Infective endocarditis requiring ICU admission: epidemiology and prognosis.

Background: Very few studies focused on patients with severe infective endocarditis (IE) and multiple complications leading to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission. Studied primary outcomes depended on the series and multiple prognostic factors have been identified. Our goal was to determinate characteristics of patients, in-hospital mortality and independent prognostic factors in an overall population of patients admitted to ICU for a left-sided, definite, active and severe IE.

[Malignant transperitoneal bladder rupture].

The authors report a case of malignant intraperitoneal bladder rupture due to a stage PT1 grade II bladder tumour. The clinical features, mechanism of rupture, treatment and subsequent follow-up are discussed in the light of a review of the literature.

[Extracapillary glomerulonephritis with anti-myeloperoxidase antibodies in 2 patients with systemic scleroderma treated with penicillamine D].

Background: Side-effects, including autoimmune disorders, are frequent with D-penicillamine therapy. Proteinuria is observed in 10% of the patients, often secondary to extramembranous glomerulopathy. Necrotizing extracapillary glomerulonephritis is however exceptional.

[Leptospirosis: a rare cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome in metropolitan France].

We report a case of acute respiratory distress with fatal outcome due to ictero-hemorrhagic leptospirosis. The association with an intra-alveolar hemorrhage suggested the corticosteroid therapy would be useful in this case.