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Biomedical subjects

T Riordan

Publications and source records attributed to T Riordan.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Colonization of the gastric contents in critically ill patients.

In a study of 28 ventilated patients in the ICU, cimetidine was ineffective in maintaining gastric pH above 4. Quantitative and qualitative bacteriological examination of daily gastric aspirates showed that when the pH was above 4, there was rapid colonization with high counts of organisms, predominantly coliforms. Progressive colonization by yeasts, independent of pH, was noted in nearly one-half of the patients. Gastric colonization has possible implications in terms of crossinfection of development of aspiration pneumonia. As these are seriously ill patients with compromised gastrointestinal (GI) barriers and decreased immunity, the large numbers of bacteria or their endotoxins may contribute to the high incidence of septicemia.

Bacteria↗

Synovial fluid lactic acid measurement in the diagnosis and management of septic arthritis.

An improved method of lactic acid estimation by gas liquid chromatography (GLC) is described. Synovial fluid lactic acid estimation was performed on 52 patients (15 with septic arthritis and 37 with non-septic arthropathies) and compared to routine microbiological methods and white cell counts. Lactic acid was found to be a useful and rapid test for differentiating between septic and non-septic arthritis being markedly raised (greater than 12 mmol/l) in all the septic joints. Raised lactic acid concentrations were of particular diagnostic value in patients in whom antibiotic therapy had commenced before joint aspiration. The results of lactic acid estimation on sequential samples were helpful in assessing the response of septic arthritis to treatment.

Arthritis↗