Envenomation by the invasive Pterois volitans species (lionfish) in the French West Indies--a two-year prospective study in Martinique.

Context: The invasion of the lionfish (Pterois volitans) in the French West Indies represents one of the most important marine invasions by alien species in history. Since its first recognition in Martinique in February 2011, the lionfish presence has strongly progressed, resulting in increasing envenomation cases. Our objective was to report features of lionfish envenomation and outcome.

Clinical presentation of dengue among patients admitted to the adult emergency department of a tertiary care hospital in Martinique: implications for triage, management, and reporting.

Study Objective: During dengue epidemics, emergency physicians face large numbers of patients with acute febrile illness. Triage algorithms and appropriate reporting systems are useful to manage patients and prioritize resources. We identify possible adaptations to these systems to improve the management of patients during epidemics.

Relationship between nonstructural protein 1 detection and plasma virus load in Dengue patients.

We report data from a prospective observational study performed in Martinique during a co-epidemic of dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV-2) and serotype 4 (DENV-4). Among 70 serum samples from patients with DENV-2 (n = 21) or DENV-4 (n = 49) infections, 47 (67.1%) were positive for dengue nonstructural protein 1 (NS1).

Predictors of severe manifestations in a cohort of adult dengue patients.

Background: Key symptoms observed during the febrile phase of dengue may identify patients who are likely to progress to severe disease.

Objectives: To test this hypothesis, we examined the relationships between symptoms reported by patients at presentation and the development of severe outcomes.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis of data recorded prospectively in 560 adult dengue patients admitted to an emergency department.

Prospective and descriptive study of adult dengue cases in an emergency department, in Martinique.

Objective: Knowing about the clinical aspects of dengue in endemic zones is essential to implementation of appropriate case management protocols and public health interventions.

Patients And Methods: The authors made a 4-year prospective, observational study of dengue-infected patients admitted to the emergency department of the Fort-de-France University Hospital.

Results: Two hundred and sixty-three male and 297 female patients were included.

Prospective observational study of low thresholds for platelet transfusion in adult dengue patients.

Background: The practice of platelet (PLT) transfusions has been adopted into the standard clinical practice in many dengue-endemic countries. Because many patients were found to have received unnecessary PLT transfusions, the development of guidelines for the management of dengue patients with thrombocytopenia has become a necessity.

Study Design And Methods: An emergency department-based prospective observational study was conducted in Martinique during a dengue outbreak in adult patients presenting with an acute febrile illness.

Influence of the dengue serotype, previous dengue infection, and plasma viral load on clinical presentation and outcome during a dengue-2 and dengue-4 co-epidemic.

Martinique experienced a dengue outbreak with co-circulation of DENV-2 and DENV-4. In an emergency department-based study, we analyzed whether the clinical presentation and outcome of adult patients were related to serotype, immune status, or plasma viral load. Of the 146 adult patients who had confirmed dengue infection, 91 (62.

Thrombotic stroke following snake bites by the "Fer-de-Lance"Bothrops lanceolatus in Martinique despite antivenom treatment: a report of three recent cases.

Background: The severity of envenoming from Bothrops lanceolatus is determined by the development of cerebral, myocardial or pulmonary infarctions, and occasionnaly by serious local envenoming. Introduction of specific antivenom has resulted in a dramatic improvement in the prognosis of this envenoming. Against this background, we report 3 recent cases of patients bitten by B.

[Community-acquired Acinetobacter baumannii pneumonia].

We report two cases of community-acquired Acinetobacter baumannii pneumonia. Although most infections occur in hospitalized patients, a few cases of community-acquired pneumonia have been described. This disease occurs predominantly in men, and is often associated with underlying conditions such as cigarette smoking, alcohol abuse, diabetes mellitus, and chronic pulmonary diseases.

Six cases of cervical ligamentum flavum calcification in Blacks in the French West Indies.

Objective: Calcification of the ligamentum flavum at the cervical spine is an uncommon condition reported mainly in Japanese patients. We describe the clinical manifestations, imaging study findings, and outcomes in six cases seen in the French West Indies.

Material And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of six patients admitted to an orthopedics department for spinal cord compression shown upon computed tomography to be caused by calcification of the ligamentu flavum.

[Acute pulmonary edema caused by tocolytic therapy with salbutamol].

Background: Acute pulmonary edema may be induced by beta 2-mimetics used for tocolysis.

Case Report: A 41-year-old patient, admitted for preterm labor, presented acute pulmonary edema after parenteral tocolysis using salbutamol in combination with corticosteroid therapy to improve fetal pulmonary maturation.

Discussion: The pathogenic mechanism is essentially non-cardiologic.

Myelopathy due to calcification of the cervical ligamenta flava: a report of two cases in West Indian patients.

Two cases of cervical myelopathy due to calcification of the ligamenta flava (CLF) are described for the first time in black patients from the French West Indies. A pre-operative CT scan differentiated the diagnosis from one of ossification of the ligamenta flava. Microanalysis on the operatively excised specimen in one patient revealed a mixture of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystals and hydroxypatite crystals.