Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

T Hess

Publications and source records attributed to T Hess.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

[Fever and non-specific general symptoms].

A 28-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of fever, nocturnal dry cough and unspecific symptoms. Two years before admission he had worked as a sailor in South America, and one year ago he had been in Gran Canaria for a vacation. No serious illness occurred during these stays abroad. During the hospitalization the patient reported nausea and experienced upper right abdominal pain. Ultrasonography, computed tomography and serological tests revealed an amebic liver abscess. After administration of metronidazole the fever and symptoms subsided.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[TIA--an emergency?].

Transient ischemic attacks (TIA) can be a sign of impending stroke and as such an indication of atherosclerotic disease or other impending vascular catastrophe. We discuss clinical presentation, pathophysiologic mechanisms, diagnostic procedures and guidelines for therapy using data from four TIA cases sharing certain symptoms but differing in etiology.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

[Hyperkalemia].

In two cases with drug-related hyperkalemia, potassium homeostasis, causes, symptoms and therapy are discussed. Iatrogenic and therefore avoidable hyperkalemia occurs most often when potassium, ACE-inhibitors, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs or potassium-sparing diuretics are administered in patients with impaired renal function or diabetes mellitus. The emergency treatment in patients with severe hyperkalemia consists of intravenous calcium injections, infusion of glucose with insulin and, more recently, salbutamol. With acidotic patients administration of sodium-bicarbonate can be tried. Ion-exchange drugs and furosemide have a more delayed effect. With oliguria and anuria hemodialysis is often necessary.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Stress reactions--stress fracture of the upper femoral neck in endurance sports].

Stress reactions of the musculoskeletal system may be interpreted as possible precursors of stress fractures. Biological material, in contrast to artificial products, can react in numerous and complex ways. This can not only lead to a continual weakening of the tissue, but also to adaptation phenomena in response to overuse. The causes of such stress reactions are still unclear in many respects. For example, it is unknown to what extent a predisposition to these stress symptoms is created by mechanical stress alone or whether other factors such as physical condition, nutrition or even hormone balance come into play. Early diagnosis considerably reduces the healing process and, the later the diagnosis of the stress reaction, the more drawn out is the healing process and the extent of the athlete's absence from training. In this connection may be discussed whether the stress reaction can be the represent as the precursor of the stress fracture. In light of the need for taking special care in obtaining anamnestic data and determining the predisposition of an athlete, it appears to be justified to perform whole body bone scanning in the initial stages and particularly after an innocuous radiological finding. To what extent more current methods (e. g. MRI) can be applied without exposing the athlete to undue radiation cannot be conclusively judged at present. The treatment of a stress reaction should, at least at the beginning, be the same as for a diagnosed stress fracture.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Risk factors for adverse drug reactions communication of the CHDM.

In the CHDM (Comprehensive Hospital Drug Monitoring for Adverse Drug Reactions, Bern/St. Gallen), the data of the 34,838 computer registered patient admissions 1974-1988 were available for evaluation. We summarize the results of three different studies: 1. A multivariate analysis of the risk factors to developed an ADR during hospital stay, mainly the number of drugs, age, sex and renal function. 2. The occurrence rate of hyperkalemia under the treatment with diurectics, mainly potassium (K+)-losing with K+ substitution compared to the combination of K(+)-sparing with K(+)-losing preparations. 3. The occurrence-rate of exanthema in relation to amino-penicillin preparations an allopurinol. The results are presented in the communication. (Tab 7, Fig. 1, Ref. 15). Ref. 15.).

Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems↗
PubMed1990

[Acute severe dyspnea as a side effect of drugs. Report from the CHDM (Comprehensive Hospital Drug Monitoring)].

This "syndrome" has been observed in 4 of 23,935 in-patients registered in the years 1974-1987 in the Comprehensive Hospital Drug Monitoring (Bern/St. Gallen), with 6 reactions. Signs of an attack of bronchial asthma, laryngeal or pulmonary edema or a (heart-)circulatory event were not observed. Each patient was cyanotic and 3 had the feeling of impending death. The eliciting drugs were penicillin-G (twice) and cefazolin (once), given i.v.; iron dextran i.m. (once); pitressin tannate i.m. (once) and dicobalt edetate (Kelocyanor) i.v.(once). In each case the reaction started during or shortly after injection of the drug; the duration of the reaction in 5 of these events was 20-80 minutes. The pathomechanism could be a special form of anaphylactic reaction with acute pulmonary hypertension, comparable to IgE-induced anaphylaxis in the rabbit or aggregate anaphylaxis in the monkey or the dog. Further observations are needed for more detailed study.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1990

Time pattern of allergic reactions to drugs.

Generalized, allergic reactions to drugs show time patterns different from those based on pharmacological concepts. We distinguish three types of reactions: acute reactions (reaction time (RT): 0-60 minutes), subacute reactions (RT: 1-24 hours) and reactions of the latent type (RT: 1 day to several weeks). In this study, allergic reactions in the strict sense are supplemented by reactions considered to be based on intolerance or idiosyncrasy to aspirin, pyrazolones, paracetamol, NSAIDs, quinidine, iodine-containing contrast media and some as yet not understood reactions to local anaesthetics. Out of a total of 23,935 drug monitoring patients with 32,317 hospitalizations in the clinical divisions of internal medicine at three Swiss hospitals during the 1974-1987 period, 951 patients with 1,040 probably or definitely drug-related events of the selected type were recorded. Ultimately, 287 patients with 310 adverse drug reactions (ADRs) fulfilled our selection criteria and were classified into six groups of syndromes (Table 1). (Of the reactions described as maculopapular rash, unspecified rash and special exanthema, only the 159 reactions from the 1985-1987 period out of a total of 889 reactions of this type observed during the whole study period were included in our secondary evaluation.) The total number of 310 reactions (100%) showed the following RT distribution: 36 (11.6%) were of the acute type, 13 (4.2%) of the latent type, 12 (3.9%) could be interpreted as two distinct possible types of reaction to different drugs, and for 3 (1.0%) reactions, the type of reaction was indeterminable. The majority of reactions, 246 (79.4%), were of the subacute type starting within 24 hours of the last drug exposure. Among the 36 reactions of the acute type, 7 events of acute severe dyspnoea were observed which seemed to be as life-threatening as anaphylactic or anaphylactoid shock. These hospital-epidemiological data are of interest for focusing basic research and developing further principles of drug safety.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1990

Risk of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with ulcerative disease and treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Results from the Comprehensive Hospital Drug Monitoring Berne (CHDM).

The hospital prevalence rate for upper gastrointestinal ulcerative disease in 28,531 inpatients consecutively admitted in two teaching hospitals in the Comprehensive Hospital Drug Monitoring (CHDM) in Berne, from 1974 to 1985, was 2.2% (1.8% for gastric or duodenal ulcer, and 0.4% for erosive gastritis). This was based on the evaluation of 634 patients after exclusion of the subgroup of patients with hepatic cirrhosis or upper gastrointestinal neoplasia. After exclusion of patients on anticoagulant therapy (n = 73), 561 (= 100%) patients could be further studied. Of them, 33.3% (n = 187) were found to have been exposed to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including aspirin, within 21 days prior to confirmation of the diagnosis. The observed relative risk (RR) of developing a substantial acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (Hb less than 10 g/100 ml for men, and less than 9 g/100 ml for women, or a decrease in Hb of more than 25%) was 1.61 when patients exposed to NSAIDs (n = 187) were compared to patients not exposed to those drugs (n = 374). Although there was no significant sex difference overall, the RR for gastrointestinal bleeding differed considerably in the various age-groups; it was elevated in men under 40 years (RR = 2.86) and in women over 60 years of age (RR = 1.89), as compared to the mean RR of 1.61.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Recurrent meningitis in a patient with congenital deficiency of the C9 component of complement. First case of C9 deficiency in Europe.

We describe the first cases, to our knowledge, of C9 deficiency in Europe that were detected in a Swiss family, of which two members--one with a complete deficiency and the other with approximately half-normal C9 levels--experienced bacterial meningitis. The index patient, a 56-year-old white man with a history of purulent meningitis at the age of 23 years, presented with an acute meningococcal meningitis. No impairment of cellular immunity or immunoglobulin deficiency could be found. Complement assays showed a complete deficiency of the C9 component, while the other individual component levels were normal and the hemolytic activity (measured using the CH50 assay) was only slightly reduced. A family study revealed complete C9 deficiency in the patient's healthy brother and half-normal C9 concentrations in his sister, his son (who also had experienced an episode of bacterial meningitis), and his niece, consistent with an inherited C9 deficiency. This first case of recurrent meningitis in a white patient with complete C9 deficiency suggests that this complement defect may also be a risk factor for bacterial, especially neisserial, infections.

Complement C9↗
PubMed1989

[Suicidal digitalis poisoning: considerations concerning treatment strategy with antibodies].

Suicidal digitalis poisoning is life-threatening and often has a fatal outcome. The treatment and clinical course of acute poisoning with 250 mg digitoxin in a depressive male patient aged 48 years are reported. Marked elevation of serum digitoxin level (360 nmol/l 8 hours after ingestion) and initial hyperkalemia (5.7 mmol/l) as well as the history of excessive dose intake, pointed toward severe intoxication. Mainstays of management with favourable outcome were vomiting and gastric lavage, followed by administration of repeated doses of digoxin-specific Fab antibody fragments. Evaluation of severity of poisoning and recommended supportive measures in digitalis overdose suicide victims are summarized and practical features of antibody preparations are discussed.

Digitoxin↗
PubMed1989

[The significance of wear and material fatigue in loosening of hip prostheses].

Particles created by wear and disintegration of implant materials give rise to foreign body reactions in the tissue surrounding joint endoprostheses. Histiocytes and foreign body giant cells phagocytize the particles released and form granulomas, which lead in turn to remodelling and resorption of the bone at the interface between implant and bone. As a consequence of this, osteolysis develops, which may lead to loosening and complete failure of fixation of the implant. Radiographically, the areas of osteolysis appear as localized, round, oval or oblong scalloping defects or as radiolucent lines in the endosteal sections of the bone immediately adjacent to the implants. This paper reports on 21 hip joint endoprostheses in which polyethylene and bone cement particles induced large areas of osteolysis at the bone/cement interface. In 8 cases the polyethylene particles originated from the convex joint surfaces of ball heads in "soft-top" endoprostheses (with or without simultaneous replacement of the acetabulum by a metal cup), and in 5 cases they originated from the anchoring surfaces of non-cemented cone-shaped screw-in sockets (Endler type); osteolysis and loosening of these endoprostheses appeared on average 48.2 and 76.6 months after implantation, respectively. The bone cement fragments came from the bone cement mantle of the femur, which had become fractured, disrupted and crushed, in 8 cases of total hip replacement with cemented prostheses; osteolysis appeared on average 87 months after primary implantation in these cases. Tissue samples taken at revision surgery from the joint capsule, the bone/cement interface and the osteolytic areas were processed into histological sections for microscopy and examined in the usual way. The type and amount of phagocytized material were subjected to semiquantitative analysis. We were able to show that osteolysis at the bone/cement interface can be induced by foreign body reactions to abraded polyethylene particles alone as well as by reactions to fragmented bone cement. The morphology of the tissue reaction to particles of the different materials is quite similar. The effect of the foreign body granulomas depends less on the type of the polymer than on the amount of abrasion and fragmentation products released into the surrounding tissue. This again proves that the life-time of joint endoprostheses depends essentially on factors influencing the wear rate. Polymer materials, with low wear resistance, are unsuitable for convex joint surfaces and for direct fixation to bone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Acetabulum↗
PubMed1988

[Side-effects of frequently administered hypnotics and sedatives as well as of anxiolytics. Results from a Comprehensive Hospital Drug Monitoring (CHDM) program].

The occurrence and age distribution of patients with adverse drug reactions (ADR) were studied on the basis of a total of 17,653 admissions to the medical divisions of the Zieglerspital Bern and the Anna-Seiler-Haus, Inselspital Bern, during the period 1976-1982. Among this population 12,424 patients (70.4%) happened to have been treated with hypnotics, sedatives or anxiolytics. Results are as follows: 1. The occurrence rate of psychic and neurologic symptoms (with the exception of somnolence and hangover) is 0.14% of all treatments if the casualty category "definitely or probably drug-induced" is considered. For "other ADR" (non-psychic, non-neurologic) the rate is 0.16%. For the benzodiazepine preparations, the psychic and neurologic ADR occurred at about the same rate as for the neuroleptic drugs studied, whereas "other ADR" related to benzodiazepines were observed in only 0.04% of treatments. 2. There is a marked difference in ADR symptoms between benzodiazepines and neuroleptics. With benzodiazepines the most severe reactions were two episodes of shortlived respiratory arrest immediately after intravenous administration. With neuroleptic drugs the most severe symptoms were choreoathetosis, dyskinesia, hyperkinesia and Parkinson's syndrome. There was no fatal reaction. 3. With benzodiazepines there is a slight but significant increase in the occurrence of psychic and neurologic symptoms in the older group of patients, as compared to the younger patients, whereas with neuroleptics there is no age dependence.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed1988

[Magnesium in cardiology. Fundamentals and potential indications].

The precise mechanism of magnesium effects on the heart is unknown. It may be based on calcium antagonism, prevention of vasospasm, enhancement of metabolic processes or inhibition of platelet aggregation. At present there are no established indications for parenteral magnesium administration. Probatory magnesium treatment can however be used in all tachyarrhythmias without major risk of adverse effects; in polymorphic ventricular tachycardia with QT prolongation (torsade de pointes) it can be recommended as a primary measure. Further investigations are needed to confirm the so far encouraging results of prophylactic intravenous magnesium administration in acute myocardial infarction.

Heart↗
PubMed1988

[Fructosamine determination as a screening test for diabetes mellitus in patients with acute coronary heart disease].

Plasma fructosamine was determined in 41 patients with acute coronary heart disease (acute myocardial infarction and instable angina) to assess its usefulness as a screening method for diabetes mellitus. The results (11/15 true positive and 23/26 true negative) were comparable to those for glycated hemoglobin (14/15, 22/26). Discriminant analysis was performed to extract additional information from further laboratory data (glucose and albumin).

Coronary Disease↗
PubMed1988

Effects of atropine and propranolol on the respiratory, circulatory, and ECG responses to high altitude in man.

In order to analyze the respiratory, cardiovascular, and ECG responses to acute hypoxic hypoxia, three experimental series were carried out in a randomized manner on 11 healthy, unacclimatized volunteers at rest during standardized stepwise exposure to 6000 m (PAO2 35.2 +/- 2.9 mmHg/4.7 +/- 0.4 kPa) in a low-pressure chamber a) without (control), b) with propranolol, and c) with atropine combined with propranolol. The results show that hypoxic hyperventilation and alveolar gases are not affected by activation of the sympatho-adrenal axis or by parasympathetic withdrawal. Sympathetic activity, however, increases heart rate, stroke volume (pulse pressure), estimated cardiac output and systolic blood pressure, whereas decreased parasympathetic activity increases heart rate and estimated cardiac output, but lowers stroke volume. The fall in peripheral resistance, observed during progressive hypoxia in all three groups, is thought to be due to hypoxia-induced depression of the vasomotor center. At altitude catecholamine secretion and vagal withdrawal synergistically account in the ECG for the R-R shortening, the relative Q-T lengthening, the elevation of the P wave and the ST-T flattening. Probable direct hypoxic effects on the heart are the increase in P-Q duration and the minor but still significant depression of the T wave. It is concluded that at altitude increased sympatho-adrenal and decreased parasympathetic activity is without effect on hypoxic hyperventilation, but accounts for most of the cardiovascular and ECG changes. Diminution of sympathetic activity and imminent vagotonia arising after acute ascent to 6000 m probably reflect hypoxia of the central nervous system.

Acclimatization↗
PubMed1987

[Extra-pulmonary complications in Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections].

It is not rare that extrapulmonary complications and not pneumonia dominate the clinical picture in infections with Mycoplasma pneumoniae, as is illustrated by three cases. In the first, a young woman developed an acute, but ultimately completely reversible, polyradiculitis after a Mycoplasma pneumonia. The second patient sustained a thoracic transverse myelitis which regressed rapidly and completely under treatment with erythromycin and prednisone. In the third one, the Mycoplasma pneumonia was complicated by a generalized hypersensitivity vasculitis affecting many organs. A largely reversible renal vasculitis was demonstrated angiographically.

Adult↗