Speech breathing in patients with lung disease.

Lung volumes and breathing patterns used during speech differ from those of quiet respiration and may be expected to vary with different types of lung disease. To test this possibility, 41 patients with asthma, emphysema, or sarcoidosis and 16 healthy subjects completed a speech protocol. Volumes, times, and flow rates were recorded during conversation and during a counting task.

Tourniquet pain: the response to the maintenance of tourniquet inflation on the upper extremity of volunteers.

This investigation examined the effect of three factors--tourniquet width, tourniquet inflation pressure, and application of the tourniquet to the left or right extremity--on the intensity of tourniquet pain and duration of tourniquet inflation, as well as the circulatory effects associated with maintenance of inflation of a pneumatic tourniquet on an upper extremity of 12 healthy, unmedicated volunteers. All subjects manifested a time-dependent circulatory response to maintenance of tourniquet inflation, characterized by increases in heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The mean duration of tourniquet inflation was 34 +/- 13 minutes (mean +/- SD).

Plasma catecholamine levels in cyclic antidepressant overdose.

Cyclic antidepressant overdose is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in self-poisoned patients. The major cause of mortality with cyclic antidepressant overdose is cardiotoxicity. We determined plasma catecholamine levels in 41 symptomatic acute overdose patients to identify interactions between QRS duration (a marker for cardiotoxicity) and a presumed hyper-adrenergic state.

Prospective evaluation of gastric emptying in the self-poisoned patient.

The authors prospectively studied the effect of gastric emptying (GE) and activated charcoal (AC) upon clinical outcome in acutely self-poisoned patients. Presumed overdose patients (n = 808) were treated using an alternate day protocol based on a 10-question cognitive function examination and presenting vital sign parameters. Asymptomatic patients (n = 451) did not receive GE.