Randomised controlled trial and cost consequences study comparing initial physiotherapy assessment and management with routine practice for selected patients in an accident and emergency department of an acute hospital.

OBJECTIVE: The Department of Health is reviewing the effectiveness of accident and emergency (A&E) departments. This study aimed to compare health and economic effects of physiotherapy initial assessment and management with routine practice in an A&E department. METHODS: Randomised controlled trial and cost and consequences study. Patients presenting at A&E were eligible if suspected at triage to have soft tissue injury without fracture. The efficacy end point was "days to return to usual activities". Secondary end points included patient satisfaction with their care and further health outcomes and cost data. RESULTS: 766 of 844 (915) patients were randomised. The median days before return to usual activities (available for 73% of those randomised) was greater in the physiotherapist group (41 days compared with 28.5 days; hazard ratio 0.85 p = 0.071). The physiotherapy group expressed greater satisfaction with their A&E care (on a scale of 1 to 5, median was 4.2 compared with 4.0, p<0.001), were more likely to be given advice and reassurance, and more likely to be provided with aids and appliances. Costs were the same between the two arms. CONCLUSION: There is evidence that physiotherapy leads to a prolonged time before patients return to usual activities. This study shows no clear danger from physiotherapy intervention and long term outcomes may be different but given these findings, a best estimate is that introducing physiotherapist assessment will increase costs to the health service and society. Routine care should continue be provided unless there is some reason why it is not feasible to do so and an alternative must be found.

A model system for assessing physicochemical factors affecting calcium absorbability from the intestinal tract.

An in vitro model system was utilized to critically examine physicochemical factors that could play a role in determining the amount of potentially absorbable ionic calcium as well as soluble complexes in the proximal jejunum following ingestion of tricalcium dicitrate, calcium carbonate, or tricalcium diphosphate. The solubility of calcium salts (500 mg calcium each) was tested in 300 ml water containing varying amounts of hydrochloric acid (0, 0.72, 2.4, 7.26, and 24.2 mEq) intended to mimic achlorhydric to peak acid secretory states. Whereas 20% of calcium citrate dissolved in the absence of hydrochloric acid, a negligible amount of calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate underwent dissolution. In solutions containing 0.72-7.26 mEq hydrochloric acid, calcium citrate was more than twofold soluble than calcium carbonate, and calcium phosphate had intermediate solubility. At simulated peak acid secretion, all three salts were completely soluble, or nearly so. To simulate pancreatic bicarbonate secretion, the filtrates obtained from solubility studies were titrated to pH 5, 6, and 7 with sodium hydroxide. Reprecipitation of calcium citrate and calcium carbonate did not occur. However, substantial calcium phosphate reprecipitation took place especially at high pH and in filtrates derived from high hydrochloric acid content. In filtrates derived from reprecipitation experiments (at pH 6 and 7), anionic complexation of calcium was calculated in order to estimate the amount of ionic and complexed calcium. Considerable amount of calcium from dissolved calcium citrate was complexed (60-65%), principally as soluble CaCit-, whereas calcium complexation was negligible in the calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate systems.

ESWL: a look from different angles.

Rapid and accurate stone positioning prior to shock wave administration is the key to efficient extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). On the Dornier HM-3 machine, the operator uses the control panel to move the stone image along the x, y, or z axis, but many operators are uncertain about the direction and speed of the target when the control buttons are activated. Since knowledgeable, full use of ESWL controls probably results in reduced positioning time and x-ray exposure, the angles and relative velocities from simple and complex maneuvers are presented as a didactic aid.

Use of retrograde lavage catheter during ESWL treatments.

Use of a retrograde lavage catheter utilizing a Water-Pik for the removal of stone fragments during an extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) treatment is described. Three of 4 patients treated to date have been essentially stone-free at the end of their ESWL treatment. Urinary extravasation and ureteral stricturing have not occurred.

Tobramycin and renal ischemia.

Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with known nephrotoxic doses of tobramycin and then subjected to varying amounts of warm renal ischemia. Analysis of serum creatinine at the time of sacrifice revealed no statistically significant difference among controls and the two doses of tobramycin at any given duration of ischemia. Light microscopy revealed no worsening of tubular necrosis with increasing doses of tobramycin.

Renal papillary changes in patient with calcium oxalate lithiasis.

We report the case of a white woman with bilateral renal calculi that were removed by bilateral nephrolithotomies. The morphology of renal tubular stones and the changes in papillary tissue were studied by light microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The stones were made of calcium oxalate and were intratubular. Large calcium phosphate deposits were present in the interstitium. There was a marked interstitial fibrosis and tubular epithelial hyperplasia.

Hemorrhage from congenital renal arteriovenous malformation in pregnancy.

A case report of life-threatening hemorrhage from a congenital renal arteriovenous malformation during pregnancy is presented. The hyperdynamic circulatory state that exists during pregnancy may predispose to bleeding from vascular malformations. We review the classification and clinical presentation of renal arteriovenous malformations.

Extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy in horseshoe kidneys.

Using the Dornier HM-3 lithotriptor, 10 patients (11 renal units) with calculi in horseshoe kidneys were treated with extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and ancillary procedures. Six renal units (55%) underwent pre-ESWL manipulation consisting of a Double J stent, ureteral catheter, or percutaneous nephrostomy. The "blast path" was employed to treat five renal units which could not be positioned at F2. Good initial stone fragmentation was obtained in eight renal units (73%). There were two episodes of post-ESWL obstruction requiring intervention; both occurred in the same patient. A total of seven post-ESWL procedures were performed on two renal units. After all procedures, eight renal units (73%) were rendered stone-free, six (55%) with ESWL alone. The average follow-up interval was twelve months (range 1-28 months). ESWL can be used effectively to treat some patients with calculi in horseshoe kidneys. The ectopic location of these renal units may make it difficult to position calculi at F2, thus necessitating treatment on the blast path or placement of the patient in prone position. Multiple ancillary procedures may be necessary.

Pathologic effects of ESWL on canine renal tissue.

The introduction of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) has provided an avenue for dealing with many urinary stones noninvasively. The margin of safety for the kidney during shock wave administration is largely undefined. A pilot study was performed where six kidneys in five female mongrel dogs were shocked. Group A kidneys were given 1,776, 4,500, 6,000, or 8,000 shocks, respectively, at 18-24 kV. Group B kidneys received 1,600 and 8,000 shocks (18-24 kV). The number of shocks per electrode ranged from 500 to 4,538 and averaged 2,490. The dogs were sacrificed forty-eight to seventy-two hours (Group A) or twenty-eight to thirty-two days (Group B) post-treatment. Modest damage (hematoma and/or interstitial hemorrhage) was noted in all kidneys. Evidence of permanent change (fibrosis) was noted in both Group B kidneys. Complete necrosis of the kidney was not seen after administration of 8,000 shocks. These preliminary data indicate that lithotripsy can, in some circumstances, produce renal damage in the canine model.

New monofilament basket for bladder calculi.

Successful stone manipulation was facilitated with the new monofilament basket in experimental situations and in patients. Advantages over other baskets include: in vivo adjustability, reduced mucosal trauma, ability to irrigate and aspirate through the basket, and ability to pass lithotriptor electrodes within the basket. Basket modifications under study might prove useful within the ureter, renal pelvis, and biliary tree.

Hawkins-Hunter retrograde transcutaneous nephrostomy: a new technique.

Retrograde nephrostomy, a new technique to aid in stone management, has been performed successfully in dogs. It has also been used without complication in a human patient to help remove a renal stone percutaneously under local anesthesia. The technique consists of placing a coaxial catheter over a guidewire under fluoroscopy into the exact calyx desired and advancing a long needle out to the skin to establish a transcutaneous tract. The advantages of the technique include increased control and precision of tract placement, efficient working angles for percutaneous stone removal, and the ability to perform the procedure under local anesthesia.

Adsorption of heparin on sodium acid urate.

The adsorption of heparin on sodium acid urate powder suspended in aqueous solution was found to be dependent upon the concentration of Ca2+ and Mg2+. It was concluded that heparin adsoprtion on sodium acid urate powder can occur in urine. Speculations are made about the relevance of these observations to calcium oxalate urolithiasis.

Mathematical modeling of normal pharyngeal bolus transport: a preliminary study.

Dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing) is a common clinical symptom associated with many diseases, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular diseases, and cancer. Its complications include choking, aspiration, malnutrition, cachexia, and dehydration. The goal in dysphagia management is to provide adequate nutrition and hydration while minimizing the risk of choking and aspiration. It is important to advance the individual toward oral feeding in a timely manner to enhance the recovery of swallowing function and preserve the quality of life. Current clinical assessments of dysphagia are limited in providing adequate guidelines for oral feeding. Mathematical modeling of the fluid dynamics of pharyngeal bolus transport provides a unique opportunity for studying the physiology and pathophysiology of swallowing. Finite element analysis (FEA) is a special case of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In CFD, the flow of a fluid in a space is modeled by covering the space with a grid and predicting how the fluid moves from grid point to grid point. FEA is capable of solving problems with complex geometries and free surfaces. A preliminary pharyngeal model has been constructed using FEA. This model incorporates literature-reported, normal, anatomical data with time-dependent pharyngeal/upper esophageal sphincter (UES) wall motion obtained from videofluorography (VFG). This time-dependent wall motion can be implemented as a moving boundary condition in the model. Clinical kinematic data can be digitized from VFG studies to construct and test the mathematical model. The preliminary model demonstrates the feasibility of modeling pharyngeal bolus transport, which, to our knowledge, has not been attempted before. This model also addresses the need and the potential for CFD in understanding the physiology and pathophysiology of the pharyngeal phase of swallowing. Improvements of the model are underway. Combining the model with individualized clinical data should potentially improve the management of dysphagia.

The value of a next day hand injury review clinic.

A daily hand injury review clinic takes place at East Birmingham Hospital. The purpose of this study is to determine whether this clinic is beneficial in reducing the morbidity of neglected hand injuries, and to compare the running of the clinic with the original criteria laid down at its inception as a "once only' screening clinic. We conclude that such a clinic is highly beneficial, and recommended that it should be standard practice in other hospitals.

Initiation and growth of uroliths.

The urinary concentrating capacity of terrestrial animals often results in a high degree of urinary supersaturation. Supersaturation provides a driving force for rapid precipitation of solids. For some minerals in urine, the balance between supersaturation and presence of inhibitors determines whether crystal growth will occur. If crystals are delayed in their transit through the urinary tract, they may grow to such a size that they cannot readily pass through the ureters or urethra.