Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R Morrissey.
A 58-year-old man with acute leukemia had balanitis and penile ulceration due to Candida tropicalis after a condom catheter was used because of urinary incontinence. This case illustrates that condom catheters can be associated with serious complications in neutropenic patients and should be used only when absolutely necessary.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
We studied 129 patients during acute, severe asthmatic attacks. Electrocardiograms showed P pulmonale in 49% of patients who had an arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCo2) greater than or equal to 45 mm Hg and an arterial pH less than or equal to 7.37, whereas P pulmonale was present in only 2.5% of asthmatics who had a PaCO2 less than or equal to 44 mm Hg and a pH greater than or equal to 7.38 (p less than 0.001). P wave and QRS axes were 79 +/- 8 degrees and 80 +/- 20 degrees, respectively, in the presence of P pulmonale. When P pulmonale disappeared, the P wave and QRS axes shifted significantly to the left (p less than 0.001). Electrocardiographic P pulmonale persisted 12 to 60 hr after correction of hypoxemia, hypercapnia, and acidosis. In 7 patients with P pulmonale and respiratory acidosis, cardiac catheterization demonstrated normal artery pressures (PAPs) measured relative to atmospheric pressure. In 12 of these peak inspiratory pulmonary artery transmural pressures (PATPs) were increased. Since increased right heart transumural pressures could result in chamber distention, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that reversible P pulmonale in status asthmaticus is explainable on the basis of markedly negative tidal pleural pressures and increased right heart transmural pressures.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Total serum amylase activity was found to be significantly elevated postoperatively in 11 (10%) of 110 patients undergoing various surgical procedures. Isoamylase analysis revealed that the rise was chiefly in the pancreatic-type isoamylase in seven of the 11 patients showing postoperative serum amylase elevations; in the other four patients, the elevation occurred principally in the salivary-type isoamylase. These data demonstrate that postoperative hyperamylasemia occurs surprisingly often and that serum amylase activity may rise even when the surgical procedure is extra-abdominal. Moreover, elevation of serum amylase activity after surgery is not necessarily an indication of pancreatitis and may reflect instead a rise in salivary-type isoamylase.