Use of a temporary inferior vena cava filter during pregnancy in patients with thromboembolic events.

There are circumstances in the management of thromboembolic events during pregnancy when anticoagulant therapy is either contraindicated or not advisable, such as when pulmonary embolism (PE) or deep venous thrombosis is diagnosed close to term, given the risk of bleeding during delivery. In these cases, the thromboembolic risk can be controlled using temporary inferior vena cava filters (T-IVCFs). We present the case of a pregnant woman with thrombophilia who remained at rest for eight weeks due to an amniotic prolapse and for whom the placement of a T-IVCF was decided at 32 weeks' gestation after anticoagulant therapy had failed. An emergency caesarean section was performed at 33 weeks' gestation due to placental abruption following the spontaneous onset of preterm labour. The risk of bleeding during delivery when high doses of heparin are used, and the risk of PE when the heparin dose is decreased, needs to be evaluated versus the risks related to T-IVCF placement procedure and, as such, a review of the published experience in this field is warranted. We have concluded that T-IVCFs can be a safe alternative treatment for pregnant women in whom anticoagulation therapy is either contraindicated or not advisable.

[Prevention and relief of pain induced by otolaryngological and cervicofacial surgery]. / Prévention et soulagement des douleurs induites par la chirurgie ORL et cervico-faciale.

Pain after otolaryngological and cervicofacial surgery varies greatly because of the wide variety of procedures. Preventing this pain stems from the administration of paracetamol, nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs, nefopam, and systematic recourse to morphine when remifentanil is used. Postoperatively, the most painful surgical procedures are an indication for multimodal anesthesia and patient-controlled morphinic analgesic after titration in the postoperative postanesthesia care unit. Applying antalgic protocols, also including locoregional anesthesia, depending on the type of procedure and the patient, can improve the quality of care.

Comparison of the intubating laryngeal mask airway with the fiberoptic intubation in anticipated difficult airway management.

BACKGROUND: The intubating laryngeal mask airway (ILMA; Fastrach; Laryngeal Mask Company, Henley-on-Thames, UK) may provide an alternative technique to fiberoptic intubation (FIB) to facilitate the management of the anticipated difficult airway. The authors therefore compared the effectiveness of the ILMA with FIB in patients with anticipated difficult intubation. METHODS: One hundred patients, with at least one difficult intubation criteria (Mallampati class III or IV, thyromental distance < 65 mm, interincisor distance < 35 mm) were enrolled (FIB group, n = 49; ILMA group, n = 51) in this prospective randomized study. Anesthesia was induced with propofol and maintained with alfentanil and propofol after an efficient mask ventilation has been demonstrated. The success of the technique (within three attempts), the number of attempts, duration of the successful attempt, and adverse events (oxygen saturation < 90%, bleeding) were recorded. RESULTS: The rate of successful tracheal intubation with ILMA was 94% and comparable with FIB (92%). The number of attempts and the time to succeed were not significantly different between groups. In case of failure of the first technique, the alternative technique always succeeded. Failures in FIB group were related to oxygen desaturation (oxygen saturation < 90%) and bleeding, and to previous cervical radiotherapy in the ILMA group. Adverse events occurred significantly more frequently in FIB group than in ILMA group (18 vs. 0%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The authors obtained a high success rate and comparable duration of tracheal intubation with ILMA and FIB techniques. In patients with previous cervical radiotherapy, the use of ILMA cannot be recommended. Nevertheless, the use of the ILMA was associated with fewer adverse events.

A randomized, double-blind, multicentre controlled trial of ibuprofen versus acetaminophen and placebo for symptoms of acute otitis media in children.

Two hundred and nineteen children (boys: 56%, girls: 44%) were included in a randomized, double-blind, multicentre (4 centres) controlled trial designed to assess the efficacy and safety of ibuprofen (IBU) in the treatment of 1 to 6 year-old children with otoscopically proven acute otitis media (AOM), either unilateral or bilateral. They randomly received 10 mg/kg IBU (n = 71), or acetaminophen (PARA) (n = 73) or placebo (PLA) (n = 75), orally, tid, for 48 hours. All received oral cefaclor (Alfatil, Lilly, France) for seven days. They were evaluated before (D0) and at the end of treatment (D2). The main criterion of response was the aspect (landmarks and color) of the tympanic membrane assessed on a semi-quantitative scale from 0 to 6. Other criteria, assessed on semi-quantitative scales, included relief of pain (0 or 1), rectal temperature (0 to 2), and overall evaluation by parents of the improvement of quality of life on three items: appetite (0 to 2), sleep (0 to 2), and playing activity (0 to 2). The results at D2 were as follows: there was no significant difference between treatment groups as to the main criterion, but only a trend for IBU and PARA to do better than PLA but not for IBU to do better than PARA. From these data there is no argument to emphasize the utility of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in treating the inflammatory signs of the tympanic membrane in otitis. There was a statistically significant difference between treatment groups at D2 for pain, IBU being superior to PLA (P < 0.01): 7%, 10% and 25% of the children were still suffering at D2 in the IBU, PARA and PLA treatment groups, respectively. The difference between PARA and PLA for pain was not statistically significant. There was no significant difference between treatment groups for the other criteria. All treatments were well and equally tolerated. Although no significant difference was found between the treatment groups on the aspect of the tympanic membrane, the efficacy of IBU was evidenced on the relief of pain, the symptom that most disturbs the child.

[Value of the administration of trimetazidine associated with hemodilution in the treatment of sudden deafness. Report of a multicenter study]. / Etude de l'intérêt de l'administration de la trimétazidine dans le traitement des surdités brusques, en association a l'hémodilution. A propos d'une étude multicentrique.

Sudden deafness is a medical emergency, for which etiopathology is ill-known and no therapeutic consensus exists. This study is aimed at demonstrating that a greater audiometric gain can be achieved if trimetazidine, a major cellular anti-ischemia agent, is associated with hemodilution, than when the treatment is based on hemodilution only. 42 patients suffering from sudden deafness were all treated with hemodilution before their 7th day of deafness, half of them being given 3 tablets of trimetazidine daily in addition and the other half placebo, during one month. The results of this double-blind trial demonstrate an additional audiometric gain of 10% in the trimetazidine group for all frequencies, as well as a higher percentage of total recovery, ie. 63% vs. 47% in the placebo group. No particular sensitivity to treatment was noted according to the shape of the audiometric curve or in the case of initial cophosis, known to be of poor prognosis. The statistic significance was not established due to the small number of cases. The association of trimetazidine and hemodilution therefore seems to be an interesting therapeutic approach for sudden deafness, owing to the clinically appreciable audiometric improvement we have noted.

[Myocardial ischemia and carotid surgery. Holter study of 21 severe coronary patients. Preventive effect of intravenous trinitrin]. / Ischémie myocardique et chirurgie carotidienne. Etude par la méthode de Holter chez 21 coronariens sévères. Effet préventif de la trinitrine intraveineuse.

Cervical carotid artery surgery is increasingly being performed in elderly, polyvascular, high risk patients, some of whom have severe coronary artery disease. Is this right? The effects of this almost routine surgical procedure from the technical point of view were analysed with respect to the coronary lesions. 1. A retrospective study of coronary events occurring in the peroperative or immediate postoperative period and at short term was carried out in 367 patients aged over 70 years old (average 73,4 years) undergoing 424 cervical carotid artery procedures with a particularly high coronary risk. 2. A prospective study of ischemic ECG changes occurring in the period between induction of anaesthesia and the 4th postoperative day was performed by Holter monitoring in 21 patients with severe coronary artery disease. The mortality and morbidity observed were very low and could be further reduced by certain anaesthetic and pre-and postoperative techniques. In particular, prophylactic intravenous trinitrin (0,5 to 1,5 gamma kg/min) was most effective in protecting the myocardium in 15 patients with severe angina (classes III and IV of the NYHA classification). The authors conclude that the surgical result depends mainly on the neurological status of the patients, the best results being obtained in asymptomatic patients (stage 0) or those having suffered transient ischemic attacks (stage 1). The global mortality and morbidity rate was less than 2 p. 100 in those groups. On the other hand, long-term survival depends mainly on the severity of the coronary artery disease.

[Severe ischemic accidents from ergotism. A report on 3 cases. Value of a new antidote : sodium nitropruside (author's transl)]. / Accidents ischémiques graves par ergotisme. A propos de 3 cas. Intérêt d'un nouvel antidote : le nitroprussiate de sodium.

The autors describe 3 recent cases of severe ischemic accidents from ergotism affecting different regions. Two of the cases resulted from taking Gynergene (ergotamine tartrate) for a short period, while the other case followed continuous administration of Desernil (Methysergide) for 3 years. The third case was treated at a late stage by continuous peridural anesthesia and various vasodilators without success and led to very severe mutilations in two young women. The third case was treated by continuous infusions of sodium nitropruside (SNP) under hemodynamic control, and recovery was rapid and complete. The value of SNP as an antidote for severe ergotism is discussed, together with its mode of administration, and precautions necessary when prescribing this extremely powerful vasodilator treatment for this indication.