[Evaluation of duration for direct admission dispatch process in an urban area]. / Evaluation des durées de recherche de places en service spécialisé par la régulation d'un Samu en milieu urbain.

OBJECTIVE: In France, when physicians in ambulances take care of patients, they report medical status to the dispatch centre. Then the dispatching physician search for the available and appropriate hospital service to agree in directly receiving the patient. We attempted to evaluate this direct admission dispatch, in a urban area, with many health care facilities. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective evaluation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All the files for out of hospital interventions with a dispatch process were included. Data collected and analysed were: main pathologies, started time and end time of direct admission dispatch process and number of services called before finding the right place. RESULTS: 959 patients files were included, 849 could be analysed. The average duration of direct admission dispatch process is 10 (+/-13) minutes. Traumatology speciality shows a longer dispatch process than medicine disease (p < 0.001), and this time increased during summer (p < 0.05). The other parameters did not influence this duration. CONCLUSION: The average duration of direct admission dispatch process is acceptable. The increased duration of direct admission dispatch process in some pathology during summer may induce a risk for the patients. This problem will be improved only when the management of the available bed for emergency traumatology, will be implemented a regional coordination.

[Benefit of pharmaceutical anti-oedematous treatment in acute adult epiglottitis]. / Intérêt du traitement médicamenteux anti-oedémateux au cours de l'épiglottite aiguë de l'adulte.

Acute adult epiglottitis is a potentially life threatening infectious and respiratory emergency as it may result in airway obstruction. Endotracheal intubation, if needed, is a highly risky option in this situation and responsible for important morbidity and mortality rate. The option of a pharmaceutical anti-oedematous treatment, in order to avoid the risks involved in the endotracheal route has rarely been described. We here report the case of a 50-year-old man with a serious acute infectious epiglottitis who was treated at home by a Mobile Intensive Care Unit where a treatment of nebulized epinephrine and intravenous steroids was undoubtedly a successful option to the endotracheal route. So that, for adult patients and in the absence of any risk of an imminent respiratory arrest, this anti-oedematous treatment should be considered in order to avoid endotracheal route, an option which should be undertaken in case of complications. Nevertheless, this isolated case study concerning an adult is not transposable to children for which airway obstruction tolerance is lower.

[Laboratory testing measurement of FIO2 delivered by Boussignac CPAP system with an input of 100% oxygen]. / Mesure sur banc d'essai des FIO2 délivrées par la CPAP Boussignac alimentée en oxygène pur.

INTRODUCTION: CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) is one of the treatments of the cardiogenic acute pulmonary edema (cAPE). Among the out-of-hospital used devices, Boussignac CPAP (Vygon) shows a good technical usability, but no analysis of delivered FIO2 is available. OBJECTIVE: To measure the FIO2 delivered to patient, using Boussignac CPAP with an input of 100 vol % oxygen. Type of study. - Measurement in a laboratory testing. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Measurement of delivered FIO2 in a three parameters environment: expiratory positive airway pressure (EPAP), respiratory rate (RR) and required oxygen flow (ROF). Laboratory test: 100 vol % oxygen input, with a ball-type flow regulator for oxygen 0-30 l x min(-1) (Mediline), Boussignac CPAP valve with manometer (Vygon), Michigan test lung, ventilator César (Taema), oxygen analysis (Servomex) with paramagnetic sensor, with a response time < 10 s, pneumotachographe (Fleisch v 2). RESULTS: Under 10 cmH2O EPAP, the required oxygen flow is < or = 30 l x min(-1). Measured FIO2 ranges from 70 to 100 vol %, for a volume per minute < or = 15 l x min(-1) except for a EPAP at 2.5 cmH2O with a rate = 10 c min(-1) and a tidal volume (VT) at 1500 ml where the measured FIO2 is 60 vol %. For a volume per minute > 15 l x min(-1) and < 20 l x min(-1), measured FIO2 ranges from 59 to 83 vol % depending on the variations of RR and VT. CONCLUSION: Boussignac CPAP with 100 vol % oxygen input, delivers high levels of FIO2, especially for volume per minute values usually met in cAPE. The needed oxygen flow is lower than what is usually required by other CPAP flow generators using the venturi effect that may be used in out-of-hospital medical care.

[Quality assurance program for blood products in an out-of-hospital medical care unit]. / Démarche d'assurance qualité pour l'hémovigilance en Smur.

INTRODUCTION: Transfusion of blood products is part of out-of-hospital medical activity. Despite rare use of transfusion and difficult environment, the rules of transfusion must be respected: follow up to detect blood products, security, and patient's information before and after transfusion, follow up of infectious and immunological consequences. However, the current law and usable documents were not conceived for out-of-hospital emergency care. OBJECTIVE: To improve follow-up of blood product transfusion in out-of-hospital medical care (Smur). STUDY DESIGN: Quality assurance programme. MATERIAL AND METHODS: a) Initial evaluation with a retrospective analysis based on the medical chart of patient for whom transfusion has been performed; b) corrective measures were proposed with creation of a specific document concerning transfusion and guidelines for blood product delivery in the out-of-hospital emergency care; c) evaluation of the impact of these correctives measures. RESULTS: Less than one per cent of patients treated by our Smur needed transfusion, mainly during interhospital transfer. Patients were in a life-threatening situation in 50% of cases. Follow-up improved after implementation of the programme from 25 to 83% of transfused patient (p < 0.001). Despite limitation due to the small number of patients, other parameters also improved. CONCLUSION: The use of specific guidelines and document improves the follow-up of transfusion in out-of-hospital medical care.

[Iatrogenic gas embolism following surgical lavage of a wound with hydrogen peroxide]. / Embolie gazeuse iatrogène après lavage chirurgical d'une plaie à l'eau oxygénée.

The use of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in surgery for its antiseptic properties has been associated with life-threatening complications. We report a case of severe oxygen embolism after wound irrigation with H2O2 in a 17-year-old boy undergoing surgical dressing of a large thigh trauma under general anaesthesia. During muscle lavage with 400 mL of H2O2 3%, severe shock suddenly occurred. On the basis of clinical presentation, the diagnosis of pulmonary gas embolism was strongly suspected. Symptomatic treatment initiated immediately, restaured a normal haemodynamic state within a few minutes and the patient recovered without sequelae. The degradation of H2O2 results in considerable amounts of gaseous oxygen. One mL of H2O2 can produce in the tissues 10 mL of oxygen. This gas can enter the circulation and determine severe embolism. The treatment should be initiated without delay. The administration of H2O2 under pressure is contraindicated during surgery.

Time and concentration dependent influence of dirithromycin on neutrophils oxidative burst.

Dirithromycin is a 14-membered macrolide antibiotic, well known to yield high intragranulocytic levels after several hour exposure. We chose therefore to investigate oxidative metabolism after prolonged incubation periods with neutrophils. Neutrophil generation of reactive oxygen species, represented by superoxide anion, was assessed after fMLP or Staphylococcus aureus-induced activation of the respiratory burst. Cellular uptake of the drug was assessed concurrently, in order to attempt a correlation with time-dependent modifications of the cellular oxidative status. For 1 hour exposure time, a pro-oxidant effect was reported for lower concentrations, achievable during therapeutic administration, whereas the highest ones promoted a potent anti-oxidant effect. After prolonged incubation times, the anti-oxidant effect alone was reported, with time-dependent modifications of IC50 values. These values could be correlated with intracellular accumulation of the drug. The anti-inflammatory activity reported here for high dirithromycin concentrations, could be nevertheless clinically relevant, since dirithromycin cellular uptake extends beyond 4 hours.

In vitro interaction between spiramycin and polymorphonuclear neutrophils oxidative metabolism.

PMNs are a major component of body defense against microbial invasion, involving reactive oxygen species in great quantity, which could benefit from antibiotic therapy. Recently, possible antibiotic effects on phagocyte functions (impairment or stimulation of reactive oxygen species production) were studied. In our study, an in vitro evaluation was made on macrolide activity on phagocyte respiratory burst functions, using assay of superoxide anion (O2.-) in response to four stimuli systems: N-formyl Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP), an analogue of bacterial chemotactic factors; 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a direct activator of protein kinase C (PKC); calcium ionophore (A23187), which acts directly on calcium influx; and a bacterial strain, Staphylococcus aureus. We have shown that spiramycin, at therapeutic plasma concentrations, increased O2.- generation by bacteria and fMLP-stimulated PMNs, with rate of 26% for 1 microgram ml-1 and 34% for 5 micrograms ml-1, respectively. This pro-oxidant effect, however, weaker, was observed when PMNs were stimulated by PMA. A weak anti-oxidant effect was observed with A23187. For higher concentrations, spiramycin decreased strongly O2.- production, with IC50 values of 74 micrograms ml-1, 154 micrograms ml-1, 296 micrograms ml-1 and 400 micrograms ml-1 when PMNs were stimulated with bacteria, A23187, fMLP and PMA, respectively. The effect of spiramycin seemed to result from an intracellular mechanism by intervention of PMN oxidative metabolism (NADPH-oxidase activation), rather than a simple chemical interaction, because no effect has been observed in acellular models. For higher spiramycin concentrations, the decrease of O2.- production observed could not be taken into consideration because this concentration was not used in therapy. The enhanced of O2.- production observed could be used in therapy, so as to increase PMNs bactericidal activity.

[Campylobacter fetus subspecies fetus endoaortitis on a Bentall tube prosthesis. Apropos of a case]. / Endoaortite à Campylobacter fetus sous-espèce fetus sur tube prothétique de Bentall. A propos d'un cas.

Campylobacter fetus is a rare cause of endocarditis and endoaortitis: the authors believe this to be the second reported case of infection of an intracardiac prosthesis. The patient was a man who had already undergone replacement of the aortic valve and ascending aorta, and a gastrectomy, which were predisposing factors. The portal of entry was not found. The diagnosis was confirmed by positive blood cultures and transoesophageal echocardiography. The outcome was rapidly fatal despite antibiotic therapy and surgery, because of the seriousness of the lesions (pseudo-aneurysm of the aorta ruptured into the right atrium), the precarity of the terrain and surgical difficulties.