Summary:We present a case oferythromelalgia in a 68 year old lady who responded, within 48 hours, to a twice daily topical application of capsaicin cream 0.025%. Capsaicin cream was stopped after 2 months, and 6 months later the patient continued to have the symptomatic relief she experienced initially.

1 The effect of urinary pH on flecainide excretion has been evaluated in six healthy subjects after a single oral dose of 300 mg flecainide administered as the acetate salt. 2 The cumulative urinary excretion of unchanged flecainide under acidic conditions (134.0 + 16.1 mg; mean + s.e. mean) was significantly higher than under alkaline conditions (22.3 + 7.6 mg; mean + s.e. mean) (P < 0.01). 3 Under alkaline conditions, tmax (time to reach peak concentration) was reduced (P < 0.01), while elimination half-life, AUC(O-32) and AUC(X,) were increased (P < 0.01).

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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the inter- and intrarater reliabilities of the Exeter Dysphagia Assessment Technique in a sample of elderly adults. This procedure uses noninvasive methods to record aspects of oral motor efficiency and synchronization of respiration during swallowing with the aid of specially developed equipment. Changes in the direction of nasal air flow, time of lip or tongue/spoon contact, and the time/frequency of swallow sounds are monitored and analyzed. Seventy records were evaluated independently by three trained assessors on three consecutive occasions. Interrater reliability was found to be good to very good for five of the respiratory variables assessed and moderate for the sixth. Interrater agreement was also very good for three of the timed oropharyngeal events assessed and moderate for the fourth. Intrarater reliability was very good for the same five respiratory variables and moderate for the sixth. Intrarater agreement was also very good for three of the timed oropharyngeal events and moderate for the fourth. Repeat evaluations of these records showed that agreement between and within raters concerning the sixth respiratory variable was improved substantially when the charts were examined in an enlarged form that provided improved resolution. We conclude that the majority of variables monitored by the Exeter Dysphagia Assessment Technique can be evaluated very reliably.

The effect of intravenous flecainide (2 mg/kg) on cardiac output was evaluated by a dye dilution method in six healthy nonsmokers. The study was of a double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled, randomized, and balanced design. Cardiac output, heart rate, and stroke volume were measured 0, 10, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, and 240 minutes after the beginning of the flecainide infusion. Flecainide reduced cardiac output and stroke volume during the first 90 minutes and heart rate increased during the first 30 minutes after flecainide. Visual analog scales for alertness and dry mouth were determined 0, 10, 60, and 240 minutes after dosing. Alertness was reduced 60 minutes after flecainide, but there was no increase in dryness of the mouth.