[Acute suppurative mediastinitis in heart surgery performed under extracorporeal circulation].

The incidence of acute suppurative mediastinitis after open heart cardiac surgery in a 5 year retrospective study was found to be 1.56%. The commonest causal agent was the DNAse + coagulase + staphylococcus (68.

[Acute thrombosis of the superior vena cava after cardiac surgery].

One case of acute superior vena cava syndrome occurring twelve days after open-heart surgery was reported. The severity of the accompanying clinical signs led to the carrying out of an urgent superior vena cavogram. It revealed a superior vena caval obstruction by a thrombus which extended into the azygos vein; extrinsic compression was therefore ruled out.

[Correction by a calcium inhibitor of a coronary spasm occurring during aortocoronary bypass].

A case of recurrent coronary artery spasm after coronary revascularization under cardiopulmonary bypass is related. The spasm, which occurred under nitroglycerin perfusion, was suspected on the ECG tracing and confirmed during immediate reoperation. It was successfully treated with bepridil, a calcium-channel blocking agent.