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Query: UMLS:C0018799 (heart disease)
 34,133 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Anticholinergics (in particular, ipratropium bromide [Atrovent]) are first-line therapy in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although more studies are needed to support the use of combination therapy, adding an inhaled beta agonist to the therapeutic regimen is reasonable in patients who remain symptomatic and need quick relief. Patients frequently receive inadequate amounts of drug with standard doses delivered by metered-dose inhalers, often as the result of improper technique, so symptomatic patients may require higher doses. Caution is recommended when the dose of inhaled sympathomimetics is increased in COPD patients with ischemic heart disease or tachyarrhythmias. The addition of an oral sympathomimetic is seldom necessary. Theophylline may be considered in outpatients who remain symptomatic despite their use of inhaled bronchodilators, but heart disease, seizure disorders, and gastroesophageal reflux are contraindications. Corticosteroid therapy remains controversial but can be helpful in patients who still have severe disease despite maximum bronchodilator therapy. Antibiotics can be of benefit in COPD patients undergoing an exacerbation who have increasing dyspnea, cough, and phlegm production.
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PMID:Drug treatment of COPD. Controversies about agents and how to deliver them. 134 54

"Corkscrew oesophagus" is characterised on the basis of two case reports and attention is drawn to thoracic pain of oesophageal origin. Corkscrew oesophagus is a radiological diagnosis and is characterised by twisted segments in the distal third of the oesophagus. The condition can sometimes be demonstrated endoscopically and it is due to a basic disturbance in the motility of the oesophagus. Painful conditions in the oesophagus are most frequently caused by gastro-oesophageal reflux or disturbances in motility and the latter is frequently complicated by reflux oesophagitis. Pain of oesophageal origin is frequently a diagnosis by exclusion and requires exclusion of ischaemic heart disease. The initial treatment should be directed to the reflux oesophagitis. The diagnosis and information about the origin of the pain and the benign course of the condition will calm the majority of the patients and remove their fear of a possible fatal heart disease.
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PMID:[Corkscrew esophagus]. 173 62

Oesophageal disorders can be identified in about one third of the patients with non cardiac chest pain. Motility disturbances and gastro-oesophageal reflux are the leading causes of chest pain of oesophageal origin. Heart diseases and organic lesions of the oesophagus have to be ruled out by cardiological examination and endoscopy, respectively. Oesophageal motility testing and long-term-pH-metry are useful to further characterize the underlying functional disorder. Because of the spontaneous fluctuations of symptoms and the effects of placebo treatment therapy should be conservative and based on the results of these investigational procedures.
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PMID:[Disorders of esophageal function as a cause of thoracic pain]. 218 88

In an effort to delineate the clinical characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in the compromised host, we compared children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), congenital heart disease (CHD), premature birth, failure to thrive, and gastroesophageal reflux to previously healthy children. During a four-year period, 262 patients were admitted to the hospital with RSV infection diagnosed by a rapid RSV antigen detection test. Children with BPD or CHD had more hospital days and supplemental oxygen days than the previously healthy group (P less than 0.05). Patients with BPD also had more ICU days, ventilator days, and NPO days, as well as a higher physiologic stability index and therapeutic intervention score than the previously healthy group (P less than 0.05). Premature infants were more likely to present with apnea from RSV (P less than 0.001). Patients with underlying illness tended to be older, although significant difference was demonstrated only for the BPD group (7.0 +/- 5.3 vs. 3.5 +/- 3.3, P less than 0.05). Patients with BPD and CHD had more nosocomial infections than the previously healthy group (P less than 0.0001) and death occurred only in patients with underlying illness. We conclude that previously compromised patients are at risk for more severe and prolonged RSV disease. Earlier diagnosis and therapeutic intervention may be necessary in such patients to improve outcome.
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PMID:Clinical characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus infections in healthy versus previously compromised host. 279 31

Gastrointestinal (GI) abnormalities are frequent in patients with Down's syndrome. In a 12-year retrospective review, we identified 187 patients with Down's syndrome admitted to the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. Twenty-seven had major GI disorders, the most common being duodenal stenosis (DS, nine), gastroesophageal reflux (GER, five), imperforate anus (five), and Hirschsprung's disease (four). The mortality for the whole group was 11% (20 patients). The mortality in the small group of patients with duodenal stenosis was particularly high (five out of nine, or 56%). Associated congenital heart disease, especially endocardial cushion defects, and the frequent occurrence of pneumonia contributed to this high mortality rate.
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PMID:Down's syndrome and the gastrointestinal tract. 294 89

When a patient presents with anginalike chest pain, the first objective is to rule out heart disease. Once cardiac problems have been ruled out, the second objective is to determine whether the history and/or symptoms suggest an esophageal abnormality. The diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux-associated chest pain can occasionally be made from barium radiographic or endoscopic findings. A series of additional esophageal tests--motility studies, Bernstein test, edrophonium test, and balloon distention test--may be performed to help ascertain whether the pain stems from the esophagus. Reassurance should precede specific drug therapy. If any of the test results suggest gastroesophageal reflux, a trial of therapy for this indication, eg, a histamine2 receptor blocker, should be initiated. An esophageal motility disorder may be treated with an anticholinergic agent, nitro-glycerinlike product, or mild tranquilizer. If necessary, use of a calcium channel blocker may be appropriate.
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PMID:Chest pain associated with esophageal disease. 335 67

The clinical course of 19 infants with severe respiratory symptoms associated with the presence of both congenital heart disease and gastroesophageal reflux is described. Down Syndrome or central nervous system disease was present in 12 of the 19 infants. The identification of reflux as a major or additional cause of the respiratory complications was often overlooked. Medical therapy alone was successful in only one of the 19 patients. Early repair or palliation of the cardiac malformation with or without subsequent antireflux surgical procedure was associated with relief of the symptoms in 13 patients.
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PMID:Gastroesophageal reflux in association with congenital heart disease. 622 Aug 57

Knowledge regarding the etiology and optimal management of prolonged apnea and its relationship to SIDS is still limited. The majority of infants with prolonged apnea do not die of SIDS, although the risk of SIDS in this group is greater than in the general population. Many infants with prolonged apnea who are perceived by parents and physicians as having had a "life-threatening" event may be at risk for another. Appropriate assessment following this event includes a careful history and physical examination to determine cause and severity. Etiologies to be considered include infections, metabolic aberrations, seizure problems, cardiac arrhythmias or congenital heart disease, anatomic airway abnormalities, gastroesophageal reflux and impaired regulation of breathing. If a specific cause has been identified for the infant's apnea, appropriate treatment often will lead to resolution of the apnea problem. If a specific etiology has not been identified or if the risk of "life-threatening" prolonged apnea seems to persist, electronic cardiorespiratory monitoring may be considered. Appropriate treatment for asymptomatic infants who are at increased statistical risk of SIDS is controversial. Asymptomatic infants may be candidates for home monitoring, but as yet, there are no reliable tests to predict which infants are at risk for prolonged apnea. Monitoring at home must be prescribed by the physician and should be continued until judged no longer appropriate by the attending physician. Skilled caregivers are crucial to the continuous observation and management of these patients in the hospital and at home. Therefore parents should be taught monitor use and also CPR.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Evaluation and management of infantile apnea. 670 8

Twelve of forty patients (30%) treated for esophageal atresia at the Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago between June 1976 and May 1980 required a circular esophagomyotomy with or without upper pouch bougienage to achieve an anatomical repair. Ten patients had a distal tracheoesophageal fistula; 1 had a proximal fistula as well; and 2 had no fistula. Over 40% of the patients were small for gestational age. One half had severe associated anomalies including congenital heart disease in 1/3 and the VATER association in 1/4. Three patients died, all from congenital heart disease. Immediate complications in 6 patients included anastomotic leaks (3), tracheal injuries (2), and mucosal entry at the myotomy site (1). Late complications included symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux (60%), anastomotic strictures (40%), and severe tracheomalacia requiring long-term tracheotomy (20%). Altered esophageal motility (77%) contributed to poor weight gain (less than 3rd percentile) in most patients. In spite of these complications, satisfactory results were achieved in 8 of the 9 long-term survivors. The ninth patient had a turbulent neonatal period and has persistent swallowing difficulties at 36 mo follow-up. Although an anatomical repair can now be achieved in all patients with esophageal atresia utilizing bougienage and myotomy, some ill neonates may be better served by traditional staging techniques.
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PMID:Circular esophagomyotomy for primary repair of long-gap esophageal atresia. 725 42

What are some take-home lessons on the syndrome of unexplained chest pain? Carefully exclude heart disease, which--unlike esophageally caused chest pain--may be life-threatening. Noncardiac chest pain is a common problem: at least 25% of chest pain patients in coronary care units or emergency rooms "rule out" for heart disease. It is a problem that has been vexing physicians for at least 100 years. The pain patterns in ischemic heart disease and in the unexplained pain syndromes, particularly reflux, may be identical. The mechanism may be an "irritable" esophagus, in which the visceral pain threshold is lowered. Look carefully for gastroesophageal reflux, and treat it aggressively. Finally, in all cases, try to establish a diagnosis if at all possible. When patients are told they don't have heart disease and no further workup is pursued, more than half of them continue to have significant morbidity from their chest pain, utilizing health care facilities and visiting doctors (34,35). Research over the past two decades has enlightened us about many patients with unexplained chest pain, but unfortunately we are still confused about many others, and for this group of patients a conservative therapeutic approach may be best.
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PMID:Approach to the patient with unexplained chest pain. 783 62


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