Self-Administration of Medicines and Dietary Supplements Among Female Amateur Runners: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Introduction: Self-administration of medicines or dietary supplements without any physician's advice is a widespread behavior and appears to be more frequently practiced by women. Moreover, reasons to self-administer products are often pains and injuries especially among athletes who might also use remedies to improve physical performance. The objective of this study was thus to assess the prevalence of self-administration of medicines and dietary supplements as well as its determinants among female amateur runners.

Prediction of the post-dilution hematocrit during cardiopulmonary bypass. Are new formulas needed?

Objectives: Predicting the post-dilution hematocrit is an important tool to avoid preventable anemia or unnecessary transfusion. Simplified empirical formulas currently used for such a prediction may lead to large errors. We aimed to improve the accuracy of these formulas by a better estimation of the dilution volume and the patient circulatory blood volume.

[Blood conservation strategy: a current issue].

In view of the demographic evolution, the progress of quality requirements and the shortage of donors, a deficiency of blood components is to be feared in the coming years. This implies the development of a blood conservation strategy, the revision of transfusion practices and the implementation of preventive measures to limit transfusion requirements. Each service caring for patients at high transfusion risk should assess and rationalize its transfusion practices in a structured multidisciplinary way.

Cardiac paraganglioma: diagnostic work up and review of the literature.

Paraganglioma of the heart are potentially invasive, highly vascularized tumors for which complete resection may be curative. Derived from the cardiac wall in most instances, resectability can be assessed after integration of the data provided by MRI in T2 sequence, and coronarography. A fully documented case of a large cardiac pheochromocytoma of the left atrium and AV groove is reported and the pertinent literature on the subject is here presented.

Description and evaluation of a simplified technique for replacement of the ascending aorta and proximal arch in degenerative aneurysmal disease.

The distal extension of ascending aorta pathology often requires prosthetic grafting into the proximal arch. In order to perform optimal distal anastomosis, an open technique under a short period of circulatory arrest (CA) was adopted. For this purpose we evaluated prospectively a simplified technique for surgery and perfusion.

[New developments in anesthesia-reanimation for ambulatory procedures].

The one day clinic possesses its own structure and organisation; patient management is also specific. Preoperative visit and assessment are programmed at least 48 hours before anesthesia. Preoperative examinations and choice of anesthetic technique (sedation associated with local anesthesia or not, general anesthesia, locoregional anesthesia, or hypnosedation) are discussed and determined depending upon medical history, clinical examination, and type of procedure.

Pancreatic cellular injury after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass: frequency, time course and risk factors.

Although often clinically silent, pancreatic cellular injury (PCI) is relatively frequent after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass; and its etiology and time course are largely unknown. We defined PCI as the simultaneous presence of abnormal values of pancreatic isoamylase and immunoreactive trypsin (IRT). The frequency and time evolution of PCI were assessed in this condition using assays for specific exocrine pancreatic enzymes.

The use of pre-operative intrathecal morphine for analgesia following coronary artery bypass surgery.

With the emergence of rapid extubation protocols following cardiac surgery, providing adequate analgesia in the early postoperative period is important. This prospective randomised double-blind study investigated the benefits of pre-operative intrathecal administration of low dose morphine in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Postoperative analgesia, pulmonary function, stress response and postoperative recovery profile were assessed.

New approaches and old controversies to postoperative pain control following cardiac surgery.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of postoperative pain control in cardiac surgical patients on morbidity, mortality and other outcome measures.

Background: New approaches in pain control have been introduced over the past decade. The impact of these interventions, either alone or in combination, on perioperative outcome was evaluated in cardiac surgical patients.

[New anesthetic and resuscitation techniques in adult cardiac surgery].

Anesthetic techniques and treatment of cardiac surgery patients have considerably evolved over the past twenty years. The demand for cardiac surgical procedures is increasing. This demand coincides with a change in the profile of patients presenting for surgery, requiring modification in perioperative management strategies.

[Preoperative cardiac risk evaluation of vascular surgery patients].

Peripheral vascular surgery (carotid, infrainguinal or aortoiliacal) is characterised by an increased cardiac risk with an infarction rate of 1 to 4%. Sixty percent of the vascular patients present a concomitant coronary artery disease, often infraclinically. Preoperative cardiac risk stratification aims at reducing cardiac related morbidity and mortality.

Peripheral vascular surgery: update on the perioperative non-surgical management for high cardiac risk patients.

This review of the recent literature regarding perioperative management in peripheral vascular surgery emphasizes some of the important features for the 2003 state-of-the-art on non surgical perioperative care for these high cardiac risk patients. The most adapted preoperative cardiac evaluation for each patient is guided by its individual risk factors and clinical history. Perioperative medication should nowadays consist of pre- and postoperative beta-blockers and acetyl salicylic acid, both reducing cardiac morbidity and mortality.

[Homograft mitral valve replacement].

The total homograft replacement of the left AV valve and subvalvular apparatus constitutes a delicate operation, which may prove beneficial in young patients with extensive bacterial endocarditis. The case of a staphylococcal endocarditis in a young drug addicted patient, operated three years previously of mitral valve repair for the same pathology, is presented. In addition to the complete excision of infected tissues and valvular substitution with biological material, this technique has the advantage of avoiding long term anticoagulation.

A comparison of the training value of two types of anesthesia simulators: computer screen-based and mannequin-based simulators.

Unlabelled: In this study, we compared two different training simulators (the computer screen-based simulator versus the full-scale simulator) with respect to training effectiveness in anesthesia residents. Participants were evaluated in the management of a simulated preprogrammed scenario of anaphylactic shock using two variables: treatment score and diagnosis time. Our results showed that simulators can contribute significantly to the improvement of performance but that learning in treating simulated crisis situations such as anaphylactic shock did not significantly vary between full-scale and computer screen-based simulators.

Levels of inflammatory markers in the blood processed by autotransfusion devices during cardiac surgery associated with cardiopulmonary bypass circuit.

Intraoperative blood salvage devices allowing a reinfusion of red blood cells (RBCs) after processing of shed blood and stagnant blood in the mediastinal cavity are more and more used to reduce homologous blood requirements in cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). As the proinflammatory activity of the shed blood also contributes to morbidity during CPB, we conducted a prospective study in order to examine the quality of autologous blood before and after processing with five different devices [BRAT2, Sequestra, Compact Advanced, Cell Saver 5 (CS5), Continuous Autologous Transfusion System (CATS)]. All systems resulted in an excellent haemoconcentration, ranging from 53.

Nicardipine protocol for CABG using the radial artery clinical and angiographic data.

The routine use of arterial grafts in coronary surgery is facilitated by peroperative adjunction of antispasmodic drug to reduce the event of spasm. Diltiazem has been favoured in most clinical studies devoted to the radial artery graft. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a spasm preventing protocol associating hydrostatic dilation of the graft with a diluted solution of papaverine and nicardipine infusion, starting preoperatively and continued postoperatively in i.

[Blood saving and surgery].

Blood-loss reduction strategies have numerous benefits for the patient. These include less transfusion reactions and decreased transmission of infections. Decreased requirements for bank blood mitigate the scarcity of this vital resource.

SMA circuits reduce platelet consumption and platelet factor release during cardiac surgery.

Background: Platelet count and function are particularly damaged by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). This study evaluated the effects of a novel CPB circuit in terms of platelet count and activation, and postoperative need for blood products.

Methods: One hundred patients undergoing coronary grafting were randomized in two groups: control group (n = 50) and test group (n = 50, surface modifying additives circuit, SMA group).

[The Hemovigilance Commission of the University Hospital Center].

As suggested by the National Blood Council, a Hemovigilance Committee was set up in the University Hospital of Liège in 1995. A multidisciplinary discussion takes place on any action aiming at the improvement of transfusion safety, and the follow-up of its implementation. The first issue to be discussed was the set up of a detailed documentation of all blood transfusions.

Cytokine release and neutrophil activation are not prevented by heparin-coated circuits and aprotinin administration.

Background: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) initiates a whole-body inflammatory response where complement and neutrophil activation and cytokine release play an important role. This prospective trial examined the effects of both heparin-coated circuits and aprotinin on the inflammatory processes during CPB, with respect to cytokine release and neutrophil activation.

Methods: Two hundred patients undergoing cardiac surgery were randomized in four groups of 50 patients each: heparin-coated circuit with aprotinin (HCO-A) or without aprotinin (HCO) administration, and uncoated circuit with aprotinin (C-A) or without aprotinin administration (C).

Randomized trial of diaspirin cross-linked hemoglobin solution as an alternative to blood transfusion after cardiac surgery. The DCLHb Cardiac Surgery Trial Collaborative Group.

Background: Risks associated with transfusion of allogeneic blood have prompted development of methods to avoid or reduce blood transfusions. New oxygen-carrying compounds such as diaspirin cross-linked hemoglobin (DCLHb) could enable more patients to avoid allogeneic blood transfusion.

Methods: The efficacy, safety, hemodynamic effects, and plasma persistence of DCLHb were investigated in a randomized, active-control, single-blind, multicenter study in post-cardiac bypass surgery patients.