[Coronary surgery in patients aged 70 years and older. 65 cases]. / Chirurgie coronaire chez le sujet âgé de 70 ans et plus. 65 cas.

Out of 428 patients operated upon for coronary disease between December 1984 and November 1989, sixty-five (15.18 percent) were 70 to 80 years' old. All were suffering from a more or less invalidating stage II, III or IV angina. Coronary arteriography showed severe lesions of two or three main vessels (24.6 and 60 percent respectively). Each patient underwent 2.06 bypasses on average. Perioperative mortality was 7.7 percent, and late mortality 1.53 percent. The postoperative myocardial infarction rate was 4.61 percent, and 83 percent of these patients became asymptomatic. There was no deterioration. These satisfactory results are the consequences of numerous technical advances in cardiovascular surgery, anaesthesia and intensive care. As more and more elderly patients undergo coronary surgery, the desire of other elderly patients to be operated upon and their comfort after coronary surgery, the desire of other elderly patients to be operated upon and their comfort after coronary bypass are two additional reasons to opt for surgery. In spite of new vascular recanalization techniques, coronary surgery remains of considerable value. Close cooperation between surgical and medical teams should clarify the respective indications for coronary angioplasty and direct coronary bypass, thereby making these two procedures complementary and no longer competitive.

[Analytical study and processing of information from a primary intervention report]. / Etude analytique et traitement de l'information à partir d'une fiche primaire d'intervention.

Analytical study of treatment of information from a primary intervention by the S.A.M.U. were brought about with the aim of performing a "statistical" study of enumeration of the various possibilities, using three "standard" programmes. After exploitation of the statistical data, the card index is stocked on conventional magnetic tape and verified by different parameters permitting its identification. In addition, the concatenation of different card indices is easy to obtain, which makes it possible to carry out research into all existing file cards regardless of the month or year.

[A case of survival after 65 hours of immersion in the Mediterranean]. / A propos d'un cas de survie aprés 65 heures d'immersion en Méditerranée.

Survical time of a man immerged in sea water at a mean temperature of 20 degrees C was 65 hours. This remarkable tolerance of a professional diver to hypothermia is attributed to his adapted clothing and safety equipment, and to favourable atmospheric conditions. On the light of this accidental immersion, one must reconsider out of date concepts concerning sea rescue with respect to water temperature, clothing equipment of the ship-wrecked, meterological conditions and circonstances of accident.

[Continuous measurement of arterial pressure by means of an arterial catheter. Its value in secondary transport]. / La mesure en continu de la pression artérielle par voie sanglante, Son intérêt dans les transports secondaires

It is of no much use to try to assess the cardiovascular condition of patients with impending or confirmed shock by taking the blood pressure with the classical arm cuff, especially if arterfacts such as noise, vibrations, shaking etc... are interfering. Instant continuous measurement of blood pressure by means of arterial cannulation avoids those drawbacks and is a sure and efficient method of assessment of an often unstable, precarious and sometimes aggravated cardio-vascular condition by the very transportation. The S.A.M.U. of Montpellier used this technique in 15 cases. The authors are reporting their experience and also are evoking some technical problems that may occur.

[Use of constant perithoracic negative pressure in the transport of newborn infants with severe forms of idiopathic respiratory distress]. / Utilisation d'une pression négative constante périthoracique pour le transport des nouveau-nés atteints de formes sévères de détresse respiratoire idiopathique

The authors used for transportation of neonates in severe idiopathic respiratory distress the continuous perithoracic negative pressure method suggested by OUTBRIGE and STERN in neonate intensive care. The authors are describing the material used and are presenting their first encouraging results. This technique improves conditions and therapeutic efficiency in thus treated infants. The easy handling and accessibility of apparatus constitue an efficient and not too aggressive mean of treatment of those particularly frail and difficult to treat infants during transportation.