An analysis of resuscitative requirements of petrol (gasoline) burns.

A retrospective study was carried out to confirm the clinical impression that petrol (gasoline) burns had a greater resuscitation requirement than other types of thermal injury. A total of 450 admissions to the St Andrews Hospital Regional Burn Unit from 1982 to 1988 were reviewed. Patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, inhalation injury and fatalities occurring within the first 72 h of admission were excluded from the study. Forty-four patients met all requirements for inclusion within the study. These 44 patients consisted of 15 with petrol burns and 29 with non-petrol burns, all of whom were resuscitated using the modified Muir and Barclay formula, with adjustments made on the basis of clinical and laboratory monitoring. Comparison of resuscitation requirements of the two groups by the Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test showed that the petrol burns group had a significantly greater fluid resuscitation requirement (P less than 0.01).     

Acute intestinal obstruction

Nine hundred and four children with intestinal obstruction were studied. Necrotising enteritis was the commonest cause of intestinal obstruction in children. Acute intussusception was the second commonest cause in the whole group and the commonest cause in children under 1 year of age. Less common causes included band obstruction, sub acute intestinal obstruction and remnants of vitello-intestinal duct. A steady and significant improvement in the results of treatment was noted in children suffering from necrotising enteritis in the study period.     

Dissociation between prostaglandin levels and blood flow to the retina and choroid in the newborn pig after nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs.

To assess whether prostaglandins contribute to the control of basal retinal and choroidal hemodynamics, retinal (RBF) and choroidal blood flow (ChBF) were measured by a microsphere technique in 1- to 4-day-old pigs before and after (at 20 and 60 min) administration of indomethacin (0.3 mg/kg, n = 6 or 10 mg/kg, n = 5), ibuprofen (40 mg/kg, n = 7), naproxen (20 mg/kg, n = 5) or vehicle (n = 8). In 40 other animals, PGF2 alpha, PGE2, and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha were measured in the retina and choroid at times corresponding to blood flow measurements. Mean arterial blood pressure and blood gases and pH were not altered by any of the agents. Except for the lower dose of indomethacin (0.3 mg/kg), which did not change retinal and choroidal prostaglandin concentrations, the prostaglandin levels were decreased similarly (P < 0.01) by the three drugs. However, RBF and ChBF were not changed by ibuprofen and naproxen, but decreased to the same extent after low and high doses of indomethacin. The data suggest that the effects of indomethacin on RBF and ChBF cannot be simply attributed to prostaglandin synthesis inhibition, and that prostaglandins may not play a significant role in controlling basal blood flow to the retina and choroid.     

Computed tomography demonstration of unusual diffuse metastatic calcification secondary to renal failure

We report the computed tomography findings in an unusual case of diffuse metastatic calcification secondary to renal failure.