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Biomedical subjects

M J Laisne

Publications and source records attributed to M J Laisne.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Selective decontamination of the digestive tract in neurosurgical intensive care unit patients: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess, in a selected population, the effects of selective decontamination of the digestive tract on colonization of the oropharynx, trachea, stomach and rectum, and on the infection rate. An economical assessment was also performed. DESIGN: A prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, dual-center trial. SETTING: Two neurosurgical intensive care units. PATIENTS: A total of 191 comatose patients admitted emergently and intubated within < 24 hrs were enrolled. Of these patients, 68 were excluded because they either died, got an early infection, or were extubated within the first 5 days. A total of 123 patients were analyzed: 63 treated and 60 placebo patients. INTERVENTIONS: Topical antibiotics (tobramycin, polymyxin E, amphotericin B) were applied in the oropharynx and in the stomach. Vancomycin was added in the oropharyngeal paste. Placebo patients received the same regimen (i.e., a suspension of fluid and a paste) but without antibiotics. No parenteral antibiotics were given during the study period. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Bronchopneumonia episodes were diagnosed with protected specimen brush or plugged telescoping catheter and other infections were diagnosed according to the Center for Disease Control of Atlanta criteria. Antibiotic costs and cost per survivor were calculated. Selective decontamination of the digestive tract significantly reduced Gram-negative bacilli colonization as well as the number of episodes of bronchopneumonia, urinary tract infections, and sinusitis. Despite the addition of vancomycin, Staphylococcus aureus remained the main potential pathogen causing tracheal colonization and subsequent bronchopneumonia. The reduction in bronchopneumonia rate was observed in head-trauma patients only. We were able to show that: a) the trachea was the main reservoir of microorganisms responsible for pneumonia; b) pneumonia developed after tracheal colonization. Total charges for antibiotics were 2.8 times higher in the treated group than in the placebo group; in calculating the cost per survivor, selective decontamination of the digestive tract might be beneficial due to the reduced length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: Selective decontamination of the digestive tract is an effective technique in reducing infectious morbidity in comatose neurosurgical patients. Because of its cost, this technique should be used only in selected populations.

Adult↗

Diffusion of ofloxacin into cerebrospinal fluid of patients with purulent meningitis or ventriculitis.

The penetration of ofloxacin was studied in 22 patients with purulent meningitis or ventriculitis treated with conventional antibiotics. Three successive doses of 200 mg were infused at 12-h intervals during the acute stage of the disease. Ten patients received three additional doses when the meninges were considered to be healed. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was drawn 0.5, 3, 6, or 12 h after the last infusion. Serial plasma and CSF samples were also obtained from patients with ventricular drainage. Concentrations in CSF ranged from 0.96 +/- 0.15 to 1.80 +/- 0.29 microgram/ml, depending on sampling time. The percentage of penetration in ventricular fluid, expressed as the ratio of the CSF area under the curve from 0 to 12 h to the plasma area under the curve from 0 to 12 h, was 73 +/- 6. Ofloxacin readily diffuses into CSF of patients with meningitis or ventriculitis and may be useful for treatment of CSF infections caused by susceptible pathogens.

Adolescent↗

[Treatment with a cefotaxime-fosfomycin combination of staphylococcal or enterobacterial meningitis in adults].

Thirty-two patients were included in this trial: 22 with staphylococcal meningitis (including 5 methicillin-resistant) and 10 with enterobacterial meningitis. Mean duration of treatment was 14.5 and 15.9 days respectively. The combination was synergistic in vitro against 10 of the 12 strains of Staphylococcus and 5 of the 6 strains of Enterobacteriaceae studied. Bacteriological sterilization occurred in all cases which could be evaluated, and clinical recovery was obtained in 95.2% of patients with staphylococcal meningitis (4 unrelated deaths) and 100% of patients with enterobacterial meningitis (2 deaths). Bactericidal power of the cerebro-spinal fluid, often less than 1/8, was not correlated with effectiveness against Staphylococci. Mean CSF concentrations of cefotaxime, desacetylcefotaxime and fosfomycin on the 2nd and 15th days of treatment were 4, 3.5 and 39.8 mg/l and 2.2, 2.1 and 28.0 mg/l, respectively. Clinical and biological acceptability was satisfactory. There were three cases of superinfection or colonization, by Pseudomonas and Enterobacter.

Adolescent↗

Experience with imipenem/cilastatin in the intensive care unit.

Twenty-two patients admitted to the ICU with a severe nosocomial infection caused by multi-resistant Gram-negative bacilli were treated with imipenem combined with cilastatin. We treated nine cases of meningo-ventriculitis, eight cases of septicaemia, four cases of mediastinitis, and one case of pneumonia. The bacteria responsible were Acinetobacter spp. (10), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5), Enterobacter cloacae (5), Klebsiella pneumoniae (3), Proteus spp. (2), Streptococcus spp. (2), Serratia marcescens (1). More than one pathogen was isolated in five cases. The dosages ranged between 1.5 g to 4 g per day by intravenous infusion; the highest doses were used for the treatment of meningitis. The mean duration of treatment was 17 days. An aminoglycoside was combined with imipenem in 18 cases. Cure was obtained in 17 out of the 22 cases. Very rapid sterilization of the CSF in the cases of meningitis and ventriculitis was noted. Two patients died rapidly despite eradication of the bacteria. One case of meningitis relapsed but cure was subsequently obtained with continuation of the same treatment. In three cases of Ps. aeruginosa infection, resistant mutants were isolated from the sites of infection and were responsible for two failures and one colonization. Imipenem appears to be an antibiotic of choice in severe nosocomial infections including meningo-ventriculitis, especially those caused by Acinetobacter spp. and Ps. aeruginosa. It is also one of the few antibiotics active against both streptococci and multi-resistant Gram-negative bacilli. Careful bacteriological monitoring is recommended during treatment.

Adolescent↗

[Penetration of piperacillin into the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with purulent meningitis].

Ten patients with purulent meningitis received 3 intravenous injections of 4 g piperacillin at intervals of 8 hours, in addition to the usual antimicrobial treatment. Piperacillin was assayed in serum and CSF by high performance liquid chromatography. The mean CSF concentration of the drug was 9.2 micrograms/ml and its mean percentage of penetration was 22,7%. There were no significant differences in CSF concentrations between days 2 to 4 (inflamed meninges) and days 10 to 20 (patient cured). It is concluded that piperacillin shows good CSF penetration and could be useful to treat selected cases of meningitis due to Gram-negative bacilli.

Adolescent↗

Surgery in infective endocarditis.

Three hundred and seventy eight patients with infectious endocarditis (IE) were studied, including 299 cases of native IE [154 subacute (SIE), 145 acute (AIE)] and 79 cases of prosthetic endocarditis (PIE). One hundred and fifty patients were operated on (40%): 117 for haemodynamic complications, 10 for bacteriological indications and 23 for mixed indications (112 patients in the acute phase). Complications were more frequent in AIE than in SIE, in PIE than in native IE. Surgery is more urgent in aortic insufficiency and in Oslerian mitral stenosis (7 cases) than in mitral insufficiency. Eight tricuspid valvulectomies were performed. In 5 cases out of 11 rupture syndrome was cured without surgery. The patient's clinical condition contra-indicated surgery in 63 cases. The surgical mortality was 51/150 (34%). It was significantly lower in SIE (21%) than in AIE (39%), in native IE than in PIE (53%), after antibiotic therapy than in the acute phase. Mortality was not higher when surgery was performed before the 8th day of antibiotherapy but perivalvular leaks were more common (31% vs 4%, P less than 0.01). Mortality was higher when the culture of valve was positive than when it was negative (45% vs 26%, P less than 0.06). However, surgery should be immediately considered in cases of haemodynamic complications.

Acute Disease↗

The elimination of inorganic fluoride after enflurane anesthesia--transitory action on parathyroid tissue.

Enflurane has been introduced as a potentially useful clinical anesthetic compound. Its administration is followed by elevations of blood and urine concentrations of inorganic fluoride, whose nephrotoxicity has been previously described. Although the action of this element on the skeleton is well documented when ingested orally, its influence has not yet been investigated when it results from the metabolism of fluorinated anesthetic drugs. The present study examines renal function and calcium-phosphorus balance after administration of low concentration of enflurane. Twenty-one patients of both sexes undergoing minor surgery were selected. A statistical analysis of biologic items determined before and after anesthesia showed no significant variations of parameters involved in renal function. On the contrary, it was shown that biodegradation of enflurane was responsible for a significant change in blood and urine phosphorus concentrations. Moreover variations in phosphorus clearance suggested a transitory hypersecretion of parathyroid hormones, probably related to inorganic fluoride metabolism. Such a result is interesting because of the low blood concentration of inorganic fluoride and its transitory character.

Adult↗

A new etiology of acute abdominal emergencies in cirrhotic patient: secondary pneumococcal peritonitis with jejunitis.

We report the first case of secondary pneumococcal peritonitis associated with acute jejunitis in a 52-year-old homeless Child-Pugh C cirrhotic man without ascitis. The patient was admitted with clinical signs of peritonitis, and jaundice. Morphologic examination was unremarkable. A laparotomy revealed a diffuse peritonitis, and an acute jejunitis with prenecrotic lesion. The lesion was located within the first centimeters of the jejunum, immediately after the duodeno-jejunal angle, extented on 15 cm. A resection of the first 15 cm of the jejunum was performed with duodeno-jejunal side-to-side manual anastomosis. Gram-stain and cultures of blood, peritoneal pus, and jejunal mucosa revealed a penicillin-sensitive Streptococcus pneumoniae. Appropriate parenteral antibiotic treatment was initiated (aminopenicillin). The postoperative course was marked by a transient hepatic failure associated with an ascitis controlled by diuretics. The patient was discharged on the 26th day after surgery. This case reports a new etiology of acute abdominal emergencies in cirrhotic patients.

Abdomen, Acute↗