Role of surgical factors in strokes after cardiac surgery.

Deficient neurological disorders after heart surgery are destructive and affect vital prognosis. They concern between 3% to 9% of patients and are related mainly to embolic episodes or brain perfusion defects. The causes of these mechanisms are numerous, but surgical procedures and cardiopulmonary bypass optimization reduce their occurrence significantly.

Patients refusing medical attention: the case of Jehovah's Witnesses in France.

Respect for the wishes of a patient is internationally accepted as standard medical practice. In French law, this principle is enshrined in the Civil Code of 1994 which concerns bioethics. More recently in 2002, we find it included in the Code of Public Health (in the law concerning patient's rights).

Liability for pharmaceutical products: a difficult attempt at harmonisation.

On the 25 July 1985, the European Community adopted a Directive on liability for defective products. Doctors are very affected by this law because an injured person will possibly be able to take action against them. This directive had several aims: to harmonise member states' legislation concerning the legal protection of victims and to subject producers to the same framework of liability and competition rules.

The determination of male adult age at death by central and posterior coxal analysis--a preliminary study.

In forensic anthropological analysis, the pelvis is of particular interest as it is often a comparatively well-preserved part of the skeleton. This study in age determination uses the acetabulum, the central element of the pelvis, as a complement to the examination of the auricular surface. The test sample consisted of 30 individuals.

Estimation of intraoperative aortocoronary bypass saphenous vein graft circumference from its preoperative compliance.

The aim of this study was to determine if the intraoperative circumference of aortocoronary saphenous vein bypass grafts could be predicted from preoperative measurement with B-mode ultrasound sonography in 50 patients. The circumference of the saphenous vein was measured during stepwise increments of a thigh congestive cuff from 0 to 60 mmHg. The circumference of the corresponding segment of the coronary bypass vein graft was measured intraoperatively with callipers.