Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P Duff.
Acute pyelonephritis is one of three clinical entities within the spectrum of urinary tract infection. It occurs commonly in pregnancy and, as recognized recently, can be associated with acute respiratory insufficiency.
The purpose of this investigation was to assess computed tomographic (CT) pelvimetry in the evaluation of breech presentation for trial of labor. Thirty-two patients with singleton term breech deliveries formed the study group. Seventeen of the 32 (53.1%) patients fulfilled the criteria for attempted vaginal delivery. Fourteen of the 17 (82.4%) delivered vaginally. All infants so delivered had five-minute Apgar scores greater than or equal to 7. Three of the 17 patients required abdominal delivery: one for fetal distress and two for arrest of dilation. These results compare favorably with studies using conventional x-ray pelvimetry. The advantages of CT over conventional pelvimetry include ease of performance, ease of interpretation, and decreased radiation dose to the fetus.
This investigation analyzed the effect of labor on the phagocytic activity of neutrophils in women with uncomplicated term pregnancies. Nineteen healthy women who were not pregnant and did not use oral contraceptives or glucocorticoids served as controls. Peripheral venous blood samples were collected from 15 study patients who were in the active phase of labor (5-10 cm of dilation). Neutrophil phagocytic function was evaluated with the radioiodine fixation test. Assays were conducted utilizing both pooled homologous serum and autologous serum. There was no statistically significant difference in the neutrophil phagocytic function of laboring patients and controls. In addition, there was no evidence that serum from pregnant women exerted a depressant effect on phagocytosis.
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The authors describe a pregnancy complicated by rhesus sensitization and the May-Hegglin anomaly. The principal objective in caring for the patient was prevention of maternal and fetal hemorrhage. Transfusion of type-specific platelets corrected the patient's abnormal bleeding time. Cesarean section resulted in delivery of a healthy, but thrombocytopenic, infant who subsequently was shown to have the May-Hegglin defect.
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One hundred thirty-four indigent patients at term who had premature rupture of membranes and a cervix unfavorable for induction of labor (80% effacement or less, 2 cm dilation or less) were randomized to compare expectant with intervention management. Women with any medical or obstetric condition warranting immediate intervention were excluded from the study. Patients treated expectantly were placed at bed rest and observed for labor or infection. Patients managed by intervention were given oxytocin if labor did not ensue within 12 hours of rupture of the membranes. Patients in the intervention protocol had longer labor (P less than .02) and a higher incidence of both cesarean delivery (P less than .05) and intraamniotic infection (P less than .05). There was only one case of proven neonatal sepsis, and this occurred in a patient managed by induction of labor. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in mean length of maternal hospitalization.
The objective of this investigation was to develop a rapid diagnostic test to identify patients at exceptionally high risk for postcesarean endomyometritis. Intraoperative samples of endometrium, chorioamniotic membrane, and amniotic fluid were obtained from 70 patients undergoing nonelective cesarean section and were processed for bacterial culture, Gram stain, and histologic examination. Endomyometritis occurred in 57% of patients. Women with positive bacterial cultures (growth of high virulence organisms on the primary plates), positive Gram stains (bacteria in any oil immersion field), and histologic evidence of leukocytic infiltration in the chorioamniotic membrane and endometrium (greater than or equal to ten white blood cells per high-power field) were more likely than were patients with negative findings to develop endomyometritis. All of the laboratory tests evaluated were specific but insensitive predictors of infection. Assessment of duration of ruptured membranes and length of labor provided a diagnostic test that was as clinically useful in predicting postoperative infection as were any of the laboratory studies evaluated.
Labor records and internal fetal monitor tracings of 65 patients with uncomplicated term pregnancies who entered labor spontaneously and then developed chorioamnionitis were reviewed. Eighty-eight percent of patients were nulliparous. Seventy-five percent had abnormal labor, characterized by decreased uterine contractility, and 34% required cesarean delivery because of failure to progress in labor. The most common fetal heart rate abnormalities were diminished or absent variability (77%) and tachycardia (67%); 15% of the tracings had a sinusoidal pattern. Despite the high prevalence of abnormal fetal heart rate tracings, only one infant had a 5-minute Apgar score less than 7. It is concluded that chorioamnionitis has an inhibitory effect on labor. Compared to uninfected women, certain infected patients appear to require higher doses of oxytocin and greater uterine activity to effect a given change in cervical dilation.
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A double-blind comparison of clindamycin plus gentamicin versus moxalactam plus placebo was performed for the treatment of endomyometritis after cesarean section delivery. Entry criteria were uterine tenderness, temperature greater than or equal to 101 degrees F, and leukocytosis. Uterine specimens were obtained for culture via a single-lumen transcervical catheter. Bacteremia occurred in 10% of patients. Among the 57 patients treated with clindamycin plus gentamicin, there were two clinical failures and four side effect failures (diarrhea in two, allergic reaction in two). Among the 56 patients in the moxalactam group, there were four clinical failures and one side effect failure (diarrhea). Both regimens had good cure rates, with no significant differences in cures or postoperative hospital stay.
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A randomized comparison of ceftazidime versus clindamycin-tobramycin was performed for the treatment of obstetrical and gynecological infections. Entry criteria were an oral temperature of greater than or equal to 38 degrees C and a clinical diagnosis of endometritis, salpingitis, or pelvic cellulitis after hysterectomy. All patients with endometritis had cultures of intrauterine material obtained via a transcervical single-lumen catheter. The patients with pelvic cellulitis had material from the vaginal apex aspirated for culture, and all patients with salpingitis had a culdocentesis for culture of intraperitoneal material. Of 38 patients who received ceftazidime, 34 had endometritis after cesarean section, 3 had endometritis after abortion, and 1 had pelvic cellulitis. Of 39 patients who received clindamycin-tobramycin, 35 had endometritis after cesarean section, 3 had salpingitis, and 1 had pelvic cellulitis. The most common bacterial isolates were Lactobacillus sp., Bacteroides bivius, Escherichia coli, other gram-negative aerobic bacilli, group B streptococci, and other aerobic streptococci. Bacteremia occurred in 9.0% of the patients. Of the patients receiving clindamycin-tobramycin and ceftazidime, 34 (87.2%) and 34 (89.5%), respectively, responded to therapy. All the clinical failures occurred in patients with endometritis after cesarean section. Clinical failures had persistent fever despite 3 or more days of treatment. One of the patients receiving clindamycin-tobramycin developed an urticarial rash after her infection had resolved. No patient in either group developed diarrhea. In these small groups of patients, there were no significant differences in cure rate, side effects, or length of hospital stay.
Four techniques for obtaining endometrial cultures in puerperal patients were compared in 18 uninfected women undergoing postpartum tubal ligation. Four culture specimens were obtained from each patient in the following sequence: transfundal aspiration, transcervical brush biopsy of the endometrium through a double-lumen catheter, transcervical lavage of the endometrial cavity through a double-lumen catheter, and aspiration of the secretions from the lower uterine segment through a single-lumen catheter. Quantitative cultures for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were performed on all specimens. Cultures from the single-lumen aspirate had the greatest variety of different organisms and the highest colony counts of individual organisms. The brush and lavage techniques were equally effective in reducing, but not eliminating, contamination of endometrial specimens with cervical organisms. The authors conclude that, of the techniques evaluated in these uninfected patients, the most satisfactory procedure for routinely obtaining endometrial cultures is brush biopsy or lavage through a double-lumen catheter.
Pelvic vein thrombophlebitis is an unusual, but extremely serious, complication of pelvic surgery. It occurs in approximately 0.5 to 1 per cent of patients who develop operative site infections. It may present as two distinct clinical syndromes: acute ovarian vein thrombosis and diffuse thrombosis of multiple small pelvic vessels. Accurate diagnosis is hampered by the absence of a reliable, specific, and noninvasive test for the disorder. Treatment of pelvic vein thrombophlebitis requires administration of broad spectrum antibiotics, intravenous heparin, and, in selected cases, ovarian vein and vena cava ligation.