Medical kit for single-handed offshore yacht races.

Background: The medical kit is the basis of medical support in maritime environment; it is defined by international or national regulations and guidelines. For offshore races, rules and recommendations are proposed by national or international sailing federations. Sailing and racing offshore alone presents specificities that sometimes make it difficult to apply the usual recommendations.

Recreational scuba diving in patients with congenital heart disease: Time for new guidelines.

The number of recreational scuba divers is steadily increasing. In its latest recommendations, the French Federation of Undersea Studies and Sports listed congenital heart disease as a formal and final contraindication to scuba diving. On the other hand, with the progress made in their management, the prognosis and quality of life of patients with congenital heart diseases have improved considerably, enabling them to engage in physical and sports endeavours, which are known to confer general health and psychological benefits.

Activity-based rate-adaptive pacemakers under hyperbaric conditions.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to test a variety of currently available activity-based rate-adaptive pacemakers under hyperbaric conditions.

Background: Sports divers with pacemakers can dive under certain circumstances. The rate response of activity-sensing pacing under hyperbaric conditions has rarely been evaluated.

[General practice consultation in a hospital emergency department. History, evaluation and prospects].

INSTALLATION OF A GENERAL MEDICINE CONSULTATION: In 1995, in reaction to an increase of more than 35% over three years, related essentially to out-patient consultations, the installation of a general medicine consultation (GMC) near the emergency unit reception area (EUR) was envisaged. The project, developed over 5 years and based on an epidemiological study, was finally set-up in January 2000. The aims of the GMC are to supply information to the patients, help them in their administrative rights, and their subsequent follow-up by an external physician; the benefits expected by the EUR is the re-concentration on heavier and more urgent pathologies.