Unusual presentation of basilar artery stroke secondary to patent foramen ovale: a case report.

Introduction: We report a case of a patient presenting with neuropsychiatric manifestations secondary to paradoxical embolism

Case Presentation: Unexplained rapid onset of confusion with amnesia and minimal neurological deficits can be a manifestation of various systemic causes of which stroke, either ischemic or hemorrhagic, is one. Thorough and systematic evaluation of these patients can be highly rewarding in terms of optimizing patient outcome. We report the case of a 45-year-old woman whose initial presentation was with acute onset of confusion, memory loss with personality change and headaches.

Management of heart disease in the elderly in the Plymouth Health District.

In the light of a report from the Royal College of Physicians, the management of heart disease in the elderly (> 70 years) was studied in the Plymouth Health District in 1992. A survey of general practitioners was undertaken to assess how they would handle particular aspects of heart disease in their elderly patients. The admissions of older patients to the coronary care unit following an acute myocardial infarction and their outcome were detailed.

Phaeochromocytoma presenting as acute circulatory collapse and abdominal pain.

Phaeochromocytomas may present as an acute emergency with a perplexing variety of symptoms. We report a case which presented with abdominal pain and severe respiratory distress due to a ruptured haemorrhagic phaeochromocytoma. The severe cardiorespiratory collapse which precipitated admission to the intensive care unit was managed with high doses of dobutamine and noradrenaline and the patient was stable during the operative resection.

The pharmacokinetics and sputum penetration of ampicillin and amoxycillin following simultaneous i.v. administration.

Five patients with exacerbation of chronic bronchitis received as a single iv injection 500 mg of ampicillin and 500 mg of amoxycillin. Blood and sputum samples were collected at timed intervals following dosing and the concentrations of the two antibiotics present in the samples were determined by HPLC analysis. No statistically significant differences were observed between the serum concentrations of ampicillin and amoxycillin, and the pharmacokinetics of the two drugs were almost identical, with half lives of 93 min (amoxycillin) and 103 min (ampicillin).