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Biomedical subjects

B Schlemmer

Publications and source records attributed to B Schlemmer.

69 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

[Post-neurosurgical purulent meningitis. 31 cases].

Thirty-one cases of post neurosurgical bacterial meningitis from one center were reviewed to determine their promoting factors and responsible organisms. Most cases occurred after a protracted operation (6 hours on average). 26% cases were related to a primary cutaneous infection. 58% organisms were Gram negative bacilli. The course of meningitis was often complicated or prolonged due to a scalp decubitus ulcer or cerebrospinal fluid leakage. Vancomycin is often requested during staphylococcal meningitis. Third generation cephalosporins have low MIC against many Gram negative bacilli and should be used. Pefloxacin, a new quinolone, may be valuable. Treatment of scalp wound infection is often requested.

Adolescent↗

Bicarbonate hemodialysis of patients with acute renal failure and severe sepsis.

During hemodialysis (HD), septic patients with acute renal failure (ARF) often exhibit severe hemodynamic instability, with a fall in BP that requires a large-volume infusion or even cessation of dialysis. To investigate the hypothesis that acetate transfer plays a role in the BP decrease, we compared acetate (Ac) and bicarbonate (Bi) HD in ten septic ARF patients. Patients were dialyzed daily for 4 h with a single-pass system and 1.1 m2 cuprophan dialyzers, alternately using Ac and Bi as the dialysate buffer. Heart rate and systemic arterial resistance did not change significantly during use of either buffer, and changes in pulmonary wedge pressure were similar. However, decreases in cardiac output and mean arterial pressure were more pronounced during Ac-HD than during Bi-HD. Rapid correction of metabolic acidosis and a larger decrease of plasma potassium concentration occurred during Bi-HD. These results suggest that Bi-HD was better tolerated than Ac-HD because of changes in myocardial contractility that may be related to different effects on acid-base status and plasma potassium concentrations.

Acetates↗

Oxygen consumption during septic shock. Effects of inotropic drugs.

Septic shock may be defined as a clinical entity wherein a patient has an inadequate peripheral metabolism in the presence of circulating bacteria. The demands for metabolic requirements of the tissues and hence for oxygen transport to these tissues are then markedly high. The average response to increased metabolism in such patients is a percentage increase in cardiac output that is comparable to the percentage increase in oxygen consumption while oxygen extraction rate does not change or even decreases in severe or/and advanced septic shock. This emphasizes the high priority placed by the body on the ability to increase blood flow from the heart in the presence of increased metabolic demands due to sepsis. Concerning the myocardium, oxygen consumption is low in hyper- and hypodynamic states of septic shock, probably and partially due to marked arterial vasodilatation. However, in hypodynamic states, the lower value of perfusion pressure may account for a decrease in myocardial oxygen supply, especially in subendocardial areas and may be responsible for myocardial ischaemia, more especially as myocardial oxygen extraction as well as systemic oxygen extraction is impaired. The goal of therapeutics is to improve oxygen availability through: (1) maintenance of haemoglobin levels and (2) increases in stroke volume using inotropic drugs since these drugs may produce a rise in myocardial oxygen supply higher than their drug-induced increase in oxygen requirements in hypodynamic states of septic shock.

Blood Pressure↗

[Improvement of dialysis tolerance in patients with severe infections using a bicarbonate dialysate].

Severe septic patients, with high cardiac output (CO) and low systemic arterial resistances (SAR), often develop an uncontrolled fall in blood pressure (BP) during acetate hemodialysis (AcHD), because they are especially unable to increase appropriately their SAR with fluid removal. To investigate the possibility that Ac transfer plays a part in this fall in BP, we studied and compared hemodynamic and biochemistry status of such 10 patients with acute renal failure by alternately using Ac and bicarbonate (Bi) dialysate. CO and mean systemic arterial pressure decrease more during AcHD than during BiHD, whereas the changes in pulmonary wedge pressure were similar; heart rate and SAR remained unchanged. Thus the better hemodynamic tolerance during BiHD seems to be due to a change in myocardial contractility that may be related to differences in acid-base status and plasmatic potassium concentrations.

Bacterial Infections↗

Left ventricular contractility using isovolumic phase indices during PEEP in ARDS patients.

The effects of incremental increases in PEEP during mechanical ventilation on left ventricular (LV) contractility before and after intravascular volume expansion (IVE) were studied in 10 patients treated for ARDS. A pulmonary artery (PA) catheter, a LV catheter-tip micromanometer, and an esophageal balloon catheter were inserted in these patients. We measured transmural right atrial and PA pressures, transmural LV end-diastolic and systemic arterial pressures, the first derivative of LV pressure (LV dP/dt), the ratio of LV dP/dt at transmural developed LV pressure (dP/dt/DPt) with DPt = 5, 10, 40 mm Hg, cardiac index (CI) at every level of PEEP and after IVE at the highest PEEP. Stepwise increases in PEEP (from 0-20 cm H2O) were associated with progressive fall in CI whereas heart rate remained unchanged. Transmural right atrial and PA pressures did not change; transmural LV end-diastolic and systemic arterial pressures and peak dP/dt decreased significantly with PEEP, except for dT/dt/dPt. IVE reversed this fall in CI and peak dP/dt. Whereas transmural LV end-diastolic pressure rose markedly. We conclude that the observed fall in LV performance during PEEP is not the result of a depressed LV contractility because PEEP does not induce a decrease in dP/dt/DPt, the least sensitive to change in preload isovolumic phase indices of contractility.

Adult↗

[Gram negative bacilli endocarditis ].

Gram negative bacilli endocarditis are unfrequent. Nevertheless we encountered 28 cases of them (8.8%) among 320 endocarditis of which 10 were primitive and 7 cases (10.9%) among 65 prosthetic endocarditis. Bacterial species were 12 Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 2 Ps, stutzeri, 1 Ps. maltophilia, 2 Klebsiella pneumoniae, 2 Escherichia coli, 3 Serratia marcescans, 1 Enterobacter cloacae, 1 Brucella, 1 Hemophilus aphrophilus, 1 Fusobacterium funduliformis, 18 cases were hospital acquired infections related to cardiac surgery (4 cases), intracardiac catheterization (5 cases), intravenous catheter (4 cases). Uncontrolled infection or cardiac insufficiency underwent respectively in 14 and 18 cases. The overall mortality was 50 p. cent. The death occurred more frequently in primitive endocarditis (70%) than in secondary native endocarditis (45%) or prosthetic endocarditis (29%). It was also more frequent in Pseudomonas endocarditis (59%) than with other species (36%) and more frequent when cardiac sufficiency was present (50%). 15 patients underwent surgical procedure of which 6 died (40%). The results were better if the infection was cured before surgical procedures: 5 deaths occurred when the culture of the valves remained positive (9 cases) but none when it was negative. The 5 most recent cases of prosthetic endocarditis were cured. Since 1979, no death occurred among treated patients. we concluded that surgery is usually necessary but after an effective antibiotic therapy over a 4 or 6 week period.

Adolescent↗

[Acute pulmonary infiltrates in hematologic malignancies in aplasia (author's transl)].

Extensive pneumonias are usually implicated as the sole cause for acute respiratory failure complicating severe neutropenia in hematologic malignancies and are often fatal. We report study of 11 patients investigated and treated in intensive care unit, using transtracheal aspiration, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) via face mask and granulocyte transfusions Two groups of patients emerged from this study. The first group with immediately diffuse pulmonary infiltrates, positive blood cultures, negative tracheal cultures, marked improvement in hypoxemia during CPAP, benefits from granulocyte transfusion without impairment in ventilatory status and may be considered as non-hemodynamic pulmonary oedema. The second group with localized pulmonary infiltrates, negative blood cultures and positive tracheal culture, slight improvement in hypoxemia during CPAP, gets no benefit from granulocyte transfusion, with additional impairment in ventilatory status and may be considered as acute extensive pneumonias.

Acute Disease↗

[Management of unilateral or asymmetrical lung disease (author's transl)].

To determine the indications of body position, continuous positive airway pressure and independent lung ventilation in unilateral lung disease, we turned 10 patients with overwhelming unilateral lung disease from supine to lateral position. All patients were breathing spontaneously with a mask, then associated with continuous airway pressure (10 cm H2O PEEP) in five cases. During these spontaneous ventilation methods, hemodynamic parameters did not change, but arterial blood oxygen tension increased and intra-pulmonary shunting decreased significantly. Final recovery was obtained in 7 cases. In the 3 others, mechanical ventilation was needed because spontaneous breathing methods were ineffective in improving blood gases. Lateral position and conventional ventilation with positive airway pressure were also ineffective. Only independent ventilation enhanced arterial blood oxygen tension. But only one patient survived. We conclude that spontaneous breathing methods are able to provide successful treatment in most of patients with unilateral lung disease. In other patients, only independent lung ventilation is effective.

Adult↗

[Consequences of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on left ventricular function. Assessment by M-mode echocardiography (author's transl)].

The consequences of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on left ventricular function are uncertain. Left ventricular function was assessed by M-mode echocardiography in 8 young normal subjects during CPAP via face mask. Heart rate and arterial pressure did not change. End-diastolic volume and stroke volume significantly decreased. Ejection fraction remained unchanged. The slight decrease of stroke volume induced by increasing positive airway pressure is in relation to decreased left ventricular preload.

Adult↗

[Periarteritis nodosa complicated by intrapancreatic vascular rupture].

Clinical pancreatic manifestations are unusual in polyarteritis nodosa. A case of intrapancreatic hemorrhage due to vascular rupture occurring during the course of histologically proven polyarteritis nodosa is described. The patient presented with massive hemoperitoneum requiring emergency laparotomy. Splenopancreatectomy was performed to control bleeding. Steroid therapy was continued during the postoperative course, with favorable outcome. The mechanism of vascular rupture is not clear, but is probably related to focal arteritis with consequent infarction. No ruptured microaneurysm was found in this case.

Arteries↗