[Coronary angioplasty under extracorporeal circulation. Technique and experience of the Centre cardiologique du Nord].

Between May 1989 and April 1990, 21 patients, candidates for coronary angioplasty but with major left ventricular dysfunction, underwent the procedure using percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (CPS). All patients had one or more previous infarcts, severe angina, and 19 out of 21 had one or more episodes of cardiac failure. Angioplasty was carried out by the usual method, after establishing a percutaneous femoro-femoral CPS.

[Value of short prophylactic antibiotherapy in thoracic and vascular surgery. Comparative randomized double-blind study of 3 and 8 injections of cefamandole].

The subject of whether an optimal duration of prophylactic antibiotic therapy exists was evaluated by comparing results of short and medium-term treatment in aseptic surgery during a double-blind, randomized, prospective trial in 507 patients undergoing vascular or thoracic operations. Patients were randomly allocated to receive either 3 injections of cefamandole: at induction of anesthesia and after 4 and 10 hours (251 cases) or 8 injections of the same antibiotic: at induction of anesthesia, after 4 hours and then every 6 hours up to 40 hours (256 cases). Evaluation on discharge showed that among the 251 patients receiving 3 injections, 21 (8.

[Fatal hematemesis due to erosion of a retro-esophageal right subclavian artery by an esophagogastric tube].

A case of fatal haematemesis due to erosion of a retro-oesophageal right subclavian artery by a nasogastric tube is reported. In view of this exceptional but extremely serious complication, no oesophageal tube should be used in patients known to have this abnormal anatomical arrangement. Systematic treatment of aberrant subclavian arteries should perhaps be considered when it can be performed during thoracic surgery.

Hypertensive responses during operation for phaeochromocytoma: a study of plasma catecholamine and haemodynamic changes.

Virtually all patients undergoing resection of a phaeochromocytoma exhibit hypertensive crises at some period perioperatively. In order to study the events associated with hypertensive responses, cardiovascular variables were measured with a Swan-Ganz pulmonary artery catheter and plasma catecholamine levels were determined simultaneously in eight patients during surgery for phaeochromocytoma. Hypertensive responses requiring vasodilator treatment occurred in five patients, i.

[Recent tracheobronchial ruptures caused by closed injuries of the thorax. Diagnosis and complications in 18 cases].

Tracheo-bronchial ruptures are serious complications of thoracic trauma. The authors report their experience of 18 cases: 3 tracheal ruptures, 3 tears in the tracheal or bronchial membrane, 11 unilateral bronchial ruptures and 1 bilateral bronchial rupture. Diagnostic endoscopy was performed immediately in 9 cases, with a delay of 2 to 3 days in 6 cases and with a longer delay (15th, 23rd and 25th days) in 3 cases.