. The goals in control patients were to attain normal values for all hemodynamic measurements. During the 6-month period, 33 protocol patients and 34 control patients with similar vital signs, estimated blood losses, and severity of injuries were enrolled in the study. Eight (24%) protocol patients died, while 15 (44%) control patients died. The protocol patients had fewer mean (+/- SEM) organ failures per patient (0.76 +/- 1.21 vs 1.59 +/- 1.60), shorter stays in the intensive care unit (5 +/- 3 vs 12 +/- 12), and fewer mean days requiring ventilation (4 +/- 3 vs 11 +/- 10) than did the control patients (P < .05 for each). We conclude that attaining supranormal circulatory values improves survival and decreases morbidity in the severely traumatized patient.

Adolescent↗

Quantification of the glycolytic origin of plasma glycerol: implications for the use of the rate of appearance of plasma glycerol as an index of lipolysis in vivo.

To assess whether plasma glycerol could be directly derived from plasma glucose, nine postabsorptive dogs were infused with [U-14C] glucose and [2-3H] glycerol to measure the rates of appearance of plasma glucose and glycerol and the conversion of plasma glucose to glycerol before (basal) and after two hours of infusion of glucose (45 mumol/kg/min). Basally (plasma glucose 4.9 +/- 0.2 mmol/L; plasma insulin 5.9 +/- 0.2 microU/mL), rates of appearance of plasma glucose and glycerol were 20 +/- 2 and 5.9 +/- 1.3 mumol/kg/min, respectively, and 1.6 +/- 0.6% of plasma glycerol was derived from plasma glucose. After glucose infusion (plasma glucose 9.1 +/- 0.7 mmol/L; plasma insulin 21.1 +/- 1.9 microU/mL), the rate of appearance of plasma glycerol decreased 80% to 1.1 +/- 0.3 mumol/kg/min and the percent of plasma glycerol from glucose increased significantly to 6.9 +/- 2.9. However, the absolute rate of conversion of glucose to glycerol did not change (0.09 +/- 0.03 v 0.07 +/- 0.03 mumol/kg/min). We conclude that even under conditions of stimulated glycolysis and inhibited lipolysis, only a small amount of plasma glycerol is derived from plasma glucose. Thus, rates of appearance of plasma glycerol can be used as a measure of rates of overall lipolysis in vivo.

Animals↗

Determination of Krebs cycle metabolic carbon exchange in vivo and its use to estimate the individual contributions of gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis to overall glucose output in man.

Current isotopic approaches underestimate gluconeogenesis in vivo because of Krebs cycle carbon exchange and the inability to measure intramitochondrial precursor specific activity. We therefore applied a new isotopic approach that theoretically overcomes these limitations and permits quantification of Krebs cycle carbon exchange and the individual contributions of gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis to overall glucose output. [6-3H]Glucose was infused to measure overall glucose output; [2-14C]acetate was infused to trace phosphoenolpyruvate gluconeogenesis and to calculate Krebs cycle carbon exchange as proposed by Katz. Plasma [14C]3-OH-butyrate specific activity was used to estimate intramitochondrial acetyl coenzyme A (CoA) specific activity, and finally the ratio between plasma glucose 14C-specific activity and the calculated intracellular phosphoenolpyruvate 14C-specific activity was used to determine the relative contributions of gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis to overall glucose output. Using this approach, acetyl CoA was found to enter the Krebs cycle at twice (postabsorptive subjects) and three times (2 1/2-d fasted subjects) the rate of pyruvate, respectively. Gluconeogenesis in postabsorptive subjects (3.36 +/- 0.20 mumol/kg per min) accounted for 28 +/- 2% of overall glucose output and increased twofold in subjects fasted for 2 1/2-d (P less than 0.01), accounting for greater than 97% of overall glucose output. Glycogenolysis in postabsorptive subjects averaged 8.96 +/- 0.40 mumol/kg per min and decreased to 0.34 +/- 0.08 mumol/kg per min (P less than 0.01) after a 2 1/2-d fast. Since these results agree well with previously reported values for gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis based on determinations of splanchnic substrate balance and glycogen content of serial liver biopsies, we conclude that the isotopic approach applied herein provides an accurate, noninvasive measurement of gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis in vivo.

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid↗

A double-blind randomized trial of cimetidine in acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Two hundred and thirteen patients were studied in a double-blind trial of cimetidine versus placebo in the treatment of acute upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage. One hundred and six patients were randomly allocated to receive cimetidine and 107 to receive placebo. There was no significant reduction in transfusion requirements, incidence of further haemorrhage, length of stay in hospital, or mortality in the treated group. There was no subgroup of patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding which appeared to benefit from treatment with cimetidine.

Adolescent↗

Truncal vagotomy and drainage for chronic duodenal ulcer disease: a controlled trial.

The results of elective truncal vagotomy and drainage in 547 duodenal ulcer patients are reported. Altogether, 204 patients were randomly allocated to pyloroplasty and 200 to gastrojejunostomy. In 101 patients gastrojejunostomy was electively chosen and in 42 patients the duodenum was opened to confirm the diagnosis. Operative mortality was 0.5%, the incidence of proved recurrent ulceration 3.3%, severe dumping 2%, and severe diarrhoea 1.1%. There were no significant differences between the groups, with the exception of bilious vomiting which occurred more often in patients with gastrojejunostomy.

Adult↗