[Right ventricular function: physiological and physiopathological features].

Sinus and conus constitute the two cavities of the right ventricle. They are anatomically and functionally different. The sinus is a flow-generator and the conus a pressure-regulator.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia following assisted ventilation.

Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia is regarded as a community-acquired pneumonia, rarely requiring hospitalization, with sporadic cases or limited outbreaks occurring after close contacts with an infected patient. Few reports mention M pneumoniae pneumonia acquired during hospitalization.

Patients And Methods: M pneumoniae was diagnosed in patients who developed pneumonia following perioperative and postoperative assisted ventilation by the isolation of M pneumoniae from bronchial washing, the detection of M pneumoniae DNA from bronchial washing, and serologic testing for the presence of specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies.

[A cause of difficult weaning from artificial respiration: polyneuropathy of intensive care].

Three cases of Critically Illness Polyneuropathy (CIP) are reported. The difficulty of weaning the patients from the ventilator, whereas sepsis and MOF had been successfully treated, was the main feature in the three cases. The diagnosis was established by eletromyogram, showing a primary axonal denervation of peripheral nerve fibres, which was confirmed by a pathological study in one patient.

[Diprivan: evaluation of the depth of anesthesia].

In daily practice, assessing the exact depth of anaesthesia relies even today on clinical signs such as movements elicited by painful stimuli and/or changes in blood pressure and heart rate. Neurophysiological indicators, such as EEG and evoked potentials, are most probably techniques of the future. They are not yet in routine medical practice, because of the complexity of the information supplied, unresolved technical problems and the high cost of equipment.

[Computer-assisted intravenous anesthesia: value, method and use].

Total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) is becoming increasingly popular among anaesthetists. It has several advantages, namely each component of the anaesthetic protocol can be independently controlled, and the operating room remains unpolluted with nitrous oxide or volatile anaesthetic agents. TIVA aims to maintain a constant blood concentration of each anaesthetic agent.