[A new treatment: bariatric surgery; a new complication: Wernicke-Korsakoff encephalopathy]. / Un nouveau traitement: la chirurgie bariatrique; une nouvelle complication: l'encéphalopathie de Wernicke-Korsakoff.

INTRODUCTION: Bariatric surgery has peripheral or central neurological complications in 5-10% of patients. CASE: We report the case of a 39-year-old man with metabolic syndrome who underwent gastric by-pass surgery and then lost 40 kg over a period of 2.5 months. He subsequently developed symptoms suggestive of Wernicke-Korsakoff encephalopathy, secondary to stenosis of the gastrojejunal anastomosis, which led to repeated unreported vomiting. DISCUSSION: This neurological syndrome, linked to thiamine deficiency, can be found with insufficient nutrition after surgery or severe vomiting after bariatric surgery. The complications are essentially peripheral neuropathy and metabolic dysfunctions, including iron and vitamin (B12, D, folate) deficiencies. This case reminds us that bariatric surgery requires close metabolic follow-up with periodic assays of vitamin levels, including thiamine, even when supplementation was prescribed.

Adult hemolytic-uremic syndrome associated with urosepsis due to Shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli O138:H-.

We report the case of a 62-year-old man without prodromal symptoms who developed a hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) one week after the diagnosis of an acute bacteremic urinary infection (UTI). In this patient, the E. coli isolated in blood cultures was a non-O157:H7 Shigatoxin-producing strain that could subsequently be identified as O138:H-. This is a strain that is normally found in pigs and that has never been isolated in humans previously. UTI-related HUS is a rare event, as until now, only 14 pediatric and 3 adult cases have been reported. Indeed, this new case, besides its interesting microbiological aspects, should heighten our awareness of UTI-related HUS as a rare but real condition, not only in young children but also in adult patients. This should emphasize the necessity to search actively for other sources of Shigatoxin-producing E. coli in patients presenting with HUS without gastrointestinal symptoms.

Reduced ejection fraction after myocardial infarction: is it sufficient to justify implantation of a defibrillator?

BACKGROUND: Improved survival after prophylactic implantation of a defibrillator in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) after myocardial infarction (MI) has been demonstrated in patients who experienced remote MIs in the 1990s. The absolute survival benefit conferred by this recommended strategy must be related to the current risk of arrhythmic death, which is evolving. This study evaluates the mortality rate in survivors of MI with impaired left ventricular function and its relation to pre-hospital discharge baseline characteristics. METHODS: The clinical records of patients who had sustained an acute MI between 1999 and 2000 and had been discharged from the hospital with an EF of < or = 40% were included. Baseline characteristics, drug prescriptions, and invasive procedures were recorded. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed using a primary end point of total mortality. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-five patients were included. During a median follow-up period of 30 months (interquartile range, 22 to 36 months) 18 patients died. The 1-year and 2-year mortality rates were 6.7% and 8.6%, respectively. Variables reflecting coronary artery disease and its management (ie, prior MI, acute reperfusion, and complete revascularization) had a greater impact on mortality than variables reflecting mechanical dysfunction (ie, EF and Killip class). CONCLUSIONS: The mortality rate among survivors of MIs with reduced EF was substantially lower than that reported in the 1990s. The strong decrease in the arrhythmic risk implies a proportional increase in the number of patients needed to treat with a prophylactic defibrillator to prevent one adverse event. The risk of an event may even be sufficiently low to limit the detectable benefit of defibrillators in patients with the prognostic features identified in our study. This argues for additional risk stratification prior to the prophylactic implantation of a defibrillator.

[Prevention of secondary cases of invasive meningococcal infection: role of chemoprophylaxis and vaccination]. / Prévention des cas secondaires d'infection invasive à méningocoques: place de la chimioprophylaxie et de la vaccination.

Prevention of secondary cases of invasive meningococcal disease is based on the rapid administration of chemoprophylaxis and depending on circumstances, conjugate vaccine against group C meningococci. The targeted group is close contacts of the patient, mainly household members. When two or more cases take place in schools, chemoprophylaxis and vaccination are offered to classmates and teachers. First-line antimicrobials are quinolones for adults, rifampin for children and ceftriaxone for pregnant and lactating women. Three highly efficacious (> 90%) conjugate vaccines that provide long-lasting protection have been recently made available in Switzerland.