The Value of Surgical Graduate Medical Education (GME) Programs Within An Integrated Health Care System.

Objective: Surgical graduate medical education (GME) programs add both significant cost and complexity to the mission of teaching hospitals. While expenses tied directly to surgical training programs are well tracked, overall cost-benefit accounting has not been performed. In this study, we attempt to better define the costs and benefits of maintaining surgical GME programs within a large integrated health system.

Persistent atrial quiescence in adult rheumatic heart disease.

The first adult patient with catheterization-proven isolated rheumatic heart disease who demonstrated the electrophysiologic findings of "persistent atrial quiescence" is described. Metabolic causes of transient atrial sequence were effectively excluded by clinical history and appropriate laboratory studies. Atrial quiescence may be the electrophysiologic expression of end-stage rheumatic atrial pathology seen only in cases of advanced, surgically uncorrected rheumatic mitral valve disease.

Potential pitfalls of the nuclear stethoscope.

Eleven patients (three with coronary artery disease, one with mitral valve prolapse, one with atrial septal defect, two with rheumatic mitral valve disease, one with rheumatic aortic valve disease, and three normal individuals) underwent determination of global left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by 1) nuclear stethoscope (cardiac probe), 2) Tc-99m-labeled-erythrocyte gated nuclear angiocardiographic gamma camera-computer techniques, and 3) single plane RAO contrast left ventriculography--all within a 6-hour period without concurrent drug intervention. In addition, global right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) was determined by a similar gated technique with gamma camera-computer techniques. LVEF as determined by camera-computer techniques correlated well with that of contrast ventriculography (r = 0.

Left ventricular dysfunction--bedside Valsalva manoeuvre.

Thirty-seven patients were evaluated before cardiac catheterisation by bedside physical examination, including Valsalva manoeuvre, to assess the value of the sphygmomanometrically determined arterial pressure responses during the Valsalva manoeuvre and to compare its sensitivity, specificity, and predictive accuracy in the detection of left ventricular dysfunction with that of the commonly used diagnostic signs including the chest x-ray. Patients not on beta-blockade treatment could be separated into three distinct arterial pressure responses detectable at the bedside which corresponded well to three statistically different groups with regard to left ventricular ejection fraction (0.29 +/0 0.

Adherence and blood-pressure response to hypertension treatment.

2 years of experience in the first phase of a large cooperative national hypertension programme yielded data indicating that a good level of patient adherence can be achieved and that satisfactory blood-pressure control can be maintained long term. For 116 participants, all employed persons, dropout in the first year was 20% but only 3% dropped out in the second year. At the second annual examination, 82% of those still in the programme had diastolic pressures under 90 mm Hg, with an average reduction of 18 mm Hg.