Publications by authors named "Valance D"

Objective: Current guidelines consider obesity to be a relative contraindication to venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) for refractory cardiogenic shock. The authors investigated the effect of body mass index (BMI) on clinical outcomes in patients treated with VA-ECMO for cardiogenic shock.

Design: This was a retrospective and observational study.

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Article Synopsis
  • Legionella sainthelensi is a rare bacterium linked to severe cases of Legionnaires' disease, first isolated in 1980 from water near Mt. St-Helens, but there is limited data on it.
  • A documented case involved a 35-year-old woman with Sharp's syndrome, who developed severe pneumonia caused by L. sainthelensi after being treated with hydroxychloroquine and corticosteroids; she eventually improved with macrolide treatment in the ICU.
  • Currently, only 14 cases of L. sainthelensi infections have been reported globally, highlighting the challenge of diagnosing this pathogen, as common tests often miss it, leading to underdiagnosis in patients presenting with pneumonia symptoms.
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Background: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients with the most severe forms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) require invasive therapies such as extracorporeal life support. The risk of bleeding in ICU patients with ACS treated with a dual antiplatelet therapy of aspirin and ticagrelor is unknown. The primary objective of this study was to compare the bleeding risk of ticagrelor and clopidogrel in ICU patients with ACS.

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Purpose: Few data are available on the potential benefits and risks of red blood cell transfusion in patients undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The aim of this study was to identify the determinants and prognosis of red blood cell transfusion in patients undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, with a special focus on biological parameters during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation treatment.

Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study including all consecutive patients who underwent extracorporeal membrane oxygenation between January 2010 and December 2015.

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Rationale: Very few cases of secondary peritonitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae have been described in the literature, and they have been found to occur mostly in patients with predisposing factors. Here, we report the case of an elderly patient who developed pneumococcal peritonitis secondary to perforation of gastroduodenal ulcer.

Patient Concerns: An 82-year-old man was admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) for septic shock with cardiac impairment 1 day after arriving in the Emergency Department.

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Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the determinants and prognostic value of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T peak plasma concentration in intensive care unit patients with non-cardiogenic shock.

Material And Methods: A prospective observational cohort study was conducted in a single intensive care unit between November 2014 and December 2015.

Results: During the study period, 206 patients were hospitalized in the intensive care unit for non-cardiogenic shock and the median peak high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T was 55.

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Even though alcoholism is a major health concern, alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a little-known pathology. The exact prevalence remains elusive (20-40% of dilated cardiomyopathy). However, it can lead to dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure and refractory cardiogenic shock.

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Background: The therapeutic effect of aminoglycosides is highest and optimal when the peak plasma concentration (C )/minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) ratio is between 8 and 10. The French guidelines recommend to use high doses of aminoglycosides for empiric antibiotic therapy in patients suffering from severe sepsis or septic shock. In clinical practice, the recommended target is an amikacin C between 60 and 80 mg/L, which corresponds to approximately 8 times the MIC breakpoint, as defined by the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing.

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Background: End-of-life decision-making in Intensive care Units (ICUs) is difficult. The main problems encountered are the lack of a reliable prediction score for death and the fact that the opinion of patients is rarely taken into consideration. The Decision Curve Analysis (DCA) is a recent method developed to evaluate the prediction models and which takes into account the wishes of patients (or surrogates) to expose themselves to the risk of obtaining a false result.

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Previous studies have shown that the high dose of gentamicin (8 mg/kg) rarely achieves the desired peak plasma concentration (Cmax) of ≥30 mg/l in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. The aim of this study was to determine the first dose of gentamicin needed to achieve a Cmax ≥ 30 mg/l. We conducted a prospective observational cohort study in one intensive care unit.

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Introduction: To assess the French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety (ANSM) guidelines concerning the peak plasma concentration (Cmax) of gentamicin when using a loading dose of 8mg/kg administered in patients hospitalised in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Patients And Methods: A prospective observational cohort study conducted in one ICU.

Results: During the study period, 34 patients with a median simplified acute physiology score 2 of 54 [44-70] received a median dose of 8 [7.

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Purpose: It is difficult to differentiate type 1 acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with obstructive coronary artery disease (OCAD) from type 2 AMI in patients admitted for severe sepsis. The aims of this study were to assess the risk factors and prognosis of OCAD in patients admitted to the intensive care unit for severe sepsis with concomitant AMI.

Materials And Methods: This is a single-center retrospective cohort study including all consecutive patients who were hospitalized for severe sepsis or septic shock between March 2006 and September 2014 and who underwent coronary angiography in the intensive care unit to identify AMI.

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Tonic immobility (TI) is an unlearned fear response induced by a brief physical restraint and characterized by a marked autonomic nervous system involvement. This experiment aimed at studying the relative involvement of both autonomic sub-systems, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, during TI, by analyzing Heart Rate Variability. Quail selected genetically for long (LTI) or short (STI) TI duration and quail from a control line (CTI) were used.

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Measurement of heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive technique that can be used to investigate the functioning of the autonomic nervous system, especially the balance between sympathetic and vagal activity. It has been proven to be very useful in humans for both research and clinical studies concerned with cardiovascular diseases, diabetic autonomic dysfunction, hypertension and psychiatric and psychological disorders. Over the past decade, HRV has been used increasingly in animal research to analyse changes in sympathovagal balance related to diseases, psychological and environmental stressors or individual characteristics such as temperament and coping strategies.

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Emotional reactivity modulates autonomic responses to an acoustic challenge in quail. Physio Behav 00(0) 000-000, 2006. This study investigated the relationship between emotional reactivity and behavioral and autonomic responses to an acoustic stimulus in quail.

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This study investigated whether genetic selection on a divergent behavioural trait of fearfulness (tonic immobility duration) was related to changes in the nervous control of the heart. Quail selected for either long or short tonic immobility (LTI or STI, respectively) duration was compared with an unselected control line (CTI). The autonomic control of the heart was assessed by heart rate variability analysis and pharmacological blockades.

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Serum somatomedin (SM) activity was measured serially in 27 adults with closed tibial shaft fractures. SM activity was found to be normal in all but one specimen. The results indicate that SM activity does not reflect severity of trauma or the ability to heal on time in these fractures.

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