Issues in aging: end of life decisions.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P R Olson.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Retroperitoneal fibrosis secondary to carcinoma of the gallbladder has not been reported previously. Such a combination is reported and a review of the pertinent literature presented.
Widowed residents of two nursing homes who were oriented to person, time, and place were interviewed to determine the extent to which they had hallucinatory experiences of their deceased spouse. Fifty-two interviews were completed with 46 widows and six widowers. Results are reported for the widows. Twenty-eight (61%) of the widows reported hallucinatory experiences of their deceased spouse. Twenty-four (86%) of the widows described the experiences as good or helpful. Thirteen (46%) reported that the experiences continue to happen. Nineteen (54%) of the widows had never discussed the experiences with anyone before this study. These results are surprisingly similar to previously published findings by Rees in Wales and suggest that these experiences are more common in the United States than has been recognized.
Transfusion of massive amounts of citrate anticoagulated blood during plateletpheresis with the intermittent flow centrifuge can produce symptoms and electrocardiographic changes suggestive of hypocalcemia. Following 15 procedures the ionized calcium decreased by an average of 32.4%, the average postpheresis serum citrate was 26.7 mg/dl and the QT interval was prolonged by 0.08 sec. Twelve plateletphereses performed with half-strength ACD solution caused an average decrease in ionized calcium of 16%, serum citrate levels of 12.5 mg/dl and QT prolongation of 0.04 sec. No donors experienced significant clinical symptoms with citrate infusion rates of less than 65 mg/kg/h. Solutions with citrate concentrations lower than ACD-A should be developed for use in plateletpheresis procedures involving citrate infusion rates greater than this.
This report describes a simple method for inactivating 19S red cell antibodies using the odorless compound dithiothreitol (DTT). 30 sera which contained antiglobulin-active red cell antibodies showed virtually no alteration in activity after DTT treatment, while 30 different sera containing cold-active red cell antibodies showed almost total elimination of activity following DTT treatment. Six sera were separated into IgG and IgM fractions. All red cell activity was eliminated in the IgM fraction, but was unaffected by DTT treatment of the IgG fraction. This method of inactivating IgM antibodies should be of value in investigating cases of hemolytic disease of the newborn and in studying sera containing mixtures of warm and cold red cell antibodies.
To determine the extent to which health screening and preventive measures are actually documented in family practice, a random sample of 216 charts of established patients over 65 in seven practices was audited. Overall, a high rate of documentation (greater than 95%) was observed for blood pressure measurement. Intermediate rates of documentation (35% to 75%) were observed for oral cavity examination, smoking history, and skin examination. Low rates (less than 30%) were present for tetanus immunization, influenza immunization, stool occult blood testing, visual screening, hearing screening, mental status testing, social support description, and discussion of care preferences (living will). Several diagnoses for which screening was infrequently documented were recorded at rates approaching expected community prevalence figures, a finding that suggests widespread performance of informal or undocumented health screening in these practices. Recommended measures to increase the performance and documentation of preventive care include changes in the medical record, alterations in reimbursement, and delegation to nonphysician office staff.