[Systolic blood pressures are not comparable when home blood pressure is measured with a wrist or an arm validated monitor]. / Comparaison des valeurs de PAS/PAD obtenues lors d'une utilisation séquentielle d'un auto-tensiomètre de bras ou de poignet.

OBJECTIVES: To compare home blood pressure values obtained with two validated OMRON (wrist or arm) monitors used sequentially in the same subject. METHODS: In 265 hypertensive subjects referred to hypertension specialists, a self measurement of blood pressure was performed sequentially with an OMRON M4-I (arm cuff, A/A, BHS validation) or OMRON RX-I (wrist cuff, B/B, BHS validation). Each patient recorded home blood pressure during two periods of 4 days with 3 measures in the morning and 3 in the evening. Order for use of each monitor was randomised. With wrist devices, subjects were advised to keep the arm at heart level during measurements. BP values were reported on a standardized document. Patients were asked by a questionnaire about the tolerance and feasibility of the 2 methods. RESULTS: In this population, aged 59 +/- 14 years, with 60% of men and a mean blood pressure of 152 +/- 21 / 86 +/- 14 mmHg, the home blood pressure values were 143 +/- 20/81 +/- 11 mmHg with the arm monitor and 135 +/- 10 / 80 +/- 11 mmHg with the wrist monitor. Mean SBP adjusted on age, initial blood pressure level and period order was significantly lower when home blood pressure monitoring has been recorded with a wrist monitor as compared to an arm monitor (p < 0.001). Self measurement of blood pressure was felt as easy in 92% with the arm monitor and in 96% with the wrist monitor (p < 0.05). Self measurement of blood pressure was felt as constraining in 14% with the arm monitor and in 7% with the wrist monitor (p < 0.01). The feasibility between the two devices was good with none of the value missing in 86% with the arm monitor and in 85% with the wrist monitor. The missing values were in 56% the fourth day. CONCLUSION: Despite the use of two validated monitors, mean SBP is significantly lower when home blood pressure monitoring is recorded with a wrist monitor as compared to an arm monitor. Uncertainty in the arm position with the use of wrist device could explain these results. When advising home blood pressure monitoring, care should be taken to recommend only the use of validated devices and to prefer the use of arm devices in order to avoid the uncertainty of an inadequate utilisation.

[Evaluation of a new stress echocardiography technique combining exercise and dobutamine in the detection of coronary disease]. / Evaluation d'une nouvelle technique d'échocardiographie de stress couplant effort et dobutamine dans la détection de la maladie coronaire.

Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) and exercise stress echocardiography (ESE) are widely used for diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Each of these methods has limitations: secondary effects of Dobutamine, poor imaging quality, difficulty in attaining the maximal heart rate. The authors evaluated a test associating pedalling exercise at a constant low load (30-60 watts) with Dobutamine infusion (10-20-30-40 j/Kg/min +/- Atropine) (DES + E) in 42 patients referred for suspected coronary artery disease. All patients underwent coronary angiography on Day 1. There was significant coronary disease (> 50% stenosis) in 19 of the 42 patients. Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, positive predictive value and overall diagnosis value were respectively 84, 87, 84, 87 and 86%. In the first 20 patients, the DES + E was compared directly with DES: There was only one undesirable side effect (hypertension) with DES + E compared with 5 with DES alone. The target heart rate was attained with lower doses of Dobutamine with DES + E (32.35 vs 39.42 j/Kg/min, p = 0.05). DES + E therefore seems to be a promising technique which is better tolerated than DES alone with very satisfactory diagnostic performances. However, these results require further confirmation in larger numbers of patients.

Perivalvular abscesses associated with endocarditis; clinical features and prognostic factors of overall survival in a series of 233 cases. Perivalvular Abscesses French Multicentre Study.

AIMS: The purposes of this study were to determine the clinical features and to identify prognostic factors of abscesses associated with infective endocarditis. METHODS AND RESULTS: During a 5-year period from January 1989, 233 patients with perivalvular abscesses associated with infective endocarditis were enrolled in a retrospective multicentre study. Of the patients, 213 received medical surgical therapy and 20 medical therapy alone. No causative microorganism could be identified in 31% of cases. Sensitivity for the detection of abscesses was 36 and 80%, respectively using transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography. Surgical treatment consisted of primary suture of the abscess (38%), insertion of a felt aortic or mitral ring using Teflon or pericardium (42%), or debridment of the abscess cavity (20%). The 1 month operative mortality was 16%. Actuarial rates for overall survival at 3 and 27 months in operated patients were 75 +/- 10% and 59 +/- 11%, respectively. Increasing patient age, staphylococcal infection, and fistulization of the abscess were found to be independent risk factors in both 1 month and overall operative mortality. Renal failure was a risk factor predictive of operative mortality at 1 month, whereas uncontrolled infection and circumferential abscess were regarded as risk factors predictive of overall operative mortality. CONCLUSION: The data determined prognostic factors of abscesses associated with infective endocarditis.

[Cardiac abscess in infectious endocarditis. A multicenter study apropos of 233 cases. The Working Group on Valvulopathy of the French Society of Cardiology]. / Abcès cardiaques dans l'endocardite infectieuse. Etude multicentrique à propos de 233 cas. Groupe de travail sur les valvulopathies de la Société française de cardiologie.

The aim of this retrospective multicenter study was to determine present characteristics of infectious endocarditis complicated by abscess and to identifying predictive factors of mortality. The files of 233 patients with infectious endocarditis complicated by perivalvular abscesses between January 1989 and December 1993 were analysed. Two hundred and thirteen patients underwent medico-surgical treatment (175 aortic and 38 mitral abscesses) and 20 patients underwent medical treatment alone (17 aortic and 3 mitral abscesses). The abscess was observed on native valves in 156 cases and valve prostheses in 77 cases. The causative organism was identified in 69% of cases : the commonest organism was the staphylococcus. The diagnostic sensitivity of transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography was 36 and 80% respectively. The operative mortality at one month was 16%. Patients over 65 years of age, staphylococcal infection, renal failure and fistulisation of the abscess, were identified as independent predictive factors of mortality at one month. The survival rate three months after surgery was 75 +/- 10% and 59 +/- 11% at 27 months. An age over 65, staphylococcal infection, uncontrolled infection, circumferential abscess and fistulisation were independent predictive factors of global mortality (the first month and after). The mortality rate in unoperated patients was 40%: cardiac failure and fistulisation of the abscess detected by echocardiography were predictive factors of mortality on univariate analysis.

[Influence of alleles of apolipoprotein E on restenosis after coronary angioplasty in women]. / Influence des allèles de l'apolipoprotéine E sur la resténose après angioplastie coronaire chez la femme.

Although coronary stenting reduces the incidence of post-angioplasty restenosis, it remains a problem. The influence of lipoproteins on the development of atherosclerosis has been demonstrated but their role in restenosis is controversial. Contradictory results have been published on the subject of the influence of the APO E genotype. In an initial study, the authors showed a closer correlation between Lp (a) and coronary artery disease in women than in men. A sub-group of women who underwent angioplasty and whose lipid profile had been well established, was analysed with respect to APO E alleles. The 59 patients who underwent angioplasty included 35 single, 20 twin and 4 triple vessel diseases. Control coronary angiography was performed in 40 of these women. A telephonic interview was carried out between 12 and 22 months after dilatation on the whole population. The apolipoproteins A1, B, Lp (a) and Lp A1 were measured by immunological, turbidimetric or electroimmunological techniques. The APO E genotyping was performed with the Inno-Lipa kit. The results showed 18 angiographic restenoses (Group A), 20 coronary artery disease without restenosis (Group B), 41 without angiographic (20) or clinical (21) restenosis (Group C). In Group A, the Lp (a) was well above the threshold value of 0.30 g/l. The e4 allele was associated with the highest values of total and LDL cholesterol fractions. There was no significant difference between the APO E genotype of the different groups or with respect to the severity of lesions. The authors conclude that if the e4 is more commonly associated with high LDL-cholesterol and Lp (a), its role in the process of restenosis remains unproven. A greater number of patients is required and further studies are desirable to determine the inflammatory and/or immunological mechanisms through which APO E could influence restenosis.

[Evaluation of sevoflurane, new anesthetic agent during pediatric cardiac catheterization]. / Evaluation du sévoflurane, nouvel agent anesthésique au cours du cathétérisme cardiaque pédiatrique.

General anaesthesia for cardiac catheterisation of children is a real challenge for anaesthetists. The recent commercialisation of sevoflurane, a new halogenated anaesthetic agent allowing induction by inhalation with an extremely rapid loss of consciousness and recovery with minimal cardiovascular effects, incited the authors to evaluate its use in this indication. Forty children aged 4 months to 10 years undergoing cardiac catheterisation were anaesthetised with a standardised protocol with sevoflurane. An anaesthetic state was obtained in 34 +/- 8 seconds with excellent tolerance, few and transient secondary effects. Changes in respiratory and haemodynamic status during catheterisation were only significant in 5 children with associated pulmonary disease and who developed desaturation requiring oxygen therapy. The recovery times were 6.3 +/- 2.1 minutes for ablation of the laryngeal mask, 7.1 +/- 3.5 minutes to the first cry and 8.4 +/- 3.8 minutes to opening of the eyes. All children were fit for discharge from the post-catheterisation observation ward after an average of 12.5 +/- 4.3 minutes. The most distressing secondary effect on recovery was headache, experienced by 4 children. Sevoflurane would seem to be particularly useful for general anaesthesia for diagnostic or interventional cardiac catheterisation of children.

[Evaluation of cardiac risk before vascular surgery by dobutamine stress echocardiography]. / Evaluation du risque cardiaque avant chirurgie vasculaire par échocardiographie de stress à la dobutamine.

The detection of coronary artery disease is essential before abdominal aortic surgery. In view of the limitations of the usual methods of investigation, dobutamine stress echocardiography was assessed in this indication. Eighty-five patients with an aortic abdominal aneurysm or obstructive arterial disease underwent dobutamine stress echocardiography followed by coronary angiography. Depending on the results, vascular surgery was performed directly, after myocardial revascularisation or not at all. Significant coronary lesions (stenosis > or = 50%) were found in 32 of the 85 patients (38%). Dobutamine stress echocardiography had a sensitivity of 78% and a specificity of 75%, and positive and negative predictive values of 66 and 85% respectively. The relative risk of coronary disease was 4.4. In this series, 15 patients had severe coronary lesions: 2 were turned down for surgery and 13 underwent myocardial revascularisation; 14 of them (93%) had a positive stress echo. The only 2 non-fatal cardiac complications of peripheral surgery (3%) occurred after a positive dobutamine stress echo. This study confirms both the necessity of preoperative assessment of coronary risk and the efficacy of dobutamine stress echocardiography in this indication. Dobutamine stress echocardiography is reliable, non-invasive, economical and a real alternative to isotopic methods. Its good predictive value justifies using coronary angiography only for patients with a positive result.