Dysrythmias

In order to examine the effects of Da-Cheng-Qi-Tang (DCQT) on gastrointestinal motility functions after abdominal surgery in humans, 33 patients with abdominal surgeries and 36 patients with cholecystectomies were divided into the DCQT and the control groups at random. Electrogastrography (EGG) and gastroduodenojejunal manometry was performed and the levels of plasma motilin were measured by radioimmunoassay. The results were as follows: (1) on the day of surgery, the ratio of EGG normal frequency in the DCQT group was higher than in the control group (P=0...

Already the major cause of mortality in the United States, cardio-vascular emergencies will become increasingly prevalent in the future as the geriatric population doubles. This article discusses five cardiovascular emergencies: acute coronary syndrome, congestive heart failure, dysrythmias, aortic dissection, and ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. The discussion focuses on the differences in presentation, management, and outcomes that characterize each disease amongst the elderly. As a rule, the elderly have significantly worse outcomes than younger patients...

BACKGROUND: In 1987, Nuss developed a minimally invasive technique for the treatment of pectus excavatum. The procedure has had excellent results with minimal complications. Anesthetic concerns include risks of cardiothoracic injuries, dysrythmias, pneumothorax, pleural effusions, and hemorrhage. In addition, we identified a risk of brachial plexus injury that can occur secondary to patient positioning. We report our experience with the Nuss procedure and modified patient positioning...

As onset time and duration of sensory block are intermediate, mepivacaine is widely used for regional anaesthesia. Few reports of systemic adverse effects are available following nerve blockade with mepivacaine. We report the case of a 54-year-old patient suffering from terminal renal failure who needs the confection of an arteriovenous shunt under axillary brachial plexus block. At completion of the injection of 25 ml (375 mg) of 1.5% mepivacaine the patient presented dysarthria, mental confusion followed by a loss of verbal contact and agitation, but no convulsion or cardiac dysrythmia...

BACKGROUND: The Toyota Production System (TPS), based on industrial engineering principles and operational innovations, is used to achieve waste reduction and efficiency while increasing product quality. Several key tools and principles, adapted to health care, have proved effective in improving hospital operations. TOOLS: Value Stream Maps (VSMs), which represent the key people, material, and information flows required to deliver a product or service, distinguish between value-adding and non-value-adding steps...

Asthma is a chronic, inflammatory disorder of the airways leading to airflow limitation. Its worldwide rise, mainly in developed countries, is a matter of concern. Nocturnal asthma (NA) frequently occurs and concerns two thirds of asthmatics. But, it remains controversial whether NA is a distinct entity or is a manifestation of more severe asthma. Generally, it is considered as an exacerbation of the underlying pathology. The pathological mechanisms most likely involve endogenous circadian rhythms with pathological consequences on both respiratory inflammation and hyperresponsiveness...

A clinical case of spontaneous ventricular dysrythmia in a 47-year-old patient scheduled for ankle osteosynthesis is reported. During initial peripheral vein canulation, a spontaneous ventricular tachycardia occurred and disappeared spontaneously in about 3 min. It was decided to proceed with surgery. Thirty minutes after spinal anaesthesia, asystole occurred. Normal sinus rhythm was rapidly restored after basic life support. There was no harmful consequence for the patient. He had a history of repetitive monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (Gallavardin type)...

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of gallstone disease (GD) and laparoscopic cholecystectomy on gastric electrical activity of slow waves, which was recorded via transcutaneous electrogastrography (EGG). METHODS: Twenty-one consecutive patients (M/F: 12/9, 52.7 +/- 15 years old) with GD and no previous history of abdominal operations or known disease affecting gastrointestinal motility were studied. The EGG was performed for 30 min prior to and 90 min after a standard meal, during a 4-6 month period prior to and after laparoscopic cholecystectomy...

OBJECTIVE: To study the gastric function in patients with diffuse and limited systemic sclerosis (SSc) in relation to the degree of upper gastrointestinal symptoms. METHODS: Scintigraphic gastric emptying and recording of the myoelectric signals of the stomach were examined in 15 patients with diffuse SSc (dSSc), 13 patients with limited SSc (lSSc) and 15 healthy controls. The frequency of upper gastrointestinal symptoms was determined using a questionnaire. RESULTS: Patients with dSSc had slower gastric emptying (scintigraphic gastric half-emptying time median (Md) 103 min, range 75-447 min) than control subjects (Md 70 min, range 38-94) and patients with lSSc (Md 76 min, range 43-460)...

This case report discusses the cause of death in a 3-year-old child who survived a high dose (20 mg x kg-1 x h-1) of propofol, infused over a period of 15 h, following which the patient developed a combined respiratory and metabolic acidosis, the oxygenation remaining normal. Bronchospasm was assumed to be the cause of hypercapnia. At this time the doctors in charge did not think of a possible side-effect of propofol. The administration of propofol was interrupted, the patient recovered within 13 h from the acidosis, woke up and required further sedation...

The cardiac pacemaker is a sino-atrial (SA) nodal cell. The signal induced by this pacemaker is distributed over the heart surface by a specialised conduction system and is clinically recorded as the ECG. The SA nodal cells are highly resistant to cardiac failure and ischemia. Under calcium overload conditions, some dysrythmias of SA nodal cells occur easily. Morphological analysis under these conditions shows swelling of the cisternae of the Golgi apparatus, with little or no other histological change or damage being observed...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

PURPOSE: to describe the patterns of the gastric myoelectrical activity, pre-and postprandially, in clinically stable neonates of different gestational ages, during their first two weeks of life by means of Electrogastrography. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Electrogastrography was recorded in forty-five clinically stable neonates of different gestational ages (group I: 15 neonates of > 37 weeks, group II: 15 premature neonates of 32-37 weeks; Group III: 15 premature neonates of 28-31 weeks) receiving intermittent enteral feedings during their first two weeks of life...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of comorbid conditions on preventable hospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries aged > or =65 years with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Data were drawn from the 1999 Medicare Standard Analytic Files, a 5% nationally representative random sample of Medicare beneficiaries. The analysis sample included 193,556 Medicare beneficiaries aged > or =65 years with type 2 diabetes (ICD-9-CM codes 250.xx) who were enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare...

Gastroparesis--or delayed gastric emptying--can apply to either solids or liquids but the term (gastroparesis) usually refers to delayed solid emptying, in an appropriate clinical setting. Impaired gastric emptying can occur acutely in a variety of conditions from neurologic to metabolic. Intractable nausea and vomiting, and the inability to tolerate oral intake, occurs frequently in patients with severe gastroparesis. The patients' nutritional status is adversely affected by gastroparesis as are the socioeconomic aspects of patient's lives...

Objective. To investigate the patterns of electrogastrogram [correction of electrogastrogragm] (EGG) before, during and after vestibular stimulation. Method. 25 subjects were stimulated by Coriolis acceleration and 28 by Coriolis [correction of corolis] stimulation. Result. Dysrythmia of EGG and increase of tachygastria were recorded in all subjects during the stimulation. The period dominant frequency (PDF) of EGG shifted from 2.40-3.70 cpm to 3.70-10.00 cpm during Coriolis stimulus in subjects with nausea...

Drugs acting within the autonomic nervous system are of particular interest when autonomic abnormalities are implicated in the development and maintenance of various cardiovascular pathologies. For example, it has been documented that in the early stages of hypertensive disease, i.e. hyperkinetic borderline hypertension, a sympathetic hyperactivity associated with a decreased parasympathetic activity results in increased cardiac output and heart rate. Several classes of drugs acting within the central, as well as the peripheral, autonomic nervous system are very efficient in treating hypertensive disease...

A 48 year old women developed serous otitis, scleritis, myalgia, vertigo, polyneuropathy, crescentic glomerulonephritis, general cerebral dysrythmia, hilar adenopathy, and retroorbital granulomatous inflammation. Pulmonary manifestations were absent and antibodies against neutrophilic cytoplasmic antigens (ANCA) could not be detected. The clinical picture was classified as an overlap syndrome with features of both atypical Cogan syndrome and Wegener's granulomatosis. The patient responded to treatment with high dose corticosteroids and pulse cyclophosphamide...

OBJECTIVE: Cardiac arrest is the most frequent cause of death in chronic alcoholics. Detection of late potentials in this population could be helpful in screening from early signs of myocardial disorders and identifying patients at risk of severe ventricular dysrythmia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective study of late potentials was conducted in 53 subjects (mean age 49 +/- 10 years) with a history of long-standing alcohol abuse (mean 13.6 +/- 8.5 years, mean daily alcohol intake 86 +/- 30 g)...