Postgraduate medicine
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Evaluation of the acid-base status of the body requires measurement of bicarbonate (total carbon dioxide) concentration, pH, and partial pressure of CO2 in arterial blood. Calculation of standard bicarbonate and base excess or deficit is not necessary. The normal concentration of free hydrogen ions (H+) is approximately 40 millimoles/liter, which is equivalent to a pH of 7.4. ⋯ Management consists of treatment of the cause of hypoventilation. Respiratory alkalosis is due to hyperventilation. Treatment requires identification and correction of the cause of hyperventilation.
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With increasing use of artificial cardiac pacing, criteria for selection of patients have been refined. In general, the most important indication for pacing is the presence and severity of symptoms due to bradyarrhythmias. Use of pacing in acute myocardial infarction remains controversial, but some guidelines are presented here.
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Postgraduate medicine · May 1976
ReviewIntermittent positive-pressure breathing. A critical appraisal.
There are relatively few valid indications for the use of intermittent positive-pressure breathing (IPPB). It is of limited or no value as prophylaxis of postoperative pulmonary problems (pneumonia, atelectasis) or as a means of delivering aerosol medications or treating stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In these situations, IPPB has few if any advantages over voluntary hyperventilation or deep breathing.