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Biomedical subjects

P Gaussorgues

Publications and source records attributed to P Gaussorgues.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Early effects of nimodipine on intracranial and cerebral perfusion pressures in cerebral anoxia after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Some calcium entry blockers seem to improve the neurological survival of anoxic comas. The early monitoring of intracranial pressure shows the frequency of intracranial hypertension. A calcium channel blocker has been shown to increase the cerebral blood flow which can potentially lead to deleterious increases of the intracranial pressure. This study presents 39 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests resuscitated with success. The intracranial pressures were registered by means of an extra dural screw set up as soon as possible. Nineteen patients received an early continuous 5 days nimodipine treatment (0.58 gamma/kg weight/min. after a 12.3 gamma/kg weight bolus). The other 20 patients did not receive any calcium entry blocker. The two groups were similar in terms of age, origin and electrical type of cardiac arrest, duration of cardiac arrest before BLS and before ACLS, principles of the treatment, initial neurological status and biological values. The maximum and mean intracranial pressures of the nimodipine group were always lower than the intracranial pressure of the control group. The cerebral perfusion pressure was never significantly different in both groups. If the nimodipine treatment proves to be efficient on neurological survival, it would be all the more interesting because it seems to limit the intracranial hypertension phenomenon which aggravates the neurological prognosis.

Cerebrovascular Circulation↗

[Subpleural air cysts. A complication of barotrauma during mechanical ventilation].

The presence of air in the interstitial pulmonary tissues is shown as interstitial emphysema and is often the first sign of barotrauma. It results from hyper-pressure in the airways occurring for the greater part of the time on some underlying pulmonary pathology. This extra alveolar air may diffuse into the interstitium and collect under the visceral pleura, appearing on radiographs as air cysts from 3 to 10 centimeters in diameter. We described 7 cases of air cysts occurring in adults on mechanical ventilation. The lesions seem to us to represent a radiological entity and evidence of barotrauma due to mechanical ventilation and possessing its own potential outcome, namely rupture leading to pneumothorax, infection, persistence, or disappearance. The early occurrence in its history of a particular disease should be noted, enabling one to minimise the factors contributing to the barotrauma.

Adolescent↗

Comparison of nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage to open lung biopsy for the bacteriologic diagnosis of pulmonary infections in mechanically ventilated patients.

We compared nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage (NB-BAL) with open lung biopsy to determine the etiological diagnosis of lung infiltrates in patients requiring mechanical ventilation. NB-BAL was performed via a cuffed reusable 7F catheter generally used for right heart catheterization (BAL-C). In 13 patients, BAL-C and open lung biopsy were performed in the same lobe immediately after death when the ventilator was still functioning. No organism was cultured from BAL-C cultures when histopathologic examination of the lung showed no pneumonia and lung culture isolated no organism. Among the 10 positive BAL-C cultures, lung biopsy showed histologic pneumonia in 9 cases. Among these 9 pneumonia cases, 14 organisms were isolated in lung cultures and BAL-C correctly identified the causative agent in 13 cases. BAL-C appears to be an effective and safe procedure in the diagnosis of pulmonary infections in patients under mechanical ventilation who have previously received antibiotic therapy.

Aged↗

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: the teaching of experience at the SAMU of Lyon.

Because of the improvement resuscitation techniques have shown since the 1960s and because of the development of the out-of-hospital medical care, a cardiac arrest is no longer synonymous with death in every case. However the cardiac arrest resuscitation is only relevant if its adverse consequences can be limited. That is mainly the neurological after-effects and the cellular anoxia. Therefore, the "Service d'Aide Medicale Urgente" (SAMU) of Lyon has been concentrating its research aiming at: (a) Shortening the duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation to limit the cerebral anoxia. (b) Analysing and treating some of the causes responsible for the aggravation of anoxia. On the basis of several studies in Lyon, here are some suggestions: (1) The use of high doses of epinephrine that unables a better percentage of primary recoveries (47.5% vs. 39%) (P less than 0.05) and secondary recoveries (21.3% vs. 14.8%) (P less than 0.01) without modifying the qualitative survival at long term. (On the basis of: 5 mg intravenous bolus repeated every 3 min in case of asystole instead of 1 mg every 5 min as it is usually recommended). (2) The choice of a peripheral intravenous line instead of a central intravenous line each time it is possible for the administration of drugs since it is as efficient as the second one. (40.7% vs. 33.4%) (P:NS). (3) The alkalinisation of the prolonged cardiac arrest in order to keep the acid-base balance. Most of the survivors show a pH equal or superior to the normal standard. (On the basis of 1 mmol/kg of sodium bicarbonate if the cardiac arrest lasts for more than 10 min). (4) The abolition of the dextrose solution as maintaining infusion the patients who are in a "coma depasse" (brain death) after the resuscitation have an average glycemia superior to the survivors without after-effects. (19.7 vs. 14.8 mmol/l) (P less than 0.05). (5) The monitoring at once at the hospital of the intra-cranial pressure. It reveals the frequency of high pression at an early stage (superior to 15 mmHg in 51.1% of the cases) and the absence of favourable evolution in case of high intracranial pressure. At the moment the absence of consequences on the ICR of a calcium entry blocker (Nimodipine) is being studied. The first results do not seem to show any improvement of the cerebral survival. (6) The prophylactic treatment of septicemia with intestinal origin since they occur frequently and prove to be fatal.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗

[Diagnosis of post-traumatic pleural effusion].

A rare case of post-traumatic pleural effusion is reported. A 19 year old male patient was admitted after a road traffic accident with a scalp wound, femoral shaft fracture and haematuria related to a ruptured bladder. Shortly after extubation following bladder surgical repair, the patient had to be reintubated because of acute respiratory failure. A large left-sided pleural effusion was then diagnosed. The liquid was sero-haematic and contained a high concentration of creatinine (839 mumol.l-1). Thoracic CT scan and intravenous urography displayed a left epirenal collection and a dilatation of the upper urinary tract with rupture of the renal pelvis. The surgical treatment of this urinothorax consisted of the rupture repair of the posterior diaphragm and of the urinary tract.

Adult↗

[Fulminant and subfulminant hepatitis treated by orthotopic transplantation of the liver. Apropos of 10 cases].

In the period between 15/12/1987 and 15/08/1989, ten patients with either fulminating or subfulminating hepatitis have been treated by orthotopic liver transplantation (O.L.T.). Six patients are doing well in the post-operative period with a mean follow-up of 12 months (7-23 months). No evidence of neurological sequelae has been observed and recurrence of HB virus infection was absent from the three cases who survived hepatitis B transplantation. Four out these ten patients died after initial successful O.L.T... One patient succumbed 7 days after O.L.T. from sepsis or early super-acute rejection, the second 21 days after O.L.T. from neuromeningeal listeria, the third 43 days post O.L.T. from acute rejection, while the fourth developed cytomegalovirus pneumonia and died 61 days after O.L.T. Orthotopic liver transplantation has become the treatment of fulminating hepatitis. It is an emergency which is usually accompanied by successive difficulties in decision making: indication criteria, then acceptance or refusal of ABO incompatible grafts (5/10) and of suboptimal donors. Orthotopic liver transplantation for fulminating hepatitis is technically easy to perform, but usually requires the use of extra-corporal veno-venous circulation. Accompanying intensive medical care is essential and usually includes one or multiple plasmaphereses to correct existing coagulopathy without any fluid or sodium overload to the circulation.

Acute Disease↗

[Superiority of fiberoptic inflation compared to fiberoptic bronchoscopy in the early treatment of atelectasis under mechanical ventilation].

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a simple technique of active lung reexpansion through a fiberoptic bronchoscope, using a large volume syringe, with that of the conventional fiberoptic bronchoscope suction. Thirty consecutive patients with atelectasis were divided at random into two groups: with and without active inflation. The two groups were similar as regards age, sex-ratio, side and area involved in atelectasis. The group without inflation was less hypoxaemic than the other group (PaO2 202 and 140 mmHg respectively). Early and lasting improvement in chest X-ray and arterial blood gases occurred in both groups, but patients were significantly more improved during fiberoptic inflation. No pneumothorax or haemoptysis was observed during the procedure. These data prompt us to recommend active inflation instead of fiberoptic bronchoscopy suction alone for the emergency treatment of patients with severe hypoxaemic atelectasis.

Adolescent↗

Bacteremia following cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

After out of hospital CPR thirty three resuscitated patients were studied for bacteremic complications. Thirteen patients (39%) had two or more positive blood cultures during the twelve hours following CPR. Source of superinfection was a central venous catheter in one case (staphylococcus). The twelve other bacteremic patients had fetid diarrhea a few hours after admission. The same organism were found in blood and faeces (streptococcus D, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, acinetobacter, enterobacter). Mesenteric ischemia caused by a low cardiac output may explain the diarrhea and the intestinal origin of the septicemia. All patients (12 cases) with diarrhoea and bacteremia died. Patients who recovered without neurologic sequelae (4 cases) had never been septic and never had diarrhea.

Adult↗