ABSTRACT
The purpose of this investigation was to explore facets involved in the retention of the cognitive knowledge and psychomotor skills of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by 73 RNs from three general hospitals. Data analysis indicated that cognitive knowledge was adequately retained but that skills were not. Product-moment correlation coefficients showed that the number of CPR courses taken, certification as a CPR instructor, the number of years certified, and time since last certification were significantly related to skill scores. Findings prompt questions of appropriateness of the usual certification procedures for hospital-based RNs.
Subject(s)
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation/education , Clinical Competence/standards , Education, Nursing, Continuing/standards , Educational Measurement , Nursing Staff, Hospital/education , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Nursing Staff, Hospital/standards , Program EvaluationABSTRACT
Since a protease inhibitor or anaphylatoxin inactivator deficiency might explain why certain individuals are prone to develop chronic urticaria/angioedema or anaphylactoid reactions to radiographic contrast media, serum alpha 1-protease inhibitor, alpha 1-antichymotrypsin, alpha 2-macroglobulin, inter-alpha-inhibitor, antithrombin III, alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor, C1 inhibitor, and serum carboxypeptidase N were assessed by immunologic or functional methods. These values all were within normal limits in both groups of patients except for a low mean alpha 1-protease inhibitor level in chronic idiopathic urticaria/angioedema and cold urticaria patients and marginal decreases of alpha 1-protease and inter-alpha-inhibitor levels in radiographic contrast medium reactors. However, these abnormalities were not thought to be of pathogenetic significance.
Subject(s)
Anaphylatoxins/antagonists & inhibitors , Anaphylaxis/chemically induced , Angioedema/blood , Contrast Media/adverse effects , Peptides/antagonists & inhibitors , Protease Inhibitors/blood , Urticaria/blood , Chronic Disease , Humans , Nephelometry and TurbidimetryABSTRACT
"Triad" asthmatics often have sinus disease, nasal polyps, and obstructive airways disease. This presentation is reminiscent of the symptoms of persons afflicted with various forms of ciliary dyskinesia. Therefore, we examined tissues from seven "triad" asthmatic patients for ciliary structural or functional abnormalities. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy revealed no specific abnormalities. Cultures of nasal epithelia were maintained for up to 20 weeks. They showed normal ciliary activity which was not influenced by perfusing the tissue with medium containing aspirin. In contrast, control tissue from a patient with situs inversus and sinusitis showed the expected structural and functional ciliary abnormalities. In culture, the ciliary function of tissue from this patient could be partly restored by perfusion with ATP or ATPase.
