[Fractures of the proximal end of the humerus treated by the Kapandji centro-medullary nailing technic. A review of 21 cases]. / Fractures de l'extrémité proximale de l'humérus traitées par embrochage centro-médullaire selon Kapandji. Revue de 21 cas.

Over a 7 years period (from September 1989 to April 1996), 25 patients have been treated for proximal humeral fractures using Kapandji's method of internal fixation. Twenty-one were available for evaluation. The mean follow-up was 3 years 9 months. Various indications were found, with a majority of 2 and 3-part fractures. Complications were frequent, the most common being pin migration, but the functional results following Constant scores are very good. The technique is easy, quick, non- invasive and inexpensive. The approach is direct and avoids opening the elbow joint.

[Incidence and prevalence of colostomies. The future of stoma societies. Results of a Côte-d'Or survey. Federation of Stoma Patients in France]. / Incidence et prévalence des colostomies. Avenir des associations de stomisés. Résultats d'une enquête en Côte-d'Or. Fédération des Stomisés de France (FSF).

Few data are available in France about the impact of Ostomy Associations in the population of patients with permanent colostomy. The aim of this study was to assess the percentage of patients with permanent colostomy involved in local Ostomy Associations in a well-defined population (Côte-d'Or department, 493,931 inhabitants) in 1992. A minimum number of incident colostomy cases was computed using data from the Digestive Tract Tumor Registry in case of cancer and using the surgical reports from the University Hospital in case of benign disease. The maximum number of incident cases was computed using results from a survey conducted by the Public Administration (Social Security) during the same period. An interval of prevalent cases was assessed the number of collecting pouches based on sold during 1992 in the same area. A colostomy was set up in 37 to 84 patients. The number of prevalent cases was in a range of 274 to 410 patients. The corresponding percentages of Ostomy Associations members were included in a 8.3% to 19% range for incident cases and 9.5% to 19% for prevalent cases. These percentages are less than 30%, which is the presumed value previously evaluated in a survey conducted among physicians. As the incidence of colostomy cases continues to decline regularly, more effective methods must be developed to maintain a constant number of members.

Influence of timing on the analgesic effect of intravenous ketorolac after orthopedic surgery.

This study evaluated the pre-emptive analgesic effect of intravenous (i.v.) ketorolac (KET) for total hip replacement (THR). Sixty patients who underwent surgery for THR under general anesthesia were randomly allocated to 3 groups. Two i.v. injections were administered: one before induction and one after surgery. The patients were studied prospectively in a double-blind manner. The control group (CONT; n = 20) received 2 ml of normal saline (NS) for both injections. The pre-operative KET group (PRE; n = 20) received 60 mg of KET and then 2 ml of NS. The postoperative KET group (POST; n = 20) received 2 ml of NS and then 60 mg of KET. General anesthesia was standardized with a intra-operative cumulated dose of fentanyl limited to 4 micrograms/kg. In the recovery room (RR), pain was controlled with an i.v. tritration of morphine; thereafter, on the surgical ward, patients used a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump (Abbott). Pain was evaluated with a visual analogue scale (VAS) at rest and movement in the RR, then every hour for 6 h and every 6 h for 5 days. The side effects monitored were: sedation, respiratory depression, nausea, perioperative bleeding. The patients and surgery were similar for the 3 groups. Upon arrival in the RR, VAS scores taken at rest and at movement were lower for the PRE group than for the CONT and POST groups. Otherwise, VAS scores were similar in all 3 groups. The cumulative dose of morphine in the PRE group was lower than that for the CONT and POST groups from 0 to 6 h.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Preoperative analgesia with epidural morphine.

In a prospective double-blind study, we examined the effects of preoperative epidural morphine associated with general anesthesia (GA) on intra- and postoperative analgesic requirements over a 3-day postoperative period. Twenty patients scheduled for major intraabdominal surgery were randomly assigned to two groups: a control group (n = 10) and an epidural group (n = 10) which received an epidural injection of 5 mg of preservative-free morphine in 10 mL of 0.9% saline. Afterward, both groups received the same GA. Postoperative pain relief was achieved with intravenous (IV) boluses of morphine using a patient-controlled analgesia device. We found smaller opioid requirements in the epidural group than in the control group for intraoperative fentanyl (465 +/- 179 micrograms vs 983 +/- 682 micrograms), for postoperative morphine at 12 h (3.1 +/- 3 mg vs 21.4 +/- 13.8 mg) and 24 h (9.1 +/- 6.4 mg vs 20.6 +/- 9.8 mg), and for the cumulated needs over the 3-day postoperative period (37 +/- 24 mg vs 86 +/- 42 mg). The consumption of IV morphine by the control group decreased over time (P < 0.001, r = 0.44), whereas, in the epidural group, consumption remained constant and small during the 3 days. The maximum pain score was significantly lower in the epidural group than in the control group at 24 h (0.65 +/- 2.4 vs 3 +/- 2), at 36 h (0.3 +/- 0.6 vs 3 +/- 2.7), and at 60 h (0.1 +/- 0.3 vs 1.8 +/- 1.2) after surgery. These results suggest that a single epidural injection of 5 mg of morphine before major surgery produces intra- and postoperative pain relief for at least 3 days.

Clonidine in pediatric caudal anesthesia.

Extradural clonidine produces analgesia in adults. To assess its efficacy in children, we randomized 45 pediatric patients aged 1-7 yr presenting for a subumbilical surgery into three groups of 15 each. After halothane and N2O/O2 induction, and with a double-blind protocol, caudal anesthesia was performed with 1 mL/kg of 0.25% bupivacaine. Epinephrine 1/200,000 was added in one group (EG), 1 microgram/kg of clonidine in another group (CG), and no additional medication in the last group (BG). Postoperative analgesia was evaluated using the Broadman "objective pain/discomfort scale" (OPS) at 1-h intervals until the first analgesic administration. There were no differences among the groups in age, weight, duration of surgery, baseline systolic arterial pressure, and heart rate. The mean (+/- SD) duration of analgesia was longer in the CG (987 +/- 573 min) than in the EG (377 +/- 341 min) and BG (460 +/- 439 min); P < 0.01. The maximal OPS scores were lower in the CG than in the EG and BG (2.3 +/- 1.6 vs 3.4 +/- 1.4 and 3.4 +/- 1.8, respectively; P < 0.05). More patients in the CG (n = 7) than in the EG (n = 1) and BG (n = 2) required no postoperative analgesia; P < 0.05. No differences were found among the groups for the minimal respiratory rate and minimal Spo2 values in the postoperative phase, and there were no differences among the groups for heart rate and systolic arterial pressure during the 3 h after caudal anesthesia. We conclude that the duration of postoperative analgesia with caudal bupivacaine was significantly increased by the addition of 1 microgram/kg of clonidine.