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Biomedical subjects

N Walsh

Publications and source records attributed to N Walsh.

63 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Pack-size legislation reduces severity of paracetamol overdoses in Ireland.

BACKGROUND: Legislation was introduced in Ireland in October 2001 to control the sale of paracetamol in non-pharmacy outlets. Preparations are now limited to 12 tablets per pack and only one pack can be sold per transaction. AIM: To assess the impact of this legislation on acute deliberate paracetamol overdoses. METHODS: We reviewed acute deliberate paracetamol overdoses reported during two 24-months periods before and after October 2001. We grouped cases according to the number of tablets taken and compared the periods using chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests. RESULTS: The number of tablets taken in acute deliberate paracetamol overdose fell significantly after October 2001 (chi2 = 11.663, P = 0.0029). Fewer cases involved 12-24 tablets (U = 74, P < 0.001) and fewer cases involved more than 24 tablets (U = 131.5, P = 0.0006). CONCLUSION: Legislation controlling sale and packaging of paracetamol preparations appears to be associated with a significant fall in the number of tablets taken in acute deliberate paracetamol overdoses.

Acetaminophen↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Physical restraint management of hospitalized adults and follow-up study.

During the winter of 1998 the management of 118 (N = 118) physically restrained adult patients in a 238-bed urban acute care hospital were assessed by 26 registered nurse (RN) data collectors. In the spring of 1999, following a comprehensive hospital-wide staff development program and revised physical restraint protocol, 10 RN data collectors conducted a follow-up study of 53 (N = 53) restrained adults in the same institution. In both studies, data regarding restraints management were gathered using a Restraint Management Improvement Indicator. Following a program of restraint management education, substantial improvements were found for virtually all of the physical restraint indices studied. The findings suggest that future educational efforts should be undertaken to further improve the documentation in hospital medical records regarding medical orders and ongoing observation, assessment, and interventions for physically restrained patients. Future research should further document and study interventions to reduce or eliminate the use of physical restraints.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Basic theory, design, and preliminary evaluation of a laser scanner for shape sensing below-the-knee amputees.

A scanner which produces surface profiles of residual limbs from below-the-knee amputees was constructed and evaluated. The scanner uses a turntable mounted laser to define a surface profile line, a charge-coupled-device video camera to view the profile, and a custom designed video processing board to extract profile data. A microcomputer is used to control data acquisition and provides the rapid processing capability necessary to resolve scan profile data into a three-dimensional numerical description of the surface in a timely and cost effective manner. Flexibility of use as well as positional accuracy and reproducibility indicate that the laser scanner is well suited to the task of surface scanning of residual limbs for below-the-knee amputees. Additionally, the laser profile scanning technique can be applied to other regions of the body where a mathematical description of the surface is useful, such as in radiotherapy treatment planning.

Amputees↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A fresh approach to the evaluation of antihypertensive agents.

Clinical studies on the use and activity of drugs often rely on data generated from a relatively small number of patients, and definitive conclusions are drawn that are assumed to represent the population at large. Similarly, interpretation and comparison of studies are made difficult when end points of effectiveness, particularly with antihypertensive agents, are arbitrarily chosen. The results from a clinical study of more than 1400 hypertensive patients after indapamide therapy for 3 months, alone or in combination with a beta blocker, are presented using a different graphic approach. This is based on the assumption that the magnitude of the fall in blood pressure after hypertensive therapy is dependent on initial blood pressure. Diastolic and systolic pressures were plotted as a scattergram against the change in blood pressure. Predetermined response lines were drawn with a slope of 1 and intercepts on the initial blood pressure axis of 90 mm Hg for diastolic and 140 mm Hg for systolic pressures with tolerance limits of +/- 10 mm Hg drawn about it. Subdivisions of response can be achieved by counting the number of patients above and below these lines. This allows a drug to be "finger-printed" in terms of its pattern of activity in all degrees of severity of hypertension and, more relevant, direct comparisons with other drugs can be made. Similarly, the potential activity of the drug can be determined by computing the slope and intercept of the actual regression line through the data points.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Testing the pilots.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Air Ambulances↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pain clinic attenders: an audit.

An audit of the first 135 referrals to a new Multidisciplinary Pain Clinic was conducted. Demographic data, pain experience and pain effects were recorded. Chronic Non-Malignant Pain was the diagnosis found most frequently. In that group, the mean duration of pain was seven years, the mean number of surgical operations was 1.95 and the mean number of medications being consumed at the time of presentation 3.5. Impaired occupational, social and recreational functioning was noted. Twice as many women were affected as men and all educational and socio-economic groups were represented. Patient profiles were similar to data published on chronic pain patients attending the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, USA.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

What cost chronic pain?

Chronic non-malignant pain costs the American economy $40 billion a year. An attempt to quantify the total cost to the Irish economy of 95 patients attending a Multi-Disciplinary Pain Clinic was made. The cost to the Health Services was estimated and added to the amount of Social Welfare payments received and the lost earnings of each patient. The results indicated that the 95 patients cost 1.9 million pounds at the time of referral. A subgroup of 22 patients who were younger and unemployed, accounted for 1.5 million pounds. Allocation of resources to treat these patients is necessary.

Chronic Disease↗