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Biomedical subjects

R J Awe

Publications and source records attributed to R J Awe.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1975

The effect of bronchofiberscopic examination on oxygenation status.

Arterial blood gases were measured in 62 patients, none of whom was critically ill, to determine the effect of transnasal fiberoptic bronchoscopy on oxygenation status. Blood samples were obtained at regular intervals during the procedure. Thirty-four patients who were bronchoscoped while breathing room air had a significant drop in the arterial P02 following saline solution lavage. Twenty-eight patients who were given 28 percent oxygen via a Ventimask during the procedure were protected from this hypoxemia. Simultaneously measured arterial pH and Pco2 were unchanged during the procedure. Premedication alone resulted in a minimal but insignificant drop in PaO2 in 7 patients. These observations suggest that if the initial PaO2 is less than 70 mm Hg on room air, bronchoscopy by the transnasal approach is best performed with the administration of oxygen through an appropriate mask. If the patient is at risk of developing hypercapnia with supplemental oxygen, a 28 percent Ventimask should be utilized to prevent significant hypoxemia without causing hypercapnia.

Blood Gas Analysis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Left ventricular function during respiratory failure.

Indirect measures of left ventricular function were studied in seven patients with respiratory failure secondary to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to determine if there were a relationship between left ventricular function and treatment of the pulmonary disease. All patients were studied during acute episodes while in respiratory failure having arterial Pco2 (Paco2) values greater than 49 torr with no clinical evidence of left ventricular failure. Indirect methods to evaluate left ventricular function included the use of the Swan-Ganz catheter for pulmonary capillary wedge pressure measurement, systolic time intervals, and cardiac output. There was improvement in left ventricular function with treatment of the respiratory failure manifested by decreases in the wedge pressure and pre-ejection period/left ventricular ejection time ratio, and an increase in the dp/dt/pulmonary capillary wedge pressure with treatment of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The improvement in left ventricular function suggests that there is a depression of left ventricular function in respiratory failure. The depressed function improved with therapy of the lung disease without additional medication directed at cardiac function.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Asbestos bodies in a general hospital/clinic population.

The presence of asbestos bodies in the sputum of individuals with known occupational asbestos exposure has been well documented. However, their prevalence and clinical implications in sputum and bronchial washings from patients not clinically known to have asbestos exposure remains controversial. From 1974 to 1979, 31,353 sputum and bronchial washing specimens were processed in the course of evaluating various pulmonary complaints of approximately 11,000 patients from the outpatient clinics and hospitals of the Harris County Hospital District in Houston, Texas. Asbestos bodies were incidentally found in five patients, and, in retrospect, each of them was discovered to have had significant occupational exposure to asbestos dust. Asbestos lung disease was also subsequently proven in four of the five patients and was felt, retrospectively, to have contributed to their presenting complaints and clinical course. It is concluded that asbestos bodies in sputum and bronchial washing specimens are highly specific markers for past asbestos exposure and reflect the presence of a significant asbestos load within the lungs. Sputum cytology is both painless and inexpensive and is recommended as a supplemental procedure to document clinically significant asbestos exposure.

Adolescent↗