Colles-Stokes contributions to the concept of heart failure

The American Journal of Cardiology
H O Ventura, M R Mehra

Abstract

"Colles fracture," "Colles law," "Stokes-Adams syndrome," "Cheyne-Stokes respiration," and "Corrigan pulse" are some of the contributions of the Irish school that are utilized for teaching purposes in medical schools and training programs, as well as in daily practice of medicine. We wish to add an important description by Drs. Colles and Stokes that personifies the considerable personal contributions of these 2 physicians in our understanding of the pathophysiologic expression of the syndrome of heart failure. The clinical-pathologic correlation of the disease that affected Dr. Colles is well described by Dr. Stokes in his treatise Diseases of the Heart and the Aorta. He recognized the cyclical nature of frequent decompensations in heart failure, the relation of clinical worsening in conjunction with reduced urine output, as well as the importance of reestablishing urinary flow to achieve a decrease in dyspnea. Dr. Colles also demonstrated a profound clinical insight when he noticed, first, that his affliction was "eventually a fatal disease and that remedies that work may lose effect over time," illustrating an observation that has stood the test of time and, secondly, when he told Dr. Smith "... I would direct particular att...Continue Reading

References

Sep 9, 1978·British Medical Journal·E O'Brien

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

May 10, 2005·Journal of Cardiac Failure·Hector O Ventura, Mandeep R Mehra
Aug 18, 2005·Congestive Heart Failure·Hector O Ventura

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Cardiovascular Diseases: Risk Factors

Cardiovascular disease is a significant health concern. Risk factors include hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia and smoking. Women who are postmenopausal are at an increased risk of heart disease. Here is the latest research for risk factors of cardiovascular disease.