End-of-life Models and Emergency Department Care

Many people die in emergency departments (EDs) across the United States from sudden illnesses or injuries, an exacerbation of a chronic disease, or a terminal illness. Frequently, patients and families come to the ED seeking lifesaving or life-prolonging treatment. In addition, the ED is a place of transition-patients usually are transferred to an inpatient unit, transferred to another hospital, or discharged home. Rarely are patients supposed to remain in the ED. Currently, there is an increasing amount of literature related to end-of-life care. However, these end-of-life care models are based on chronic disease trajectories and have difficulty accommodating sudden-death trajectories common in the ED. There is very little information about end-of-life care in the ED. This article explores ED culture and characteristics, and examines the applicability of current end-of-life care models.     

二羧乙基锗倍半氧化物的抗大鼠实验性胃溃疡作用及其作用机理研究

二羧乙基锗倍半氧物(Dicarboxyethyl GermaniumSesquioxide,DEG)是人工合成的有机锗化合物。它能对抗Shay幽门结扎性溃疡的形成,使胃液中PGE_2含量增加,胃蛋白酶活性和游离酸度明显降低。DEG还能对抗消炎痛型,五肽胃泌素型和酒精型溃疡的形成,促进醋酸型溃疡的愈合,但对应激型和利血平型溃疡无对抗作用。DEG的主细胞分泌功能比对照组明显减弱。实验结果表明,DEG的抗溃疡作用可能与增加胃内PGE_2含量、抑制胃液分泌和促进蛋白质合成有关。     

Laparoscopic repair of a perforated marginal ulcer 2 years after gastric bypass

The authors present the case of a 43-year-old women who underwent a laparoscopic gastric bypass in 2003 for morbid obesity. They report that 2 years later, she had maintained significant weight loss, but had developed acute abdominal pain, followed by nausea and emesis. In the emergency room, she had diffuse tenderness, tachycardia, and leukocytosis. After initial resuscitation, a computed tomography was performed, which showed free air above the liver and thickened small bowel loops. She was brought emergently to the operating room for laparoscopy. At surgery, turbid fluid and inflamed small bowel loops were seen. A perforated marginal ulcer was discovered in the Roux limb, approximately 2 cm distal to the gastrojejunal anastomosis. The perforation was oversewn primarily and patched with omentum. The repair was tested by intraoperative endoscopy. A gastrostomy tube also was placed within the gastric remnant for enteral access. The patient did extremely well postoperatively, and had an uneventful postoperative course. She was discharged on postoperative day 4. The gastrostomy tube was removed at 1 month, and at this writing, she remains well since surgery. An upper endoscopy at 2 months was completely normal, and the Helicobacter pylori test results were negative. The gastric pouch had not significantly enlarged since initial surgery, as indicated by both endoscopy and barium study. Marginal ulcer is reported to be 0.6% to 16% after laparoscopic gastric bypass [1]. Etiologies include gastrogastric fistula, excessively large gastric pouch containing antral mucosa, H. pylori infection, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory use, and smoking [2]. Unfortunately, none of these applied to the reported patient. Because her exact etiology remains unknown, she at this writing continues to receive proton pump inhibitor therapy. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi: ) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Quality of ulcer healing influences the relapse of gastric ulcers in humans

The usefulness of dye-contrast endoscopy for the evaluation of the quality of gastric ulcer healing and the prediction of relapse was investigated. Sixty consenting patients whose ulcers healed during 3 months of treatment underwent endoscopy for the identification of the pattern of mucosal regeneration. Patients were monitored for relapses for up to 18 months after antiulcer therapy had ended. The pattern of regeneration was flat in 24 patients, nodular in 25 and intermediate in 11. Internal hypoechoic areas seen by endoscopic ultrasonography were less common and histological maturity was better in the patient group with the flat pattern compared with the patient group with the nodular pattern of mucosal regeneration. Prostaglandin E, synthesis was highest in the group with the flat pattern of mucosal regeneration and the relapse rate was lowest in this group. We conclude that the evaluation of the quality of ulcer healing is possible and that findings in individuals may aid the prediction of relapse for particular patients.     

Laparoscopic repair/peritoneal toilet of perforated duodenal ulcer

Summary Laparoscopic techniques have been refined to the point where exposure, haemostasis and tissue approximation by suture approach those obtained at open access surgery. We report a patient with acute perforation of an ulcer in the first part of the duodenum who was successfully treated by laparoscopic oversewing and omental patching. The clinical indications for contemplating use of laparoscopic surgery for acute ulcer perforation, techniques employed and the areas for potential improvement of instruments, needles and sutures are discussed.     

带蒂胸腹轴型皮瓣早期修复上肢深度蛇伤溃疡

总结胸腹轴型皮瓣早期修复上肢不同部位的深度蛇伤溃疡的经验，评价其应用价值。本组１６例，胸脐皮瓣２例，侧胸腹皮瓣１例，髂腰皮瓣５例，下腹皮瓣６例，下腹分叶皮瓣１例，髂腰加下腹Ｙ形皮瓣１例。术后１例皮瓣远端坏死，３例轻度感染，１６例断蒂后全部成活。随访３个月～７年，皮瓣质地和弹性均好，手功能基本恢复。认为，带蒂胸腹轴型皮瓣是修复上肢深度蛇伤溃疡理想的方法。     

国产法莫替丁治疗消化性溃疡的近期疗效观察

本文报告应用国产法莫替丁治疗消化性溃疡45例的近期疗效。治疗组法莫替丁20mg,早晚各服一次;对照组甲氰咪胍400mg,早晚各服一次,两组疗程皆为6周。以胃镜检查为诊断和评价疗效的依据,两组愈合率分别为97.8%,89.9%,上腹疼痛用药后三日缓解率分别为60.9%,30.2%。两组均未出现明显毒副作用,由于抗溃疡新药疗效高,提示今后治疗无合并症消化性溃疡将以药物治疗为主。     

消化性溃疡的皮质醇分泌异常

采用放射免疫测定法研究了70例非应激性消化性溃疡患者的皮质醇分泌状态;并比较了患者与84例正常人的血清皮质醇浓度及其昼夜分泌节律。发现非应激性消化性溃疡血清皮质醇浓度明显高于健康对照组(P<0.01);然昼夜分泌节律相仿。结果提示,非应激性消化性溃疡有皮质醇分泌的明显异常。     

Admission rates for peptic ulcer in the Trent Region, UK, 1972–2000: Changing pattern, a changing disease?

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Peptic ulcer disease is believed to be less common and less severe as a result of modern medical treatment. We therefore examined changes in the admission rates for patients with duodenal ulcer and gastric ulcer, both emergency (for haemorrhage, perforation or severe pain) and for elective surgery, before and since the introduction of the new advances in therapy. These admission indices reflect disease prevalence and severity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We identified admission rates during 1972--2000 within the Trent Regional Health Authority, UK (population 4.7 million), from computerised patient information using diagnostic search codes ICD8-10 and expressed as rates per million resident population. Drug expenditure details were obtained from the Department of Health. RESULTS: Emergency admission rates as a whole changed little, a decline in the young being offset by an increase in the elderly. Haemorrhage was the most common reason (approximately 115 per million for duodenal ulcer and 87 for gastric ulcer) throughout [compared with perforation (80 and 21) and pain (90 and 68)]. In contrast, elective surgery has almost disappeared; this reduction began before the introduction of modern treatment. CONCLUSION: Emergency admission rates for duodenal and gastric ulcer for complications or severe pain have fluctuated over the last three decades but with little overall change. In contrast, elective surgery has declined dramatically, as a result of advances in treatment but also from changes in the natural history.     

十二指肠溃疡患者胃上皮化生与幽门螺杆菌关系的研究

目的 研究十二指肠溃疡患者胃上皮化生和幽门螺杆菌的关系。方法 收集门诊行上消化道胃镜检查确诊的十二指肠溃疡患者70例，另选胃和十二指肠黏膜正常患者55例为对照组。用快速尿素酶法和幽门活组织检查半定量法检测幽门螺杆菌(Hp)，苏木素一伊红染色和Schiff过碘酸染色半定量法检测十二指肠球部胃上皮化生。结果 十二指肠溃疡患者与对照组相比，十二指肠球部胃上皮化生检出率高；十二指肠球部胃上皮化生检出率和评分与胃幽门部Hp的检出率和评分无相关关系。结论 Hp不是十二指肠黏膜胃上皮化生的决定因素，也不是十二指肠黏膜胃上皮化生范围得以扩展的因素。十二指肠溃疡病本身的一些特点是十二指肠黏膜胃上皮化生的主要因素。