The American journal of medicine
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Contrary to the common assertion that there is too much science in medicine, it is precisely the application of the natural sciences in the clinic that has enhanced the diagnostic and therapeutic powers of the physician. Much of the criticism of science in medicine mistakes the technology made possible by science, and the way that technology is employed, for science itself. ⋯ The concepts and methods of the social sciences must be integrated into medical education if physicians are to be enabled to respond effectively to illness as a human experience. Nonetheless, without major changes in the social context of medical practice, efforts to improve performance through curriculum reform will be futile.
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Comparative Study
Occult carbon monoxide poisoning: validation of a prediction model.
Headache and dizziness are early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, occurring at carboxyhemoglobin levels of greater than 10 percent. Previously, it was shown that among patients presenting to an emergency department during the winter with headache or dizziness, an algorithm for obtaining carboxyhemoglobin levels on patients who used gas stoves for heating purposes or who had similarly affected cohabitants correctly identified all patients with carboxyhemoglobin levels greater than 10 percent. To test the validity of this retrospectively derived rule, 65 patients were studied who were unaware of any carbon monoxide exposure and who presented during the winter of 1986-1987 with headache or dizziness. ⋯ The presence of symptomatic cohabitants alone was an equally sensitive (75 percent) but more specific (90 percent) marker for elevated carboxyhemoglobin levels. When data from the two cohorts were combined, stepwise multiple regression identified number of cigarettes smoked daily (F = 8.66) and concurrently symptomatic cohabitants (F = 34.71) as significant predictors of the carboxyhemoglobin level. It is concluded that a retrospectively derived rule correctly identified most cases of occult carbon monoxide poisoning when applied prospectively, and that the presence of similarly affected cohabitants was the most reliable marker for a carbon monoxide-mediated illness.
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Ethylene glycol and glycolate kinetics were studied in two cases of ethylene glycol intoxication with maximal ethylene glycol/glycolate concentrations of 40.9/26.8 and 56.4/22.4 mmol/liter, respectively. Both patients survived, but with prolonged renal failure, upon treatment with bicarbonate, ethanol, and hemodialysis. Glycolic acid was the major cause of the metabolic acidosis in both cases; lactate levels were only slightly elevated. ⋯ The half-life of ethylene glycol was increased more than 10-fold by ethanol treatment alone. Calcium oxalate monohydrate crystalluria was dominant in both cases, but in one was preceded by a short period with mainly dihydrate excretion; crystalluria was not present upon admission. Repetitive urine microscopy in search of needle- or envelope-shaped crystals should be performed when ethylene glycol intoxication is suspected.
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Stress-related mucosal damage of the upper gastrointestinal tract occurs in the majority of critically ill patients. The more severe the underlying disease, the greater the chance that mucosal damage and subsequent bleeding will develop. Clinical outcome is determined by the type and severity of the underlying illness; however, cases with severe gastric damage, as diagnosed by endoscopic examination or by bleeding, have the poorest prognoses. ⋯ Vigorous acid suppression with prolonged periods of pH control may be necessary to treat stress-related mucosal damage and to prevent bleeding. Treatment modalities in current use include antacids, cimetidine, and other histamine (H2)-receptor antagonists, and, more recently, sucralfate. Current evidence indicates that antacids, given hourly and titrated to a present pH goal, or primed continuous infusion of cimetidine are the most efficacious regimens in maintaining intragastric pH control.