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Biomedical subjects

I B Margolis

Publications and source records attributed to I B Margolis.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Value of routine pathology in herniorrhaphy performed upon adults.

The value of routine pathologic study of specimens taken at herniorrhaphy performed upon adults was assessed. All 789 patients who underwent inguinal or femoral herniorrhaphy at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center from January 1983 through July 1984 were studied. Patients were classified into five groups; 1, no specimen was sent for pathologic evaluation; 2, confirmation of hernia sac; 3, confirmation of hernia sac with additional expected pathologic findings (such as lipoma or hydrocele); 4, unexpected additional pathologic findings which appeared abnormal at operation, and 5, unexpected additional pathologic findings which appeared normal at operation. During this time period there were 935 herniorrhaphy procedures performed. Three of 1,020 specimens examined contained unexpected pathologic findings (groups 4 and 5): non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, liposarcoma and atypical lipoma. Only one specimen (group 5) with an abnormal pathology report showed an atypical lipoma which appeared normal at operation (0.098 per cent). The outcome of the operation was not altered by the pathology results in these three patients from either group 4 or 5. Aggregate charges for all specimens was $30,528.00 (a mean charge per patient of $48.00). Annual savings to the health care system of the United States by omitting routine pathologic examination of specimens from groups 1, 2 and 3 would be $18 million. Although there may be some justification for routine tissue testing for medical and legal reasons and quality assurance purposes or for specimens which appeared abnormal at operation, these data suggest that for patients who undergo herniorrhaphy, little positive effect on the outcome is gained from routine pathologic examination of specimens which appeared normal at operation.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

The financial effects of emergency department-generated admissions under prospective payment systems.

The purpose of this study was to assess the financial impact (revenues vs expenses) as measured by hospital charges and costs vs diagnosis-related group (DRG) revenues of prospective payment systems on emergency department-generated admissions for a large teaching hospital under two payment systems: Medicare and an all-payor system. All emergency department admissions were analyzed for the years 1983 (N = 4,273) and 1984 (N = 4,125) under both systems, using standard DRG methodology. Our findings were as follows: (1) With charges as a measure of expense under both payment schemes, all clinical departments had large groups of unprofitable patients: Medicare, $12,895,038; all-payor system, $15,553,893. (2) When costs were computed as the expense measure (using our hospital's cost-to-charge ratio), Medicare patients produced a deficit ($2,363,163); however, under an all-payor system there was a small net profit ($4,267,859). (3) The implementation of federalized DRG reimbursement rates increased our losses for this population from 1983 to 1984. (4) Reductions in outlier reimbursement (10%) and teaching costs (25%) caused our revenues to drop substantially, potentiating our losses. These findings suggest that hospitals with large emergency department admission populations, particularly Medicare patients, may be at a significant financial disadvantage under prospective payment systems.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed1985

Control of needle hole bleeding with ethyl-cyanoacrylate glue (Krazy Glue).

Needle hole bleeding from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts causes blood loss and prolongs vascular procedures. Past studies have shown the cyanoacrylate glues to polymerize rapidly and cause minimal tissue toxicity. This study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate glue (Krazy Glue, KG) in obtaining prompt hemostasis in vascular anastomoses in a heparinized canine model. KG effected complete hemostasis in a significantly shorter time than oxidized cellulose and digital pressure in 18-gauge needle holes in PTFE grafts, graft to graft end-to-end anastomoses, and end of graft to side of artery anastomoses. The only limitation of KG was the development of a glue-adventitia plaque on the arterial side of some of the PTFE-artery anastomoses, causing the need for regluing. KG is an ideal agent for sealing defects in PTFE grafts.

Adhesives↗
PubMed1985

Surgonomics: the identifier concept. Hospital charges in general surgery and surgical specialties under prospective payment systems.

Surgical care is entering a new payment era for inhospital care using the diagnostic related group (DRG) mechanism for Medicare. A study at The Long Island Jewish-Hillside Medical Center showed that a majority of its surgical DRGs would be unprofitable under the proposed reimbursement scheme. This study was undertaken to develop a method of allowing the hospital to group patients with each DRG that would show a difference in hospital charges and be clinically meaningful to surgeons. The study implementors tested the hypothesis that entities called identifiers, arbitrarily chosen as mode of admission [emergency (+ER vs. nonemergency (-ER)] and presence (+T) or absence (-T) of blood transfusion, would show a difference in charges (mean hospital charge exclusive of physician fees) within a DRG. Nine hundred five patients in nine DRGs encompassing general surgery, thoracic surgery, cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics, urology, and head and neck surgery were studied. For ER identifier, eight of nine DRGs were found to be positive (greater than 20% difference in charges between positive and negative identifier); for T identifier, all DRGs (9) were positive. These findings demonstrate that these identifiers may enable teaching institutions to disaggregate each DRG and, in this way, propose more equitable reimbursement rates.

Blood Transfusion↗
PubMed1985

Surgonomics: the cost of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, the identifier concept.

The Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act will pay hospitals a set price for Medicare patients by one of 467 Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs). The purpose of this study was to examine one DRG and perform indepth financial analysis in order to develop strategies for cost containment. In addition, we tested the hypothesis that an entity called an identifier (here, the presence or absence of transfusions) could be used to group patients within a specific DRG and demonstrate differences in costs. All patients (n = 46) with gastrointestinal hemorrhage under 70 years old without complications and not requiring surgery (DRG 175) treated at the Long Island Jewish-Hillside Medical Center during 1983 had their hospital charges examined. Total charges (hospital charges exclusive of physician fees) were $3891 +/- 2128 (mean +/- SEM)/patient. Patients requiring transfusion (n = 26) had total charges of $4707 +/- 2292, whereas those not requiring transfusion (n = 20) had total charges of $2765 +/- $1300. Findings in this study are: 1) within a given DRG there is a wide variance of hospital charges, 2) identifiers (in this case transfusion) may be used to clinically aggregate patients with similar resource consumption within a DRG, 3) patients receiving transfusion had 170% greater total charges, 165% greater hematology charges, and 526% greater total blood charges than those not receiving transfusion.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Antacid versus sucralfate in preventing acute gastrointestinal bleeding. A randomized trial in 100 critically ill patients.

A randomized, controlled trial of sucralfate versus antacid as prophylaxis against upper gastrointestinal bleeding was carried out in 100 critically ill intensive care unit patients. Both groups were comparable with regard to sex, age, duration of prophylaxis, and the number of risk factors per patient. There was no gross bleeding in any of the patients. Three of the 48 sucralfate patients and 2 of the 52 antacid patients showed strongly positive results of Gastroccult tests of three successive hourly samples of gastric aspirate and were considered treatment failures. We conclude that sucralfate therapy is as effective as an antacid regimen in the prevention of gastrointestinal bleeding in critically ill patients. In view of a considerable savings in nursing time, it offers the opportunity for considerable reduction in the cost of intensive care while providing effective protection.

Aluminum↗
PubMed1984

Soft tissue infections in parenteral drug abusers.

Thirty-four parenteral drug abusers admitted with soft tissue infections underwent bacteriologic and immunologic evaluation. Staphylococcus aureus and beta hemolytic streptococci were the most common organisms recovered. Enteric gram negative aerobes and oral flora were common and enteric anaerobes rare. Absolute lymphopenia and elevations in the IgA, IgG and IgM fractions of the immunoglobulins were common as were false positive VDRL examinations. Cutaneous anergy was found in 83% of the group and 70% of a simultaneously noninfected addict group. Staphylococcal carriage was frequent. Because of variation in the flora between this and other reported groups, ongoing bacteriologic surveillance could be a useful guide to initial antibiotic therapy. Differences in the pattern of immune reaction in this group when compared to different addict groups suggest a difference in antigenic stimulation, possibly as a result of differences in bacteriologic exposure.

Abscess↗
PubMed1983

Infections in parenteral drug abusers. Further immunologic studies.

In our previous study of soft tissue infections in parenteral drug abusers, two thirds of the infections were polymicrobial. Oral and enteric organisms were frequently recovered. These patients and a group of uninfected addicts showed frequent cutaneous anergy, lymphopenia, and hypergammaglobulinemia. An additional group of uninfected addicts was studied. The mean levels of IgA, IgG, and IgM were higher in the uninfected addicts. In the addict and control groups, elevations in IgA (17 percent of total), IgG (65 percent), and IgM (19 percent) levels were found. Zinc levels were within normal limits. T-cell populations below 70 percent were seen in five of the seven addicts and two of the four control subjects. Reversed helper to suppressor cell ratios were found in three of the seven addicts and control subjects. No consistent pattern of immunologic abnormalities emerged. The interrelationship of the abnormalities in the addict and their relationship to AIDS is unclear.

B-Lymphocytes↗
PubMed1983

Hemodynamic assessment of the circulation in 200 normal hands.

The frequent use of arterial puncture, cannulation, and A-V shunting has demonstrated a greater degree of safety than could be predicted from previous anatomic and angiographic studies. Using a noninvasive technique, the status of the superficial palmar arch (SPA) and relative contributions of radial and ulnar arteries were determined in 100 volunteers with no history of vascular disease. Although there was no significant difference in the diameter of the vessels at the wrist, the flows showed statistically significant ulnar dominance, suggesting that the difference is a factor of a lower distal resistance on the ulnar side. The lower resistance across the ulnar bed probably is responsible for the clinically observed ease of sacrifice of the radial artery contribution to palmar flow. The SPA was found to be incomplete in 11.0% of the hands.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Systematic approach to traumatic hemothorax.

We reviewed 395 patients with isolated hemo- or hemopneumothorax from penetrating injuries. All patients were treated with immediate insertion of a chest tube and drainage of various amounts of blood up to 1,500 ml. Forty-five patients (11 percent) were in hemorrhagic shock on admission to the hospital emergency room, and all were resuscitated with volume replacement. Twenty-one patients (5.3 percent) whose blood pressure decreased again were found on exploration to have lacerated internal mammary or intercostal arteries or major lung lacerations extending into the hilus. All other patients were treated aggressively with chest tubes, aspiration of residual blood and fibrinolytic enzymes until the lung was fully expanded. We conclude that the clinical course of patients with hemothorax after insertion of a chest tube should determine whether exploration is necessary or whether nonoperative treatment should continue.

Drainage↗
PubMed1979

Megacolon in the elderly. Ischemic or inflammatory?

Ischemic colitis has been previously described in three forms: transient, strictured, and gangrenous. A fourth form of presentation in the elderly is characterized by signs of an acute abdomen, massive colonic dilatation, and systemic toxicity. Bloody diarrhea may be seen prior to the onset of dilatation. Ischemia should be considered as an etiologic factor in "colitis" in the elderly patient with segmental dilatation particularly if it follows a "low flow state." The rectum is usually uninvolved. Barium enema may confirm segmental involvement and later demonstrate stricture. Three patients with ischemic megacolon are presented. The diagnosis was suspected preoperatively in only one. In contrast to ulcerative colitis, these patients show a more abrupt onset and run a fulminant course. In patients who recover, there is lower relapse rate than young patients with ulcerative colitis. When resection is indicated, all attempts should be made to spare the rectum. Loop ileostomy and decompressive colostomy offer an excellent temporizing measure to assist the patient through the acute phase of the illness.

Aged↗
PubMed1978

To improve the yield of biopsy of the lymph nodes.

The diagnostic yield of 290 biopsies of thee lymph nodes performed between 1970 and 1974 was reviewed. A specific diagnosis was made in 63 per cent. In 10 per cent, the working diagnosis preoperatively was changed because of the biopsy. There was no significant variance in the postive yield obtained at the various biopsy sites. The surprisingly high yield from biopsy of inguinal lymph nodes was ascribed to a greater hesitancy on the part of th surgeon to do a biopsy of the nodes in the groin, unless they were strongly suggestive of disease. The highest yield rates were obtained when Boeck's sarcoidosis was suspected. Excellent yield rates were also obtained when the preoperative diagnosis was lymphoma or metastatic carcinoma. A protocol for handling the specimen was devised to maximize the potential yield of biopsy of the lymph nodes.

Adolescent↗