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R K Parker

Publications and source records attributed to R K Parker.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Acquired port-wine stains.

BACKGROUND: An acquired port-wine stain is a rarely reported vascular lesion that mimics a congenital port-wine stain clinically, but is acquired after birth. METHODS: Clinical and histologic information concerning ten patients with acquired port-wine stains was recorded. Stains of seven of these patients were treated with either the copper vapor or pulsed dye laser. RESULTS: Collected information suggests that many acquired port-wine stains are idiopathic in nature. Light microscopic examination of tissue showed vascular dilation identical to that seen in congenital port-wine stains. Results of laser treatment were excellent in four patients, good in one patient, and poor in two patients. CONCLUSIONS: Although some differences exist, acquired port-wine stains are similar to congenital port-wine stains in their clinical morphology, histologic findings, and response to laser treatment.

Adolescent

Use of ketorolac after lower abdominal surgery. Effect on analgesic requirement and surgical outcome.

BACKGROUND: Ketorolac is a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agent with opioid-sparing properties. The effect of ketorolac on postoperative opioid analgesic requirement and surgical outcome was evaluated in 198 women after abdominal hysterectomy procedures using a double-blind protocol design. METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 60 mg intravenous (2 ml) ketorolac, followed by 30 mg intravenously (in saline 20 ml) over 30 min every 6 h, or 2 ml intravenous saline, followed by saline 20 ml intravenously over 30 min every 6 h, for up to 72 h. The postoperative opioid analgesic requirement was assessed using a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) device to self administer either morphine or meperidine. The authors also evaluated pain, sedation (or drowsiness), fatigue, quality of sleep, and postoperative side effects at 2-8-h intervals for up to 72 h after surgery. RESULTS: Ketorolac decreased the PCA opioid usage on the night of operation and during the first postoperative day. Ketorolac also improved the quality of sleep during the first night after surgery. Although ketorolac- (vs. saline-) treated patients had a significantly shorter time to passage of bowel gas (50 +/- 24 h vs. 61 +/- 25 h), there were no clinically significant differences in the times to oral intake, unassisted ambulation, or hospital discharge. There were also no differences in the overall incidence of side effects in the ketorolac- (vs. saline-) treated patients. However, the use of ketorolac with opioid PCA was associated with a reduced need for antiemetic therapy on the postsurgical ward. CONCLUSIONS: The authors conclude that the opioid-sparing effects of ketorolac contributed few clinically significant advantages after abdominal hysterectomy procedures.

Adult

Role of psychological factors in postoperative pain control and recovery with patient-controlled analgesia.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the extent to which preoperative state and trait anxiety, general need to control, need to control analgesia, expectations regarding postoperative pain, and demographic variables predict the severity of postoperative pain, discomfort, anxiety, duration of recovery, and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) behaviors. DESIGN: Preoperative and outcome variables were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlations and forward stepwise multiple linear regression. SETTING: This study was conducted at a university hospital in preoperative and postoperative settings. PATIENTS: Ninety-nine consecutively consenting ASA physical status I-II women (age 46 +/- 11 years, 70% caucasian, 28% Afro-American, 2% Hispanic) undergoing simple hysterectomy procedures with no known cancer were included in the study. INTERVENTIONS: Standardized general anesthesia, surgery, and PCA therapy was conducted. OUTCOME MEASURES: The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), patient requests and delivered analgesic medication, visual analog scales (VAS) for pain and anxiety, time to oral medications and hospital discharge, and Likert scale measurements of overall pain and discomfort were utilized. RESULTS: Older patients generally reported less pain, but used the same amount of analgesic medication as younger patients. Preoperative trait anxiety correlated with increased PCA requests, but not with postoperative pain. In contrast, preoperative state anxiety correlated positively with postoperative pain and with shorter time to hospital discharge. The patients' need for control was positively correlated with the Present Plan Index scale of the MPQ, with morphine requirement, and with PCA requests. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological factors do influence postoperative recovery and pain control in women receiving PCA therapy after abdominal hysterectomy, and attention to individual patient differences may lead to improved postoperative outcomes.

Adult

Hints for hemostasis.

As dermatologists perform more complex and extensive surgical procedures, persistent bleeding and hematoma formation may be encountered more frequently. Several hints for hemostasis are presented that will help dermatologists prevent uncontrolled hemorrhage and manage bleeding complications. Employing these techniques will ease patient and surgeon anxiety and help avoid unwanted surgical complications.

Aspirin

Eruptive syringoma.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adenoma, Sweat Gland

Hand eczema herpeticum.

Eczema herpeticum consists of a primary herpes simplex virus infection superimposed on a pre-existing dermatosis. Localized forms of this condition also occur. A twenty-three-year-old woman showed a primary herpes simplex virus infection in the areas of her residual atopic hand eczema after contact with her eighteen-month-old son's oral cavity, which was infected with herpes simplex type I. Possible theories about pathogenesis include a temporary deficit in cell-mediated immunity, defective interleukin production, or persistent alteration of the affected skin. Use of acyclovir resulted in rapid clearing of the eruption. Herpes simplex virus infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis when a flare or vesiculation occurs in patients with atopic hand eczema.

Adult

Patient and nurse evaluation of patient-controlled analgesia delivery systems for postoperative pain management.

Five different patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) delivery systems were evaluated for the treatment of acute postoperative pain in 423 patients undergoing elective operations at a large tertiary care hospital. The PCA trial was conducted on four different postsurgical wards over a 5-mo period. All five devices were utilized on each ward for a 1-mo period. According to the nurses, the mean time (+/- SD) required to become comfortable using the Pharmacia Deltec CADD-PCA was significantly longer (50 +/- 37 min) than that using the Abbott Lifecare Plus (19 +/- 17 min), Bard PCA I (17 +/- 14 min), IVAC PCA (17 +/- 14 min), or Baxter PCA Infusor (7 +/- 8 min). With respect to ease of documentation by the nursing staff, the Baxter device was superior to the Pharmacia device. Similarly, mechanical problems were less frequent with the Baxter (6%) compared with the Pharmacia device (71%). The patients felt that the nurses were more comfortable using the Baxter device than the Pharmacia device. The patients also found the Baxter device easier to use, especially at night, and the least likely to interfere with ambulation. In conclusion, 80% of the nurses at this teaching center preferred the Baxter PCA Infusor over four widely used electronic PCA devices for the management of acute postoperative pain. The Pharmacia device was felt by the nurses to be less user friendly than the other programmable PCA devices used in this trial. Of the electronic devices we studied, the Bard and IVAC devices were the most cost-effective.

Aged

Effects of a nighttime opioid infusion with PCA therapy on patient comfort and analgesic requirements after abdominal hysterectomy.

Since pain during the early postoperative period can disrupt a patient's normal sleep pattern, we investigated the influence of a nighttime "basal" infusion of morphine on patient comfort, ability to sleep at night, restfulness, and analgesic requirements following elective abdominal hysterectomy. One hundred fifty-six adult women were randomly assigned to receive either patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) alone or PCA supplemented with a nighttime infusion of morphine 1.0 mg.h-1. The infusion was started in the postanesthesia care unit and continued until the morning after surgery. Subsequently, the infusion was used only during the nighttime hours (10 PM-8 AM). Patients in both treatment groups were able to self-administer supplemental bolus doses of morphine, 2 mg intravenously, as needed during the 72-h study period. The use of a nighttime morphine infusion did not significantly improve the patient's ability to sleep or to rest comfortably at night. Only 8% and 7% of patients in the control and infusion groups, respectively, found it inconvenient to self-administer bolus doses at night. In addition, the number of patient demands and supplemental bolus doses, opioid usage, and recovery parameters were similar in the two treatment groups. The use of a basal infusion resulted in six programming errors, and three patients required discontinuation of the infusion because of hemoglobin oxygen desaturation (i.e., SpO2 less than 85% for greater than 5 min). We concluded that the routine use of a continuous nighttime opioid infusion in combination with a standard PCA regimen failed to improve the management of postoperative pain, sleep patterns, or recovery profiles compared to PCA alone after abdominal hysterectomy.

Adult

Epidural patient-controlled analgesia: an alternative to intravenous patient-controlled analgesia for pain relief after cesarean delivery.

Epidural administration of an opioid analgesic by means of a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) system was compared with conventional intravenous PCA for pain relief after cesarean delivery. One hundred seventeen healthy women were randomly assigned to receive hydromorphone either intravenously (IV-PCA) or epidurally (EPI-PCA) after cesarean delivery with epidural bupivacaine for operative anesthesia. The hydromorphone requirements were 3.4 and 4.2 times more in the IV-PCA group on the first (P less than 0.01) and second (P less than 0.01) postoperative days, respectively. The mean number (+/- SD) of PCA demands during the first 24 h after the operation was 105 (+/- 88) for the IV-PCA group and 33 (+/- 48) for the EPI-PCA group (P less than 0.01). This difference was also significant 24-48 h after surgery. Although the EPI-PCA group utilized significantly less opioid medication, pain and sedation scores were similar in the two treatment groups; however, a significantly larger percentage of patients in the IV-PCA group (46% vs 22%) stated that they felt drowsy during the first postoperative day. Pruritus was reported more frequently in the EPI-PCA (67%) than in the IV-PCA (33%) group. Nausea was experienced by only 10% of patients in the IV-PCA and 6% in the EPI-PCA group. There was no evidence of postoperative respiratory depression, with minimal oxygen saturation values of 93% (+/- 3%) and 94% (+/- 1%) in the IV-PCA and EPI-PCA groups, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult

Epidural patient-controlled analgesia: influence of bupivacaine and hydromorphone basal infusion on pain control after cesarean delivery.

Epidural administration of hydromorphone was evaluated using a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) delivery system in 170 healthy women undergoing elective cesarean delivery with epidural bupivacaine who were randomly assigned to one of four epidural PCA treatment groups: group I, hydromorphone alone by bolus administration; group II, hydromorphone, with a continuous (basal) infusion; group III, hydromorphone in combination with 0.08% bupivacaine by bolus administration; or group IV, hydromorphone and bupivacaine, with a concurrent infusion of both drugs. Patients in group I required significantly less opioid medication (2.1 +/- 1.1 mg [mean +/- SD]) during the first 24 h than patients in group II (3.3 +/- 1.3 mg). Similarly, patients in group III self-administered significantly less hydromorphone (2.0 +/- 1.0 mg) and bupivacaine (23.3 +/- 11.4 mg) during the first 24 h of PCA therapy, compared with patients in group IV (hydromorphone [2.7 +/- 1.1 mg] and bupivacaine [31.5 +/- 11.6 mg]). The concomitant use of a local anesthetic or basal opioid infusion with hydromorphone via epidural PCA did not decrease the number of PCA demands or delivered doses. In addition, patients in all four groups had similar pain, sedation, discomfort, fatigue, and anxiety scores. The frequency of awakening at night to self-administer analgesic medication was not decreased when a basal infusion was used.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult

Aquagenic urticaria.

Aquagenic urticaria is a rare form of physical urticaria characterized by small follicular wheals with an erythematous flare upon exposure to water. We describe typical lesions in a seven-year-old boy with aquagenic urticaria, cholinergic urticaria, and symptomatic dermatographism, who responded to treatment with ultraviolet B and oral antihistamines.

Child

Patient-controlled analgesia. Does a concurrent opioid infusion improve pain management after surgery?

OBJECTIVE: --To assess the influence of a continuous (basal) morphine infusion as part of a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) system on the postoperative analgesic requirement and on recovery parameters following abdominal hysterectomy. DESIGN: --Single-center, randomized, controlled protocol. SETTING: --University medical center. PARTICIPANTS: --A total of 230 adult women were randomly assigned to receive no morphine infusion (control group) or a continuous 0.5-, 1.0-, or 2.0-mg/h morphine infusion. Each patient was able to self-administer supplemental intravenous bolus doses of morphine (1 to 2 mg) using a PCA infuser. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: --Use of the PCA device, opioid-related side effects, recovery times, and the patients' assessment of pain and sedation on linear visual analog scales were recorded during the 72-hour study period. Follow-up questionnaires were completed by the patients and their health care professionals to assess the overall adequacy of PCA therapy. RESULTS: --Patients who received the 2-mg/h morphine infusions received significantly more opioid medication 9 to 72 hours after their operation than those who received no infusion (control group). The presence of a continuous morphine infusion of 0.5 to 2 mg/h did not significantly decrease the number of patient demands or supplemental bolus doses administered compared with the control group. Overall, 168 (84%) of the 199 patients who completed the 72-hour study were able to achieve adequate analgesia without requiring changes in the PCA regimen or experiencing major side effects. Recovery times and outcome variables were similar in all four groups. CONCLUSION: --The routine use of a continuous opioid infusion in combination with a standard PCA regimen does not improve pain management compared with PCA alone after abdominal hysterectomy.

Adult

Infantile myofibromatosis.

Infantile myofibromatosis is part of a heterogeneous group of rare childhood fibromatoses characterized by the proliferation of myofibroblasts. It is not a common condition and is frequently misdiagnosed. We present an unusual patient who had small, depressed, atrophic, skin lesions uncharacteristic of infantile myofibromatosis.

Atrophy

Pentamorphone for management of postoperative pain.

The efficacy, duration, and safety of the synthetic opioid pentamorphone in the treatment of acute postoperative pain were evaluated in a randomized, double-blind study of 72 patients given 0.08, 0.16, or 0.24 micrograms/kg of pentamorphone or a placebo intravenously in the recovery room after major abdominal or orthopedic surgery. Only patients given 0.24 micrograms/kg of pentamorphone experienced decreased pain intensity and increased sedation, both transient in duration. Although the two higher doses of pentamorphone delayed the patient's request for supplemental morphine, the total amount of morphine required within the first hour was not different between treatments. No acute cardiorespiratory changes were observed. Pentamorphone (0.08-0.24 micrograms/kg) was ineffective for treating acute postoperative pain after major surgery.

Adult

Repair of truncus arteriosus in patients with prior banding of the pulmonary artery.

This is a review of the 25 patients with truncus arteriosus who have undergone corrective repair following prior banding of the pulmonary arteries. The early and late mortality rate was 20 percent, which has fallen to 6 percent for the most recent 17 operations. These results indicate that the probability of a successful repair for truncus arteriosus is not reduced for patients who have undergone prior banding of the pulmonary artery. In view of the current high mortality rate for corrective repair of the truncus arteriosus in the infant with refractory congestive failure, these results suggest that initial banding of the pulmonary artery for such infants, with later elective correction, may be an appropriate method of management at this time.

Child