[Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and cardiovascular diseases].

Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome is due to pharyngeal obstruction of inspiratory airflow with preservation of thoraco-abdominal respiratory movements. This disease has been described for about thirty years, but is now the subject of growing interest. According to the increasingly abundant literature on this subject, OSAS is associated with essentially cardiovascular morbidity and mortality (systemic hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, coronary heart disease, arrhythmias, cerebral vascular accidents and sudden death).

[Antiarrhythmic treatment after reduction of atrial fibrillation by external shock].

Among the drugs recommended to prevent recurrences of atrial fibrillation after external electric shock, antiarrhythmic agents of classes Ia (quinidine, disopyramide), Ic (cibenzoline, flecainide, propafenone) and III (sotalol) seem to have the same effectiveness in maintaining the sinus rhythm in about 50 percent of the cases after 6 months and one year. Amiodarone, seldom used as first-line treatment, appears to be the most effective drug. The percentage of side-effects requiring discontinuation of treatment is the same for all drugs (about 10 percent).

[Value of transesophageal echography in the diagnosis of posterior ventricular septal rupture during the acute phase of myocardial infarction. Apropos of 2 cases].

The authors report two cases of posterior ventricular septal defects complicating acute myocardial infarction diagnosed by transesophageal echocardiography. Transesophageal echocardiography was well tolerated confirmed the diagnosis, and enabled accurate evaluation of the shunt in the transgastric view. The anatomical results guided the surgical approach and correlated well with the operative findings.

[Predictive factors of regularization and maintenance of sinus rhythm in chronic atrial fibrillation].

The aim in treating chronic atrial fibrillation, is not limited to simply achieving immediate regularization. What matters, is sustaining the sinus rhythm. The various methods of regularization, using either medical procedures or cardioversion, involve constraints and risks.

[Embolic complications of chronic atrial fibrillation].

Systemic embolism secondary to chronic atrial fibrillation usually affect the cerebral circulation. The risk of a cerebrovascular accident in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation, irrespective of the aetiology, is 1.8 to 7.