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This is a description and critical analysis of current diagnosis and treatment of diverticular hemorrhage. The focus is on colonoscopy for identification and treatment of stigmata of recent hemorrhage (SRH) in diverticula. A classification of definitive, presumptive, and incidental diverticular hemorrhage is reviewed and recommended. The approach to definitive diagnosis with urgent colonoscopy is put into perspective of other management strategies including angiography (of different types), nuclear medicine scans, surgery, and medical treatment. Advancements in diagnosis, risk stratification, and colonoscopic hemostasis are described including those that obliterate arterial blood flow underneath SRH and prevent diverticular rebleeding. Recent innovations are discussed.

Background: Use of proton-pump inhibitors in the management of peptic ulcer bleeding is controversial because discrepant results have been reported in different ethnic groups. Objective: To determine whether intravenous esomeprazole prevents recurrent peptic ulcer bleeding better than placebo in a multiethnic patient sample. Design: Randomized trial conducted between October 2005 and December 2007; patients, providers, and researchers were blinded to group assignment. Setting: 91 hospital emergency departments in 16 countries. Patients: Patients 18 years or older with peptic ulcer bleeding from a single gastric or duodenal ulcer showing high-risk stigmata. Intervention: Intravenous esomeprazole bolus, 80 rag, followed by 8-mg/h infusion, over 72 hours or matching placebo, each given after successful endoscopic hemostasis. Intervention was allocated by computer-generated randomization. After infusion, both groups received oral esomeprazole, 40 mg/d, for 27 days. Measurements: The primary end point was rate of clinically significant recurrent bleeding within 72 hours. Recurrent bleeding within 7 and 30 days, death, surgery, endoscopic re-treatment, blood transfusions, hospitalization, and safety were also assessed. Results: Of 767 patients randomly assigned, 764 provided data for an intention-to-treat analysis (375 esomeprazole recipients and 389 placebo recipients). Fewer patients receiving intravenous esomeprazole (22 of 375) had recurrent bleeding within 72 hours than those receiving placebo (40 of 389) (5.9% vs. 10.3%; difference, 4.4 percentage points [95% CI, 0.6% to 8.3%]; P = 0.026). The difference in bleeding recurrence remained significant at 7 days and 30 days (P = 0.010). Esomeprazole also reduced endoscopic retreatment (6.4% vs. 11.6%; difference, 5.2 percentage points [95% CI of difference, 1.1 percentage points to 9.2 percentage points]; P = 0.012), surgery (2.7% vs. 5.4%), and all-cause mortality rates (0.8% vs. 2.1%) more than placebo, although differences for the latter 2 comparisons were not significant. About 10% and 40% of patients in both groups reported serious and nonserious adverse events, respectively. Limitation: Endoscopic therapy was not completely standardized; some patients received epinephrine injection, thermal coagulation, or hemoclips alone, whereas others received combination therapy, but there were similar proportions with single therapy in each group. Conclusion: High-dose intravenous esomeprazole given after successful endoscopic therapy to patients with high-risk peptic ulcer bleeding reduced recurrent bleeding at 72 hours and had sustained clinical benefits for up to 30 days. Primary Funding Source: AstraZeneca Research and Development.

A cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) is ideally suited to quantify exercise tolerance and evaluate the pathophysiological mechanism(s) of dyspnea and exercise limitation in people with chronic respiratory disease. Although there are several statements on CPET and many outstanding resources detailing the cardiorespiratory and perceptual responses to exercise, limited information is available to support the health care provider in conducting a practical CPET evaluation. This article provides the health care provider with practical and timely information on how to use CPET data to understand dyspnea and exercise intolerance in people with chronic respiratory diseases. Information on CPET protocol, as well as how to evaluate maximal patient effort, peak rate of oxygen consumption, ventilatory demand, pulmonary gas exchange, ventilatory reserve, operating lung volumes, and exertional dyspnea, is presented. Two case examples are also described to highlight how these parameters are evaluated to provide a clinical interpretation of CPET data.

Individuals with COPD have increased sensitivity to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) such as diesel exhaust (DE), but little is known about the acute effects of TRAP on exercise responses in COPD.

Traditional school district boundaries, concepts and clients are no longer the dominate paradigm in Wayne, Nebraska--an American heartland. Through a unique collaborative effort, the scope of the district's curriculum now […]

Up-to-date normative reference sets for cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) are important to aid in the accurate interpretation of CPET in clinical or research settings.

In patients with a history suggestive of asthma, diagnosis is usually confirmed by spirometry with bronchodilator response (BDR) or confirmatory methacholine challenge testing (MCT).

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management is guided by the respiratory symptom burden, assessed using the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale and/or COPD Assessment Test (CAT).

Although it is generally accepted that aerobic exercise training does not change lung structure or function, some work suggests that greater pulmonary vascular structure and function is associated with higher exercise capacity (peak oxygen consumption [Vo2peak]).

Exertional breathlessness is a cardinal symptom of cardiorespiratory disease.

Gastrointestinal varices are associated with cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Variceal hemorrhage is a substantial cause of morbidity and mortality, with esophageal and gastric varices the most common source and rectal varices a much less common cause of severe gastrointestinal bleeding. The goals of managing variceal hemorrhage are control of active bleeding and prevention of rebleeding. This article focuses on reviewing the current management strategies, including optimal medical, endoscopic, and angiographic interventions and their clinical outcomes to achieve these goals. Evidence based discussion is used with current references as much as possible.

Online Libraries: Convenient, Safe And Effective Technology directors have long urged teachers to apply more technology into regular classroom activities. Yet, the majority of teachers across America do not use […]

Non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding remains an important emergency condition, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. As endoscopic therapy is the ’gold standard' of management, treatment of these patients can be considered in three stages: pre-endoscopic treatment, endoscopic haemostasis and post-endoscopic management. Since publication of the Asia-Pacific consensus on non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB) 7 years ago, there have been significant advancements in the clinical management of patients in all three stages. These include pre-endoscopy risk stratification scores, blood and platelet transfusion, use of proton pump inhibitors; during endoscopy new haemostasis techniques (haemostatic powder spray and over-the-scope clips); and post-endoscopy management by second-look endoscopy and medication strategies. Emerging techniques, including capsule endoscopy and Doppler endoscopic probe in assessing adequacy of endoscopic therapy, and the pre-emptive use of angiographic embolisation, are attracting new attention. An emerging problem is the increasing use of dual antiplatelet agents and direct oral anticoagulants in patients with cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases. Guidelines on the discontinuation and then resumption of these agents in patients presenting with NVUGIB are very much needed. The Asia-Pacific Working Group examined recent evidence and recommends practical management guidelines in this updated consensus statement.

Patients who have a peptic ulcer that has bled in the past should be treated with thermal coagulation and an intravenous proton pump inhibitor such as omeprazole if endoscopy detects visible blood vessels or a blood clot on a blood vessel. Thermal coagulation can be delivered via endoscopy. The combined treatment may be more effective than proton pump inhibitors alone.

OBJECTIVES:Our aims were to assess risks of early rebleeding after successful endoscopic hemostasis for Forrest oozing (FIB) peptic ulcer bleeding (PUBs) compared with other stigmata of recent hemorrhage (SRH).METHODS:These were post hoc multivariable analyses of a large, international, double-blind study (NCT00251979) of patients randomized to high-dose intravenous (IV) esomeprazole (PPI) or placebo for 72 h. Rebleeding rates of patients with PUB SRH treated with either PPI or placebo after successful endoscopic hemostasis were also compared.RESULTS:For patients treated with placebo for 72 h after successful endoscopic hemostasis, rebleed rates by SRH were spurting arterial bleeding (FIA) 22.5%, adherent clot (FIIB) 17.6%, non-bleeding visible vessel (FIIA) 11.3%, and oozing bleeding (FIB) 4.9%. Compared with FIB patients, FIA, FIIB, and FIIA had significantly greater risks of rebleeding with odds ratios (95% CI’s) from 2.61 (1.05, 6.52) for FIIA to 6.66 (2.19, 20.26) for FIA. After hemostasis, PUB rebleeding rates for FIB patients at 72 h were similar with esomeprazole (5.4%) and placebo (4.9%), whereas rebleed rates for all other major SRH (FIA, FIIA, FIIB) were lower for PPI than placebo, but the treatment by SRH interaction test was not statistically significant.CONCLUSIONS:After successful endoscopic hemostasis, FIB patients had very low PUB rebleeding rates irrespective of PPI or placebo treatment. This implies that after successful endoscopic hemostasis the prognostic classification of FIB ulcers as a high-risk SRH and the recommendation to treat these with high-dose IV PPI’s should be re-evaluated.

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It's interesting that Gain the Edge! (St. Martin's Press, $24.95) and The Only Negotiating Guide You'll Ever Need (Broadway Books, $14) both highlight the negotiating tactics involved in the 1998-1999 […]

It follows explicitly from the EC VAT Directive that the deduction of input VAT depends on a positive link between on the one hand the incurred expenses and on the other hand the planned or actually completed taxed output transactions. In theory and in practice, however, the deeper nature of this link constantly gives rise to uncertainty, and thus also uncertainty in relation to the necessary distinction between direct costs and overhead costs. The purpose of this article is to analyse the recent case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) with a view to assessing the status of the relevant test used when establishing the link between a taxable person's different input and output transactions.

Obese individuals have impaired respiratory function relative to their normal-weight counterparts. Despite these negative effects, obesity is paradoxically associated with better survival in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The purpose of this review is to describe this ‘obesity paradox’, to discuss the effects of obesity on respiratory function, and to speculate as to whether obesity-related alterations in respiratory mechanics can influence the natural history of COPD.

The purpose of this review is to identify new advances in our understanding of dyspnea in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Specifically, we highlight new scientific discoveries concerning the language of dyspnea, its underlying mechanisms and its clinical management.

Dyspnea and exercise limitation are the dominant symptoms of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and progress relentlessly as the disease advances. Effective management of these disabling symptoms awaits a better understanding of their underlying physiology. Recent research has identified a number of physiological mechanisms that can be targeted for therapeutic manipulation. Thus, interventions that improve dynamic ventilatory mechanics during exercise or reduce ventilatory demand (relative to capacity) will consistently improve exertional symptoms and physical performance even in patients with severe COPD. In this review we will attempt to provide a physiological construct to explain how modern bronchodilator therapy effectively relieves dyspnea and improves exercise endurance in COPD. We will then discuss new advances in our understanding of how oxygen enrichment of the inspired air results in impressive improvements of exertional symptoms and exercise performance even in patients without significant activityinduced arterial oxygen desaturation. Finally, we will demonstrate how combining therapies that improve airflow dynamics with those that alter the central neural drive to breathe have additive and clinically meaningful benefits in patients with advanced COPD.

To examine the effects of acute maternal hypocapnia and hypercapnia on electronic fetal heart rate (FHR) patterns in late gestation.

The safety and efficacy of poly-N-acetyl glucosamine (p-GlcNAc) gels were compared with standard agents in three different dog studies to assess abdominal venous collaterals, bleeding esophageal varices, and bleeding gastric varices.

Background & Aims:Treatment of high-risk patients with nonbleeding adherent clots on ulcers is controversial. In a previous randomized trial, there was no benefit to endoscopic therapies compared with medical therapy for prevention of ulcer rebleeding. Our purpose was to test the hypothesis that patients treated with combination endoscopic therapy would have significantly lower rebleeding rates than those treated with medical therapy. Methods:In this randomized, controlled trial, 32 high-risk patients with severe ulcer hemorrhage and nonbleeding adherent clots resistant to target irrigation were randomized to medical therapy or to combination endoscopic therapy (with epinephrine injection, shaving down the clot with cold guillotining, and bipolar coagulation on the underlying stigmata). Physicians blinded to the endoscopic therapy managed all patients. Results:Patients were similar at study entry, except for older age in the medical group and lower platelet count in the endoscopic group. By hospital discharge, significantly more medically treated patients (6/17; 35.3%) than endoscopically treated patients (0/15; 0%) rebled (P= 0.011). There were no complications of endoscopic treatment. Conclusions:Combination endoscopic therapy of nonbleeding adherent clots significantly reduced early ulcer rebleeding rates in high-risk patients compared with medical therapy alone. This endoscopic treatment was safe.

We investigated the influence of electrical stimulation of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) on the motoneuron pool of the thigh muscle during voluntary static and dynamic muscle contraction. The study group comprised nine young men with no history of injury to the knee joints. Multistranded Teflon‐insulated stainless‐steel wires were inserted into the PCL guided by ultrasound. In three subjects wires were also inserted into the fat pad of the knee. The PCL was electrically stimulated during static, concentric, or eccentric muscle contraction with a constant load of 20% of the maximal voluntary contraction of either the quadriceps or the hamstrings. Electromyographic signals were recorded with bipolar surface electrodes placed over the vastus medialis, rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, biceps femoris caput longum, and semitendinosus muscles. The stimuli consisted of four pulses delivered at 200 HZ; the stimulus amplitude was two to three times the sensory threshold. The electrical stimulation of the PCL inhibited the ongoing muscle activity in both the quadriceps and hamstrings with latencies of 114–150 ms and 99–130 ms, respectively. Stimulation of the fat pad of the knee did not influence the muscle activity. The study suggests that the mechanoreceptors in the PCL are involved in controlling muscle activity during both static and active muscle contractions. The relative long latency of the reflex makes it unlikely that it can serve as a directly protective reflex for the cruciate ligaments. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 24: 1482–1488, 2001

In the last two decades, significant progress has been made in the diagnosis, prognostication and treatment of patients with severe peptic ulcer haemorrhage. Patients can now be risk stratified by clinical presentation and endoscopic stigmata of ulcer haemorrhage. The purposes of this chapter are to discuss: (1) the techniques of thermal probe with or without epinephrine for haemostasis of ulcers with major stigmata of haemorrhage and (2) the outcomes of treatment of patients with ulcer haemorrhage treated with endoscopic thermal probes or other therapies, medical therapy and/or surgery. Compared to medical therapy alone, patients with major stigmata actively bleeding ulcers, non-bleeding visible vessels and non-bleeding adherent clots have been shown to benefit from endoscopic haemostasis with bipolar probe, heater probe, lasers or epinephrine injection. Outcomes showing significant improvement include blood transfusions, emergency surgery rates and length of hospital stay. Meta-analyses have also reported improvements in mortality for endoscopic compared with medical therapy of patients with severe ulcer haemorrhage and major stigmata. Patients with minor stigmata of ulcer haemorrhage (such as flat spots) or no stigmata (clean-based ulcers) do not benefit from endoscopic haemostasis. Thermal probes have the advantages of good coaptive coagulation, target irrigation, portability and relative inexpense. Recently, patients with active arterial bleeding, non-bleeding adherent clots or non-bleeding visible vessels have been reported to have better results with combination epinephrine injection and thermal probe compared to monotherapy alone (such as injection, bipolar or heater probe). In addititon, repeat endoscopic combination therapy has been reported to be as effective but safer than emergency surgery for management of recurrent ulcer haemorrhage.

Gastrointest Endosc 1999;49:S100-4.

Stress ulceration has been studied in various high-risk populations. This review presents recent studies about risk factors for the development of stress-related mucosal damage and compares different treatments for prophylaxis and therapy of stress-related mucosal damage and stress ulcer bleeding.

The purposes of this study were (a) to determine the applicability of endoscopic palliation for patients with esophagogastric cancer strictures in a referral center, and (b) to compare the efficacy and safety of the BICAP tumor probe with the neodymiumyttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) laser for such palliation. Forty-two consecutive patients with weight loss and obstructive symptoms from an unresectable, malignant esophageal stricture were referred for endoscopic palliation. Fourteen patients did not meet the criteria for YAG laser or BICAP tumor probe treatment and other therapies were recommended. Twenty-eight patients were treated, the first 14 with low-power YAG laser and the last 14 with BICAP tumor probe. All patients had coagulation of malignant strictures in one session. Treated patients were similar in background variables and stricture lengths but twice as much thermal energy was needed for the YAG laser as the BICAP tumor probe treatment. Treatment results were not statistically different during the median follow-up and survival of 16 wk. As minor complications, either pain or edema requiring dilatation was more common in the YAG laser-treated group than the BICAP tumor probe group. Treatment-related esophageal strictures developed in 21% of patients treated with YAG laser. A fistula developed in 1 patient with noncircumferential cancer in the BICAP tumor probe group. Compared with only the intake of liquids before treatment, 86% of patients could eat a soft or solid diet after initial treatment with BICAP tumor probe or YAG laser. Our conclusions were that for BICAP tumor probe and YAG laser, endoscopic palliation efficacy and safety for circumferential esophageal cancer strictures were similar. The advantages of using the BICAP tumor probe were portability, lower equipment costs, and the ability to treat submucosal, long, or high esophageal cancer strictures in one session. Treatment with YAG laser was safer than BICAP tumor probe for exophytic, noncircumferential cancers because the laser could be directed endoscopically. Use of the BICAP tumor probe is not recommended for noncircumferential esophagogastric cancer strictures.

Neoplasms in the upper gastrointestinal (UGI) tract account for the minority of episodes of acute UGI bleeding. Many UGI neoplasms have been associated with blood loss and anemia; however, if the bleeding is severe and persistent, endoscopic or surgical intervention may be necessary. Such intervention depends on tumor characteristics (location, type, extent) and the general condition of the patient. Upper GI neoplasms with associated GI bleeding are discussed, including an overview of their incidence and prevalence, clinical features, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatments, including endoscopic treatments.

This article focuses on the endoscopic diagnosis and management of patients with Mallory-Weiss tears. Specific emphasis is placed on the applicability of newer endoscopic hemostasis techniques. Also, a high-risk subset of patients with Mallory-Weiss syndrome—those with underlying portal hypertension—are described and appropriate treatment is discussed.

The only documented cure for bleeding peptic ulcers is surgery. Emergency endoscopic hemostasis is often successful for control of active bleeding and control of rebleeding. Ulcers heal in most patients with medical treatment. The risk of re-ulcerations and rebleeding is high, however, unless patients stay on continuous maintenance H2receptor antagonists and off nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or aspirin. This has been cost effective in some studies for 8 to 20 years compared to surgery. The role of ulcer surgery, NSAIDs, and Heliobacter pyloriin recurrent ulceration and rebleeding are discussed, although detailed studies on the subgroup of ulcer bleeders are few.

Endoscopic heater probe coagulation is a newer technique for hemostasis of ulcers and other nonvariceal lesions. For hemostasis of peptic ulcers, a standardized technique is recommended, which includes a large diameter probe (3.2 mm), firm tamponade directly on the active bleeding site or nonbleeding visible vessel, and coagulation with 120 J (four 30-J pulses) before changing the probe position. Coagulation with either the tip or side of the heater probe is feasible. Several randomized controlled studies have demonstrated that patients with major stigmata of ulcer hemorrhage have significantly better outcomes after endoscopic heater probe coagulation than with medical management.

This article reviews bleeding from upper gastrointestinal angioma in Osler-Weber-Rendu syndrome and non-Oslo-Weber-Rendu syndrome angioma patients. A recent advance in medical therapy is the use of estrogen-progesterone preparations, which have been shown in select patients to reduce the long-term rate of rebleeding from gut angiomata. Endoscopic therapy with lasers or contact thermal probes have been shown to offer good palliation for control of bleeding and prevention of rebleeding from gut angioma, which can be reached with endoscopes. Finally, the relevance of concurrent medical-surgical conditions such as renal failure of heart failure from valvular heart disease as they relate to anioma bleeding is explained.

Approximately 10% to 15% of patients seen by gastroenterologists have severe, ongoing hematochezia, which most physicians assume is from a lower gastrointestinal (LGI) source. This article discusses current colonoscopic diagnosis and treatment of patients with severe LGI bleeding. The authors present their approach to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with severe hematochezia. They also discuss the specific lesions that cause this condition and the cost assessment of emergency colonoscopy compared to other approaches for diagnosis and treatment of severe hematochezia.

Summary This is the second report of a malignant peritoneal mesothelioma diagnosed by laparoscopy and guided needle biopsy and the first with photographic documentation of the lesion. The case illustrates the following points: (1) diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma should be considered in the evaluation of exudative ascites; (2) the only definitive diagnostic procedure is to obtain tissue for histology; and (3) laparoscopy with biopsies under direct vision is an accurate and safe technique which is underutilized and should be considered as the diagnostic procedure of choice when peritoneal disease is suspected.

Background:Our purposes were to (1) evaluate efficacy and safety of bipolar or heater probe endoscopic coagulation compared to prior medical therapy for bleeding radiation telangiectasia, and (2) consider the impact of treatments on patients' impression of their overall health and activity. Methods:Twelve months of medical management had failed in 18 men and 3 women with chronic, recurrent hematochezia and anemia after radiation treatment of pelvic malignancies. Patients had multiple rectal telangiectasias coagulated with bipolar or heater probes in a randomized, prospective study. Results:Rectal bleeding stopped within four treatment sessions. During 12 months of endoscopic versus medical therapy, severe bleeding episodes diminished significantly for bipolar probe versus 12 months of prior medical therapy (75% vs 33%) and heater probe (67% vs 11%); mean hematocrits rose significantly for patients undergoing bipolar (38.2 vs 31.9) and heater probe (37.6 vs 28.4) treatments, and their impression of overall health improved. During long-term follow-up, new telangiectasias or rectal bleeding were easily controlled. No major complications resulted. Conclusions:(1) Bipolar or heater probes were safe and effective relative to medical therapy for palliation of patients with lower gastrointestinal bleeding from radiation telangiectasias, and (2) all patients improved in ability to travel and exercise and in their overall impression of their health. (Gastrointest Endosc 1997;45:20-5.)

Physiologic and symptom responses at the ventilatory threshold (Tvent) during incremental cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) can provide important prognostic information.

GASTROENTEROLOGY 2000;119:581-583

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