Salmonella typhimurium enteritis and erythema nodosum.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P Collignon.
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Septic arthritis due to Streptococcus faecalis is rare. We describe a case in which synovial biopsy was required for diagnosis and a new longterm antibiotic combination using ciprofloxacin and amoxicillin was successful in treating the infection. Comparison is made with previous reported cases and the usual poor outcome in this condition.
In 440 critically ill patients, the association between different central vein catheter insertion sites, the duration of catheter insertion and catheter-associated sepsis was examined. Of 780 catheter tips studied, 19% were colonized by microorganisms. The incidence of colonization varied with the different insertion sites. The lowest percentage of colonized catheters occurred with catheters inserted via the subclavian vein (15%) and the highest, at the femoral vein insertion site (34%, p less than 0.01). The percentage of catheters colonized increased as the duration of insertion increased, at all insertion sites studied. Catheter colonization was closely related to the development of bacteraemia and was associated with approximately 10% of colonized catheters. Our results suggest that the subclavian site is associated with the lowest infective complication rate. To minimize catheter associated sepsis, catheters at all insertion sites should be used with parsimony and only kept in place for the minimum amount of time that their continuing use is necessary.
While thrombophlebitis is a common complication of intravenous therapy, infection has been shown to be a cause of this problem in only a minority of cases. However, the methodology employed in the past would not have detected the anaerobes as a cause of this problem. As anaerobes are associated with thrombophlebitis in situations such as septic pelvic thrombophlebitis, we undertook a study to see if they might also be involved in thrombophlebitis associated with peripheral vein catheters. We prospectively studied 26 episodes of peripheral intravenous catheter associated thrombophlebitis. These catheters were all cultured under aerobic conditions by the semiquantitative technique on blood agar plates. In addition, they were promptly processed and cultured under optimal anaerobic conditions. In none of the episodes of thrombophlebitis were the catheters positive on semiquantitative culture. In addition, we did not show the presence of anaerobes on any of these catheters. We conclude that there is no evidence that anaerobes are associated with peripheral vein thrombophlebitis.
We report an unusual case of spondylo-epiphyseal dysplasia congenita which affected only the hips and the thoraco-lumbar spine. The epiphysis of the long bones are normal apart from the hips. Our child has a bilateral epiphyseal dysplasia of both proximal femoral epiphysis discovered incidentally at 11 months and confirmed later on at 8 years, associated with abnormalities of the superior margin of the vertebral bodies from T11 to L2. Very few similar cases have been reported anteriorly.
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The use of Gram-stained "impression smears" of the external surface of intravascular catheters for rapid detection of catheter-associated infection was studied. Gram's stain results of 322 catheters were correlated with clinical episodes of systemic sepsis and semiquantitative cultures of the catheters. Organisms were seen on Gram's stain of 82 catheters, 37 of which were positive on semiquantitative cultures (greater than or equal to 15 colonies per plate). Catheter-related bacteremia occurred on three occasions. All three catheters showed numerous organisms on Gram's stain, although one was negative on semiquantitative culture. All five catheters, in place during bacteremic episodes that were unrelated to catheter infection, were negative on Gram's stain. If the presence of any organisms on Gram's stain was taken as a positive test result, the sensitivity of Gram's stain in predicting the result of semiquantitative culture was 83%, the specificity was 81%, and the predictive value of a positive and negative culture was 44% and 96%, respectively. Slides took two to five minutes to examine microscopically. Gram-stained impression smears of intravenous catheters can be made by a simple, inexpensive, and rapid technique that is accurate in diagnosing catheter-related infection. However, in this study in which a relatively low prevalence of catheter-related bacteremia occurred, the positive predictive value of the Gram's stain result in the diagnosis of catheter-related bacteremia, in contrast to catheter colonization, was low. Only in a patient group with a high prevalence of catheter-related bacteremia would the test be likely to have a high positive predictive value. Thus, selectivity should be exercised in the application of this method.
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Seventy-one patients submitted routinely to coronary artery bypass surgery were randomized into 2 groups. Group A (32 patients) received 24 hr after initiation of surgery an intravenous perfusion of 100 mg of acebutolol given over 24 hr (22 cases) or 600 mg administered orally (10 cases). On subsequent days, they received 1200 mg of acebutolol/day orally. Group B (39 patients) was used as control. The groups were comparable in terms of age, sex, severity of coronary disease, preoperative therapy, duration of extracorporeal circulation, aortic clamping time, and immediate postoperative haemodynamic findings. No patient received digitalis. During hospital stay (10 days), 1 group A patient (3%) and 13 group B patients (33%; P less than 0.001) developed a sustained episode of atrial arrhythmia (fibrillation, flutter or atrial ectopic tachycardia). The majority of these rhythm disorders developed between days 2 and 4. On Holter monitoring on days 7-10, malignant ventricular extrasystoles (grades IV and V of Lown's classification) were more frequent in group B (65.2%) than in group A (19.3%; P less than 0.001). Haemodynamic measurements taken at rest performed in 27 patients on days 7-10 (16 patients of group A; 11 of group B). No difference was observed between the two groups. Acebutolol is a safe and efficacious drug for the prevention of arrhythmias following coronary surgery.
The haemodynamic effects of flecainide were compared in three different subsets of patients with documented coronary disease. Ten patients (A) had no heart failure, 5 patients were on beta blockers (B) and 5 patients had overt heart failure (C). Flecainide was associated with negative inotropic effects that were relatively more pronounced in patients with left ventricular dysfunction: pulmonary wedge pressure increased by 27% in A, by 31% in B and by 42% in C; left ventricular stroke volume and stroke work decreased respectively by 10 and 12% in A, 21 and 19% in B, 26 and 28% in C. Ejection fraction decreased by 9% in A, 13% in B and 20% in C, in relation with an increase in end systolic volume (+9% in A, +10% in B and +5% in C). Absolute changes, however, were not significantly different from one group to another except for the increase of systemic vascular resistance which was more pronounced in C as compared with the other groups. The myocardial depression was also confirmed by the fall in dP/dt that was maximal at the end of injection; dP/dt remained depressed 15 min later despite some improvement. Flecainide thus exerts negative inotropic effects that are maximal at the end of infusion and may be of importance in patients with established left ventricular dysfunction.
In order to choose the most appropriate antiarrhythmic agent, the basic haemodynamic characteristics of class I antiarrhythmic agents must be known. Class Ia agents, quinidine and procainamide, have minor haemodynamic effects, while disopyramide causes serious left ventricular depression. Class Ib drugs are exceptionally well tolerated, and class Ic agents have the potential for adverse haemodynamic effects in patients with left ventricular dysfunction. In this article, haemodynamic effects of class I antiarrhythmic agents are described, with particular emphasis on their clinical implications.
Two patients with cryptococcal meningitis associated with ophthalmological complications are described. One patient developed a cryptococcal fundal lesion which disappeared during chemotherapy. Chronically raised intracranial pressure was associated with a visual field defect. This resolved with repeated lumbar punctures. The second patient developed visual deficits secondary to papilloedema and responded to optic nerve decompression. In both cases CT scanning demonstrated swelling of the optic nerves. In the second patient this regressed after decompression. A review of the variety of the ophthalmological complications of cryptococcal meningitis and their prevalence is presented. The risk of developing severe visual disability is assessed.
The acute hemodynamic effects of intravenous diltiazem were studied in 8 patients with coronary artery disease, left ventricular (LV) failure (New York Heart Association functional class III), a rest ejection fraction (EF) less than 40% or a cardiac index less than 2.4 liters/min/m2. Hemodynamic measurements and LV angiograms were performed at rest before and after the administration of diltiazem, 0.5 mg/kg, administered at a speed of 5 mg/min. Diltiazem treatment induced a decrease in heart rate from 68 +/- 12 to 55 +/- 9 beats/min (p less than 0.001). Mean aortic pressure decreased from 94 +/- 14 to 81 +/- 15 mmHg (p less than 0.05). Thus, the pressure-rate product significantly decreased under the influence of the drug, from 8,791 +/- 2,465 to 6,342 +/- 1,808 beats mm Hg/min, (p less than 0.001). Diltiazem induced no significant change of LV end-diastolic pressure, pulmonary wedge pressure, cardiac index and LV stroke work index. Systemic vascular resistance decreased (p less than 0.01), whereas pulmonary vascular resistance showed no change. End-systolic volume diminished (p less than 0.02), which accounts for the increase of stroke volume and ejection fraction (p less than 0.001). Disorders of regional contractility were not aggravated by diltiazem, and even improved in individual cases. Thus, intravenous diltiazem may be used safely in patients with heart failure. However, in view of the marked bradycardic effects seen in some cases, heart rate should be carefully monitored.