[Precarious situation of obstetric practice in Gabon]. / Exercise obstétrical en situation précaire au Gabon.

In 1993, 2,008 deliveries were recorded at the Provincial Maternity Hospital at Franceville in Gabon. The frequency of cesarean section was 3%. The perinatal mortality of children born by cesaraean section was high, 213 per thousand. The principal indications for cesarean section were the baby being too large to pass through the pelvis, bicicatricial uterus, breech presentation and toxemia during pregnancy. The maternal mortality rate was 200 per 100,000, similar to the rates of most African countries, and 75% of the women that died had undergone cesarean section. The mortality rate for cesarean section was high (4.9%), so the indications for cesarean section in underdeveloped countries are limited. Malaria was the principal reason for the hospitalization of pregnant women, because it is endemic and is a serious condition for pregnant women. The next most frequent causes of hospitalization were a high risk of premature labor and hyperemesis gravidarum, the frequency of which is high among pregnant African women, particularly those of West Africa. Toxemia in pregnancy was the fourth most important cause of hospitalization. The rate of cesarean section rupture was 2.5 per thousand. Only 20% of these cases involved a cicatricial uterus, with no maternal deaths but a fetal mortality rate of 100%. The frequency of premature birth was 4.23% and the perinatal mortality rate was 48 per thousand, with 37 stillbirths per thousand and an early neonatal mortality rate of 11 per thousand. The perinatal mortality of breech presentations was high (330 per thousand), with 13.9 delivered by cesarean section. These levels are similar to those for other African countries. Maternal health could be improved by introducing several consultations during pregnancy, improving hospital hygiene and making antibiotics more widely available. Fetal survival could be improved by preventing premature births, providing more help with delivery, decreasing the time to intervention and improving neonatal resuscitation techniques.

A new device for endothelial cell seeding of a small-caliber vascular prosthesis.

A device permitting homogeneous endothelial cell seeding of a small-caliber arterial prosthesis has been developed. The prosthesis is maintained firmly attached to a rotative scaffolding device. This device is activated by an electrical motor at constant and adjustable speed. The whole system is maintained at 37 degrees C in a cell culture incubator. The 4 mm internal diameter polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) prosthesis was coated with biological glue and seeded with human saphenous vein endothelial cells obtained by mechanical detachment. Cell seeding density was 2.10(4) cells/cm2 (Group A, n = 6) or 10(5) cells/cm2 (Group B, n = 6). Rotation speed was 8 revolutions per hour (rph) during 90 min. Analysis of the homogeneity of cell seeding was permitted by cell counts on five different segments of the prosthesis. Each longitudinal segment was analyzed at three different subsegments of the circumference. The average adhesion was 43 +/- 4% in Group A and 38% +/- in Group B of seeded cells. No difference could be observed between the different segments and subsegments. In the two groups, cells were spread, and in Group B, a complete endothelial cell layer was obtained on the graft surface. This study permits validation of the device to allow homogeneous cell seeding in an arterial prosthesis.

In vitro endothelialization of carbon-coated Dacron vascular grafts.

Physical vapour deposition is used to coat vascular prostheses with pyrolytic carbon. This coating may facilitate the development of an endothelial monolayer in grafts implanted in laboratory animals. This in vitro study compared the adherence and growth of cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells (EC) seeded in vitro on carbon-coated Dacron, to uncoated prostheses. The cells were incubated at 5 x 10(4) cells/cm2. Progress was monitored at different times (TO + 2 hours, D 1, D 4, D 8) by microscopic observation, when cell counts were made; and by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) to evaluate morphological EC-graft interactions. Cell adherence was independent of the carbon coating but cellular growth occurred only on carbon-coated Dacron. The SEM observations showed both the shape of the adherent cells, which were rounded on uncoated Dacron and extensively spread on carbon-coated prostheses, and the morphology of the carbon coating.