Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R Erickson

Publications and source records attributed to R Erickson.

66 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1971

Epicillin: in vitro laboratory studies.

A new semisynthetic penicillin, structurally related to ampicillin, has been assigned the generic name epicillin, 6-[d-2-amino-2-(1, 4-cyclohexadienyl) acetamido]-penicillanic acid. The antimicrobial spectrum and level of activity of epicillin in vitro are similar to those of ampicillin. In studies with recent clinical isolates, these two antibiotics, when compared with carbenicillin, showed consistently higher antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, and Proteus species. When tested against Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates, on the other hand, epicillin exhibited a level of intrinsic activity superior to that of ampicillin but less than that of carbenicillin. Epicillin is an amphoteric substance that is sensitive to penicillinase, is acid-stable, and is minimally, but reversibly, bound to human serum protein.

Acetamides↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Identification and certification of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation specialists in the United States.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a highly specialized technique widely practiced in many hospitals. Despite the proliferation of ECMO, little information has been generated relating to ECMO specialists, a new professional group responsible for managing the extracorporeal life support (ELS) system. A telephone survey of ECMO centers in the United States was conducted to determine the number of ECMO specialists, team composition by profession, and clinical components of ECMO specialist certification. Data were obtained in May 1991 from all 63 (100%) active ELS centers. The survey found that the average ECMO program performs 3,770 +/- 1,019 clinical hours of ELS per year with a team of 23 +/- 11 specialists. There are 1,431 practicing ECMO specialists in the United States: 73% registered nurses, 22% respiratory therapists, and 5% others. Most ECMO specialist teams (56%) are comprised of a single profession, with 44% of programs using a mixture of professions. The average ECMO specialist manages the ELS system 171 +/- 91 hr/yr. Thirty-six (57%) programs have a mean yearly clinical requirement of 77 +/- 23 ELS hours per specialist. These results represent the first complete report identifying the number of ECMO specialists in the United States. In addition, program demographics demonstrate variability in ECMO experience and certification requirements.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Oral temperature differences in relation to thermometer and technique.

The validity of oral temperature measurements depends on use of an appropriate site, a dependable thermometer, and a proper technique. Fifty febrile patients and 50 afebrile volunteers were studied to determine differences in oral temperature measured in three sublingual sites with three brands of electronic thermometers and with mercury thermometers and to learn whether two methods of probe insertion (slow-slide and direct-placement) with electronic thermometers would result in differences in either the temperature reading obtained or the instrument response time. When measured with the rapidly responding electronic thermometers, temperatures in the right and left posterior sublingual pockets were significantly higher (p less than .01) than in the area under the front of the tongue. The difference was approximately .3 degrees F in the afebrile subjects and approximately .4 degrees F in those with fever. With mercury thermometers, however, the temperature differences were small and not statistically significant. There was no significant difference between temperatures measured in the two posterior pockets using either electronic or mercury thermometers. There was some individual variation in the values registered by electronic thermometers at each site, although the differences between the three sites were consistent with all three instruments. Actual temperature values differed between electronic and mercury thermometers. When electronic thermometer probes were inserted into a posterior pocket using a slow-slide technique, temperature readings were higher by approximately .1 degree F and were obtained a few seconds faster than when the probe was put directly in place without a prewarming procedure. These differences were statistically significant (p less than .01) but of limited clinical importance. Findings emphasized the importance of using the posterior sublingual pocket as the site for oral temperature measurement and the value of using the same instrument to obtain repeated comparable measurements.

Adolescent↗