[Late outlet strut fracture of an aortic Björk-Shiley and embolization of the prosthetic disc].

A new case of late fracture of an outlet strut in a convexo-concave Björk-Shiley valve is reported. The fracture occurred 6 years after aortic implantation of the valve and was responsible for aorto-iliac embolization by the prosthetic disc and death of the patient from cardiogenic shock. This not uncommon complication of the Björk-Shiley valve prosthesis is usually ascribed to the relative fragility of its outlet strut welded to the metallic ring and subjected to strong pressures.

[Arterial hypertension in black patients].

Arterial hypertension in blacks seems to present a few peculiarities in comparison to that of caucasians, whether it is from the epidemiological point of view: greater frequency of the disease, more severe prognosis; from the physiopathological point of view with especially a definite prevalence of HBP with low renin and inflation of the plasma volume and increased tendency to sodium retention, or finally from the therapeutic point of view, since randomized studies have demonstrated that black patients respond better to diuretics than to beta-blockers. Currently, it is impossible to explain these differences in a simple fashion: is it a genetic factor or, on the contrary, environmental factors? Perhaps the response lies between those two extremes.