Article1 January 1951RESPIRATORY FAILURE IN POLIOMYELITIS: A SIMPLE METHOD FOR ITS RECOGNITION AND CONTROLWALTER F. STAFFORD JR., M.D., RAMSDELL GURNEY, M.D., F.A.C.P.WALTER F. STAFFORD JR., M.D.Search for more papers by this author, RAMSDELL GURNEY, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-34-1-203 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptThe difficulty in recognizing the imminence of respiratory failure and other pulmonary complications in poliomyelitis results in a shockingly high mortality rate in this disease. When pharyngeal and respiratory muscles are involved, the mortality figures vary from 50 to 100 per cent.1 If patients can be tided over these often fatal respiratory crises, many will eventually recover sufficient respiratory and other muscle function to carry on a useful life; consequently, it is essential to anticipate and treat these emergencies.Although unfamiliarity with and fear of respirators may be important contributing factors to the high mortality rate in bulbocervical poliomyelitis, an...Bibliography1. Authors' material (50 per cent—12 cases) and personal communication (100 per cent—10 cases). Google Scholar2. Poliomyelitis. Papers and discussion presented at the First International Poliomyelitis Conference, Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott Company, 1949, p. 131. Google Scholar3. Swank RL: Respiratory impairment and pulmonary complications in paralyzed states, Ann. Int. Med. 32: 229-242, 1950. LinkGoogle Scholar4. Cohen ME: Quoted in Swank, R. L., and Smedal, M. I.: Pulmonary atelectasis in stuporous states; a study of its incidence and mechanisms in sodium amytal narcosis, Am. J. Med. 5: 210, 1948. MedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Buffalo, New York*Received for publication June 12, 1950.From the Departments of Neurology and Medicine, University of Buffalo School of Medicine and the Buffalo General Hospital, Buffalo, New York. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 January 1951Volume 34, Issue 1Page: 203-211KeywordsDeath ratesHospital medicineMuscle functionsMusclesNeurologyPoliomyelitisPulmonary diseasesRespiratorsRespiratory failureVentilators ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 January 1951 PDF downloadLoading ...