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Biomedical subjects

F Meier

Publications and source records attributed to F Meier.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Transfusion medicine monitoring practices. A study of the College of American Pathologists/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Outcomes Working Group.

OBJECTIVE: To survey transfusion medicine practices in 1990, to determine the distribution of defects in the transfusion process, to examine the relationship between defects and complications, and to recommend improvements in the transfusion process. DESIGN: A mail survey that divided the transfusion process into 24 risk-prone steps and gathered defect rates on each step, along with incidence data for eight known complications of transfusions and other demographic information. SETTINGS: Hospitals, independent laboratories, and blood centers that provide transfusion medicine services. OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Respondents were 1365 participants in the College of American Pathologists 1991 Blood Bank Quality Assurance Survey. RESULTS: While processing 6.2 million units of blood and blood products, respondents reported detecting over 88,000 defects: 41% in the preanalytic phase of testing, 55% in the postanalytic phase, and only 4% in the analytic phase, the phase to which most monitoring efforts were devoted. A median of eight steps were actively monitored by survey participants overall, whereas 96 facilities sought defects in all 24 steps. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of the data showed several monitoring steps provide similar information. Although monitoring of the transfusion process could not be linked with prevention of the complications studied, active surveillance does focus attention on defect-prone steps and allows testing of strategies to improve the transfusion process. We describe how defect detection systems may be improved.

Blood Banks↗
PubMed1992

Primary cutaneous large-cell anaplastic (Ki-1) lymphoma in a child.

During a 2-week period, a 9-year-old girl developed a tender, dark red, centrally ulcerated 3 cm tumor on her left thigh, associated with inguinal lymphadenopathy. Histologic and immunohistopathologic evaluation disclosed a Ki-1+ large-cell anaplastic lymphoma. The patient received multiagent chemotherapy followed by autologous bone marrow transplantation and is in her second remission.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1991

Induced hypertension as an approach to treating acute cerebrovascular ischaemia: possibilities and limitations.

As, after an stroke, the autoregulation of the cerebral vessels in the ischaemic region is disturbed to a high degree, it is, on principle, possible to improve the blood flow particularly in the zone surrounding the infarct (penumbra) by raising the systemic blood pressure. During a basic treatment with low-molecular dextrans (infukoll M40), 37 patients with an acute ischaemic cerebral stroke multiply underwent elevations in blood pressure up to systolic values of about 210 to 220 mmHg. A comparison with a control group (n = 44) who were treated with low-molecular dextrans revealed no differences in lethality on the 21st day after the stroke. However, a very good acute effect in terms of a short-term improvement was remarkable a result that is noteworthy also in future.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1991

Primary hyperparathyroidism due to solitary adenoma. A comparative multicentre study of early and long-term results of different surgical regimens.

Surgical regimens for treatment of solitary parathyroid adenoma were compared in a multicentre study in five departments of surgery in the United States and Europe. Three hundred and twenty-five patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Eight years after the operation 272 patients (84%) were available for follow-up investigation. Severe postoperative hypocalcaemia (less than 2.00 mmol) was significantly more common after bilateral than unilateral exploration (p less than 0.001), and in women (p less than 0.01). Neither age nor preoperative serum calcium concentration was related to the severity of postoperative hypocalcaemia. At follow-up, 96% of the patients who had had unilateral, and 89% of those who had had Bilateral exploration had remained normocalcaemic without further treatment. Of the patients who had had incisional biopsies of normal glands 8% had hypercalcaemia and 8% had hypocalcaemia. Of patients operated on without a biopsy being taken or who had had one whole normal gland removed 1% were hypercalcaemic and 4% were hypocalcaemic. Early and late hypocalcaemia are reduced by atraumatic handling of the normal parathyroid gland without increasing the risk of persistent or recurrent hypercalcaemia.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1990

[Primary hyperparathyroidism. A disease picture has changed].

Data were retrospectively analysed on 544 consecutive patients (362 females and 182 males, mean age 53.6 [2 weeks and 86 years]) who had been operated on for primary hyperparathyroidism between 1965 and 1989. During this period the rate of renal, bone and intestinal complications decreased from 90% in the first 5 years to 29% in the last 5 years. Organ manifestations and hypercalcaemia were often combined (70% in the early period, 30% now). The proportion of those with an asymptomatic course gradually and continuously rose to 21% now. The patients' average age at diagnosis rose from 46 +/- 10 to 58 +/- 14 years. Serum calcium concentrations in the last few years averaged 3.1 mmol/l, as high during the last few years as at the beginning of the period. Age, serum calcium concentration and parathyroid weight of the asymptomatic patients did not differ from those of the group as a whole.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

[Arteriosclerotic changes of the brain and heart in relation to cardiac decompensation and arrhythmia in patients with cerebrovascular insufficiency].

In 150 patients with an acute cerebrovascular insufficiency we asked the following questions: 1. How often appear together the cardiac decompensation and disturbances of cardiac rhythm, 2. symptoms of hypertrophy and disturbances of cardiac rhythm and 3. arteriosclerosis of the cerebral and coronary vessels in deceased patients. The number of patients examined showed 26.7% of patients in whom a combination of symptoms of cardiac decompensation and disturbances of cardiac rhythm was present. The combination of signs of hypertrophy in the electrocardiogram and disturbances of cardiac rhythm was registered 39 times (26.0%). The arteriosclerosis was found in 68.2% of the patients in post-mortem examination. There was a high correlation between the sclerosis of the intracranial cerebral brains (65.9%) and the sclerosis of the coronary vessels (75.0%). It is referred to the possibilities of the prevention of the cerebrovascular insufficiency and the early therapy of hypertony, the cardiac decompensation and disturbances of cardiac rhythm.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

[Electrocardiography changes in patients with acute cerebrovascular insufficiency].

In patients with an acute cerebrovascular insufficiency a great number of disturbances of the cardiac rhythm is existing. In our investigations the absolute arrhythmia with auricular fibrillation and flutter (21%), ventricular and supraventricular extrasystoles (22%), atrioventricular blocks (13%) and patterns of bundle-branch block (25%) are concerned. Disturbances of the repolarisation of different size were present in 74% of all patients. A pathological QT-interval was to be stated in 31% of the patients examined. In the decreased patients a greater number of the disturbances of rhythm proved was to be observed. There were significant differences in disturbances of repolarisation. We stated a tendency to significance in the tachyarrhythmia. Apart from the sinus tachycardia the atrioventricular blocks were particularly distinct in the cerebral haemorrhage. The tachyarrhythmia was characteristic in patients with cerebral embolism. The mixed form of the cerebrovascular insufficiency was associated with a sinus bradycardia - above all as an expression of the cerebral pressure.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗
PubMed1989

[Complications of temporary transvenous endocardial pacemaker therapy].

The prospective analysis of the results of the temporary transvenous-endocardial pacemaker therapy in 591 cases of treatment resulted in a total rate of complications of 37.1%. Hereby the main part of complications were disturbances of the function of electrodes (28.3%). The greatest numbers of complications showed infiltrable electrode catheters which were applied at bedside with a dislocation rate of 17.2% and a rate of not achieved stable stimulation positions of 13.7%. The smallest numbers of complications were to be observed in semiflexible stimulation catheters, which were positioned under X-ray control (dislocations in 4.1%, no achievement of a stable stimulation position in 3.3%). For the practice of the temporary pacemaker therapy from this analysis result particularly consequences in the choice of a suitable stimulation catheter and the methodical approach in positioning of this catheter.

Adams-Stokes Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

Leukotriene B4 receptors on neutrophils in patients with psoriasis and atopic eczema.

Polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) infiltration is an important characteristic in psoriatic lesions. Elevated concentrations of the chemoattractant eicosanoid leukotriene B4 (LTB4) are present in psoriatic skin. Its chemotactic activity is mediated via high affinity receptors on PMNL. The goal of our work was to ascertain whether PMNL infiltration in psoriasis can be accounted for by functional abnormalities of the circulating PMNL due to alterations in the LTB4 receptor density or affinity (or both). No significant difference was found between patients with psoriasis, healthy controls and patients with another inflammatory dermatosis (atopic eczema) with regard to the binding parameters of LTB4 receptors on PMNL. Our findings suggest that PMNL accumulation in psoriatic skin may be the result of an excess of cutaneous chemoattractant rather than the increased readiness of psoriatic PMNL to migrate towards LTB4 due to altered LTB4 receptor density or affinity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

[Analysis of patients with acute exogenous poisoning at an intensive care unit].

Over a period of 2 years patients with exogenic intoxications take 16% in the total number of patients of the department for internal intensive care. The cases in question were 43.3% males and 56.7% females. The average age of the patients with 31 years was low. The mortality was 2.4%. In the first place of the exogenic intoxications were intoxications with the groups of medicaments sedatives, hypnotics, tranquilizers, analgetics and antipyretics followed by intoxications with neuroleptics, beta-receptor blockers, antidepressives, antiepileptics and glycosides. The rate of complications was greatest in the mixed intoxications.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

[Electrical therapeutic procedures in recurrent, drug refractory tachycardias. II. Electrical transvenous catheter ablation].

In 6 patients with medicamentously therapy-refractory tachycardias (3 times auricular flutter/auricular fibrillation with very rapid atrioventricular conduction, once focal atrial tachycardia, once paroxysmal atrioventricular reentry tachycardia, once recurrent ventricular tachycardia on the basis of an interventricular reentry) percutaneous transvenous catheter ablations of the atrioventricular conduction region (bundle of His ablation, 5 cases) and the right Tawara branch (1 case), respectively, were performed. During a follow-up period of 2-26 months (on an average 10.5 +/- 8.0 months) a permanent total block in 4 cases could be obtained (3 times AV-block III. once complete right bundle branch block). In two other patients the total AV block receded to the AV block I. and II. respectively, within 2 and 8 days, respectively; in the first case the AV node reentry tachycardias were no more to be evoked, in the second case a tolerable ventricular frequency was the result during the auricular flutter recidivations. In all patients treated by means of catheter ablation after the intervention an impressive improvement of the clinical symptomatology developed. Due to possible complication and the dependence upon the pacemaker of the patients concerned which is to be expected the indication to the ablation should be made only after the exhaustion of all medicamentous possibilities and taking into consideration other electric therapy methods.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Monkeypox virus in relation to the ecological features surrounding human settlements in Bumba zone, Zaire.

Since monkeypox virus was discovered in animals in 1958 and in man in 1971, several efforts have been made to identify the reservoir of the virus in nature. In July 1985 a study on human environments and animals suspected to maintain virus transmission was carried out in northern Zaire. The study revealed three well demarcated areas: the human settlement area, the agricultural area and the primary tropical rain forest. The first two were found inhabited by terrestrial and arboreal rodents and bats, while the larger animals have abandoned them. Data on human morbidity collected in the preceding years suggested that most of the patients were infected either in the settlement or in the agricultural area. Isolation of the virus from a squirrel confirmed this suggestion and proved, on the other hand, that the virus could circulate in an area deprived of the larger wild animals, including primates. The virus isolation and results of serologic testing suggest that out of three groups of animals inhabiting the agricultural area, the squirrels Funisciurus anerythrus should be considered a priority candidate to sustain virus transmission.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

[Is systematic syphilis serology still useful in a department of internal medicine? A one-year prospective study using a diagnostic and therapeutic decision algorithm].

During one year syphilis serology was systematically studied, using the TPHA and VDRL tests, in each of the 1,279 patients hospitalized in an Internal Medicine department. In all cases diagnosis and treatment were analyzed by means of a decision algorithm. Only 37 patients were found to have one or both serological tests positive. No evolutive syphilis was observed, and none of these positive tests was contributive to the diagnosis of another disease. Only 14 patients received a specific antibiotic treatment on the grounds that their positive test confirmed a late asymptomatic syphilis. We conclude that systematic syphilis serological tests are not useful in an Internal Medicine department, except in some patients epidemiologically at high risk of syphilis.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1986

[Diabetic coma].

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Bicarbonates↗