Monitoring of amikacin in the neonate.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the role of gestational and postnatal age and of clinical conditions [e.g., respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)] on serum concentrations of amikacin in neonates treated according to commonly recommended dose schedules.

Influence of intrauterine maturation on the pharmacokinetics of amikacin in the neonatal period.

The effect of intrauterine maturation on amikacin disposition was studied in 29 preterm and term neonates. Mean gestational age (weeks) of the patients was 34.5 +/- 3.

Evaluation of the renal and auditory function of neonates treated with amikacin.

35 neonates (mean gestational age: 34.9 +/- (SD) 3.5 weeks; mean birth weight: 2,180 +/- 890 g) treated with amikacin were examined for possible ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity.

Subxiphoid echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular wall in old myocardial infarction.

We studied by cineangiography and standard and subxiphoid echocardiography the left ventricular wall motion in 50 patients with old myocardial infarction and 10 normal subjects. Coronary artery angiography showed a good correlation with the electrocardiographic site of infarction and with the asynergic areas detected by cineventriculographic examination and bidimensional echocardiography. From the correlation of data related to the asynergic areas detected by angiographic and echocardiographic methods it was possible to establish that subxiphoid approach allows to visualize the posterior-lateral wall whereas the parasternal approach the posterior-inferior wall of the left ventricle.

[Study of the inotropic effect of potassium-canrenoate by systolic time intervals technique (author's transl)].

Systolic time intervals (TS) were determined before and after intravenous injection of 400 mg of Potassium-Canrenoate (CK) in 33 patients 30 days after acute myocardial infarction, in order to evaluate the inotropic effect of this drug. It was observed a reduction of the pre-ejection period (I. PEP) and of the pre-ejection period/left ventricle ejection time (PEP/LVET) ratio without any significant changes in the electromechanical systole (I.

[Intestinal occlusions due to enteroliths].

Enteroliths or intestinal autochthonous calculi are among the rare causes of intestinal occlusion. A personal case in which the central nucleus of the stercolith consisted of gunshot is reported. The literature is reviewed, particular attention being laid on pathogenetic aspects, and the frequent complications of this pathology are recalled.