Preoperative intravenous morphine sulfate with postoperative osteopathic manipulative treatment reduces patient analgesic use after total abdominal hysterectomy

CONTEXT: Administration of opioids for treatment of pain after total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) is a common postoperative procedure, providing an excellent parameter for evaluating the efficacy of postsurgical osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a combination of preemptive morphine sulfate and postoperative OMT could provide improved analgesic effects. DESIGN: Randomized double-blind controlled trial. SETTING AND PATIENTS: Thirty-nine hospitalized patients assigned to one of four treatment groups: (1) preoperative saline and postoperative sham manipulative treatment; (2) preoperative saline and postoperative OMT; (3) preoperative morphine and postoperative sham manipulative treatment; or (4), preoperative morphine and postoperative OMT. INTERVENTION: Saline (control) or morphine, 10 mg, delivered intravenously (IV) 10 minutes before surgical incision. All patients received a postoperative patient-controlled IV analgesia pump containing morphine. At specified intervals following preoperative IV injections, blood was drawn and analyzed for morphine concentrations. Subjects were also asked to rate their postoperative levels of pain, nausea, and vomiting. RESULTS: There were no differences in either pain, or nausea and vomiting scores among the four study groups. Patients in Group 4 used less morphine than those in the Group 3 for the first 24 hours (P=.02) and from 25-48 hours (P=.01) after elective TAH. Morphine blood concentrations were lower after 24 hours in Group 4 compared with Group 2 (P=.04). CONCLUSION: Administration of postoperative OMT enhanced pre- and postoperative morphine analgesia in the immediate 48-hour period following elective TAH, demonstrating that OMT can be a therapeutic adjunct in pain management following this procedure.     

Conversion of manual to total computerized medical records

The use of computerized medical records for complex medical patients will depend upon the transfer of previous medical data from the manual record into the automated version. The complexity of these patients precludes the complete transfer of medical data into the automated record because of time requirements. This paper describes a method of transfer of medical data from the manual record to the computerized record that is efficient, accurate, and useful.     

Barriers to working with impaired trainees: A resident's viewpoint

Psychiatric trainees and educators alike know that significant impairment may occur during training. Although psychiatry programs can do much to identify, treat, and prevent trainee impairment, barriers that may hinder programs from adequately addressing the problems of the impaired trainee continue to exist. These barriers include stigmatization and rejection of the impaired trainee, lack of focus on primary prevention, problematic supervisor-resident relationships, and trainee resistance to intervention. An atmosphere of candor and support, impairment-related seminars, and informed and alert supervisors can be helpful in easing the stress of training and reducing trainee impairment.     

Morbid Obesity and Gastric Bypass Surgery: Biochemical Profile

Background: Morbid obesity (MO) and the pathologies associated with it constitute an important public health problem, accounting for 7% of the health expenditure in industrialized countries. An important percentage of this expense is attributed to the different biochemical tests performed in these patients, who suffer from several metabolic derangements. We evaluated the basic biochemical abnormalities in MO patients and their reversibility by weight loss after gastric bypass, to standardize the surveillance of the different metabolic abnormalities in obese patients. Methods: By a retrospective analysis on 125 patients operated in our hospital, we evaluated anthropometric and biochemical data before and 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after gastric bypass. Results: Preoperatively hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and hypertensive disease were present, and began to improve 1 and 3 months after surgery (although not significantly) and significantly at 6, 12 and 24 months after it. We also observed deficient protein nutrition and a deficiency of micronutrients both before bypass and during the follow-up. Conclusion: After gastric bypass, a marked decrease in insulin occurred, with normalization of blood pressure and the biochemical parameters associated with the metabolic syndrome. We propose a biochemical follow-up protocol for MO patients.     

高效毛细管电泳法测定利多卡因代谢产物单乙基甘氨酰二甲苯胺

目的 :建立一种测定利多卡因代谢产物单乙基甘氨酰二甲苯胺 (MEGX)含量的高效毛细管电泳法。方法 :用50mmol/L硼酸缓冲液 (pH =8.8)为电泳电解液 ,电压 1 2kV ,运行电流 1 8.8～ 2 3 .2 μA ,检测波长 2 1 4nm ,有效毛细管长度 50cm ,管径 50 μm ,氨茶碱为内标 ,展开 1 2min。 8只昆明种小白鼠腹腔注射 0 .2 %利多卡因 4 0mg/kg ,用本法测定其 5h尿液中MEGX累积排泄量。结果 :MEGX迁移时间 7.8min ,氨茶碱迁移时间 1 0 .7min。MEGX含量为 0 .0 62～1 .0mg/ml时 ,其浓度与色谱峰面积线性关系良好 ,r =0 .9991 ,日内、日间变异系数均小于 7.8% ,回收率为98.4 %～ 1 0 1 .6% ,常用 3 0种药物对其无干扰。 8只小鼠MEGX累积排泄量为 ( 2 95.2± 55.2 ) μg ,其中游离型MEGX为 4 4.7% ,结合型为 55.3 %。结论 :该方法简单、快速、灵敏 ,特异性和重现性良好 ,具有较强实用价值。     

Percutaneous removal of residual intrahepatic stones

In the Orient there is a high frequency of residual intrahepatic stones after biliary tract surgery. Percutaneous removal of residual intrahepatic stones was attempted in a group of 74 patients. Stones were exclusively intrahepatic in 57 patients, whereas 17 patients also had stones in the common bile duct. Biliary strictures were present in 60 cases (81%). A combination of techniques was used, including preshaped angulated catheters, irrigation-suction, balloon dilation of strictures, and crushing of large stones. In 36 cases all stones were removed and in 14 cases most stones were removed, for a success rate of 67.6%. Biliary stricture was the factor most often responsible for failure.