[Eligibility to a Maastricht III - type organ donation according to the protocol proposed by the French organ procurement organization (Agence de la biomedicine) among patients in a medico surgical intensive care unit]. / Potentiel de patients éligibles à un prélèvement d'organes de type Maastricht III dans le cadre du protocole de l'Agence de la biomédecine dans un service de réanimation polyvalente.

OBJECTIVE: Because of graft shortages, an experimental programme of organ donation after Maastricht 3-type circulatory death (M3) has been proposed by the French organ procurement organization (Agence de la biomedicine: ABM). The aim of the study was to estimate how many potential patients were eligible for an M3-type organ donation, amongst deceased patients who have had life-support withdrawn. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study looking at the notes of deceased patients in a French general intensive care unit (ICU), where organ donation is arranged in DBD donors. RESULTS: Over the year 2013, 1475 patients were admitted in ICU and 215 died. One hundred and one patients were brain-injured and 26 of them died following a decision to withdrawn life-support and without contraindication to organ donation. Among them, 2 patients (8%) met the criteria for the French M3-type organ donation protocol. A 12.5% increase in organ donation activity of our team and five organ transplantations could have been considered. CONCLUSION: If M3 organ donation is considered, a significant increase in transplantation would be expected.

High level cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae ventilator-associated pneumonia: prognostic factors based on a cohort study.

The impact of high level cephalosporin resistance due to Enterobacteriaceae harbouring a type I-inducible chromosomal ß-lactamase on the outcome of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) remains unknown. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in two intensive care units (ICUs) over a four-year period to identify factors prognostic of VAP caused by high level AmpC (HL-AmpC)-producing Enterobacteriaceae. The study included 75 patients, who developed VAP due to Enterobacteriaceae harbouring a type I-inducible chromosomal ß-lactamase. One-third of these VAP episodes were due to HL-AmpC-producing Enterobacteriaceae. Demographic and clinical characteristics at ICU admission were similar for patients, regardless of Enterobacteriaceae susceptibility, but those who developed VAP due to HL-AmpC-producing Enterobacteriaceae received antibiotics more frequently before its onset and had higher disease severity and organ dysfunction scores. Enterobacter spp. were the major HL-AmpC-producing micro-organisms responsible for VAP. VAP due to HL-AmpC-producing Enterobacteriaceae is rare. High level cephalosporin resistance was not associated with higher day 28 mortality, despite its association with more severe disease at VAP onset.

[Non pharmacological treatment of severe cutaneous infections: hyperbaric oxygen therapy, dressings and local treatments]. / Traitements non médicamenteux des infections cutanées graves: oxygénothérapie hyperbare, pansements et thérapeutiques locales.

Beside conventional therapy, the management of necrotizing cellulitis and fasciitis is based on non-pharmacological treatments. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy and dressings are the most frequently used techniques. The usefulness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy is clearly demonstrated in experimental studies while the efficacy of this technique is poorly assessed in clinical practice. The French consensus conference has concluded to an adjuvant role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy combined to intensive care management, surgery and antibiotic therapy. Occlusive conventional dressings using humid or vaseline gauze dressings are largely used. Calcium alginate or silver coated dressings might be useful. In addition, vacuum-assisted closure therapy could be proposed in replacement of conventional dressings.

Utility of cardiac troponin measurement after cardiac surgery.

Postoperative cardiac failure due to myocardial necrosis remains a major complication in cardiac surgical procedures and its diagnosis is still difficult. In fact, cardiac enzymes, electrocardiogram and echographic signs are often misleading. The prognostic valve of troponin I after coronary artery bypass or conventional value surgery has been evaluated in 500 adult patients. Postoperative troponin I concentrations after cardiac surgery represent an independent variable associated with mortality (in-hospital death) and morbidity (low cardiac output and acute renal failure).

Hyperprocalcitonemia in patients with perioperative myocardial infarction after cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and compare procalcitonin (PCT) concentrations after cardiac surgery in uncomplicated patients and in patients with perioperative myocardial infarction (PMI). DESIGN: Retrospective comparative study. SETTING: One university hospital. PATIENTS: Fifty-eight adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery. INTERVENTION: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In a first step, plasma PCT and C-reactive protein concentrations were measured preoperatively and until 72 hrs postoperatively in ten consecutive patients who underwent uncomplicated cardiac surgery. PCT concentrations increased progressively from the end of cardiopulmonary bypass (0.09 +/- 0.09 ng/mL), peaked at 24 hrs postoperatively (1.14 +/- 1.24 ng/mL), and began to decrease at 48 hrs. C-reactive protein appeared to peak at 48 hrs (from 5.8 +/- 11.7 mg/L preoperatively to 265.1 +/- 103.5 mg/L on the second postoperative day). In a second step, PCT concentrations were measured at day one in 23 patients (PMI group) who presented high postoperative plasma cardiac troponin I concentrations and were compared with PCT concentrations observed in 25 matched uncomplicated patients. All patients were free from infection. PCT in the PMI group was significantly higher than in the control group (27.1 +/- 63.2 vs. 2.0 +/- 2.4 ng/mL, respectively; p =.0053). CONCLUSION: Because high plasma concentrations of PCT were found in patients with PMI after cardiac surgery, it may be suggested that, in the early postoperative period, elevated plasma PCT concentrations should be interpreted with caution regarding infection diagnosis.

Comparison of intermittent epidural bolus, continuous epidural infusion and patient controlled-epidural analgesia during labor.

The aim of the study was to compare efficacy and side-effects produced by three techniques of epidural analgesia during labor: intermittent bolus (1B), continuous epidural infusion (CEI) and patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA). One hundred and fifty parturients allocated randomly to three groups received the same epidural solution of bupivacaine 0.125% with sufentanil 0.5 microg/mL. In the first group (IB: n=50) boluses were administered by the anesthesiologist and titrated to achieve adequate analgesia. In the second group (CEI: n=50) an 8 mL/h continuous infusion was delivered. In the third group (PCEA: n=50) parturients self-administered 5 mL boluses, with a lock-out interval of 10 min and a 4 h maximum dose of 50 mL. Insufficient analgesia in the CEI and PCEA groups was treated by extra boluses of the same solution. Quality of analgesia measured by visual analog scale (VAS), and maternal satisfaction were comparable in the three groups. Hourly consumption of bupivacaine was lower in the 113 group compared to the PCEA and CEI groups (p<0.05). The number of extra boluses was significantly higher in the CEI group compared to the PCEA group (32% vs. 12.5%). Motor block was significantly more frequent in the CEI group compared to the 113 group. The other side-effects were equally distributed in the three groups. We concluded that PCEA with bupivacaine and sufentanil is a valuable technique and a good alternative to the IB method. Compared to the CEI technique, PCEA allows a decrease in local anesthetic consumption without impairing the quality of anesthesia.