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Background: The objective of this study is to describe the inequalities in mortality by occupational category and sex in a retrospective cohort of civil servants working in the city council of Barcelona (Spain)., Methods: The cohort was followed for the period 1984-1993. There were 11 647 men and 9001 women. Age-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of death for occupational categories and manual versus non-manual groups and 95% CI were derived from Cox proportional hazards models., Results: For total deaths in males, compared with high-level professionals, auxiliary workers (HR = 1.30, 95% CI: 0.96-1.77), skilled manual workers (HR = 1.29, 95% CI: 0.95-1.77), unskilled manual workers (HR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.07-1.98) and police and fire manual workers (HR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.08-1.87) had higher risk of death. Among women, for all causes of mortality, only police manual workers had higher mortality (HR = 5.63, 95% CI: 1.89-16.7) whereas auxiliary workers had the lowest HR (HR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.25-1.05). The HR comparing manual and non-manual categories for all causes of death was 1.29 for males (95% CI: 1.09-1.52) and 1.07 for females (95% CI: 0.77-1.49). Among males, whereas manual workers had lower cardiovascular mortality (HR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.63-1.15), cancer mortality was higher in the manual category. No association between manual category and mortality was found among women., Conclusions: This study provides an analysis of social inequalities in mortality in a cohort from a Southern European urban area.

Objective: The objective was to compare evidence of the effectiveness, costs and safety of the traditional parenteral antibiotic-only approach against that gathered from 53 randomised trials involving more than 8,500 patients and six meta-analyses on selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) to control infection on the intensive care unit (ICU). PHILOSOPHY: Traditionalists believe that all infections are due to breaches of hygiene except those established in the first 2 days, and that all micro-organisms can cause death. In contrast, newer insights show that transmission via the hands of carers are responsible only for infections occurring after one week, and that only a limited range of 15 potential pathogens contribute to mortality. INTERVENTIONS TO PREVENT ICU INFECTION: The traditional approach is based on hand disinfection aiming at the prevention of transmission of all micro-organisms, to control all infections that occur after 2 days on the ICU. The second feature is the restrictive use of systemic antibiotics, only in cases of microbiologically proven infection. In contrast, SDD aims to control the three types of infection: primary, secondary endogenous and exogenous due to 15 potential pathogens. The classical SDD tetralogy comprises four components: (i) a parenteral antibiotic, cefotaxime, administered for three days to prevent primary endogenous infections typically occurring "early"; (ii) the oropharyngeal and enteral antimicrobials, polymyxin E, tobramycin and amphotericin B administered in throat and gut throughout the treatment on the ICU to prevent secondary endogenous infections tending to develop "late"; (iii) a high standard of hygiene to control transmission of potential pathogens; and (iv) surveillance samples of throat and rectum to monitor the efficacy of the treatment., Endpoints: (i) Infectious morbidity; (ii) mortality; (iii) antimicrobial resistance; and (iv) costs., Results: Properly designed trials on hand disinfection have never demonstrated a reduction in either pneumonia and septicaemia, or mortality. Two randomised trials using restrictive antibiotic policies failed to show a survival benefit at 28 days. In both trials the proportion of resistant isolates obtained from the lower ways was >60% despite significantly less use of antibiotics in the test group. A formal cost effectiveness analysis of the traditional antibiotic policies has not been performed. On the other hand, two meta-analyses have shown that SDD reduces the odds ratio for lower airway infections to 0.35 (0.29-0.41) and mortality to 0.80 (0.69-0.93), with a 6% overall mortality reduction from 30% to 24%. No increase in the rate of super infections due to resistant bacteria could be demonstrated over a period of 20 years of clinical research. Four randomised trials found the cost per survivor to be substantially lower in patients receiving SDD than for those traditionally managed., Conclusions: The traditionalists still rely on level 5 evidence, i.e. expert opinion, with a grade E recommendation, whilst the proponents of SDD are able to cite level 1 evidence allowing a grade A recommendation in their attempts to control infection on the ICU. The main reason for SDD not being widely used is the primacy of opinion over evidence.

Septic shock still has an unacceptable high mortality rate. To lowering this high mortality rate in the long run, we built a database that is unique in its data amount. Until now we have transferred 282 handwritten patient records into our database. Data were collected retrospectively from 1997 to 2001, based on voluntary cooperation of 62 hospitals. With the preprocessed data of our database we give mainly an epidemiologic overview and make first statistical evaluations. Thereby we noticed that some diagnoses and operations appear significantly higher for deceased patients than for survivors. At the end we discuss the future potential of the database.

Cerebral angiography using a radioactive radiological contrast medium, Thorotrast, was pioneered by Moniz in Portugal in the 1920s. Thorotrast is retained by the reticuloendothelial system, with a biological half-life of several hundred years, so that such patients suffer lifetime exposure to internal radiation. We studied mortality in Portuguese patients who were administered Thorotrast during the period 1928-1959 and in a comparison group of patients who received nonradioactive contrast agents. There were 1096 systemically exposed, 1014 unexposed, and, unique to the Portuguese study, 240 locally exposed Thorotrast patients who were successfully traced and followed up to the end of 1996. Mortality was significantly raised among systemically exposed Thorotrast patients relative to those unexposed for all causes [relative risk (RR) = 2.63], all neoplasms (RR = 6.72), liver cancer (RR = 42.4), chronic liver disease (RR = 5.12), other non-neoplastic diseases of the digestive system (RR = 4.87), neoplastic (RR = 21.9) and non-neoplastic hematological disorders (RR = 6.00), and non-neoplastic diseases of the respiratory system (RR = 4.31). Risks for most of these conditions increased significantly with time since first administration of the contrast medium and with cumulative alpha-particle radiation dose. Mortality was also significantly raised for non-neoplastic disorders of the nervous system (RR = 12.7) and ill-defined conditions (RR = 3.74), but these associations are likely to reflect the initial diagnosis, not Thorotrast exposure, because risks declined significantly with time and/or dose. There were no significant excess deaths from oropharyngeal or nasal cancers, or from any other cause, among patients exposed to Thorotrast locally for visualization of the perinasal sinuses, and no clear trend in risk with time since exposure. This study shows an association between systemic, but not local, exposure to Thorotrast and mortality from liver cancer, chronic liver disease, and neoplastic and non-neoplastic hematological disorders, with risks for these conditions remaining high for over 40 years after administration. Liver conditions, but not hematological disorders, showed a strong and consistent gradient with cumulative alpha-particle radiation dose.

Unlabelled: Digestive diseases in Peru account for the second cause of mortality and malignant tumors of the digestive tract rank the third place. It was therefore proposed to study the mortality rates for each digestive and hepatobiliary disease and establish their frequency and geographical distribution in Peru., Materials and Methods: Diagnostic information was obtained from death certificates in the Information Technology and Statistics Office of the Ministry of Health (MINSA) from 1995 to 2000. Mortality rates were determined for 100,000 inhabitants. The rates obtained were classified in general figures for each year, dividing the data in three groups: non-tumoral digestive diseases (esophageal and gastrointestinal, gall bladder and pancreas diseases) tumoral diseases (esophageal and gastrointestinal, pancreas, gall bladder and biliary tract, liver and intrahepatic biliary tract diseases) and liver diseases (liver cirrhosis, primary liver malignant tumors and acute viral hepatitis). The first five mortality causes were determined for each year for the national population, classifying them according to the disease types and heir geographical distribution by Department., Results: The first five causes for each year are liver cirrhosis (mortality rate: 6.53 - 10.64), malignant stomach tumors (mortality rate: 8.7 - 10.36), liver and biliary tract malignant tumors (mortality rate: 2.19 - 3.96), malignant colon tumor (2.03 - 2.06), gall bladder malignant tumors (1.66 - 1.7), pancreatic tumors (1.60 - 1.75), and gastric ulcer (1.27). Amongst tumoral diseases, gastric cancer has the highest mortality rate and pancreatic tumors are within the top five causes of death. Amongst liver diseases, liver cirrhosis has the highest mortality rate, which correlates with the high prevalence of viral hepatitis B in certain areas of Peru., Conclusion: Amongst digestive diseases, the main causes of death in Peru are liver cirrhosis, malignant stomach tumors, liver metastases, gall bladder and pancreas and colon malignant tumors. Thus, it is necessary to corroborate these findings with epidemiological studies.

Background: While Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic have seen impressive gains in life expectancy in the 1990s, Romania has not. In contrast with the other countries, there has been very little research on the causes of the pattern of mortality seen in Romania., Objectives: To describe the trends in life expectancy at birth in Romania after the political transition in 1989 and to evaluate the contribution of deaths from different causes and different ages to these changes., Methods: Decomposition of life expectancy by age and cause of death using routine data on mortality for the years 1990, 1996, and 1998; comparison of death rates by age, sex, and cause of death., Results: Romania has experienced an overall decline of 1.71 years of life expectancy at birth from 1990 to 1996 in men and 0.54 years in women. The major contribution to this decline was an increase in mortality from cardiovascular diseases and diseases of the digestive system, in particular cirrhosis, among the middle aged and elderly. The recovery observed in 1998, of 1.12 years in men and 0.89 years in women, was mainly caused by a reduction in deaths from cardiovascular disease in the middle aged and elderly. Infant and early childhood mortality fell throughout the period but there was an increase of approximately 40% in mortality at age 5-9 that was almost entirely attributable to AIDS., Conclusion: This is the first Romanian study that describes the evolution of life expectancy after transition. Romania may at last be beginning to follow the path of improving adult mortality seen in the early 1990s in some of its neighbours. It has, however, been unique in eastern Europe in experiencing increasing childhood mortality. This is attributable to an epidemic of paediatric AIDS, consequent on the tragically inappropriate policies adopted in the 1980s.

The paper presents a retrospective study of a digestive surgery unit, evaluating the outcome of the patients who were operated and received blood transfusions over a 5 years time, compared with a random sample of patients operated during the same period and who did not receive transfusions. The patients were stratified by the type of operation and the ASA criteria. The paper also briefly reviews the literature on this topic. The study noted a prolonged postoperative course and overall hospitalization time, and an increase in the infectious complications and mortality rates in the study group, compared to the control group. The results of the study support a transfusion practice policy based on strict indications, and the use of alternatives to transfusion, whenever available.

The study describes the mortality of 417 workers employed in a asbestos-cement plant, located in Bari, Puglia, Southern Italy. Follow up started on February 1st 1972. The vital status and cause of death were ascertained at 1995. The mortality experience of the Apulian population was used as comparison. Using 90% confidence limits (CLs), a significant increase in mortality was observed in our cohort from: all causes of death (SMR 118, CL 100-139), pneumoconiosis (SMR 14810, CL 10298-20683), all types of cancer (SMR 139, CL 105-181), lung (SMR 191, CL 126-277), pleural (SMR 1560 CL 431-4081) and peritoneum (SMR 1705, CL 303-5367) malignant neoplasms. In our cohort, the discrepancy between observed and expected mortality for lung and pleural cancer occurred 30 years after the first exposure, after 40 years for all neoplasms and peritoneum cancer. Under the Cox regression model, lung cancer SMR showed a curvilinear trend along time since first exposure, the peak being detected at 35 years. Finally, SMRs from our cohort were compared to a previously described cohort including workers from the same plant compensated for asbestosis by INAIL.

Cause specific mortality was investigated in a cohort of insulators employed by a company which operated in various parts of Italy. Follow-up covered the years 1960-1996. The cohort, which included 893 subjects, was derived from company files of relatively poor quality, which resulted in a high rate of lost to follow-up (10.1%) and of deaths with unknown cause (12.4%). The mortality experience of the cohort was contrasted with that of the Italian population. Overall mortality (SMR 141, 90% CI 118-167, 97 observed), and cancer mortality (SMR 165, 90% CI 123-216, 38 observed) were significantly increased. Among neoplasms, significant increases were observed for lung cancer (SMR 202, 90% CI 124-311, 15 observed), pleural neoplasms (SMR 2667, CI 90% 911-6103, 4 observed), and peritoneal neoplasms (SMR 1853, 90% CI 329-5832, 2 observed). The excess mortality for lung cancer was especially pronounced in subjects with latency time longer than ten years (SMR 237.1, 90% CI 140-377, 13 observed).

The authors investigated the association between daily variations in ozone and cause-specific mortality. Fixed-site air pollution monitors in Montreal, Quebec, provided daily mean levels of ozone, particles, and other gaseous pollutants. Information on the date and underlying cause of death was obtained for residents of Montreal who died in the city between 1984 and 1993. The authors regressed the logarithm of daily counts of cause-specific mortality on mean levels of ozone, after accounting for seasonal and subseasonal fluctuations in the mortality time series, non-Poisson dispersion, and weather variables. The effect of ozone on mortality was generally higher in the warm season and among persons aged 65 years or over. For an increase in the 3-day running mean concentration of ozone of 21.3 microg/m(3), the percentage of increase in daily deaths in the warm season was the following: nonaccidental deaths, 3.3% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.7, 5.0); cancer, 3.9% (95% CI: 1.0, 6.91); cardiovascular diseases, 2.5% (95% CI: 0.2, 5.0); and respiratory diseases, 6.6% (95% CI: 1.8, 11.8). These results were independent of the effects of other pollutants and were consistent with a log-linear response function.

The crocidolite mine at Wittenoom Gorge, Western Australia, has been active from 1943 to 1966, and managed by Australian Blue Asbestos Ltd (ABA). Migrants constituted the large majority of workers. The list of workers is composed of 6,911 subjects (6,501 males). In it we identified 1,102 Italians (1,069 males) and completed the follow up for those previously lost, remained in Australia or returned to Italy. Up to 1997, 302 subjects (301 males) definitively resettled in Italy, almost always returning to their community of origin. The median length of work at Wittenoom for those resettled was 17.8 months. The resettled subjects are spread around Italy, and 112 subjects (37%) already died. We compared the mortality rates of those returned to Italy to the rates of the male Italian population. Migrants were subjected to a strong selection before departure and were the target of a surveillance program during work at Wittenoom: however, for those resettled, instead of a healthy migrant effect, we observed an overmortality, mainly due to deaths from penumoconiosis (10 deaths vs 0.38 expected), from respiratory tumours (3 deaths from pleural mesothelioma and 4 from primary peritoneal tumours; an excess of lung cancers, SMR 1.28, 95% CI 0.72-2.11, and an excess of undefined caused of deaths (SMR 6.29, 95% CI 2.52-12.96). The study suggests that asbestos-related diseases and deaths have been observed among those resettled to Italy. In order to increase the precision of the follow up of the Wittenoom cohort, a search outside Australia should be carried out in some European countries for workers whose vital status was unconfirmed. Survivors in Italy are suffering from asbestosis, jeopardizing their life, and are at risk of cancer, but few have received information, actions aimed at reducing the accumulated risk, or compensation. Italy had a multi-million number of migrants for work, and an important percentage of migrants is returned to Italy: the effects of occupational exposures to adverse agents should be expected, but this topic has received up to now little attention.

Background: Several studies have shown that Catholic nuns have a different mortality experience than women of similar age in the general population. We had a unique opportunity to evaluate mortality patterns of nuns identified in an occupational study of nearly 145,000 radiologic technologists (73% female)., Methods: A total of 1,103 women were classified as nuns based on their titles of "Sister" or "SR". Their mortality experience was compared to other female radiologic technologists and to U.S. white females., Results: Five hundred eighty-three nuns (53%) were deceased as of January 1, 1995. Compared to other technologists, nuns were at significantly increased risk of dying from all causes (Standardized mortality ratio (SMR)=1.1; 95% Confidence interval (CI)=1.0-1.2, stomach cancer (SMR=2.7; 95% CI=1.2-5.4), diabetes (SMR=2.2; 95% CI=1.0-4.1), ischemic heart disease (SMR=1.2; 95% CI=1.1-1.4), all digestive diseases (SMR=2.0; 95% CI=1.3-3.0), and gastric and duodenal ulcers (SMR=8.3; 95% CI=2.3-21.3). In contrast, we observed a significant deficit in lung cancer (SMR=0.5; 95% CI=0.2-0.9), no deaths from cervical cancer, and a breast cancer risk 10% lower than expected (SMR=0.9; 95% CI=0.6-1.3). When compared to U.S. females, nuns experienced significantly reduced mortality from all causes (SMR=0.8; 95% CI=0.7-0.9), cervical cancer (SMR=0.0; 95% CI=0.0-0.7), all endocrine, metabolic and nutritional diseases (SMR=0.5; 95% CI=0.3-0.9), all circulatory diseases (SMR=0.7; 95% CI=0.7-0.8) including ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, and all respiratory diseases (SMR=0.5; 95% CI=0.3-0.8), and a nearly significant deficit of diabetes (SMR=0.6; 95% CI=0.3-1.0). In contrast, nuns had an almost 3-fold greater risk of tuberculosis (SMR=2.9; 95% CI=1.4-5.3) and a 20% excess of breast cancer (SMR=1. 2; 95% CI=0.8-1.7). The breast cancer excess was concentrated among nuns first certified before 1940 (SMR=2.0; CI=1.3-3.0), when radiation doses were possibly the highest, but the risk did not increase with increasing length of certification., Conclusions: Compared with the general population, the mortality experience of nuns was favorable and reflected the "healthy worker effect" commonly seen in occupational studies. Patterns observed for breast and cervical cancer possibly indicate differences in reproductive and sexual activities associated with belonging to a religious order. The possibility of a radiation-related excess for breast cancer among nuns certified before 1940 cannot be completely discounted, although there was no dose-response relationship with a surrogate measure of exposure (number of years certified). When their mortality experience was compared with other radiologic technologists, the influence of lifestyle factors was not apparent. Am. J. Ind. Med. 37:339-348, 2000. Published 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc. dagger

Objective: While "weaning parameters" are commonly used to guide removal of mechanical ventilation devices, little information exists concerning their prognostic value. We evaluated whether passing weaning parameters was associated with survival., Design: A prospectively followed cohort of mechanically ventilated patients., Setting: Medical and coronary adult intensive care units of an 806-bed medical center., Patients: 300 consecutively enrolled mechanically ventilated patients., Measurements and Results: 216 patients who passed a daily screen of weaning parameters were more likely to be extubated successfully (87 vs 30%, p = 0.0001), less likely to require ventilation for > 21 days (3 vs 30%, p = 0.0001), and had a higher survival to hospital discharge (74 vs 29%, p = 0.0001) than 84 patients who never passed the screen. The overall accuracy of the daily screen for predicting successful extubation and in-hospital survival was 82 and 73%, respectively. Multivariate proportional hazards analysis of time until hospital death confirmed the beneficial effect of passing the daily screen (p = 0.01) and of duration of mechanical ventilation (p = 0.001) even after adjustment for differences in severity of illness, age, race, gender, diagnosis, and treatment assignment. While liberation from mechanical ventilation was predictive of survival at any time during the hospital stay (p = 0.001), the prognostic significance of the daily screen for hospital survival was related to how early after intubation it was passed. The difference in survival between patients who had passed and those who had not passed the daily screen was significant for 1 1/2 weeks postintubation but progressively decreased over time. The average time to extubation after passing the daily screen increased from 3 days (range 0 to 56), for those passing within 5 days of intubation, to 8 days (0 to 35), for those passing after 10 days of intubation (r = 0.26, p = 0.001)., Conclusions: Passing a daily screen of weaning parameters is an independent predictor of successful extubation and survival, but its prognostic value decreases over time. Time spent on mechanical ventilation after passing the daily screen presents an important opportunity to optimize liberation from the ventilator.

Background: The aim of the present study was to compare specific causes of death in Type 2 diabetic patients attending and not attending the diabetes center., Methods: The study was carried out within the framework of the Verona Diabetes Study, a population-based survey of known diabetes prevalence with a 10-year mortality follow-up. On 31 December 1986, 7148 Type 2 diabetic patients were identified in Verona, north-east Italy. Among them 4047 regularly attended the diabetes center, while 3101 did not attend the diabetes center. On 31 December 1996, life status was determined and the underlying cause of death was coded according to the ICD-9. During the follow-up, 2896 subjects died. Difference in mortality from specific causes between attenders and non-attenders were evaluated by a Cox model, controlling for sex, age, diabetes treatment and place of residence (downtown vs suburbs)., Results: Mortality was lower in subjects who attended the diabetes center (38. 6% vs 43.0%, p<0.001). This phenomenon was mainly due to lower cardiovascular (p=0.002) and digestive (p=0.047) mortality., Conclusions: These data support the conclusion that attending the diabetes center reduces cardiovascular and, to a lesser extent, digestive mortality., (Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

An analysis was carried out of 222 medical records and autopsies from patients with inflammatory diseases of the large intestine, the immediate causes of death of whom were different disorders. The incidence of hepatitis running an active course correlated with age of patients and came up to 58.8% in the group of subjects 20 to 40 years old. In age group running between 40 to 60 and 60 to 80 years there prevailed colorectal carcinoma (18.3% and 42.5% respectively).

Background: There is a lack of prognostic data regarding tube feeding of institutionalized elderly people. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of feeding tubes on the survival of nursing home residents with chewing and swallowing problems, and to follow the course of the tube-fed residents over one year., Methods: We conducted a cohort study with 12-month follow-up using Minimum Data Set resident assessments from 1991. Participants included 5,266 nursing home residents over the age of 65 with chewing and swallowing problems living in 272 Washington state nursing homes. Residents who had a feeding tube were identified. Baseline clinical characteristics and 12-month survival were compared for residents with and without feeding tubes. The proportion of tube-fed residents who became tube-free during the follow-up period was determined, and clinical features that predicted this outcome were examined., Results: Among the residents with chewing and swallowing problems, 10.5% had a feeding tube. After adjusting for potential confounding covariates, tube-fed residents had a significantly higher one-year mortality rate than those without feeding tubes (risk ratio, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.17-1.76). Of the 430 residents with feeding tubes who survived the follow-up period, 25.1% became free of a feeding tube. Age less than 87 years was associated with a significantly greater likelihood of becoming tube-free (odds ratio, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.03-2.6)., Conclusions: Residents selected for feeding tube placement have poorer survival after one year than residents who are not tube-fed. However, the feeding tubes are removed in a significant proportion of residents who survive one year. Residents with a potentially reversible condition, for whom the feeding tubes are a temporary intervention, need to be identified.

Morbidity and mortality of feedlot cattle have a variety of causes. Compared to respiratory disease, metabolic and digestive disorders generally are less prevalent and occur later in the feeding period. In addition to the obvious costs related to animal death and medication, subsequent performance of sick cattle often is depressed substantially. Closer coordination between veterinarians, nutritionists, and feedlot managers should help reduce the incidence of morbidity and mortality of feedlot cattle.

It would seem that a large discrepancy exists between the "chronological" age and "apparent" age of elderly patients, and we often observe that the latter reflects the results of surgical procedures very well. In the present study, we reviewed 258 patients aged 70 years or older who underwent elective abdominal operations under general anesthesia, to evaluate an outcome predictor representing their "physiological" age. A total of 24 preoperative variables were compared between patients who left the hospital in a satisfactory condition, being survivors, and those who died in hospital despite the operative procedure performed, being nonsurvivors. In the group of patients aged between 70 and 79 years, there was no significant difference between the survivor and nonsurvivor groups for any of the variables examined; however, in the group of patients aged over 80 years old, the oldest of whom was 93 years, there were significant differences in the total lymphocyte count (TLC) and the performance status (PS), as well as in age, between the survivor and nonsurvivor groups. Utilizing the three variables of age, PS, and TLC, a computer-generated discriminant function analysis yielded an equation which discriminated survival with 97% accuracy, and mortality with 83% accuracy. These findings indicate that the PS and TLC scores added to the chronological age should be considered when deciding whether a surgical procedure is appropriate for an elderly patient.

Diagnosis of deaths due to digestive disorders can be a difficult task. It is helpful if the carcass can be viewed for condition, position, and location before being moved from the pen in which it was found. A complete necropsy is absolutely necessary even though postmortem decomposition may be advanced. All thoracic and abdominal organs must be examined for gross lesions. If one believes that the central nervous system was involved, the brain should be removed and examined. Checking the ruminal pH is important. If indicated, samples should be obtained and submitted to a diagnostic laboratory. Salient lesions include congestion of the anterior portion of the carcass, especially the cervical muscles and tissues adjacent to the esophagus and trachea, paleness of the posterior portion of the carcass, edema between the muscle groups of the hindquarters, scrotal, or mammary area, and a lack of other gross lesions. Many cases have congestion and(or) edema in the submucosa of the dorsal portion of the trachea extending from the thoracic inlet cranially. One must list the cause of death as unknown or undetermined when it is not apparent.

Army Chemical Corps personnel who served in Vietnam were among those service personnel with the greatest potential for exposure to herbicides. An earlier evaluation of the mortality experience of 894 Army Chemical Corps Vietnam veterans found a statistically significant excess risk of dying from digestive disease, primarily due to cirrhosis of the liver, and from motor vehicle accidents. That study was expanded to include 2,872 Vietnam veterans who served with the Army Chemical Corps and a comparison cohort of 2,737 veterans who never served in Southeast Asia but who did serve in the same occupational category. The results of the analysis comparing the Vietnam cohort to the non-Vietnam cohort support the earlier finding of a significant excess of deaths from digestive diseases (adjusted relative risk (RR) = 3.88, 95% C.I. = 1.12-13.45) primarily due to liver cirrhosis. Non-significant elevated relative risks were observed for all cancers combined, digestive and respiratory systems cancers, skin cancer, lymphopoietic cancers, and respiratory system diseases. Compared to the mortality rates in the general population, the non-Vietnam Army Chemical Corps veterans had a statistically significant deficit in mortality from all causes combined, which is consistent with a 'healthy selection bias' seen among military populations (SMR = 0.79, 95% C.I. = 0.66-0.94). For the Vietnam veterans, patterns of elevated but nonsignificant SMRs persisted for diseases of the digestive and respiratory systems and for selected cancer sites.

Background/aim: Severe corrosive injury involving esophagus to jejunum remains an unique surgical problem which is associated with high mortality and morbidity., Material and Methods: Herein we report the outcomes of 28 caustic patients who underwent resections of the stomach, duodenum, a segment of jejunum, and adjacent involving organs., Results: In all of these patients except one, esophagectomy was also performed. The concomitant procedures included pancreaticojejunostomy (n = 24), choledochojejunosotmy (n = 4), cholecystostomy (n = 4), common bile duct or pancreatic duct drainage, feeding and drainage jejunostomies, and cervical esophagostomy. Major complications consisted of bile leakage (n = 10), bile-bronchial fistula (n = 2), internal bleeding due to vessel necrosis (n = 5), peritonitis (n = 4), acute renal failure (n = 4), and septicemia (n = 4). There were 13 hospital deaths (46.4%) and three late deaths. Eight out of 12 survivors underwent subsequent reconstruction of esophagus. The remaining four survivors depended on jejunostomy feeding., Conclusions: Early approaches and appropriate procedures can save a number of patients with corrosive injury involving esophagus to jejunum.

Unlabelled: A personal method for the conservative treatment of the postsurgical external digestive fistulas by means of obturation with an elastic balloon of adjustable pressure, used in Surgical Clinic I Craiova in the past 12 years is presented. Initially conceived as an elective method for the treatment of the fistulas exposed in evisceration, the procedure was later applied as a unique method or in association with other conservative procedure in almost all types of fistulas. 122 patients have been treated by means of our method (3 esophageal, 65 gastro-duodenal and gastro-intestinal, 27 intestinal and 27 colo-rectal fistulas), in 53 cases a unique method and in 69 cases as a therapeutically sequences within the conservative treatment of the fistulas., Results: 115 patients (94.2%) have had a fair evolution; we have registered 7 death, which represent a mortality rate of 5.93%., Conclusions: Our method offers the following advantages: it considerably reduces the losses of digestive liquids through the fistula; it allows early resumption of normal nourishment; it allows early mobilization of the patients; it prevents the occurrence of new fistulas which are caused by decubitus lesions; it is a simple and economic method, which can be applied in any surgical department.

Mortality in young chickens was associated with blister beetle consumption. Two species of these insects, Cyaneolytta sp. and Cylindrothorax sp., were found in the chickens' crops, and erosive lesions in the gastrointestinal tract were compatible with blister beetle poisoning (cantharidiasis).

Background: Alternative methods for abdominal wall closure may be necessary after emergency laparotomy. The purpose of this study was to determine the morbidity and outcome of emergency fascial closure with polypropylene mesh., Methods: A retrospective review was performed of all patients undergoing emergency fascial closure with polypropylene mesh from January 1990 to March 1994., Results: Seventy patients were identified. Indications for mesh placement included visceral edema (40), infected/necrotic fascia (21), and planned reexploration (7). Enteric fistulas developed in five patients (7.1%). When omentum was interposed between intestine and mesh, the incidence of fistula was significantly reduced (0 of 51 vs 5 of 19, p < 0.01). Forty-two patients (60%) survived with wound closure, accomplished by skin flaps in 19 (45%), skin grafting in 11 (26%), and secondary healing in 6 (14%). The mesh was removed in six patients (14%). Complications of mesh extrusion and hernia occurred less often after skin flap closure compared with skin grafting or secondary healing (1 of 19 vs 9 of 17, p < 0.01). No mesh infection occurred., Conclusions: Polypropylene mesh placement is an effective alternative for abdominal closure after emergency laparotomy, even when intraabdominal sepsis is present. Fistulas associated with its use may be effectively eliminated by the interposition of omentum between bowel and mesh. Wound closure with full-thickness skin flaps is the preferred method for soft tissue coverage when mesh is used.

This retrospective follow-up study evaluated the mortality experience of 11,271 women employed in a large motor vehicle manufacturing company in 1973. Company computerized personnel records were used to identify subjects and to obtain their employment histories. Follow-up through December 31, 1985, was conducted using company, state, and national data sources. The mortality rates of the cohort were compared with the rates of the U.S. general population of white or black women, adjusting for age and calendar time and using the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) as the measure of association. The overall mortality rate of the cohort was lower than the U.S. rate by 15% among whites (SMR = 85, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 78-93) and by 40% among blacks (SMR = 59, CI = 49-70). Among whites, the low mortality rate was due primarily to deficits of noncancer deaths, although a 32% deficit also was observed for breast cancer (SMR = 68, CI = 48-92). Black female workers had 40% fewer deaths than expected overall, and their all cancer SMR also was below expectation (SMR = 82, CI = 60-109). Despite evidence of a strong healthy worker effect among women in the motor vehicle manufacturing industry, the study found excesses of lung cancer among white women in assembly jobs (SMR = 158, CI = 107-226) and of pancreatic cancer among white assembly workers in upholstery and trim operations (SMR = 302, CI = 97-704).

Pre- and post-autopsy diagnoses of underlying cause of death were compared in consecutive autopsies on persons aged 30 to 80 years; 1000 from each of two pathology departments in Budapest. Data on admission diagnoses and on contributory causes of death were also analysed. At autopsy, the percentages of deaths by underlying cause were neoplasms (any site) 34.9%, diseases of the circulatory system 40.2%, digestive system 13.8%, endocrine, nutritional, metabolic or immune systems 2.7%, and respiratory system 2.2%. For these five disease groupings, the percentages of cases diagnosed clinically as the underlying cause of death which were confirmed at autopsy were, respectively, 90.9%, 84.0%, 82.9%, 55.2% and 32.5%. Although, out of 697 cases with an autopsy diagnosis of neoplasia as the underlying cause, there were only 61 (8.8%) where neoplasms were not diagnosed clinically as the underlying cause, this conceals the fact that in 130 (18.7%) the two diagnoses differed as to the site of the primary neoplasm (ICD 3 digit code). The fact that 43% of post-mortem diagnoses (ICD major category) of underlying cause are missed on admission, and that 19% are missed clinically, indicates that improved clinical diagnostic procedures have not diminished the need for high autopsy rates. Morbid anatomy needs to be better resourced.

Necropsies were performed on 496 horses that had a fatal injury or illness at a California racetrack during the period February 20th 1990 to March 1st 1992. The primary cause of death was categorised by breed, activity at time of injury or illness and organ system affected. Most of the submissions were Thoroughbred horses (432) and Quarter Horses (46). Most of the injuries occurred while racing (42%) and in training sessions (39%); with fewer non-exercise (12%) and accident (7%) related injuries or illnesses. Musculoskeletal injuries accounted for 83% of the Thoroughbred and 80% of the Quarter Horse submissions. The Thoroughbred horses incurred 306 fractures with 263 in the limbs and 90% of those in the forelimbs. The proximal sesamoid bone(s), third metacarpal bone and humerus were the most common bones fractured in Thoroughbred horses and Quarter Horses. Other major causes of death included respiratory, digestive and multi-organ system disorders.

Several studies have demonstrated either a direct or an indirect relationship between alcoholism and death causes. The present paper is a descriptive study about death causes in 428 alcoholic patients from San José, Costa Rica, metropolitan area, whose death occurred between 1978 and 1988. Sample subjects were males, under 90-year-old at death time. It was found out that basic death causes were: Traumatism and poisoning, 25%; circulatory system illnesses, 20%; digestive system illnesses, 18.5%, and tumors, 15%.

This prospective, randomized controlled trial was undertaken to evaluate the effect of tube decompression of the stomach after surgical procedure on the digestive tract. One hundred and nine patients were randomly allocated to postoperative treatment with (57 patients) or without (52 patients) nasogastric tubes. No significant differences were found between the two groups in the duration of hospitalization, time to begin peroral fluid intake, occurrence of hiccups, vomiting, nausea, parotiditis, nasal septum necrosis, anastomotic leak and wound dehiscence. Moreover, abdominal distension, pyrosis, otalgia, dysphagia, odynophagia and atelectasis occurred more often in intubated patients as shown by chi-square analysis of the data with Yates correction, with the level of significance at p = less than 0.05. Tube decompression of the stomach does not relieve intestinal paralysis after digestive operations. These data seem to indicate that the routine prophylactic use of a nasogastric tube is unnecessary in gastrointestinal operations.

The lethality for 2 years in two general surgical departments is analysed. In total, 7417 patients underwent 4254 operations, including 1181 (27.7%)--elective, 3073 (72.2%)--emergency ones. After elective operations, 12 (1%) patients died, after the emergency operation--189 (6.1%). There were the following causes of lethality after elective operations: different concomitant diseases present before the operation, or developed after it (0.68% of cases); diagnostic, tactical and technical errors (0.32%). Causes of lethality after emergency operations: related to age and irreversible changes in the organism (2.6% of cases); different concomitant diseases (0.8%); late referral to a physician (1.49%); diagnostic, tactical and technical errors (1.3%).

Between January 1981 and December 1990, 690 patients over the age of 80 years underwent gastrointestinal surgery. These operations were performed for diseases of the biliary tract in 248 cases (28%), colon or rectum in 238 cases (27%), stomach or duodenum in 130 cases (15%), small bowel in 32 cases (1.6%), oesophagus in 16 cases (1.8%), and for peritoneal carcinologic dissemination in 26 cases (3%). Emergency operation was performed in 43% of patients. Surgery was considered to be curative in 61% of patients. Overall postoperative mortality was 23%. The six following factors were associated with increased mortality: age over 85 years, ASA categories 3, 4, 5; surgery for malignant disease, peritonitis, palliative surgery, emergency surgery.

The authors analyze the incidence and structure of acute and chronic visceral diseases in pregnant women and the incidence and structure of maternal death because of extragenital diseases. Causes of maternal mortality are discussed and approaches to reducing maternal morbidity and mortality in visceral diseases outlined.

This investigation was conducted to study the incidence and the causes of sow mortality in breeding herds. Data were obtained from 24 swine breeding herds with an average inventory of 3755 sows and served gilts for the total sample. Producers were involved for 12 consecutive months and agreed to submit to the diagnostic laboratory every dead or moribund sow and served gilt. The average herd death rate was 3.3% +/- 0.5 (SEM), but varied considerably among herds, ranging from 0% to 9.2%. A total of 137 sows and mated gilts died during the year, and these females had produced an average of 4.2 litters +/- 0.2 (SEM). The number of deaths was significantly higher during the months of July, August and October. The peripartum period appeared to be when sows were most at risk, with 42% of all deaths occurring during this short period of the reproductive cycle. The three major causes of death were heart failure (31.4%), torsions and accidents of abdominal organs (15.3%) and cystitis-pyelonephritis (8.0%). Other causes included endometritis (6.6%), uterine prolapses (6.6%), pneumonia (3.6%), gastric ulcers (3.6%), downer sow syndrome (2.2%), miscellaneous (8.0%) and unknown (14.6%).

Between May 1988 und March 1989 all patients who underwent elective or emergency surgery followed by intensive care were randomly assigned to group A (n = 149): routine sonography at the postoperative day 1, 3, 7 and 9, group B (n = 151): sonography on demand. In these two groups, the following parameters were compared: number of relaparotomies, lethality of relaparotomies, total lethality, moment of relaparotomy, period of hospitalisation, time spent with sonography. In the analyzed parameters, our examination showed no difference between the two groups. For this we state that the routine sonographical control of the surgical patient with intensive care being opposed to the sonography on demand shows no significant advantage. The demand for a routine sonography as a postoperative control can not be generally supported.

A total of 2995 patients with esophagogastroduodenal bleeding have been treated the Department of Emergency Surgery for the period 1984-1988. A significant group were patients in advanced and senile age (beyond 65--42.4 per cent). The therapeutic and surgical approach to gastroduodenal bleeding was based on the solution of the following diagnostic-tactic problems: cause, source, localization and intensity of the bleeding, temporary or definitive hemostasis patterns, severity of blood loss. Essential is also the underlying disease, patient age and accompanying diseases. Express emergency endoscopy allows early and explicit visualization of the pathologic area and enables to gain knowledge on the nature and intensity of the bleeding or the character of spontaneous hemostasis. In this respect, express endoscopy is a guiding principle in managing upper digestive tract bleeding at the Department of Emergency Surgery. Of all hospitalized patients in this study were operated 203. Operations were performed after obligatory attempt for endoscopic hemostasis. The operative case fatality rate for the study period was, as follows: in gastric and duodenal ulcer 21.6 per cent, in gastric cancer 42.0 per cent, in hemorrhagic gastritis 33.3 per cent and in Mallory-Weiss syndrome 9.1 per cent.

The number of deaths attributable to alcohol in France during 1985 has been estimated from national death statistics, and from records attributable risks for each disease related to alcohol. The attributable risks for alcohol by sex and by disease were computed from the 1974 survey by the Institut Français d'Opinion Publique of a national sample of 981 adults on consumption of alcohol, and from the relative risk of death for alcohol drinkers estimated from epidemiological studies. The total number of deaths attributable to alcohol in the population aged 20 or more was 52,000 in 1985 (44,500 men and 7,500 women). Half of these deaths occurred before age 65. Nine percent of the overall mortality was attributable to alcohol (3 percent for women and 16 percent for men). This proportion was 28 percent for men between ages 45 and 64. Among these 52,000 deaths, 14,000 were due to liver cirrhosis or alcoholic psychosis, 16,500 to cancer, mainly from oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, or liver, 8,900 to external causes of injury, 9,050 to cardiovascular disease, 550 to pneumonia, and 3,000 to ill-defined diseases.

In a 5-bed Critical Care Surgery Unit (UQCC) where surgeons are in charge of care, 126 patients admitted over 5 consecutive months were divided into 4 groups according to the treatment given: Group I (n = 49): elective gastrointestinal surgery; Group II (n = 52): emergency gastrointestinal surgery; Group III (n = 15): non-gastrointestinal surgery; Group IV (n = 10): medical treatment. The mean stay of all patients in the Surgical Critical Care Unit was 6 +/- 7.7 days and the global mortality was 7.9% (n = 10). The mean age of the patients who died was 71.5 +/- 7.3 years and 70% of the deaths corresponded to Group II. Forty percent of the patients who died had systemic candidiasis. Among the factors implicated in the mortality acute gastrointestinal pathology per se, the coexistence of chronic systemic disease and advanced age were prominent. We discuss the need for typifying the role of Surgical Critical Care Units in General and Gastrointestinal Surgery.

Nearly 1,000 men serving in Army Chemical Corps units in Vietnam between 1965 and 1971 were responsible for the mixing and application of herbicides, riot control substances, and burning agents. Information on Vietnam service was obtained from military records of 94% of this cohort. Follow-up for vital status on December 31, 1987, was conducted using Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), military, National Death Index, U.S. Internal Revenue Service, and Social Security Administration records. Cause-specific observed numbers of deaths among the 894 men included in the study group were compared with the numbers expected based on rates for U.S. men, adjusting for race, age, and calendar period. Fifty-three deaths from all causes were observed during the study period, compared to 48.8 expected (SMR = 1.09). There were statistically significant excesses of digestive disease deaths (SMR = 2.98), primarily due to cirrhosis, and from motor vehicle accidents (SMR = 2.00). Two deaths were observed from leukemia (0.5 expected) and two from brain cancer (0.4 expected). A total of 257 of the study subjects had received VA inpatient care or Agent Orange registry medical examinations during the study period. Two of these subjects had confirmed diagnoses of Hodgkin's disease (expected = 0.7) and one of hairy cell leukemia. Because of the small study group size and the lack of specificity of information regarding their exposures, these results cannot be attributed to any single chemical agent.

The associations between mortality and changes in the frequency of intoxicating drinking were studied among 2050 males interviewed in 1953 about their drinking in 1949 and 1952. When age, marital status, social class and the frequency of intoxication in 1949 were controlled for, Weibull survival models indicated that, over a 12-year follow-up period, change in the frequency of intoxication from 1949 to 1952 was associated with mortality from diseases of the digestive system (p = 0.05), and over a 23-year follow-up period with mortality from injuries (p = 0.06).

In a prospective study, mortality ratios were computed in relation to overweight, cancer, and other diseases. The study included 750 000 men and women followed for 12 years. Each person was given a weight index. Death rates for overweight and underweight persons were compared with rates for persons of average weight. Men who were 40% or more overweight had a mortality ratio for cancer of 1.33; women, 1.55. This ratio was much lower than that for coronary heart disease (men, 1.95; and women, 2.07); diabetes (5.19 and 7.90), and digestive diseases (3.99 and 2.29). Overweight men had significantly higher mortality ratios for colorectal and prostate cancer; overweight women had much higher rates for cancer of the endometrium, gall bladder, and cervix; and also significantly higher rates for ovary and breast cancer.

Seventy-six patients with aortoiliac reconstruction and associated intraabdominal procedures were compared with 445 patients with aortoiliac revascularization alone to provide information about the associated morbidity and mortality of adding a nonvascular procedure to aortic reconstruction. Patients with aortoiliac reconstruction for limb salvage had a significant increase in complications when an abdominal procedure was performed in association with aortoiliac reconstruction (66 percent versus 14 percent, p less than 0.01). Additionally, patients with elective aortoiliac reconstruction had a significant increase in mortality when an abdominal procedure was performed in addition to aortoiliac reconstruction (9 percent versus 3 percent, p less than 0.01). A small bowel obstruction and a pancreatic pseudocyst occurred as a direct result of the associated abdominal procedure. None of the deaths could be directly attributed to a concomitant abdominal procedure. The demonstration of an increase in morbidity and mortality with the addition of nonvascular procedures to aortoiliac reconstruction, even though certain subgroups of patients underwent aortic revascularization, suggest that the surgeon must carefully weigh the benefits and risks before combining vascular and nonvascular operations.