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Biomedical subjects

W J Lewander

Publications and source records attributed to W J Lewander.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

The efficacy of nebulized metaproterenol in wheezing infants and young children.

The benefit of beta-adrenergic agonists in the treatment of acutely wheezing infants and young children has not been well documented in the outpatient setting. To determine the efficacy of nebulized metaproterenol sulfate, 74 children aged 36 months or younger with acute wheezing participated in a double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Children received nebulized metaproterenol, either as an initial treatment or after a control treatment with normal saline solution. At baseline and 20 minutes after each treatment, an assessment was made that included measurements of heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and clinical variables related to respiratory compromise with the use of a standardized respiratory distress index (RDI). Children who received saline solution as initial therapy had no significant differences from baseline in any of the assessment measures. After metaproterenol therapy, children demonstrated an increase in heart rate ([mean +/- SD] 147 +/- 14 beats per minute vs 153 +/- 16 beats per minute), a decrease in respirations (50/min +/- 5/min vs 45/min +/- 7/min), improvement (lower scores) on the RDI (24 +/- 4 vs 15 +/- 2), and an increase in oxygen saturation (94.1% +/- 2.7% vs 95.3% +/- 3.0%). Patients aged 12 months or younger (n = 37) benefited from metaproterenol treatment (improvement in respiratory rate and RDI) but not to the same degree as children aged 24 months or older (n = 23) (improvement in respiratory rate, RDI, and oxygen saturation). Compared with assessments made before metaproterenol treatment, patients with respiratory syncytial virus infection (n = 21) had improvement in respirations (52/min +/- 7/min vs 45/min +/- 6/min) and RDI scores (22 +/- 4 vs 14 +/- 3). Based on a priori criteria (reduction in a premedication respiratory rate of 20% and an RDI score of 50%), responders to metaproterenol therapy included 45% of the entire sample and, respectively, 40% of those aged 12 months or younger, 52% of those aged 24 months or older, and 48% of patients who tested positive for respiratory syncytial virus. Although there appears to be an age-dependent degree of response, metaproterenol is effective in relieving the respiratory distress of young acutely wheezing children, including those with documented respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1992

Multiple-dose sodium polystyrene sulfonate in lithium intoxication: an animal model.

Previous work in our laboratory has demonstrated that sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS) significantly lowered serum lithium (Li) concentrations when administered in a single oral dose after an oral dose of lithium in a mouse model. The present study was designed to determine whether: 1) repetitive doses of SPS are effective in lowering serum lithium concentrations, 2) the effect of SPS on lithium concentration is dose related and 3) SPS enhances the elimination of lithium. Mice (N = 144) were given orogastric LiCl (250 mg/kg) and then divided into 4 groups: Controls received water 0, 30, 90, 180, and 360 min. after LiCl; the Full-Dose SPS Group received SPS (5 g/kg/dose) at equivalent times; the Half-Dose SPS Group received SPS (2.5 g/kg/dose) at the same times; and the Elimination Group received water at 0 and 30 min. after LiCl and SPS at 90, 180 and 360 min. after LiCl. Subgroups of each group were sacrificed at 1, 2, 4 and 8 hr post-treatment and serum analyzed for lithium concentrations. Statistical analyses revealed that, when compared to Controls: 1) SPS significantly lowered serum lithium concentrations; 2) this effect was dose-related; 3) repetitive dosing of SPS appears to enhance the elimination of lithium.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Head injury in very young children: mechanisms, injury types, and ophthalmologic findings in 100 hospitalized patients younger than 2 years of age.

Head injury in the youngest age group is distinct from that occurring in older children or adults because of differences in mechanisms, injury thresholds, and the frequency with which the question of child abuse is encountered. To analyze some of these characteristics in very young children, the authors prospectively studied 100 consecutively admitted head-injured patients 24 months of age or younger who were drawn from three institutions. Mechanism of injury, injury type, and associated injuries were recorded. All patients underwent ophthalmologic examination to document the presence of retinal hemorrhages. An algorithm incorporating injury type, best history, and associated findings was used to classify each injury as inflicted or accidental. The results confirmed that most head injuries in children younger than 2 years of age occurred from falls, and while different fall heights were associated with different injury types, most household falls were neurologically benign. Using strict criteria, 24% of injuries were presumed inflicted, and an additional 32% were suspicious for abuse, neglect, or social or family problems. Intradural hemorrhage was much more likely to occur from motor vehicle accidents and inflicted injury than from any other mechanism, with the latter being the most common cause of mortality. Retinal hemorrhages were seen in serious accidental head injury but were most commonly encountered in inflicted injury. The presence of more serious injuries associated with particular mechanisms may be related to a predominance of rotational rather than translational forces acting on the head.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1991

Pediatric advanced life support: Part I. Airway, circulation and intravascular access.

Effective management of life-threatening emergencies in infants and children demands a high level of technical skill. The Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) provider course, developed jointly by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association, is highly recommended to help physicians prepare for pediatric emergencies. Equipment, cardiopulmonary assessment, airway maintenance, circulation maintenance and intravascular access are discussed in this article. The description of pediatric emergency management follows that of the PALS course.

Child↗
PubMed1991

Pediatric Advanced Life Support: Part II. Fluid therapy, medications and dysrhythmias.

The first part of this two-part article discussed the equipment needed for pediatric resuscitations and the techniques used for cardiopulmonary assessment, airway securance, circulatory maintenance and intravascular access. In this second part, additional life support measures are reviewed, including fluid therapy, resuscitation medications and the management of cardiac rhythm disturbances.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗
PubMed1989

Office management of acute pediatric poisonings.

Over the past five years, the role of the office practitioner in diagnosis and management of acute poisoning has developed into an important first line of defense in preventing serious morbidity and mortality associated with these exposures. The prime role of the practitioner is to accurately identify and quantify a poisoning exposure, to institute appropriate initial stabilization and management, and to recognize individuals who require further treatment and transfer to hospital settings. Beyond the obvious importance of initial stabilization of severely poisoned patients, the most important step in approaching the acute overdose is to identify what was taken, how much was taken, and when it was taken. To ensure appropriate treatment, the practitioner must use all the resources possible to obtain accurate identification and quantification of these exposures. Nontoxic exposures judged by the product (see Table 5) or by the quantity ingested (see Table 4) may safely be discharged with follow-up care. With toxic exposures, all attempts must focus on terminating the exposure by gastrointestinal decontamination with oral poisonings, adequate aeration with inhalational poisonings, and copious washing with topical and/or ocular exposures. The skillful approach of the office practitioner will provide the most effective initial management of the poisoned child. Appropriate referral to an emergency department for further evaluation and treatment may then be considered.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1989

Administration of activated charcoal or sodium polystyrene sulfonate (Kayexalate) as gastric decontamination for lithium intoxication: an animal model.

To determine whether sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS; Kayexalate) is effective in decreasing the absorption of lithium (Li) and to test the assumption that Li is poorly adsorbed by activated charcoal, 130 mice were administered an orogastric dose of LiCl (250 mg/kg) followed immediately by orogastric SPS (10 g/kg, SPS Group), activated charcoal (6.7 g/kg, AC Group), or water in an equivalent volume (Control Group). Subgroups of each of the 3 groups were sacrificed at 1, 2, 4 and 8 hr after treatment and serum analyzed for Li concentration. Statistical analyses revealed no overall difference between the AC Group and the Control Group. However, the SPS Group differed from both the Control and the AC Group at each time interval, with Li concentrations significantly lower in the SPS Group. These results demonstrate that: 1) SPS, in this study, effectively reduced serum Li concentrations in an in vivo model, and 2) activated charcoal did not.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Acute thyroxine ingestion in pediatric patients.

During a 1-year period, 15 cases of acute thyroxine (T4) overdose with documented serum T4 concentrations were studied. All patients were less than 5 years of age and 80% were boys. All were examined within 1 to 6 hours of ingestion and all were asymptomatic. Estimated dose ingested in 10 patients ranged from 1.5 to 8.8 mg (0.1 to 0.73 mg/kg). Three patients with initial T4 serum concentrations greater than 75 micrograms/dL manifested signs of toxicity within 12 to 48 hours (fever, tachycardia, hypertension, and/or agitation) that resolved within 24 to 60 hours. The mean elimination half-life of T4 in 7 patients with multiple serum concentrations was 2.8 +/- 0.4 days, whereas the mean elimination half-life of triiodothyronine was 6 +/- 1.7 days. It was concluded that (1) the majority of acute pediatric T4 overdoses are not severe and may be managed on an outpatient basis, (2) the absence of early clinical manifestations does not preclude delayed onset of toxicity that may be better predicted by initial T4 concentrations, and (3) the elimination half-life of T4 is shorter and the elimination half-life of tri-iodothyronine is longer than with therapeutic doses.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1985

Advances in clinical toxicology.

New data are reviewed in two areas in the management of the acute overdose: gastrointestinal decontamination and systemic antidotes. The mechanism and effectiveness of Ipecac syrup, gastric aspiration and lavage, activated charcoal, gastrointestinal dialysis, and saline cathartics are discussed. Special problems posed by disc batteries and packet ingestion of cocaine (in transporting contraband) are highlighted. The pharmacology and uses of pyridoxine and naloxone as antidotes are detailed.

Antidotes↗