Canadian Medical Association journal
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Forty patients who were admitted to hospital with rheumatoid arthritis received a total of 3.9 g/d of enteric-coated acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) (Entrophen) according to one of four dosing schedules: group 1 (n = 13), three 325-mg tablets four times daily; group 2 (n = 11), two 650-mg tablets three times daily; group 3 (n = 10), three 650-mg tablets twice daily; and group 4 (n = 6), two 975-mg tablets twice daily. Five to seven days after the start of therapy, when steady-state plasma salicylate levels had been achieved, 10 blood samples, 1 per hour, were collected. Three healthy volunteers who received plain ASA formed a control group. ⋯ Likewise, there was no significant difference in the mean salicylate levels at each sampling time, regardless of the dosing interval or tablet strength. These results suggest that different tablet strengths of enteric-coated ASA and different dosing intervals produce comparable plasma salicylate levels. Less frequent dosing may improve patient acceptance of salicylate therapy in the treatment of arthritis.
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The examination of an elderly patient often requires special techniques and attention to the patient's comfort and ease. This paper outlines a reasonable approach to each phase of the interview and discusses the particular medical problems of this age group. ⋯ Sometimes they have difficulty in communicating effectively with the physician. Simple patience can ease an otherwise frustrating situation.
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Hot tar burns, although rare, usually occur in workers in the paving and roofing industries. When tar is heated to high temperatures it can cause deep burns, and its removal often causes further damage. However, the use of one of the polysorbates (surface-active agents) makes removal easy and painless.
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In an attempt to determine the relation between duration of coma and neurologic recovery following cardiac resuscitation 163 survivors of cardiac arrest from Winnipeg, Manitoba and Aarhus, Denmark were studied. The age of the patients did not influence the outcome. ⋯ The three who wakened after 72 hours had severe brain damage and required permanent care in an institution. It was concluded that recovery of communicative brain function is unlikely if coma persists longer than 72 hours after cardiac arrest and that full recovery cannot be expected after 24 hours of coma.