[Humidification assessment of four heat and moisture exchanger filters according to ISO 9360: 2000 standard].

Objective: This work consisted of the assessment of humidification parameters and flow resistance for different heat and moisture exchanger filters (HMEF) used in intensive care unit. Four electrostatic HMEF were assessed: Hygrobac S (Tyco); Humidvent compact S (Teleflex); Hygrovent S/HME (Medisize-Dräger); Clear-Therm+HMEF (Intersurgical).

Material And Methods: Humidification parameters (loss of water weight, average absolute moisture [AAM], absolute variation of moisture) have been evaluated on a bench-test in conformity with the ISO 9360: 2000 standard, for 24h with the following ventilatory settings: tidal volume at 500 ml, respiratory rate at 15 c/min, and inspiration/expiration ratio at 1:1.

Symptoms of anxiety and depression in family members of intensive care unit patients before discharge or death. A prospective multicenter study.

Study Objectives: More than two thirds of family members visiting intensive care unit (ICU) patients have symptoms of anxiety or depression during the first days of hospitalization. Identifying determinants of these symptoms would help caregivers support families at patient discharge or when death is imminent.

Design And Setting: Prospective multicenter study including 78 ICUs (1184 beds) in France.

[Prospective, randomized, controlled study of imipenem-cilastatin versus cefotaxime-amikacin in the treatment of lower respiratory tract infection and septicemia at intensive care units].

In a multicentre, prospective, controlled trial 211 patients with suspected septicaemia or pneumonia were allocated at random to either imipenem-cilastatin 500 mg 8-hourly or cefotaxime 1 g 6-hourly combined with amikacin 5 mg/kg 8-hourly. The treatments were administered for at least 5 days. Seventy patients on imipenem and 70 patients on cefotaxime-amikacin were assessable for comparison.

[Posttraumatic infarction with a surgically treated floating thrombus of the left ventricle. Apropos of a case].

Forty-two days after severe thoracic trauma which had led to thrombosis of the left renal artery and to nephrectomy, a 22 year old patient developed anterior wall infarction. Echocardiography and coronary and left ventricular angiography showed distal occlusion of the left anterior descending artery and the presence of a large, mobile thrombus at the left ventricular apex. The thrombus was removed surgically without any complications but a small thrombus adherent to the ventricular scar was observed postoperatively.