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Biomedical subjects

H F Hamit

Publications and source records attributed to H F Hamit.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1988

Traumatic perforation of the diaphragm.

To ascertain our experience with traumatic perforations of the diaphragm, we reviewed the charts of 72 patients treated over a ten-year period. From January 1975 through June 1984, 58 male patients and 14 female patients, ranging in age from 6 to 72 years, were treated for traumatic perforations of the diaphragm. These injuries resulted from gunshot wounds in 44 patients (61%), stab wounds in 13 (18%), blunt trauma in 11 (15%), and shotgun wounds in four (6%). Seventy-three percent of the injuries were to the left hemidiaphragm, 26% to the right, and 1% to both. Signs and symptoms were unreliable for making the diagnosis of perforation. Diagnosis depended mainly on preoperative chest roentgenograms (especially for those caused by blunt trauma), thorough intraoperative exploration, and a high index of suspicion. Overall mortality was 7%, but death was usually more readily attributable to associated injuries than to the diaphragmatic injuries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Splenectomy versus splenic salvage for spleens ruptured by blunt trauma.

Of 339 patients treated in three Charlotte hospitals from January 1960 through March 1983 for splenic rupture caused by blunt trauma, 317 (93.5%) underwent splenectomy, and 22 (6.5%) underwent splenic salvage operations. Perioperative mortality for splenectomized patients was 7.9 per cent, and that for those who received splenic salvage operations was 22.7 per cent. Perioperative sepsis occurred in 4.4 per cent of the splenectomized patients and in 9 per cent of those whose spleens were salvaged. Perioperative deaths and sepsis in both groups were related to associated injuries, not to splenic injuries. Follow-ups from 5 months to 22.4 years (mean, 9.5 years) of the 292 splenectomized patients who survived their injuries show that 252 (86.3%) are living, 22 (7.5%) have died of causes unrelated to splenic injuries, 18 (6.1%) could not be found, and none of the patients traced has died of sepsis. One patient (0.34%) experienced an episode of sepsis i.e., a nonfatal septicemia 7 years postsplenectomy, that may be related to splenectomy. These data suggest that the importance of splenic salvage for prevention of postsplenectomy sepsis has been overemphasized and that expeditious splenectomy remains the procedure of choice for patients with ruptured spleens, especially for those with hypovolemic hypotension, anemia from hemorrhage, or multiple injuries. Data to substantiate these views will be presented.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1979

Socioeconomic aspects of stab and gunshot wounds.

Records of 294 patients with gunshot, stab, or shotgun wounds admitted to Charlotte Memorial Hospital and Medical Center between July 1, 1976 and June 30, 1977 were reviewed. Data were gathered on 24 clinical, social, and economic aspects to discover any patterns in these areas. Eighty-three percent of the patients were male; 71%, black; 70%, unmarried; and 56%, between 16 and 30 years of age. Fifty-five percent came to the hospital between 10 pm and 3 am; 57% on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday; 31% came in June, July, or August. Sixty-four percent were gunshot wounds, 80% of which were by small caliber weapons. Ninety-four percent of all patients survived. The patients "consumed" 3,260 hosptial days, 526 intensive care unit days, 533 units of blood, and 261 operations, totaling 595 hours of operating room time. Hospital charges totaled $668,000, of which 1.1% was paid from private funds and nearly 65% from the taxpayers and other private paying patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Preduodenal portal vein: Two cases with differing presentation.

Preduodenal or precholedochal veins are rare developmental anomalies of considerable surgical importance. Injury to these structures because of failure to recognize them during operations for unrelated diseases may result in thrombosis or hemorrhage. We recently encountered this anomaly twice, once in a newborn infant with duodenal obstruction and once in a 54-year-old woman undergoing cholecystectomy. The preduodenal vein was not the primary cause of obstruction in the infant, but injury to the previously unrecognized percholedochal vein in the woman resulted in a considerable loss of blood. Besides describing and illustrating these two cases, we also discuss the anatomy and the embryology of these structures and briefly review the patterns of 44 previously reported cases that we found.

Arteriovenous Malformations↗
PubMed1978

Appendicitis in the elderly.

The charts of 68 patients from 65 to 99 years of age who underwent appendectomy for appendicitis were reviewed between 1964 and 1976. Thirty-three were men and 35 women. All patients underwent appendectomy. Four patients had normal appendices. The remainder had appendicitis; 74% were ruptured. The duration of symptoms varied greatly, and was related to outcome. The mean duration was 58 hours, but both those who died and those who suffered complications had significantly longer mean duration while those who had an uncomplicated course had a shorter mean duration of symptoms. The incidence of rupture rose from 60% in those seen with symptoms less than 48 hours to 90% in those with symptoms longer than 49 hours. Delay was invariably related to delay in seeking medical treatment. In no case was the patient under the care of another physician for an extended period of time. Pain was the chief complaint in 63 patients, and was present in all. Seventy-four per cent had fever and 78% had leukocytosis. Those with normal appendices had normal white blood cell counts. Right lower quadrant tenderness was present in 80%. Thirty-nine per cent had significant additional medical problems. Most (73%) had operation within six hours of their original evaluation, and yet the overall complication rate was 34% including six deaths. Delay during evaluation did not correlate with unsatisfactory outcome as did delay in seeking medical attention. The most common complications were due to infection. In at least three of the deaths wound infection was associated with sepsis and death. Delay in seeking medical care, advanced age, and underlying problems were the most significant factors in those who died.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1978

Factors associated with deaths of burned patients in a community hospital.

In a study of 310 burned patients, 27 of whom died, treated during a recent 3-year period, we have found that the following factors contributed to mortality: severity of the burn injury, advanced age of patients, race of the patients, cause of the burns, pre-existing medical problems, inadequate or inappropriate early resuscitative measures, and possible errors or oversights in the management of a few patients. Whether the patients were treated by general or plastic surgeons and whether the patients were "staff" or "private" appeared to have no significant bearing on survival or mortality. Death rates for the sexes were approximately equal. Deaths of patients who survived the immediate postburn period resulted mainly from pulmonary failure, renal failure, sepsis, and cardiac failure or from various combinations of these factors.

Adolescent↗