Accuracy of delayed (24 hours) processing of bronchoalveolar lavage for diagnosing bacterial pneumonia.

Objective: Pneumonia in the intensive care unit is associated with a high mortality rate. Diagnostic accuracy is mandatory to improve prognosis. However, in many hospitals, samples from the respiratory tract cannot be immediately processed bacteriologically around the clock.

Thrombotic microangiopathy: an atypical cause of acute renal failure in patients with acute pancreatitis.

Objective: To report on the development and treatment of thrombotic microangiopathy, an atypical cause of acute renal failure in patients with acute pancreatitis.

Design: Case reports.

Setting: A 21-bed medical intensive care unit at an university hospital.

Long-term mechanical ventilation with hygroscopic heat and moisture exchangers used for 48 hours: a prospective clinical, hygrometric, and bacteriologic study.

Objective: To determine whether use of a hygroscopic heat and moisture exchanger (HME) for 48 hrs without change affects its efficiency and the level of bacterial colonization in long-term mechanically ventilated medical intensive care unit patients.

Design: Prospective, randomized clinical study evaluating two hygroscopic HMEs.

Setting: Medical intensive care unit at a university teaching hospital.

Heat and moisture exchangers in mechanically ventilated intensive care unit patients: a plea for an independent assessment of their performance.

Objective: To determine whether use of a hygroscopic and hydrophobic heat and moisture exchanger (HME) for 7 days without change affects its efficiency in long-term, mechanically ventilated, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled clinical study comparing two combined HMEs.

Setting: Medical intensive care unit at a university teaching hospital.

[Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of botulism in France].

Botulism is still found in France. Botulism is life-threatening and may have epidemic occurrences, which justifies an epidemiological watch with systematic notification of cases. In order to complete these recent epidemiological data, older cases since 1940 have been reviewed through a survey sent to the French Ministry of Health and the Pasteur Institute (National Reference Center).