Some patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis experience acute exacerbations in their respiratory status leading to substantial morbidity and mortality. Occult aspiration of gastric contents has been proposed as one possible mechanism leading to these acute exacerbations. We sought to determine whether pepsin, a marker of gastric aspiration, is elevated in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid obtain...

background: tuberculosis continues to be a serious public health problem causing nearly three million deaths per year all over the world. despite major improvement in diagnosis, it is not possible to control the disease in the absence of surveillance treatment, and follow-up programs. objectives: this research was designed to study the frequency of mycobacterium tuberculosis among specimens ref...

Background: Gastric lavage (GL) is one of the most commonly used decontamination method for cholinergic insecticide ingestion in developing countries despite lack of supporting evidence. This study was designed to evaluate the outcome of patients with cholinergic insecticide poisoning treated with GL in regards to timing and frequency of the procedure. Methods: In this prospective observational...

Initial treatment included 100 ml 50% glucose i.v., oxygen at 10 l/min and when his conscious level toxicity improved, a gastric lavage. His conscious level returned to 15/15 on the GCS. Blood glucose was measured at 18 mmol/l.

A 44 year old woman was admitted to our intensive care unit five hours after ingestion of amitriptyline. She was comatose (Glasgow coma score 3) with dilated pupils non-reactive to light and accommodation. Biochemical findings and serum electrolytes were normal. Arterial blood gas measurements revealed a slight metabolic acidosis. She was immediately intubated and mechanically ventilated. Gastr...