The impact of oral phenylpropanolamine on blood pressure: a meta-analysis and review of the literature.

Oral phenylpropanolamine is commonly used to treat congestion and obesity. Clinicians often wonder what effect it has on blood pressure and whether they are safe in hypertensive patients. The purpose of our systematic review was to assess whether these drugs cause clinically meaningful elevations in pulse or blood pressure. English-language, randomized, placebo-controlled trials of oral phenylpropanolamine in adults with extractable data on pulse or blood pressure were studied. MEDLINE (1966-2003), Embase, the Cochrane library and reviewed article references were used as sources. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate data were extracted. Additional extracted data included demographics, year, study design, study duration, drug dose and frequency, duration of washout and country. Study quality was assessed using the methods of Jadad and data were synthesized using a random effects model using weighted mean differences. In all, 33 trials reporting 48 treatment arms with 2165 patients were included. Phenylpropanolamine increased SBP 5.5 mmHg (95% CI: 3.1-8.0) and DBP 4.1 mmHg (95% CI: 2.2-6.0) with no effect on pulse. Patients with controlled hypertension were not at greater risk of blood pressure elevation. Immediate release preparations had greater effects on blood pressure than sustained release ones. Higher doses and shorter duration use also caused greater increases. Eighteen studies contained at least one treated subjects having blood pressure elevations > or =140/90 mmHg, an increase in SBP > or =15 mmHg or an increase in DBP > or =10 mmHg. In conclusion, phenylpropanolamine caused a small, but significant increase in systolic blood pressure. The effect was more pronounced with shorter-term administration, higher doses of medication and immediate release formulations.

Patient perceptions of the capabilities of internists: a multi-center survey.

PURPOSE: Surveys conducted by the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine have shown that the public has varying opinions about the capabilities of internists. However, the perceptions of patients seeking care from internists remain uncertain. We wished to determine how patients visiting general internists perceived them and discover whether patients understood the differences between internists and other primary care physicians. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We surveyed established adult patients visiting three general internal medicine clinics in Georgia, Iowa, and Vermont. Patients answered 11 questions about their perceptions of an internist's scope of care and selected which of 24 diseases, symptoms, or examination skills they thought an internist could manage. RESULTS: Patients completed 601 (66%) of the 911 surveys distributed. Nearly half of patients (45%) confused internists with family physicians and 39% thought internists could treat children. Patients with college education were more than twice as likely to know that internists were not interns (Odds ratio = 2.6, 95% confidence interval 1.8 to 3.8, P < 0.001) compared with patients having less education. Only 50% of patients thought an internist was trained in women's health. Significantly more (P < 0.001) patients demonstrated confidence in an internist's ability to treat symptoms (76%) than treat specific diseases (59%) or perform clinical examinations (54%). CONCLUSIONS: Established patients seeking care in internal medicine clinics lack consensus on the capabilities of internists, especially on how they differ from other specialties. Continued public education efforts should be considered to promote better understanding of the role of the internist as a specialist in adult medicine.

The opinion of current and recent internal medicine residents regarding a fourth year of training and the future of general internal medicine. American College of Physicians National Council of Associates.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the opinion of current residents and recent graduates of internal medicine training programs regarding an additional mandatory year of residency training. METHODS: A survey was made of 2,000 associate members of the American College of Physicians from five geographic regions. RESULTS: Of 917 respondents, 70.3% thought a fourth year of training would impact negatively on their choice of a career in internal medicine, and 82.9% believed a mandatory fourth year should not be required of residents choosing a subspecialty career. Furthermore, 58.1% of physicians surveyed thought a mandatory fourth year would discourage individuals from pursuing subspecialty careers. If a mandatory fourth year of training were required, 50.7% respondents indicated that it should consist of ambulatory training in a number of general fields, while 49.6% physicians believed the training should focus on one or two subspecialty fields. CONCLUSIONS: A mandatory fourth year of training is not supported by residents and recent graduates of the programs surveyed.

Sulfasalazine pulmonary toxicity in ulcerative colitis mimicking clinical features of Wegener's granulomatosis.

The centrally accentuated antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody test (c-ANCA) is widely regarded as a sensitive and specific marker for Wegener's granulomatosis (WG). There are increasing reports, however, of false-positive c-ANCAs, usually in the setting of other vasculidities. We report a case of a 27-year-old man with ulcerative colitis who developed pulmonary symptoms, peripheral nodular lung infiltrates, and an elevated c-ANCA suggesting WG. Chest CT and open lung biopsy specimens were consistent with WG. The symptoms and pulmonary infiltrates resolved after discontinuation of sulfasalazine therapy. The c-ANCA remained elevated due to the occurrence of false-positive values in ulcerative colitis. We conclude sulfasalazine toxicity can mimic clinical aspects of WG and that c-ANCA testing should be interpreted with caution in patients with ulcerative colitis.

The effect of multiple neuroimaging studies on classification, treatment, and outcome of acute ischemic stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of serial neuroimaging studies on the diagnosis, therapy, and outcome of patients with acute stroke. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Tertiary care teaching hospital. PATIENTS: 206 adult patients (mean age +/- SD, 66.0 +/- 10.8 years) hospitalized with a diagnosis of acute stroke between 1990 and 1993. MEASUREMENTS: Strokes were retrospectively assigned to five categories (large-vessel, small-vessel, cardioembolic, other, or unknown) using standardized criteria based on the history, physical examination, ancillary test results, and first computed tomographic (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of the head. Strokes were reclassified after the results of further neuroimaging studies, if any, were reviewed. The type and timing of therapy and the patient outcome at hospital discharge were documented. RESULTS: The additional studies changed stroke classification in only 20.0% of the 140 patients who had two or more neuroimaging studies. All classification changes were from the unknown cause category to a category with a specific cause. In most patients receiving treatment (93.2%), therapy began before an additional CT or MRI study was obtained. In patients who had one neuroimaging study, 70.1% went home, 24.0% went to a skilled nursing facility, and 5.9% died; the corresponding percentages in persons who had multiple studies were 73.3%, 24.4%, and 2.2% (P > 0.1). CONCLUSIONS: Serial neuroimaging studies did not alter the classification of strokes for which an initial diagnosis had already been made. However, they were useful in determining the cause of strokes initially classified as having an unknown cause. Therapy was almost always begun immediately after the first CT or MRI study was obtained. Outcome at hospital discharge was not significantly related to the number of neuroimaging studies obtained.

Eosinophilic pneumonia and respiratory failure associated with a trazodone overdose.

Drug-induced eosinophilic lung disease commonly presents as a simple pulmonary eosinophilia-like syndrome consisting of transient pulmonary infiltrates, peripheral eosinophilia, and mild pulmonary symptoms that disappear promptly upon withdrawal of the offending medication. However, a more fulminant presentation most resembling acute eosinophilic pneumonia has been recently described. We present a patient with BAL-confirmed eosinophilic pneumonia (EP) and respiratory failure after a trazodone overdose. This is the first case of EP associated with trazodone and only the third drug-mediated EP reported to precipitate respiratory failure.

Calcium channel antagonists. What do the second-generation agents have to offer?

Calcium channel antagonists have gained widespread acceptance for treatment of a variety of cardiovascular disorders. Newer drugs of the dihydropyridine class are especially attractive for treating hypertension and angina because of their increased vascular selectivity, favorable side-effect profile, and pharmacokinetics that allow once-daily dosing. In the future, calcium channel antagonists may also play a role in antiatherogenic therapy and in treatment of congestive heart failure and cerebrovascular disease as results of prospective studies become available and new agents are developed.

Dystonia in central pontine myelinolysis without evidence of extrapontine myelinolysis.

A 44-year-old female is described who developed persistent upper extremity and orolingual dystonia several weeks after suspected onset of central pontine myelinolysis (CPM), later confirmed by characteristic pontine lesions on MRI. No foci of the extrapontine myelinolysis were evident. This case confirms that dystonia may be a late and persistent sequela of CPM and may occur in the absence of visible lesions outside the brainstem.

Monitoring EMS protocol deviations: a useful quality assurance tool.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence, type, and outcome of protocol deviations in an emergency medical services (EMS) system. DESIGN: Retrospective consecutive case series. SETTING: Seven advanced life support ambulance services servicing five area hospital emergency departments. PATIENTS: 1,246 patients requiring advanced life support care. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Advanced life support ambulance runs during a two-month period were examined for protocol deviations. Of 1,246 runs examined, 16% had deviations. Approximately 55% of these deviations were minor, 38% were serious, and 7% were very serious in nature. The effects of the errors were evaluated using hospital records. Results showed that 89.5% of patients were unaffected, 5.0% improved, and 5.5% suffered complications from deviations. Emergency medical technicians committed 69% of the deviations without the consent of medical control, medical control committed an additional 18%, and both were responsible in 13% of cases. Incomplete histories were found in 8% of cases. CONCLUSION: Protocol deviations committed in prehospital care do not usually cause direct harm to patients. On review of these deviations, however, several disturbing trends were uncovered, including misconceptions in the use of IV therapy, a number of serious deviations in advanced cardiac life support protocols, and lack of communication with medical control. This type of quality assurance study has the ability to identify areas of strength and weakness in an EMS system, allowing planning of ongoing educational efforts in the system.

Advances in neurology at Turner's Lane Military Hospital.

The work of physicians at Turner's Lane Military Hospital, Philadelphia, stimulated interest in neurology in the United States, leading to the post-Civil War emergence of neurology as a distinct medical specialty. These physicians advanced their profession and benefitted their patients.