[Practical implementation and usefulness of guidelines for the management of syncope: a professional practice study].

Aims: To assess the practical implementation of international guidelines and their impact on syncope management in a 500-bed general hospital.

Patients And Methods: Three groups of 63 consecutive patients admitted for syncope to the emergency care unit (ECU) were studied: group 1, before the guidelines delivered to the practitioners, group 2 immediately after the diffusion of guidelines and group 3, one year later. The study evaluates the mean duration of stay (MDS) and the relevance of the diagnostic strategy.

Admission NT-proBNP levels, renal insufficiency and age as predictors of mortality in elderly patients hospitalized for acute dyspnea.

Background: Assay of baseline B-type peptide (BNP and NT-proBNP) is useful for heart failure (HF) prognostication. In contrast, the prognostic value of NT-proBNP assay performed on admission of elderly subjects for acute dyspnea is uncertain. The aim of this study was to determine the vital prognostic value of NT-proBNP assay and other relevant variables available on admission in elderly patients hospitalized for acute dyspnea.

Intrathecal bupivacaine protects against extension of lesions in an acute contusive spinal cord injury model.

Background And Objective: We recently demonstrated that intrathecal bupivacaine before or after acute photochemical spinal injury improved functional outcome in rats. However, the closest model to spinal trauma is the contusive weight-drop method. The aim of this study was to evaluate functional, electrophysiological and anatomical consequences of a contusive spinal-cord lesion in rats with or without an intrathecal injection of bupivacaine.