A study of sex differences in presentation for care of HIV.

The current study examines sex differences in 183 male and 141 female patients presenting for care of HIV disease at an inner city hospital infectious disease clinic. Females (43%) were found to be less likely to have a history of illicit drug use (relative risk = .77, p < .01) and more likely to have become infected heterosexually (relative risk = 2.38, p < .01). However, a significant number of women reported both intravenous drug use (IVDU) and heterosexual exposure to an IVDU partner which complicates the analysis of the risk factors. Women sought testing because they knew that their sexual partners were HIV-positive (relative risk = 2.88, p < .01) Median CD4 counts at entry were significantly different (females = 340, males = 246; p < .01). Women were less likely to contract tuberculosis, the only infection which presented with a sex difference (relative risk = .38, p < .01) and to have previously had an AIDS defining infection (relative risk = .37, p < .01). Women took longer to progress to AIDS (42 vs. 19 months; p < .05). Survival of patients with AIDS was 51 months for females and 54 for males (p > 0.9). It did appear that the effect of a lower CD4 cell count on risk for death was magnified in patients who acquired their disease through heterosexual transmission. Women presented with higher CD4 counts, were more aware of their risk factors and fared better, with respect to progression to AIDS, than the men. The study underscored the impact of heterosexual transmission of the virus in women as well as the affect of this risk factor on disease progression. Hopefully, this information will initiate further studies on sex differences which will guide interventions and policy development.

Oral labetalol versus oral clonidine in the emergency treatment of severe hypertension.

This study was designed to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of oral clonidine and oral labetalol in the treatment of severe hypertension in an emergency department setting. Thirty-six patients with severely elevated blood pressure (mean baseline blood pressure 199/132 mm Hg) without acute end-organ dysfunction were treated with either oral labetalol or oral clonidine in a randomized double-blind prospective study. Labetalol was administered as an initial dose of 200 mg, followed by hourly 200 mg doses up to 1,200 mg. Clonidine was administered as an initial dose of 0.2 mg, followed by hourly 0.1 mg doses up to 0.7 mg. Labetalol reduced diastolic blood pressure in 94% of the patients within 6 hours, with a mean reduction in blood pressure of 54/37 mm Hg. Clonidine reduced diastolic blood pressure in 83% of the patients within 6 hours, with a mean reduction in blood pressure of 57/32 mm Hg. The authors conclude that oral labetalol was comparable to clonidine in efficacy, had a similar incidence of side effects, and offered the clinician a useful alternative for the treatment of severe hypertension in an emergency department setting. Further studies are indicated to determine appropriate dosing regimens for oral labetalol in the acute treatment of severe hypertension.

Fingerstick glucose determination in shock.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of fingerstick glucose measurements in severely hypotensive patients. DESIGN: Prospective, nonrandomized comparison study. SETTING: Emergency department in a university hospital. PATIENTS: Twenty-five severely hypotensive patients (systolic blood pressure less than or equal to 80 mm Hg) and 39 normotensive patients. MEASUREMENTS: Simultaneous fingerstick reagent strip glucose, venous reagent strip glucose, and laboratory glucose values were compared. Data were analyzed using error-grid analysis. RESULTS: In hypotensive patients, the mean fingerstick glucose values were significantly lower than the values obtained either by venous reagent strip or laboratory glucose measurements. Fingerstick glucose values in the hypotensive group were 67.5% of laboratory glucose values, and were significantly lower than the values obtained in the normotensive group (91.8%, P less than 0.001). Only 36% of the hypotensive patients had fingerstick glucose values within the acceptable range of 20% of the laboratory glucose value. Thirty-two percent of hypotensive patients were incorrectly diagnosed as hypoglycemic (glucose less than 3.89 mmol/L [70 mg/dL]); 2 of these patients were actually hyperglycemic (glucose greater than 11.10 mmol/L [200 mg/dL]). Venous reagent strip measurements accurately reflected laboratory glucose values in both hypotensive and normotensive patients. CONCLUSIONS: Fingerstick glucose testing does not accurately represent venous glucose levels in severely hypotensive patients. If fingerstick glucose testing is relied on for these patients, errors in clinical management may be made. Venous reagent strip glucose testing correlates well with laboratory glucose measurements and should be the preferred method for rapid assessment of glucose level in critically ill patients with severe hypotension.

Successful CPR in a severely hypothermic patient using continuous thoracostomy lavage.

Severe hypothermia with cardiopulmonary arrest often requires prolonged resuscitation while rewarming procedures are implemented. A 63-year-old male in cardiopulmonary arrest with a core body temperature of 23.7 C was resuscitated successfully after core rewarming by means of a two-chest-tube continuous thoracostomy lavage procedure. This lavage procedure resulted in effective and rapid rewarming after other conventional rewarming methods had failed.