Bronchopulmonary dysplasia: then and now.

When bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) was first described in 1967, the use of assisted ventilation in neonates was in its infancy. High concentrations of oxygen were implicated, and BPD was equated with 'pulmonary oxygen toxicity'. The etiologic role of not only oxygen but also peak inspiratory pressures and the duration of exposure to both was emphasized in the 1970s, but BPD remained a dreaded complication of managing respiratory distress syndrome in the 1980s.

Chronic lung disease of prematurity: a short history.

Chronic lung disease of prematurity (CLD) is commonly considered to be a consequence of assisted ventilation. However, prior to the description in 1967 of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), following ventilator therapy for respiratory distress syndrome, Wilson-Mikity syndrome (WMS) had been described in very preterm infants on minimal oxygen supplementation. In the 1970s and 1980s, many infants treated with assisted ventilation required prolonged mechanical ventilation after developing radiographic features of coarse infiltrates, severe hyperinflation, and microcystic changes, associated with hypercarbemia and the need for increased inspired oxygen concentrations.

Depression and anxiety symptoms after lower limb amputation: the rise and fall.

Objective: To examine the time course of anxiety and depressive symptoms over a three year period after amputation.

Design And Settings: A prospective study in inpatients admitted to a rehabilitation ward after lower limb amputation.

Subjects: Successive admissions over a one-year period of whom 68 were alive at follow-up, 2-3 years later.

Gender differences in amputation outcome.

Purpose: To assess the influence of gender on the success of limb-fitting after amputation.

Methods: One-hundred and five successive in-patients admitted to an amputee rehabilitation ward were followed to assess the success of limb-fitting at discharge. The influence of demographic, clinical and social factors on the success of lower limb-fitting was assessed using linear regression analysis and group comparisons.

The rapid resolution of depression and anxiety symptoms after lower limb amputation.

Objective: To ascertain the course of depressive and anxiety symptoms shortly after amputation and again after a period of inpatient rehabilitation.

Design And Settings: A cohort study in inpatients admitted to a rehabilitation ward after lower limb amputation.

Subjects: One hundred and five successive admissions over a one-year period.

Fluid collections in amputee stumps: a common phenomenon.

Objectives: To assess the incidence of fluid collections in postoperative amputee stumps and the impact on limb-fitting outcomes in patients with such collections.

Design: Cohort study.

Setting: Inpatient rehabilitation ward.

Alphabetical prejudice in team discussions (or would Zebedee ever get seen on a ward round).

Purpose: To ascertain whether the order in which patients are discussed in a team meeting determines the time spent on discussion.

Design: Prospective study over 18 consecutive multidisciplinary team meetings.

Setting/subjects: Multidisciplinary team meetings on a Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit, Edinburgh.

Predicting those who will walk after rehabilitation in a specialist stroke unit.

Objective: To establish whether the ability to use a wheelchair shortly after a stroke or continence are related to the likelihood of walking by time of discharge.

Design And Subjects: An observational study in patients admitted to a stroke rehabilitation unit for under-65s over a three-year period.

Methods: Functional Independence Measure (FIM) subscores for walking were examined on all patients at time of admission and discharge.

The evolution of neonatology.

In 1960, the terms "neonatology" and "neonatologist" were introduced. Thereafter, an increasing number of pediatricians devoted themselves to full-time neonatology. In 1975, the first examination of the Sub-Board of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine of the American Board of Pediatrics and the first meeting of the Perinatal Section of the American Academy of Pediatrics were held.

Prevention of intraventricular hemorrhage by indomethacin in male preterm infants.

Our multicenter Indomethacin Intraventricular Hemorrhage (IVH) Prevention Trial demonstrated a reduction of IVH in preterm infants. Analysis of our cohort by sex showed indomethacin halved the incidence of IVH, eliminated parenchymal hemorrhage, and was associated with higher verbal scores at 3 to 8 years in boys.

Frequency and timing of symptoms in infants screened for sepsis: effectiveness of a sepsis-screening pathway.

To determine the frequency and timing of symptoms and to evaluate the effectiveness of a sepsis-screening pathway in term and near-term infants, data were collected prospectively for a period of 1 year from December 1, 2000, to November 30, 2001. Results confirmed that a sepsis-screening pathway using a combination of at least 2 serial complete blood cell count and C-reactive protein measurements in both symptomatic and asymptomatic infants is a safe, simple strategy that prevents unnecessary treatment of infants with risk factors with antibiotics. However, most infants with presumed or suspected early-onset sepsis are symptomatic.