[Centipede bite in a woman with heterozygotous sickle cell disease]. / Morsure de scolopendre chez une drépanocytaire hétérozygote au Sénégal.

Although centipede bits can cause severe symptoms, they are seldom reported since outcome is generally favorable. The purpose of this report is to describe a case of centipede envenomation causing severe and prolonged symptoms in a woman with sickle cell trait.

[Severe imported malaria in adults]. / Paludisme grave d'importation de l'adulte.

Severe malaria is characterized by the presence of asexual forms of Plasmodium falciparum in the blood and the presence of one or more OMS 2000 criterion. Imported malaria is defined as malarial infection acquired in an endemic country (often in sub-Saharan Africa) and treated in France. The largest patient group includes African patients, long-term residents in France, coming back from a vacation in their native country. In non-immunized adults, severe malaria causes multiple organe failure such as severe Gram-negative sepsis, with variable degrees of altered mental status. Severe sepsis is treated in an intensive care unit (mechanically assisted ventilation, kidney dialysis, vasoconstrictors...). Intravenous quinine is the reference treatment, but artemisinin derivatives (arthemeter and artesunate) are the most rapidly acting antimalarial drugs.

[The problem of oxygen in developing countries]. / Le problème de l'ovoxygène dans les pays en voie de développement.

Availability of a reliable oxygen (O2) supply is critical for hospitals in developing countries. The AIDS pandemic that is associated with severe pulmonary infections has further enhanced this problem. Today in 2006, even though a number of financially viable solutions adapted to conditions in developing countries are available, lack of oxygen is still a cause of death in Africa including in some capital cities. Hospitals in industrial countries have wall outlets supplied from liquid O2 storage tanks (-183 degrees C). However this solution requires advanced cryogenic technology with storage as well as transportation of liquid O2. In developing countries, O2 is supplied from pressurized O2 cylinders (200 bars) sometimes stored in racks to supply wall outlets but more often moved from bed to bed as needed. This solution is expensive because of the cost of transportation on poor roads in all areas outside capital cities. Frequent supply shortages lead to major disruptions in care quality. Properly maintained O2 concentrators can provide a highly effective low-cost easy-to-use solution for health facilities in developing countries. The pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process based on reversible nitrogen adsorption is a reliable economical autonomous oxygen production process ideally suited to hospitals in developing countries. It can be used to supply wall outlets or fill cylinders. Return on investment is achieved within one to two years.

[Severe malaria in intensive care units in 2003]. / Le paludisme grave en réanimation en 2003.

Malaria requiring intensive care is characterized by failure of one or more organ systems and/or development of several metabolic disorders secondary to the presence of Plasmodium faliciparum in the blood. Severe imported malaria in non-immunized adults causes multiple organ failure with variable degrees of altered mental status. Acute pulmonary edema is frequent, jaundice associated with mild disturbance of liver function is consistent, arterial hypertension due to hypovolemia is usual, and acute renal insufficiency is uncommon. Coagulation disorders are generally low-grade, acidosis is an unfavorable prognostic factor, severe hypoglycemia can occur after the beginning of quinine treatment, and anemia is an consistent but discrete symptom. In endemic areas emphasis should be placed on the complications of severe malaria in pregnant women due to the high incidence of hypoglycemia and pulmonary edema. Severe malaria can develop early in children in endemic zones. Presenting signs include cerebral malaria in older children and severe anemia in young children. Quinine is the reference treatment with a bolus of 17 mg/kg followed by a daily maintenance dose of 24 mg/kg. Use of artemether should be restricted to quinine-resistant forms. Total blood exchange transfusion is not recommended. Supportive symptomatic treatment, e.g. mechanically assisted ventilation and kidney dialysis, is required. In endemic zones over 90% of deaths involve children without access to intensive care facilities. Mortality rates associated with management of severe imported malaria in intensive care range from 10 to 30%.

[Candida albicans induced empyema: mode of revelation of a spontaneous oesophageal disrupture]. / Pyopneumothorax à Candida albicans révélant une perforation spontanée de l'oesophage.

Oesophagus perforation, despite an often-loud symptomatology, is lately diagnosed. A similar course is illustrated by the observation of a patient who presented a Candida albicans-induced empyema. The oesophagus rupture was diagnosed by thoracoscopy made because of extensive hydropneumothorax on the thoracic CT 3 days after ablation of the thoracic drain. Temporary oesophagus exclusion and pleural drainage in close proximity of the perforation were performed. A nosocomial pneumonia complicated the development but the patient could endly issue from ICU. This mode of revelation was unusual and the authors recommend thinking of the diagnosis of oesophagus rupture when a patient is admitted for a candidosis empyema.

Tachycardia and convulsions induced by accidental intravascular ropivacaine injection during sciatic block.

Ropivacaine, a recently introduced local anesthetic of the amide family (1), seems to show less toxicity than bupivacaine (2-4). Nevertheless, both neurologic and cardiovascular toxicities are possible. Six cases of ropivacaine-induced convulsions have previously been reported (5-10), of which three cases also showed cardiovascular toxicity. In three cases, total plasma concentrations were measured (Table 1).

Biphasic-flow induced ventilation allows simultaneous ventilation in several animals, using a single multiple output ventilator--a preliminary report.

Biphasic-flow induced ventilation (BiFIV) is a variable time-cycled tracheal gas insufflation mode, using a specific multiluminal endotracheal tube. Some recent studies have reported efficiency of this new ventilatory mode in experimental in vitro and in vivo settings. We hypothesized that this ventilatory mode could be able to deliver simultaneous efficient ventilation for several animals, using a single ventilator prototype. The study was performed in three groups of three domestic pigs with a normal lung compliance. Each pig was initially anaesthetized, intubated with the specific endotracheal tube, and ventilated with a conventional ventilatory device. The animals were then simultaneously ventilated under BiFIV, using a single ventilator prototype, for each group of three animals. Physiological parameters and arterial blood gases were recorded at each study phase. All animals but one survived the experiment. We did not observe any significant differences in arterial gas exchange, under both ventilatory modes. Oxygenation was as efficient for each three animals ventilated under BiFIV, using a single ventilator device, as under conventional ventilation, using three separate ventilators (PaO2 = 112+/-17 mmHg under conventional ventilation versus 115+/-16 mmHg under BiFIV). In conclusion, variable time-cycled tracheal gas insufflation may allow an efficient multiple ventilation on several animals, using a single multiple output ventilatory device, in a normal lung animal model. If validated on subsequent pathological models, it could thus be interesting in laboratory and/or mass casualty situations.

Hemodynamic aspects and oxygenation variables in severe malaria of adults in Africa.

OBJECTIVES: Study of the hemodynamic profile and oxygenation variables in severe malaria to determine whether they are identical to those observed in severe bacterial infections. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective study in an intensive care unit of a West African hospital. PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS: Two groups of adult patients hospitalized for severe malaria according to WHO criteria, a control group (n = 13) with systemic vascular resistance of 800 dyne s(-1) cm(-5) or higher and a hyperkinetic group (n = 16) with a level lower than 800 dyne s(-1) cm(-5). Twenty-nine patients participated in this study (19 semi-immune, 10 nonimmune). INTERVENTIONS: Before hemodynamic study a loading dose of quinine formiate was administered: 20 mg/ kg intravenously for 4 h. Artificial ventilation was used in the case of persistent hypoxemia. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The hemodynamic study with Swan-Ganz catheter was performed after filling with 1,000 ml lactated Ringer's solution. From a clinical and a biological standpoint there was no difference between the two groups except for creatine phosphokinase, which was significantly higher in the hyperkinetic group: 2404 +/- 3654 vs. 1,898 +/- 1,828 IU/l. Hemodynamic and oxygenation variables showed a significant difference in cardiac index (6.1 +/- 1.2 vs. 3.9 +/- 1.21 min(-1) m(-2)), systemic vascular resistance (536 +/- 143 vs. 1098 +/- 170 dyne s(-1) cm(-5)), oxygen delivery (645 +/- 163 vs. 482 +/- 186 ml min(-1) m(-2)), and oxygen extraction (23 +/- 9 % vs. 34 +/- 14 %). Oxygen extraction was negatively correlated with oxygen delivery in the control group but not in the hyperkinetic group. Eight of 10 nonimmune patients (80 %) were in the hyperkinetic group versus 8 of 19 semi-immune patients (42 %; p < 0.05). Nine patients in the hyperkinetic group (69 %) and seven of the control group (46 %) died (NS). CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to severe bacterial infections, severe malaria does not always induce hyperkinetic-type hemodynamic changes. Such changes are observed mostly in nonimmune subjects.

Efficacy of continuous insufflation of oxygen combined with active cardiac compression-decompression during out-of-hospital cardiorespiratory arrest.

BACKGROUND: During experimental cardiac arrest, continuous insufflation of air or oxygen (CIO) through microcannulas inserted into the inner wall of a modified intubation tube and generating a permanent positive intrathoracic pressure, combined with external cardiac massage, has previously been shown to be as effective as intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV). METHODS: After basic cardiorespiratory resuscitation, the adult patients who experienced nontraumatic, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with asystole, were randomized to two groups: an IPPV group tracheally intubated with a standard tube and ventilated with standard IPPV and a CIO group for whom a modified tube was inserted, and in which CIO at a flow rate of 15 l/min replaced IPPV (the tube was left open to atmosphere). Both groups underwent active cardiac compression-decompression with a device. Resuscitation was continued for a maximum of 30 min. Blood gas analysis was performed as soon as stable spontaneous cardiac activity was restored, and a second blood gas analysis was performed at admission to the hospital. RESULTS: The two groups of patients (47 in the IPPV and 48 in the CIO group) were comparable. The percentages of patients who underwent successful resuscitation (stable cardiac activity; 21.3 in the IPPV group and 27.1% in the CIO group) and the time necessary for successful resuscitation (11.8 +/- 1.8 and 12.8 +/- 1.9 min) were also comparable. The blood gas analysis performed after resuscitation (8 patients in the IPPV and 10 in the CIO group) did not show significant differences. The arterial blood gases performed after admission to the hospital and ventilation using a transport ventilator (seven patients in the IPPV group and six in the CIO group) showed that the partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO2) was significantly lower in the CIO group (35.7 +/- 2.1 compared with 72.7 +/- 7.4 mmHg), whereas the pH and the partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2) were significantly higher (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Continuous insufflation of air or oxygen alone through a multichannel open tube was as effective as IPPV during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. A significantly greater elimination of carbon dioxide and a better level of oxygenation in the group previously treated with CIO probably reflected better lung mechanics.

Simplified use of mixed propofol and alfentanil for anesthesia in remote locations.

Total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) is a useful technique in precarious situations in which anesthesia ventilators and medical gas can be difficult to obtain. The aim of the study is to compare TIVA technique using a simplified infusion scheme for propofol and alfentanil mixed together (45 ml of propofol 1% and 2,500 micrograms of alfentanil in a 50-ml syringe) with an inhalational anesthetic technique (isoflurane/N2O, sufentanil). Thirty-two American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I patients undergoing orthopedic surgery were studied. Intubation conditions and hemodynamic responses to intubation were comparable in the two groups. Only patients receiving TIVA had responses to surgery. In the TIVA group, time to extubation was shorter (16 +/- 5 vs. 25 +/- 7 minutes) and postoperative requirement for morphine was lower (6.2% vs. 25%) than in the inhalation group (p < 0.05). TIVA using a mixture of propofol and alfentanil is a reliable technique of anesthesia in patients without multiple injuries.

Oxaliplatin-induced haemolytic anaemia.

A case of haemolytic anaemia after therapy with oxaliplatin, an anticancer chemotherapeutic agent, was investigated. Haemolytic anaemia has been associated with cisplatin and carboplatin, two related drugs, but not with oxaliplatin.