Remifentanil versus meperidine for monitored anesthesia care: a comparison study in older patients undergoing ambulatory colonoscopy.

UNLABELLED: Colonoscopy is one of the most frequently performed outpatient procedures in the United States. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that a remifentanil infusion would be superior to boluses of meperidine in older patients undergoing ambulatory colonoscopy. One hundred ASA physical status I-IV patients undergoing colonoscopy were randomized in this double-blinded study to receive either remifentanil infusions (n = 49) or titrated boluses of meperidine (n = 51). Patient tolerance was assessed using physiologic variables and side effects associated with opioid analgesia. Verbal pain/anxiety and patient/operator satisfaction were also assessed. As a group, the physiologic characteristics demonstrated no significant differences in the response to the colonoscopy procedure. Although the patient and operator satisfaction surveys were similar between groups, the incidences of tachycardia, hypotension, and nausea were less and the adjusted verbal pain and anxiety scores were more in the Remifentanil group compared with the Meperidine group. This study demonstrates that remifentanil and meperidine were equally well tolerated in older patients undergoing ambulatory colonoscopy when administered by an anesthesia provider. The differences in the pharmakinetics of remifentanil and meperidine most likely account for the differences noted between the two treatment groups. IMPLICATIONS: Remifentanil infusions and meperidine boluses are equally well tolerated in older patients undergoing ambulatory colonoscopy when administered by an anesthesia provider.

Acute gastritis with hypochlorhydria: report of 35 cases with long term follow up.

BACKGROUND: Between 1976 and 1987, 35 cases of acute gastritis with hypochlorhydria (AGH) were seen in our research laboratory. The aims of this study were to determine the natural history of AGH and the role of Helicobacter pylori in its pathogenesis. METHODS: Archived serum and gastric biopsy samples obtained from AGH subjects were examined for evidence of H pylori colonisation. Twenty eight of 33 (85%) surviving AGH subjects returned a mean of 12 years after AGH for follow up studies, including determination of H pylori antibodies, basal and peak acid output, endoscopy, and gastric biopsies. A matched control group underwent the same studies. RESULTS: Archived material provided strong evidence of new H pylori acquisition in a total of 14 subjects within two months, in 18 within four months, and in 22 within 12 months of recognition of AGH. Prevalence of H pylori colonisation at follow up was 82% (23 of 28) in AGH subjects, significantly (p<0.05) higher than in matched controls (29%). Basal and peak acid output returned to pre-AGH levels in all but two subjects. CONCLUSIONS: One of several possible initial manifestations of H pylori acquisition in adults may be AGH. While H pylori colonisation usually persists, hypochlorhydria resolves in most subjects.

Double-blind, multicenter evaluation of lansoprazole and amoxicillin dual therapy for the cure of Helicobacter pylori infection.

BACKGROUND: Treatment with amoxicillin plus omeprazole results in disappointing cure rates of Helicobacter pylori infection. The minimal inhibitory concentration of lansoprazole for H. pylori in vitro is lower than that for omeprazole, prompting interest in treatment with amoxicillin plus lansoprazole. MATERIALS AND METHODS: H. pylori-infected patients with endoscopically documented duodenal ulcer either currently or within the past year were randomized to 14 days of (1) lansoprazole, 30 mg bid, plus amoxicillin, 1 gm tid; (2) lansoprazole, 30 mg tid, plus amoxicillin, 1 gm tid; (3) lansoprazole, 30 mg tid alone; or (4) amoxicillin, 1 gm tid alone. Endoscopy was done at enrollment and at 4 to 6 weeks after completion of treatment or for recurrent symptoms. H. pylori status was assessed by culture and histology. Ulcer prevalence was evaluated at follow-up endoscopy. RESULTS: Two hundred sixty-two patients met enrollment criteria and were treated. By per-protocol analysis, H. pylori infection was cured in 57% of those treated with lansoprazole twice daily plus amoxicillin and in 67% of those treated with lansoprazole three times daily plus amoxicillin, compared with 0% treated with lansoprazole alone or amoxicillin alone (p < .001 for dual therapy versus either monotherapy). Amoxicillin resistance was not observed. At follow-up endoscopy, ulcer prevalence was 17% in patients treated with lansoprazole twice daily plus amoxicillin, 23% in those treated with lansoprazole three times daily plus amoxicillin, 33% in those treated with lansoprazole alone, and 35% in those treated with amoxicillin alone (p = .024; lansoprazole twice daily plus amoxicillin versus amoxicillin alone). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with amoxicillin plus lansoprazole, 30 mg tid, led to cure of H. pylori infection in 67% of patients with active or recently healed duodenal ulcer.

Southwestern Internal Medicine Conference: the syndrome of angina pectoris: role of visceral pain perception.

Angina pectoris is a pain syndrome caused by coronary arteriosclerosis but also by a number of other disorders, including microvascular angina, gastroesophageal reflux (GER), and esophageal dysmotility. The relationship between abnormal physiology and pain in these conditions is complex. Simultaneous ambulatory monitoring of esophageal pH and motility has demonstrated that patients may have identical episodes of chest pain with acid reflux, dysmotility, both types of events, or neither. Patients may have anginal chest pain with inflation of an esophageal balloon, and patients with microvascular angina may have pain with catheter manipulation in the right atrium. Recent evidence suggests that disorders of visceral pain perception may play a role in both chest pain of esophageal origin and microvascular angina. The physiology of visceral pain is reviewed, including concepts of convergence of somatic and visceral afferent input, descending modulation of pain perception, and sensitization of visceral pain afferents. An approach to evaluation and treatment of chest pain in patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries is outlined.

Treatment of reflux esophagitis resistant to H2-receptor antagonists with lansoprazole, a new H+/K(+)-ATPase inhibitor: a controlled, double-blind study. Lansoprazole Study Group.

This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, 8-wk study compared the new H+/K(+)-ATPase inhibitor, lansoprazole, 30 mg daily, to ranitidine 150 mg bid for treatment of erosive reflux esophagitis resistant to histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RA). Patients were evaluated after 2, 4, 6, and 8 wk of treatment by symptom assessment and endoscopy. Healing rates for lansoprazole were 71%, 80%, 88%, and 89% at 2, 4, 6, and 8 wk, respectively, compared to 21%, 33%, 45%, and 38% for ranitidine (p < 0.001 at all points). Lansoprazole was significantly more effective than ranitidine for relief of heartburn and reduction of antacid tablet use. Increases in serum gastrin concentrations between the baseline and the 8-wk visit were greater in lansoprazole-treated than in ranitidine-treated patients. Lansoprazole was safe and well tolerated. In patients with erosive reflux esophagitis resistant to standard doses of H2RA, lansoprazole 30 mg/day is more effective than continuation of an H2RA (ranitidine 150 mg bid) for healing of esophagitis and improvement of symptoms.

Pathogenesis of fecal incontinence in diabetes mellitus: evidence for internal-anal-sphincter dysfunction.

We studied 16 patients with diabetes and fecal incontinence. The onset of incontinence coincided with the onset of chronic diarrhea in most patients. Episodes of incontinence occurred when stools were frequent and loose; however, 24-hour stool weights were usually within normal limits. All patients had evidence of autonomic neuropathy, and one third had steatorrhea. Incontinent diabetics had a lower mean basal anal-sphincter pressure than 35 normal subjects (63 +/- 4 vs. 37 +/- 4 mm Hg; P less than 0.001), reflecting abnormal internal-anal-sphincter function. The increment in sphincter pressure with voluntary contraction (external-sphincter function) was not significantly different from normal. Incontinent diabetics also had impaired continence for a solid sphere and for rectally infused saline. In contrast, 14 diabetics without diarrhea or incontinence had normal sphincter pressures and normal results on tests of continence, even though 79 per cent had evidence of autonomic neuropathy and nearly half had steatorrhea. We conclude that incontinence in diabetic patients is related to abnormal internal-anal-sphincter function, and that as a group, diabetics without diarrhea do not have latent defects in continence.

Acute effect of diphenoxylate with atropine (Lomotil) in patients with chronic diarrhea and fecal incontinence.

Fifteen patients with chronic diarrhea and fecal incontinence were admitted to a clinical research center and treated for 3 days with either placebo or diphenoxylate with atropine (Lomotil). The patients were then crossed over to the alternate medication. Lomotil had no effect on rectal or anal sphincter pressure or on continence for saline that had been infused into the rectum. However, Lomotil therapy reduced average stool frequency (from 4.9 to 2.6 times/day) and average stool weight (from 460 to 256 g/day). These results suggest that temporary or intermittent therapy with Lomotil and related drugs might benefit patients with chronic diarrhea and fecal incontinence. They should do this by virtue of a reduction in stool frequency and stool volume, without a deleterious effect on the defense mechanisms against incontinence.

Positive 99mTc-stannous pyrophosphate myocardial image in a patient with carcinoma of the lung.

A "false-positive" 99mTc-stannous pyrophosphate (99mTc-PYP) myocardial image was seen in a patient with epidermoid carcinoma of the lung. The location of the increased activity corresponded to an area of direct invasion of the heart by carcinoma with associated multiple microscopic foci of myocardial necrosis. Metastatic carcinoma with myocardial necrosis should therefore be considered as a possible cause of a positive 99mTc-PYP myocardial image.