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Biomedical subjects

F Brunet

Publications and source records attributed to F Brunet.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Effects of aprotinin on hemorrhagic complications in ARDS patients during prolonged extracorporeal CO2 removal.

The effects of aprotinin, a broad-based proteinase inhibitor, in the management of hemorrhagic complications during prolonged venovenous extracorporeal CO2 removal in patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome are not evaluated. In two patients, aprotinin infusion was added to heparin to treat bleeding, occurring after few days of bypass and responsible for respiratory and hemodynamic deterioration. After aprotinin infusion (loading dose of 2 x 10(6) kIU followed by a continuous infusion of 5 x 10(5) kIU/h) combined with heparin, bleeding vanished until the end of bypass.

Adult

Outcome of patients with systemic rheumatic disease admitted to medical intensive care units.

The outcome of patients admitted to intensive care units is known to be influenced by such factors as age, previous health status, severity of disease, and diagnosis. To estimate the outcome of such patients with systemic rheumatic diseases and to determine if the severity of these diseases unfavourably influences the prognosis at the time of admission to a medical intensive care unit, the clinical courses of all patients with systemic rheumatic disease admitted to two medical intensive care units between January 1978 and December 1988 were studied retrospectively. Sixty nine patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 16), necrotising vasculitis (n = 19), rheumatoid arthritis (n = 19), and other systemic rheumatic diseases (n = 15) were included. The mean (SD) age on admission into the medical intensive care unit was 53 (17) years and the mean simplified acute physiological score was 12 (5.5). The principal diagnoses on admission were infectious complications (29/69 patients) and acute exacerbation of the systemic rheumatic disease (19/69 patients). The death rate in the medical intensive care unit was 33% (23/69 patients) and was similar to that of a non-selected population with comparable simplified acute physiological score. The death rate in hospital was 42% (29/69 patients). Infection was the main cause of death in the medical intensive care unit (19/23 patients) and the infection was mainly acquired in the unit. Only the simplified acute physiological score on admission was a statistically significant prognostic factor: the simplified acute physiological score in patients who died was 15 (5.2) v 9.9 (4.7) for survivors. Long term outcome analysis showed that 83% (33/40 patients) of patients were still alive after admission to the medical intensive care unit with a follow up time between two months and nine years (mean 38 months). The death rate was relatively high and was mainly due to nosocomial infections. It was not different, however, from that of nonselected patients and the long term prognosis was highly favourable. This shows that the complications are often reversible, particularly infectious applications, and justifies admission to the medical intensive care unit of this group of patients.

Adult

Passive partitioning of respiratory volumes and time constants in ventilated patients.

If the thoracoabdominal partitioning of volumes in the mechanical respiratory apparatus was constant, one transducer of indirect spirometry should be sufficient to measure volume variations. To verify this hypothesis we used respiratory inductive plethysmography (RIP) in 16 paralysed patients, of whom eight had normal lungs and 8 had not, to measure: 1) the thoracoabdominal partitioning of volumes (400-1,200 ml) insufflated from either a syringe (Syr) or a ventilator (Vent); and 2) thoracic (Tho) and abdominal (Abd) time constants (T0.368) on spontaneous deflation to barometric pressure. In eleven additional subjects with normal lungs we measured only the time constants. 1) Correlation coefficients of the calibration lines were in all but one subject > 0.98. In all patients the error of volume was < +/- 10% when either one of two coils alone was used to assess volumes with no difference between the two coils; 2) Partitioning varied little with volumes (4 +/- 2%), but widely between subjects, with no group average significant difference between Syr and Vent; 3) T0.368 were identical for Tho and Abd except in one patient; 4) Partitioning and T0.368 were volume size independent. We conclude that, to measure volume variations and time constants in ventilated, paralysed patients, the use of either a thoracic or abdominal single coil RIP is justified. We also provide the normal range for time constant in 19 subjects (0.73 +/- 0.29 s).

Adult

Hemodialysis for acute renal failure in patients with hematologic malignancies.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prognosis of patients with hematologic malignancies in acute renal failure who require hemodialysis. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: ICU. PATIENTS: Forty-three consecutive patients. METHODS: Prognostic analysis using both univariate and multivariate (stepwise regression) methods. RESULTS: Fifteen (35%) patients recovered from acute renal failure and 12 (28%) were discharged from the ICU. The prognosis of patients with acute renal failure linked to sepsis is poorer than the prognosis of the patients with acute renal failure from other etiologies. Only one patient survived in the former group (n = 26) and 11 in the latter group (n = 17); p less than .0001 in multivariate analysis. When accompanied by associated respiratory failure, mortality rate was higher (93% vs. 33%; p less than .0001). The Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) calculated within the first 24 hr of admission was significantly (p less than .001) related to mortality when the SAPS was greater than or equal to 13. The presence of neutropenia and the type of hematologic malignancy were not related to a worse prognosis. Tolerance to hemodialysis appeared good, and complications were rare.

Acute Kidney Injury

A single-compartment model cannot describe passive expiration in intubated, paralysed humans.

The time-course of thoracic volume changes (respiratory inductive plethysmograph) during relaxed expiration was studied in 11 intubated, paralysed, mechanically ventilated subjects. The semilog volume-time curves show that expiration is governed by two apparently separate mechanisms: one causes emptying of most of the expired volume (approximately 80%) with a time constant of 0.50 +/- 0.22 s for a baseline tidal volume of 0.44 +/- 0.12 l (mean +/- SD) and 0.37 +/- 0.14 s when the tidal volume is reduced (VTP); the other contributes a relatively small amount to the expired volume over a significantly longer time, the time constant amounting to 3.27 +/- 1.54 s for baseline VT and 2.95 +/- 1.65 s for VTp. The first mechanism probably reflects the standard elastic and flow resistive properties of the respiratory system, while the second, slower compartment, is probably an expression of the viscoelastic properties of the pulmonary and chest wall tissues.

Adult

Role of tricuspid regurgitation and left ventricular damage in the treatment of right ventricular infarction-induced low cardiac output syndrome.

To evaluate, in right ventricular (RV) myocardial infarction, the role of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) and left ventricular (LV) damage and the response to treatment of low cardiac output, 20 patients were prospectively studied. Volume infusion increased cardiac output only slightly (11%, p less than 0.001), despite a dramatic increase in ventricular filling pressures. Dobutamine (4 micrograms.kg-1.min-1) markedly increased cardiac output (24%, p less than 0.001) with a decrease in ventricular filling pressures. In the 5 patients with TR, dobutamine only modestly increased cardiac output (9 vs 26%, p less than 0.001), while stroke index and LV end-diastolic dimensions decreased in comparison (-5 vs 33% and -6 vs 9%, respectively, p less than 0.001). In the absence of TR (n = 15), there was no significant difference in response to volume expansion between patients with normal (n = 7) and depressed LV ejection fraction (n = 8). In contrast, dobutamine, in patients with depressed LV function, induced a greater increase in cardiac output (38 vs 17%, p less than 0.01) and RV ejection fraction (36 vs 12%, p less than 0.05). All patients with RV infarction-induced low cardiac output responded only modestly to volume loading. Dobutamine is particularly efficacious in patients without TR who have depressed LV function by improving RV function and, consequently, LV preload. In the 5 patients with TR, increasing RV contractility failed to improve the forward stroke volume by increasing the regurgitant fraction.

Adult

Is intensive care justified for patients with haematological malignancies?

The course of 260 adults with haematological malignancies admitted to a medical intensive care unit was studied to evaluate the value of life support techniques and to research predictive factors. The overall in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) and hospital mortality rates were respectively 43% (113 patients) and 57% (148 patients). Among survivors, 64% (49 patients) were still alive after 6 months and 44% (35 patients) after 1 year. Among 34 haemodialysed patients, the MICU mortality was 67% (23 patients) and among 111 mechanically ventilated patients 85% (94 patients). Prolonged mechanical ventilation, more than seven days, was performed in 11 of the 17 survivors and did not influence long term survival. No individual predictor of mortality was found comparing survivors and non-survivors. However, SAPS, intractable sepsis and failure of more than one organ system were significantly different in non-survivors (p less than 0.001). Among the 20 patients requiring both mechanical ventilation and haemodialysis, only two left the MICU and both died soon thereafter. We conclude that life support therapy should be initiated in patients with haematological disorders and that prolonged mechanical ventilation is compatible with long term survival. However, the combination of mechanical ventilation and haemodialysis is always associated with a poor prognosis and therefore the use of both techniques simultaneously for one patient is questionable.

Adult

Failure of teicoplanin therapy in two neutropenic patients with staphylococcal septicemia who recovered after administration of vancomycin.

A report is given on two neutropenic patients with staphylococcal septicemia caused by Staphylococcus haemolyticus and Staphylococcus aureus (both strains methicillin-resistant) who failed to respond to therapy with teicoplanin. Both strains were resistant to teicoplanin (MIC 16 and 8 mg/l respectively), but remained sensitive to vancomycin (MIC 2 and 4 mg/l respectively). Replacement of teicoplanin with vancomycin led to full recovery of both patients and their discharge from hospital. These two cases emphasize the importance of clinical and microbiological monitoring of patients with staphylococcal septicemia, even when glycopeptides are used for treatment.

Adult

Mechanical effects of PEEP in patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome.

In 10 patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome, we studied the effects on respiratory system mechanics of two levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), best PEEP (BP) and half of this value (HBP), using a respiratory inductive plethysmograph (RIP) combined with a super syringe. We found the following. 1) Inflation compliance of pressure-volume (PV) curves did not change significantly. 2) End-expiratory volume increased with HBP and further with BP (278 +/- 186 and 464 +/- 313 ml, respectively, P less than 0.01). This increase was positively correlated with inflation compliance for HBP and BP (r = 0.794, P less than 0.01 and r = 0.876, P less than 0.01, respectively). 3) No dynamic hyper-inflation was detected on mechanical ventilation at zero end-expiratory pressure (ZEEP), and the time constant of the respiratory system was in the normal range (0.79 +/- 0.21 s). 4) Hysteresis of PVrip curves, which were corrected for gas exchange, decreased significantly with PEEP (P less than 0.05). We conclude that PEEP does not change inflation PV curve but induces an increase in intrathoracic volume whose magnitude is related to compliance and PEEP level. The reduction of hysteresis with PEEP suggests less gas trapping and thus a functional improvement.

Adolescent

Right ventricular performance in adult respiratory distress syndrome.

In adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the pulmonary artery hypertension is followed by increases in right ventricular diastolic and systolic volumes and a decreased ejection fraction. The stroke volume is preserved by the Frank-Starling mechanism as preload increases, even in the presence of severe pulmonary artery hypertension. In contrast, if there coexists a depression of the right ventricle contractility, as during right ventricular contusion, septic shock or a viral myocarditis, the compensatory Frank-Starling mechanism, that maintains right ventricular pump function, seems limited. Thus, it appears that the contractile state of the right ventricle can influence the clinical course of ARDS. In addition, patients with ARDS require mechanical ventilation with positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), which has a detrimental effect on right ventricular loading conditions. Most investigators agree that the most important effect is a decreased right ventricular preload, secondary to the increased pleural pressure due to PEEP. However, in patients with severe pulmonary artery hypertension, the PEEP-induced increase in right ventricular afterload may become more preponderant, and inotropic support to maintain right ventricular stroke volume may be necessary.

Humans

[Super-paramagnetic iron oxide: an MRI contrast media for the reticuloendothelial system].

In this preliminary study, the authors studies MR imaging in four patients with malignant hepatic tumours before and after intravenous injection of 20 mumols/kg of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SIO). They obtained spin-echo sequences (SE 500/28/4, SE 2 000/28, 56/2) before and after injection and systematically compared the results with ultrasonography and computed tomography data. In every case, superparamagnetic iron oxide (SIO) resulted in a marked decrease in T2 and consequently in the signal of healthy hepatic and splenic tissue, considerably improving the visualisation of malignant lesions which remained unchanged. If the detectability of lesions is considered to depend on the contrast obtained between tumours and healthy tissue, these preliminary results are very promising.

Adenocarcinoma

Failure of amphotericin B spray to prevent aspergillosis in granulocytopenic patients.

We tested the efficiency of a nasal spray of Amphotericin B (AmB) in leukemic patients, in an attempt to prevent pulmonary Aspergillosis. From January to July, 8 cases of invasive Aspergillosis (IA) in 19 new leukemic patients were identified. Between July and September 15 patients were treated by prophylactic nasal spray of AmB (daily dose 5 mg). Compliance was excellent, but nevertheless typical IA developed in 5 patients. We conclude that at the dosage used prophylactic administration of nasal spray of (AmB) does not prevent IA.

Administration, Intranasal