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Biomedical subjects

P Duroux

Publications and source records attributed to P Duroux.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

[Therapeutic approach to pulmonary embolism].

The purpose of this study is the retrospective evaluation of the treatment of 196 cases of pulmonary embolism. Therapeutic attitude was standardized. Intravenous heparin followed early on by oral anticoagulants remains the basic treatment of the majority of patients (74%). This treatment could be associated with: (1) Fibrinolysis with urokinase bolus at the time of massive pulmonary embolism with clinical and hemodynamic signs of shock (14%). No severe hemorrhagic complication was observed. 2) Inferior vena caval interruption in case of contraindications or failure of anticoagulation (29%). Only one death was observed in this study.

Anticoagulants↗

Early neutrophil alveolitis after rechallenge in drug induced alveolitis.

A patient with drug induced alveolitis due to an antidepressant drug, nomifensine, is described. After an inadvertent rechallenge by the patient sequential bronchoalveolar lavage was carried out. Twenty four hours after the rechallenge the lavage fluid contained a high cell count with neutrophils predominating. Seven days after challenge the cells were predominantly lymphocytes.

Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic↗

Acute pulmonary embolism: diagnostic value of digital subtraction angiography.

Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) performed via a peripheral vein was compared prospectively with selective conventional pulmonary angiography (CPA) in 54 patients suspected of having pulmonary embolism (PE). All patients also underwent ascending venography. In contrast to the conventional pulmonary angiograms, all of which were considered satisfactory, 13 of 54 digital subtraction angiograms (24%) were technically unsatisfactory. The interpretable digital subtraction angiograms had 81% sensitivity and 64% specificity. With DSA, one cannot exclude the diagnosis of PE on the basis of normal angiograms (27% false-positive results) as one can with perfusion scanning. On the other hand, DSA showed good sensitivity (94%) in medium to major PE. Therefore it may be the technique of choice in the screening of life-threatening PE for which curative emergency treatment with thrombolytic agents or embolectomy is often necessary.

Acute Disease↗

Relaxation of the diaphragm muscle: influence of ryanodine and fatigue.

Relaxation of rat diaphragm was shown to be sensitive to load, as previously described for adult mammalian ventricular muscle, because the time course of isotonic relaxation could be changed by changing the load: the lighter the load, the greater the shortening, the quicker the relaxation. Maximum velocity of isotonic relaxation was linearly related to the extent of shortening (r = 0.90). To quantify the degree of load sensitivity, we measured the tRi, i.e., the ratio of time at which the isometric relaxation of the twitch afterloaded at 50% of the isometric peak active tension began to time at which the isometric twitch was relaxed to 50% of the isometric peak active twitch tension. tRi was 0.76 +/- 0.03 (SE) in control conditions but significantly increased to 0.91 +/- 0.02 after ryanodine, which is an inhibitor of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) function, and to 0.89 +/- 0.03 after fatigue. These results suggest that in adult rat diaphragm, as in cardiac muscle, the load sensitivity of relaxation requires a well-functioning SR and that the relaxation abnormalities observed in fatigued diaphragm are related to a dysfunction of the SR.

Alkaloids↗

Mild isocapnic hypoxia enhances the bronchial response to methacholine in asthmatic subjects.

We studied the effect of mild isocapnic hypoxia (FIO2 = 15.5%) on lung mechanics, heart rate, circulating plasma catecholamines, and bronchial responsiveness to methacholine in ten asthmatic adults. Hypoxia did not alter lung mechanics (i.e., dynamic pulmonary compliance [CLdyn], pulmonary resistance [RL]) nor did it increase plasma catecholamines, but it significantly increased bronchial responsiveness to aerosolized methacholine, as assessed by the fall in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1: 1.2 +/- 0.18 versus 0.9 +/- 0.14 L/s, p less than 0.05), the rise in RL (RL: 19.1 +/- 1.4 versus 8.4 +/- 1 cm H2O/L/s, p less than 0.05), and the steeper slope of the dose-response curve to methacholine. We concluded that the hypoxic characteristic of asthmatic attacks may aggravate airflow obstruction.

Adult↗

[Fatal asthma].

Fatal asthma is rare but constitutes a serious public health problem on account of the raised prevalence of the disease. The incidence of fatal asthma is estimated at 3/100,000 people in France and the incidence of fatal asthma has not ceased to rise in the world despite therapeutic progress. The principal risk factors recognised are: 1. longstanding asthma, 2. unstable asthma, 3. acute severe asthma with a prior history, 4. insufficiently treated asthma or poorly compliant patient, 5. the absence of surveillance by peak flow measurements, etc. The socio-economic factors and above all the psychological factors play a role which is not negligible. A poor evaluation of the severity of the crisis by the asthmatic has been suggested as a factor, but it is possible that the rapidity of the progression of the crisis in fatal asthma may be responsible for the physical inability of the patient to react to the situation. There is no reason to incriminate beta-mimetic agents in fatal asthma. The prevention rests on an improvement in treatment, the education of the asthmatic and an improvement in medical teaching. However, only improvement in the speed of admission of emergency cases will effectively permit a reduction in the incidence of fatal asthma. The system of auto-admission of patients at risk should be reserved for co-operative patients but the systematic medicalization for urgent cases of asthma merits further development. A better definition of the asthmatic population at risk for fatal asthma is necessary.

Adolescent↗

Diagnostic tests of gastric disorders.

In diagnostic of gastric diseases, fiberendoscopy is today the best procedure. It is superior to radiology with respect to the evaluation of mucosal lesions, the possibility of taking biopsy and therapeutic interventions like hemostatic procedures. Costs for endoscopy are not higher than for radiology. Endoscopy may have a certain morbidity - possible infections via the endoscope - and a mortality less than one per 10.000. Radiology is still useful with respect to the evaluation of motility, the type, form and size of hernias, the presence of extrinsic lesions and certain problems after surgical interventions such as fundoplication. For determination of gastric secretion, the 24-hour ambulatory gastric pH-metry using endoluminal glass electrodes is much more useful than the tests of gastric aspiration. Gastric emptying test and measurement of duodenogastric reflux play a relatively small role in clinical evaluations.

Campylobacter Infections↗

[Calculation of the ventilation-perfusion ratio in the scintigraphic diagnosis of pulmonary embolism].

Ventilation perfusion scanning fails to diagnose pulmonary embolism in matched defects. In 61 patients (19 with pulmonary embolism proved by angiography, 32 with chronic obstructive lung disease and 10 with acute bacterial pneumonia) we computed the ventilation perfusion ratio (V/Q) in these matched defects, using Krypton 81 m. This analysis demonstrated that the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism could be made with a specificity of 100% when the V/Q ratio was greater than 1.2 in the matched defects. Pulmonary embolism was characterized by a perfusion defect with a high V/Q ratio, even in Laennec infarction. In contrast, the analysis excluded the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism and suggested another disease when the V/Q was less than 0.95 with a specificity of 95%. Perfusion defects in acute pneumonia always had a V/Q less than 1. The diagnosis remained difficult in chronic obstructive lung disease when pulmonary embolism was suspected on subsegmental defects. Nevertheless this could be solved in about 50% of the cases by quantitative analysis. We feel, therefore, that ventilation perfusion scanning should be quantified by V/Q analysis to improve the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.

Adult↗

Recurrence of pulmonary embolism during anticoagulant treatment: a prospective study.

The risk of early recurrence of pulmonary embolism in patients with venous thromboembolic disease treated by anticoagulants is not well established. To determine the risk linked to contemporary proximal deep venous thrombosis, a prospective study was organised to give clinical and scintigraphic surveillance to 50 patients with angiographically proved pulmonary embolism plus phlebographically proved proximal deep vein thrombosis during the first 15 days of anticoagulant treatment. Perfusion lung scans were performed initially and on days 3, 7, and 15. Only two patients had a recurrence of pulmonary embolism during this period; both episodes were revealed by new symptoms, and one recurrence was fatal. The systematic performance of angiography in four patients found to have new scintigraphic defects led to the diagnosis of "spurious scintigraphic recurrence" in three of them. It is concluded that (a) adjusted anticoagulant treatment showed an effectiveness of 96% for preventing early recurrence of pulmonary embolism in this group of supposed high risk patients, and (b) in patients with recent pulmonary embolism new defects on systematic perfusion lung scans are not specific indicators of recurrent pulmonary embolism.

Adult↗

A single orally administered dose of almitrine improves pulmonary gas exchange during exercise in patients with chronic air-flow obstruction.

To verify if the improvement in gas exchange observed at rest with almitrine in patients with chronic air-flow obstruction is maintained at exercise, we studied 10 patients on a randomized, crossover, double-blind exercise protocol. After assessment of steady state of their disease, patients with FEV 1 less than 1.5 L.s-1 and PaCO2 less than 70 mmHg cycled 8 to 11 min at 80% of their previously determined maximal O2 uptake. Blood gases, arterial lactate (La), expired ventilation, (VE), O2 uptake (Vo2), Co2 production (VCO2), heart rate (HR), and arterial blood pressure (BP) were measured at rest, at mid-exercise, at end-exercise, and at 2, 14, 15, and 35 min of recovery. We found that at all stages of the study PaO2 was significantly higher in those who had received almitrine than in those who had received placebo; the mean increment was 11.9 torr at rest, 8.9 at end-exercise, and 13.7 at 15 min of recovery. Changes in PaCO2 and arterial (H+) were the opposite of those in PaO2; at end-exercise PaCO2 was 5.9 torr lower in those who had received almitrine, and pH was 7.36 versus 7.32 in those who had received placebo. No significant difference was found at all stages of the study between drug and placebo with respect to VE, VO2, VCO2, HR, and BP. But the ventilatory equivalent for oxygen, VE/VO2, was slightly higher in those who had received almitrine than in those who had received placebo during exercise.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Administration, Oral↗

Intraesophageal perfusion of acid increases the bronchomotor response to methacholine and to isocapnic hyperventilation in asthmatic subjects.

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) has been shown to be more frequent in people with asthma, but the mechanism by which it might aggravate asthmatic symptoms remains unclear. We compared the effects on maximal expiratory flow at 50% of VC (MEF50) of esophageal perfusion of hydrochloric acid (HCl) and of normal saline (NaCl) in 12 asthmatic subjects chosen at random. In all subjects, HCl perfusion did not change MEF50 but potentiated the bronchoconstriction induced by isocapnic hyperventilation of dry air (maximal decrease in MEF50 = 44 +/- 7% with HCl versus 22 +/- 5% with NaCl; p less than 0.001) or methacholine (provocative dose producing a 20% decrease in FEV1 = 349 +/- 99 micrograms with HCl versus 496 +/- 119 micrograms with NaCl; p less than 0.01). Seven of the asthmatic subjects were found to have GER on esophageal pH monitoring. In these subjects, HCl alone decreased MEF50 slightly but significantly (-17.5 +/- 5.5%; p less than 0.05), possibly reflecting the higher degree of basal bronchial hyperreactivity observed in this group. Thus, perfusion of acid into the distal esophagus caused slight but significant bronchoconstriction in asthmatic subjects with GER and increased the bronchoconstriction produced by isocapnic hyperventilation and by methacholine in asthmatic subjects without regard for the presence of GER.

Adolescent↗