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Biomedical subjects

A Carré

Publications and source records attributed to A Carré.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The French multicentre study of ramipril in ambulatory patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension.

The aim of this 16-week trial was to determine the safety and efficacy of a step-care regimen of ramipril, an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, from the minimal active dose (2.5 mg) in patients treated for mild to moderate hypertension. The trial was conducted by 102 general practitioners in 770 patients with mild to moderate hypertension. After a response rate to a 4-week placebo therapy of 9.1%, 57.0% of patients given active treatment with ramipril responded to daily doses of 2.5 mg. Ramipril 5 mg daily was effective in 55.6% of the remaining patients. There was no apparent statistically significant difference between the treatments with ramipril 10 mg or a combination of ramipril 5 mg + Lasix 20 mg daily (44.7% and 47.4% response respectively) in a 6-week double-blind arm of the study. In total, more than 90% of patients responded to treatment with ramipril by the end of the study. The incidence of adverse events was generally low, such as headache, cough, dizziness, asthenia, cramps and nausea. The incidence of cough appeared to be related both to the dosage of ramipril given and to outbreaks of influenza syndrome. Thirty-eight patients discontinued active treatment as a result of minor events such as cough, dizziness or diarrhoea, and one case each of myalgia and papular rash. There were no significant variations in laboratory parameters during the study, especially fasting blood glucose and apolipoprotein A1 and B. The results of this study provide evidence of the safety and efficacy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent

[Measurement of blood pressure in obese patients: reliability and value of finger measurement (Finapres)].

Indirect measurement of the blood pressure in obese persons is still inaccurate, especially if the arm circumference deeply differs from one measure point to the other, so that the use of a wide bladder is inappropriate. Some alternative solutions have been described: oscillometric device on the arm or on the forearm, different shapes of the cuff-bladder, auscultation on the radial artery with the cuff on the forearm. We tested the capability of the Finapres device which measures the finger arterial blood pressure, beat to beat, using the volume clamp method of Penâz. In six obese patients (BMI > 30, arm circumference > 35 cm) treated for hypertension were undergoing functional respiratory tests. The finger pressure was measured simultaneously with intrabrachial on homolateral arm. Blood pressure was measured at rest and after a cold pressor test. [table: see text] The use of the Finapres seems to be possible. The correlation with the systolic is excellent, where as the correlation with the diastolic is weaker; which however is usual in any diastolic correlation between non invasive and invasive device. The CPT does not modify the correlations. Moreover the Finapres allows dynamic exploration which is of particular interest in obese persons because their blood pressure is particularly variable.

Blood Pressure

A double-blind comparison of perindopril and hydrochlorothiazide-amiloride in mild to moderate essential hypertension.

The aim of this 3-month double-blind multicenter trial was to compare the antihypertensive efficacy and tolerability of the ACE inhibitor perindopril with those of a diuretic combination. After 1 month of receiving placebo, 165 patients with essential hypertension were randomised to perindopril 4 mg (n = 82) or to 50 mg hydrochlorothiazide + 5 mg amiloride (n = 83). The patients were treated for 3 months with monthly assessments, "uncontrolled" patients (DBP greater than 90 mm Hg) had their dosage doubled and then, if necessary, atenolol 50 mg was added. At the end of the 3-month study, mean decreases in supine and standing systolic and diastolic blood pressures were similar in both groups. In the perindopril group, BP control was obtained in 56% of the patients with the 4 mg dosage and required an increase to 8 mg alone in 16% and with atenolol in 5%. The corresponding percentages in the diuretic group were 48, 23 and 13%. The overall percentage of "controlled" patients was similar in the 2 groups, respectively 78 and 84%. The nature and incidence of complaints were comparable in the 2 groups. Adverse laboratory changes were more frequent in the diuretic group: decrease in blood sodium (140.5 vs 139.1 mmol/l; P less than 0.01), potassium (4.2 vs 3.9 mmol/l; P less than 0.01) with 10 patients having significant hypokalemia, increase in blood urea, triglycerides and uric acid. By contrast, a transient increase in blood potassium with a decrease in triglycerides was observed in the perindopril group.

Adolescent

Tolerability of ramipril in a multicenter study of mild-to-moderate hypertension in general practice.

In this study, the tolerability and safety of ramipril, as monotherapy and in combination with a low dose of furosemide, were assessed in patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension in general practice. After a placebo run-in phase, patients received ramipril as monotherapy in a dose of 2.5 to 5 mg daily for 6 weeks. Nonresponders (diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 mm Hg) entered a double-blind treatment period, and received either 10 mg of ramipril daily, or 5 mg of ramipril in combination with 20 mg of furosemide daily. The tolerability of the study medication was assessed by reported adverse events, and by monitoring blood cell count, electrolytes, serum creatinine, fasting blood glucose, and apolipoproteins AI and B. Of a total of 770 patients who entered the placebo run-in phase, 661 patients were enrolled in the first active treatment period. The most commonly reported adverse events were headache, cough, dizziness, asthenia, cramps, diarrhea, and nausea, but not all of these events were related to ramipril treatment. A total of 38 patients discontinued active treatment due to nonserious adverse events, mainly cough, dizziness, or diarrhea. There appeared to be a relationship between the prevalence of cough and ramipril dosage; however, an increased incidence of cough was also observed during outbreaks of influenza in France. There were no significant changes in laboratory variables during the study.

Adult

[Predictive criteria of left ventricular hypertrophy given by ambulatory monitoring of blood pressure in hypertension of the elderly].

Eighty-nine patients over 65 years of age, with mild to moderate hypertension, underwent ambulatory blood pressure monitoring during 1988 and 45 of them also underwent echocardiography. Concentric left ventricular hypertrophy was diagnosed in 9 patients (20%) and criteria predictive of this complication were looked for in the results of the ambulatory pressure monitoring. The most predictive factors seemed to be: nocturnal systolic blood pressure (the average of the systolic values recorded between 22 h and 6 h); the percentage of excessive nocturnal values (values over 120/80 during the same nocturnal period); the loss of diurnal rythm with absence of the clearcut difference between the daytime and nocturnal blood pressure value; increased differential pressure, a sign of reduced arterial compliance. These notions, based on ambulatory blood pressure recordings, have diagnostic and prognostic implications (need for echocardiography) and important therapeutic consequences (drugs reducing LHV and improving arterial compliance).

Age Factors

[Ambulatory blood pressure: methods, equipment, technical problems, validations].

The measurement of ambulatory blood pressure provides a discontinuous recording which reflects the pressure load over a 24 hour period. The latest recorders allow the patient a relative autonomy due to discontinuous but programmable recording and the miniaturisation of the recorder and relative silence during inflation of the cuff. The main disadvantage of the technique is the necessity of interruption of the patient's physical activity at the moment of recording indicated by an audible "beep". The concept of "active pressure load" is therefore illusory. The traditional controversy between supporters of the auscultatory versus those for the oscillometric method is far from being settled and these discussions do not resolve the problem. The use of finger plethysmographic techniques (Finapress-Ohmeda) is an interesting approach but limited for the time being by the necessity of confinement to a laboratory and recordings of short durations requiring strict conditions of ambient temperature. Future developments using ultrasonic techniques may provide a solution to these problems.

Ambulatory Care

[Reliability of the measurement of arterial pressure in the forearm in the obese subject].

The measurement of the blood pressure of corpulent persons often leads to over-estimation. We have therefore compared, for 10 over-weight women (body mass index = 38.04 +/- 1.32 kg/m2) whose average age was 54 +/- 4 years, the blood pressure figures obtained by the invasive method (humeral artery) with values measured automatically by the Bard-Sentron apparatus (B.S.) on the one hand, and the mercury sphygmomanometer (S. Hg) on the other hand. The cuff (bladder = 25 X 12.5 cm) was placed on the same side of the forearm. (table; see text) We have compared the values obtained by invasive and Bard-Sentron methods (I), invasive and mercury sphygmomanometer methods (II), and Bard-Sentron and mercury sphygmomanometer (III) respectively. (Table: see text). The correlations are excellent for the systolic blood pressure, as the Bard-Sentron over-estimates by 5.5 p. 100. They are not so good for the diastolic blood pressure as the Bard-Sentron over-estimates by 33 p. 100. The mercury sphygmomanometer over-estimates the diastolic blood pressure by about 43 p. 100. For conclusion: The blood pressure measurement taken on the forearm of corpulent persons by auscultation or by automatic methods is reliable for the systolic blood pressure, but the diastolic blood pressure is largely over-estimated.

Adult

[Primary mycotic aneurysm of the abdominal aorta from salmonella injection. A new case successfully operated upon (author's transl)].

A double aneurism, located in the abdominal aorta and left common iliac was found complicating a salmonella typhimurium infection which had been present for 7 months. A by-pass operation between the inaffected iliac arteries was followed by resection of the two aneurisms. Cultures taken from the walls of the aneurisms showed the presence of salmonella typhimurium. The authors stress the particular seriousness of the spontaneous evolution of such mycotic aneurisms.

Aneurysm

[Coronary artery spasms].

In a series of 2000 coronary arteriographies, spasm of the coronary artery was found in 52 cases, which were divided into three groups: 41 cases of "iatrogenic" spasm caused by stimulating the ostium of the coronary artery (usually the right) with the tip of the catheter; 8 cases of spasm on top of an organic fixed lesion; 4 cases of coronary spasm on a coronary artery which was reported as "radiologically normal". The study includes a review of the circumstances which favour or impede discovery of coronary spasm, as well as a provocation test using methyl ergometrine. This test seems to be specific in that it only produced coronary spasm in patients with Prinzmetal's syndrome, and excluded the cases of angina with normal coronary arteriography. The patients with spasm on top of a fixed organic lesion underwent a successful aorto-coronary bypass graft together with resection of the pre- and sub-aortic nerve plexus. Patients with a spasm in an artery which was "arteriographically normal" were treated medically by nitrate compounds and vaso-dilators. Three of these patients had an excellent result with medical treatment. Treatment failed in the fourth patient, who then obtained benefit from straight-forward resection of the pre- and sub-aortic nerve plexus with an excellent result which has been maintained for over six months.

Adult

[Hemodynamic effects and effects on plasma renin activity of injectable acebutolol in arterial hypertension].

The purpose of the study was to determine the early haemodynamic effects of injectable acebutolol and to study in parallel the changes in plasma renin activity (P.R.A.) in 11 patients, most of whom were affected with labile arterial hypertension. The haemodynamic measurements and P.R.A. determinations were carried out before and 5 and 15 mn after very slow intravenous injection of 10 mg acebutolol. The results obtained under these conditions were as follows: 1) Decrease in cardiac index (I.C.). It was particularly significant after 5 mn, since the I.C. decreased from 4.43 to 3.75 1/mm (p less than .01). It was essentially due to a decrease in heart rate, that fell from 90.45 to 77 beats/mn (p less than .001), while stroke volume changed virtually not. 2) Decrease in blood pressure, more marked on systolic blood pressure (110 mm Hg after 15 mn as against 154 mm Hg before injection; p less than .001), associated with a decrease in left ventricular work (4.7 kgm/mn/m2 after 5 mn as against 6.2 kgm/mn/m2 before injection; p less than .001), without significant changes in total systemic arterial resistances. 3) Increase in diastolic pulmonary arterial pressure (10.4 mm Hg after 5 mn against 8.09 mm Hg before injection; p less than .001), testifying to a slight left ventricular myocardial depression. 4) Decrease in supine P.R.A. level (0.72 nanogram/1/mn after 5 mn as against 1.15 nanogram/1/min before injection; p less than .01). A significant correlation was found between this decrease in P.R.A. and that in I.C., testifying to a close parallelism between the inhibition of cardiac beta-1 receptors and that of the receptors involved in renine secretion. 5) The tolerance of injectable acebutolol appeared to us to be excellent.

Acebutolol