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Query: UMLS:C0018801 (heart failure)
 72,216 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A case of meningeal carcinomatosis associated with cerebral metastases from an adrenal neuroblastoma is described. The clinical picture was ushered-in by bilateral sciatic pain in a 50 years old female and was followed by rapidly progressive sensory-motor deficits of the arms and legs, leading to flaccid quadriplegia associated with paralysis of cranial nerves and episodes of mental confusion. Death occurred 4 months alter, in cardiac failure. At autopsy, a bilateral tumor of the adrenal glands was found. No metastases were detected anywhere except in the central nervous system. Histology identified the tumor as a neuroblastoma; meningeal carcinomatosis, radicular infiltration by tumor cells and parenchimal metastases were found in the central nervous system. Neuroblastoma is typically a tumor of childhood, only 13% of them being found in adult's according to Russell and Rubinstein. Meningeal metastases from adrenal neuroblastoma have not hitherto been reported in the literature. In our opinion, the most likely mode of spread of tumor cells to the central nervous system was hematogenous because of the presence of small multiple intraparenchimal metastases; however, possible spread through the perineural lymphatics, as proposed by others, cannot be excluded, due to the prominent localization of tumor cells at spinal roots level. The main differential diagnostic problems (paraneoplastic neuropathy (Wyburn-Mason) and infectious subacute or chronic meningitis) are discussed. The authors stress the emportance of complete cerebro-spinal fluid examination including a careful search for tumor cells.
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PMID:[Meningeal carcinomatosis: clinical and anatomical study of a case of suprarenal neuroblastoma (author's transl)]. 6

A case of chlorpropamide-induced, symptomatic hyponatremia in a diabetic patient is reported. The hyponatremia was associated with loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms caused reduced food intake which provoked severe hypoglycemia with disturbed consciousness. The hyponatremia developed when the chlorpropamide doses were increased from 400 to 600 mg/day. Withdrawal of chlorpropamide was followed by remission of hyponatremia. Chlorpropamide-induced hyponatremia is a rare complication and is due to an antidiuretic effect of chlorpropamide caused by increased secretion of adiuretin and potentiation of the effect of chlorpropamide caused by increased secretion of adiuretin and potentiation of the effect of adiuretin in the tubuli of the kidney. This case report and the analysis of 18 published cases in the literature show the following characteristics for chlorpropamide-induced hyponatremia: (1) Hyponatremia is a rare complication in the treatment of diabetics with chlorpropamide. The patients typically are female and over sixty. The dosage of chlorpropamide usually was 500 mg daily or even more. (2) Hyponatremia is often unrecognized for a long time because the symptoms are not specific. The characteristic symptoms include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, confusional state and, rarely, convulsions and coma. Recovery occurs spontaneously after withdrawal of the drug. (3) The incidence of this type of hyponatremia is increased in cases of preexisting tendency to water retention such as heart failure and renal failure, and in cases of diuretic therapy. In the light of these findings, the authors believe that chlorpropamide is no longer a drug of choice in the treatment of diabetic women, especially in cases of preexisting tendency to water retention and in diuretic therapy. In such cases, a sulfonylurea without antidiuretic effect is to be preferred.
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PMID:[Hyponatremia and hypoglycemia after treatment with chlorpropamide. Case histories with review of the literature on 18 cases of chlorpropamide induced hyponatremia]. 66 98

Cardiac failure is often associated with disturbances in cardiac output, autonomic nervous system activity, central and systemic venous pressures, and sodium and water metabolism. These disturbances influence the extent and pattern of tissue perfusion, may lead to tissue hypoxia and visceral congestion, and may alter gastrointestinal motility. By these mechanisms, cardiac failure potentially affects absorption and disposition characteristics of drugs, which may necessitate adjustment in dosage regimen for optimum therapy. Lignocaine is the drug which has been studied most extensively in cardiac failure. Volumes of distribution and clearance are decreased. As a drug whose metabolism is largely limited by liver blood flow, decreased blood flow to the liver accounts for some of the change in clearance, but impaired hepatic metabolism appears also to play a role in some patients. Accumulation of active metabolites of lignocaine and procainamide in patients with cardiac failure can influence therapeutic and toxic effects. Theophylline metabolism, which is largely independent of blood flow, appears to be reduced significantly in patients with severe cardiac failure and necessitates reduction of dosage. In the presence of severe cardiac failure, digoxin clearance may be less than anticipated on the basis of estimates of renal function. Quinidine plasma levels may be higher after single doses due to reduced volume of distribution. Quinidine metabolites are believed not to be pharmacologically active but may create confusion with nonspecific assays. Specific assays are recommended in cardiac failure, especially complicated by renal insufficiency. Data are lacking relating pharmacokinetic alterations to haemodynamic measurements in patients with cardiac failure. Whereas the direction of change in pharmacokinetic parameters may be predicted, variability in the magnitude of change is so great that determination of drug concentration in blood remains as essential adjunct to therapy.
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PMID:Pharmacokinetics in patients with cardiac failure. 79 48

Data are presented on 282 patients who began taking prazosin before March, 1975, and whose progress was followed until March, 1976. The following conclusions can be drawn. (i) Prazosin is an effective and useful antihypertensive agent, best used with a diuretic and a beta-blocker. (ii) For patients with suspected or definite coronary artery disease, prazosin should not be used without a beta-blocker. (iii) In patients suspected of having incipient heart failure, prazosin should not be used without a diuretic, and the latter should be given first. (iv) many patients have little or no rise in heart rate with prazosin. However, patients with sinus tachycardia or a history of arrhythmias should preferably not be treated with prazosin. (v) The initial dose should be kept small (0-25 to 0-5 mg). Subsequent increments should also be small, not more than 2 mg/day. (vi) If prazosin is added to a regimen containing an adrenergic neurone-blocking drug, the dose of the latter should first be reduced. (vii) Prazosin should not, in the meantime, be used concomitantly with a phenothiazine, as the combination appears to be capable of causing agitation and confusion. (viii) There seems to be no long-term toxicity.
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PMID:Initial experience with prazosin in New Zealand. A multicentre report. New Zealand Hypertension Study Group. 91 29

Complications after heart valve replacement remain a substantial source of morbidity and mortality despite continuing advances in surgical care and prosthetic design. Infectious endocarditis occurs in about 4 percent of patients and may appear early (within 60 days) or late after operation. Endocarditis of early onset is commonly due to staphylococcal, fungal or gram-negative organisms and is fatal in 70 percent or more of cases. Infection of late onset is more often of streptococcal origin and the mortality rate is lower, about 35 percent. With either type, prompt recognition, vigorous and appropriate antimicrobial therapy and early consideration of surgical intervention are crucial. The postperfusion and postpericardiotomy syndromes are relatively common and relatively benign syndromes associated with postoperative fever. Their recognition is important to prevent confusion with endocarditis or sepsis and thus to reassure the patient and physician. Treatment is primarily symptomatic. Intravascular hemolysis occurs with most prosthetic heart valves but is more common with certain prostheses and with paraprosthetic valve regurgitation, with significant hemolytic anemia in 5 to 15 percent. Oral iron replacement therapy is effective in the majority of patients, but occasionally blood transfusion or reoperation for leak around the prosthesis is necessary. Prosthesis dysfunction due to thrombus may be recognized clinically by recurrence of heart failure, syncope, cardiomegaly and altered prosthetic valve sounds or new murmurs. Hemodynamic studies verify the diagnosis, and prompt reoperation is indicated for this potentially lethal problem. Systemic embolization has decreased markedly with the introduction of cloth-covered prostheses and is frequently related to erratic or ineffective anticoagulant therapy. We continue to recommend anticoagulant therapy for all patients with prosthetic heart valves unless there is a major contraindication.
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PMID:Diagnosis and management of complications of prosthetic heart valves. 109 75

Ischemic hepatitis is not an uncommon complication of reversible severe hypotension or cardiac failure. The prognosis usually is determined by the cause of the initial hypotension or cardiac failure, rather than the subsequent hepatic dysfunction. We report a retrospective analysis of nine patients with ischemic hepatitis in which previously unreported clinical and biochemical abnormalities are noted. The clinical and biochemical course of the patients were reviewed until recovery or death from ischemic hepatitis. All the patients had a rapid striking elevation of aspartate aminotransferase, and lactic dehydrogenase, with an equally rapid resolution of these parameters. Abnormal serum glucose levels occurred in six patients (none of whom had a prior carbohydrate intolerance). Insulin therapy was given to three patients for a limited period. Renal impairment was manifest in all nine patients, and it resolved spontaneously within 10 days. Altered mental status was detected in six patients; the changes reverted to normal within 7 days of their onset. A preexisting anemia (hemoglobin less than 11.0 g/dl) was noted on admission in four patients, and it did not appear to potentiate the manifestations of the hepatic ischemia. We conclude that ischemic hepatitis should be anticipated in all patients with a recent history of systemic hypotension. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with unexplained hepatitis; the early massive rise in lactic dehydrogenase, the rapid fall in transaminases, and the early mild/moderate renal failure strongly suggest ischemic hepatitis. Patients with ischemic hepatitis can manifest reversible renal failure, mental confusion, and hyperglycemia which may require insulin for its control.
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PMID:Ischemic hepatitis: widening horizons. 848 Jul 56

We reviewed the clinical features of 26 children with Takayasu's arteritis. In contrast to what is often seen in adults, in this age group inflammation of different systems is a conspicuous feature. Eighty five percent of cases had arterial hypertension. The high incidence of arthritis and heart failure provoked confusion with rheumatic fever. There was a high frequency of positive purified protein derivative (73%) and lymphadenopathy (38%) with a histological picture of caseating granulomas, suggesting a link between Takayasu's arteritis and an atypical mycobacterial infection. No improvement of the arterial obstruction was observed with corticosteroid therapy. Takayasu's arteritis in children presents as an aggressive often lethal disease. The mortality rate was 35% over an observation period of 5 years.
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PMID:Takayasu's arteritis in children. 168 Nov 2

Poisoning is a significant problem in the elderly. The majority of poisonings in older people are unintentional and may result from dementia and confusion, improper use of the product, improper storage or mistaken identities. Depression is also common in the elderly and suicide attempts are more likely to be successful in this age group. The elderly patient's recuperative abilities may be inadequate as a result of numerous factors including impaired hepatic or renal function as well as chronic disease processes. General management of poisoning in the elderly parallels management of younger adults, but it is especially important to ascertain underlying medical conditions and concurrent medications. In most poisonings, activated charcoal and cathartic are sufficient. Haemodialysis or haemoperfusion may be required at lower plasma drug concentrations in elderly patients. While the specific indications for antidotes are the same for all age groups, dosage alterations and precautions may need to be considered in the elderly. Drugs most often implicated in poisonings in the elderly include psychotherapeutic drugs, cardiovascular drugs, analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs, oral hypoglycaemics and theophylline. Cardiovascular and neurological toxicities occur with overdoses of neuroleptic drugs and, more frequently and severely, with cyclic antidepressants. Patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease are at particular risk of worsening ischaemic heart disease and congestive heart failure. Benzodiazepines only appear to produce significant toxicity during long term administration or in combination with other CNS depressants. Digoxin can cause both chronic and acute intoxication, most seriously cardiac toxicity including severe ventricular arrhythmias, second or third degree heart block or severe refractory hyperkalaemia. Immune Fab antibody is indicated for the management of digoxin toxicity, although patients dependent on the inotropic effect of digoxin may develop heart failure after digoxin Fab antibody administration. Nitrates can cause toxicity including headache, vomiting, hypotension and tachycardia from excessive sublingual, transdermal or intravenous doses. Conduction disturbances and hypotension occur with overdoses of antihypertensive drugs; these effects are mild with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, occasionally severe with beta-blockers and of significant concern with calcium channel antagonists. The elderly commonly use aspirin and other salicylates, are more likely to develop chronic intoxications to these agents, and are more susceptible to severe complications such as pulmonary oedema. Salicylate poisoning, recognition of which is often delayed, should be considered in elderly patients with neurological abnormalities or breathing difficulties, especially in the setting of acid-base abnormalities. The clinical effects of NSAID overdose are mild and usually involve the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Poisoning in the elderly. Epidemiological, clinical and management considerations. 179 7

Postoperative use of as-needed intramuscular narcotics is potentially hazardous in frail elderly patients. Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) allows patients to self-administer small boluses of narcotic, allowing better dose titration, enhanced responsiveness to variability in narcotic requirements, and reduction in serum narcotic level fluctuation. Although theoretically useful, this method has not bee well studied in the elderly or medically ill. A prospective controlled trial among 83 higher-risk elderly men after major elective surgery compared PCA containing morphine sulfate with intramuscular morphine injections as needed (mean [+/- SD] age, 67.4 +/- 5.6 vs 67.0 +/- 6.3 years). Subjects had a variety of medical illnesses, including chronic lung disease (57%), coronary artery disease (43%), heart failure (13%), and liver disease (12%). Preoperative and postoperative assessments included chest roentgenograms; daily mental status and pulmonary function testing; twice-daily serum morphine levels; and oxygen saturation values, linear analogue pain and sedation scores, and vital signs every 2 hours. Care was taken to optimize narcotic administration in control subjects as well as PCA subjects. Analgesia was significantly improved by PCA (3-day mean pain score, 40.5 +/- 18.0 vs 32.5 +/- 15.0), without an increase in sedation. Significant postoperative confusion (18% vs 2.3%) and severe pulmonary complications (10% vs 0%) occurred significantly more frequently in intramuscular-treated controls. Patient-controlled analgesia was quickly mastered by most patients; no major problems referable to its use occurred. Patients who had previously received intramuscular injections reported that PCA was easier to use and provided better analgesia. Serum morphine levels showed significantly less variability on postoperative day 1 with PCA, compared with intramuscular injections. We conclude that PCA is an improved method of postoperative analgesia in high-risk elderly men with normal mental status, compared with as-needed intramuscular injections.
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PMID:Randomized trial of postoperative patient-controlled analgesia vs intramuscular narcotics in frail elderly men. 197 90

The numerous metabolic abnormalities encountered in chronic purgative abusers were investigated and the new concept of autonomous pseudo-Bartter's syndrome documented. Detailed metabolic screening tests were performed in 9 women aged 17-54 years. Two patients underwent further studies, including serum renin and aldosterone, blood volume, total body potassium, urinary chloride and prostaglandin determinations, and each underwent renal biopsy on admission and after 1 year free from laxative abuse. Clinical complications included confusion, convulsions, coma, skeletal muscle weakness with or without paralysis or rhabdomyolysis, cardiac failure, urinary tract infections and bone disease (osteomalacia, secondary hyperparathyroidism and osteoporosis). Hypokalaemia, hypomagnesaemia, hypocalcaemia and hypophosphataemia were frequent findings. Serum creatine kinase correlated inversely with the product of the potassium and serum phosphate (r = -0.86; P less than 0.03), suggesting that hypokalaemia and hypophosphataemia act synergistically to produce muscle damage. After laxative withdrawal, oedema and weight gain, followed by diuresis, ensued in 7 patients. In the other 2, ongoing chloruresis, kaliuresis, hyper-reninaemia and raised urinary prostaglandin secretion persisted. Renal biopsies in these 2 patients showed the features of juxtaglomerular apparatus hyperplasia as well as medullary interstitial cell hyperplasia. In conclusion, pseudo-Bartter's syndrome was documented in 9 chronic laxative abusers. Because patients often indulged in more than one aberrant habit, e.g. laxative and/or diuretic abuse or bulimia, the clinical syndrome produced a myriad of confounding metabolic derangements, which we termed 'metabolic madness'. Laxative withdrawal was complicated by temporary pseudo-idiopathic oedema, which persisted in 2 patients. Further studies in these 2 women strongly supported the concept of 'autonomous pseudo-Bartter's syndrome'.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Chronic laxative abusers with pseudo-idiopathic oedema and autonomous pseudo-Bartter's syndrome. A spectrum of metabolic madness, or new lights on an old disease? 225 4


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