Przegla̧d lekarski
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In the period from 1990 to 2002, 201 patients with suicidal antihypertensive drugs poisoning were treated, including 138 women and 63 men from 15 to 84 (mean 36) years old. The main causes of suicides were various kinds of depression (63%) as well as psychopathy and/or sociopathy (16%) and schizophrenia (10%). Twenty eight patients attempted repeatedly to commit suicide. ⋯ In the examined group three patients died of cardiogenic shock, electromechanical dissociation and secondary acute respiratory failure resistant to therapy. The drugs used in these cases were propranolol, amlodipine, theophylline, captopril, doxepine, propafenone, furosemide, methimazole and alcohol. Mortality rate in antihypertensive drug poisonings was 1.5%.
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Comparative Study
[Postprandial hypotension and gastric emptying in longstanding diabetes mellitus].
Postprandial hypotension is commonly defined as a decrease in systolic blood pressure of 20 mmHg and more within 2 hours after meal ingestion. It was described in autonomic nervous system failure of different origin, among others in diabetes mellitus. Pathomechanism of postprandial hypotension is not entirely understood. The rol of gastric emptying disorders is considered as an important factor. The aim of the study was to evaluate the concordance between gastric emptying and postprandial blood pressure changes in diabetic patients. The study involved 67 subjects (26 males, 41 females, mean age: 47.5 +/- 16.2 years) diagnosed either with diabetes mellitus type 1 or 2 (disease duration: 13.3 +/- 8.8 years) and treated with diet and insulin injections. Postprandial hypotension was recognised based on results of automatic blood pressure recordings within 90 minutes after test meal ingestion, according to the criterion mentioned above. Gastric emptying was assessed scintigraphically. The parameters evaluated were: gastric half emptying time (T1/2 max) and residual activity registered over stomach area at 45 minute of the study. Both blood pressure monitoring and gastric emptying were assessed concurrently. In investigated patients mean fall in systolic blood pressure of 17.7 +/- 11.7 mm Hg was recorded at 48.0 +/- 13.7 min of the study. Based on systolic blood pressure monitoring results patients were divided into two groups: group A of 39 patients (58.2%) without postprandial hypotension, and group B of 28 patients (41.8%) with pathological reaction of systolic blood pressure to meal. The average decrease in systolic blood pressure was 8.9 +/- 4.4 mm Hg in group A and 30.0 +/- 6.2 mmHg in group B, the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Gastric emptying parameters in both groups did not differ significantly (T1/2 max: group A 68.4 +/- 31.1; group B 70.8 +/- 39.1 min, p = 0.96; residual activity over stomach area at 45 min of the study: 64.5 +/- 18.6% and 62.6 +/- 24.3% accordingly, p = 0.80). No statistically significant correlation between gastric emptying half time (T1/2 max) and magnitude of postprandial systolic blood pressure fall was noted (Spearman's correlation co-efficient R: -0.041, p = 0.74). Statistically significant correlation was found between T1/2 max value and time in which systolic blood pressure reached its nadir (Spearman's correlation co-efficient: 0.527, p < 0.0001). ⋯ Gastric emptying was not recognised as an important factor influencing the magnitude of postprandial hypotension in diabetic patients, however it may significantly change the dynamics of postprandial blood pressure decrease.
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Up-to-dated concepts about the use of laparoscopy in the "acute abdomen" have been discussed. Most frequently performed procedures in abdominal emergency and trauma were presented. Indications, contra-indications, advantages and drawbacks with regard to own 10 years experience and literature were discussed.
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Traumatic injuries have been described as the largest epidemic of the 20th century. In view of the number of victims and the associated costs, they have been also called the most severe and longest war of the contemporary world. According to Lipiński, every year every tenth Pole is involved in an accident and every one hundred-thirteenth Polish citizen requires specialist medical care. ⋯ The third life threatening cause is acute respiratory insufficiency after thoracic trauma. The "golden hour" procedures are particularly described as a prehospital time period (ABC ... system), emergency room period (ATLS system), damage control period and other life saving operations period. The general conception of these standards is minimalization of the effects of shock, respiratory insufficiency and intracranial hypertension in multitrauma patients.
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
[The effect of antiinflammatory therapy with dexamethasone and dexamethasone with pentoxifylline on the course of bacterial meningitis].
Despite of antimicrobial therapy mortality rate in the bacterial meningitis (BM) is high. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of anti-inflammatory treatment with dexamethasone and dexamethasone with pentoxifylline on the course of this disease and concentration of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, II-8 in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). 42 patients with the BM were analysed. They were divided into three groups on the basis of applied therapy: A--treated only with antibiotics, A+D--treated with antibiotics and dexamethasone, A+D+P--treated with antibiotics, dexamethasone and pentoxifylline. ⋯ Also in the group A+D decrease of cytokines concentration in the CSF was observed, however was not such significant in all cases. In the group of patients treated only with antibiotics concentration of cytokines in the CSF varied, even increased in some of them. Our investigation indicates that inhibition of cytokines production in central nervous system (CNS) with dexamethasone and pentoxifylline improves the outcome of BM and is associated with the reduction of neurological sequels and deaths.