Effet d’un effort intermittent d’intensité variable sur la variation du QT et du risque de mort subite chez des élèves camerounais

IntroductionSeveral cases of sudden deaths are observed among students practicing sport and physical activity (SPA). Just few studies have been carried out on the variation of the QT (interval) and risk of sudden death during sporting exercises.AimTo determine the effect of variable intermittent stress intensity on the variation of QT and the risk of sudden cardiac death.Patients and methodsForm 4, lower sixth and upper sixth students were recruited from a high school in Douala (Cameroon). Each subject was tested; starting with a 2-km walk followed by a sprint race or an endurance race, protocol I (P1) or the reverse; protocol II (P2). Two electrocardiograms were recorded; prior to the beginning of the SPA and 5 minutes after the last race. QT was corrected using four formulas.ResultsForty-one subjects (21 women and 20 men), mean age 18 ± 2 years were recruited. At the end of the exercise, corrected QT increased with Bazzet's formula and decreased with Frahmingam's formula. The difference was not significant with Fridericia and Hodges formulas. The frequency of long QT was higher at the end of the exercise with Bazzet's formula (12.2% vs. 24.4%, P = 0.009) while the difference was not significant for the other formulas.ConclusionThe risk of sudden cardiac death increases significantly after SPA. More studies on large samples are needed.     

Impact of intermittent pneumatic foot pumps on delay to surgery following ankle fracture

BackgroundAnkle fractures requiring open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) are common and place considerable burden on inpatient beds. ORIF cannot be performed once the associated swelling is too excessive to permit tension-free wound closure. Where ORIF cannot be performed before the onset of swelling in the first 24–48 h, patients typically require up to 7 days of inpatient bed-rest and elevation to reduce swelling to an acceptable level for ORIF.The primary aim of this study was to determine whether delay to ORIF could be reduced with the pre-operative application of an intermittent pneumatic foot pump (IPF). These devices were designed as anti-embolic adjuncts, but have also been shown to be effective in the reduction of swelling.We compared 12 patients managed with an IPF to 12 matched historical controls who were not.No previous studies have addressed this question in unselected patients requiring ankle ORIF.MethodsWe performed a retrospective, controlled, before and after study of 24 patients who underwent ankle ORIF at our orthopaedic unit. Foot pumps were applied in the Accident and Emergency Department to ankle fracture patients requiring admission, and kept in place until ORIF.Data was collected from patient case notes for all patients.Patients were matched for age, gender, American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) Grade, and pre-injury mobility. The primary outcome measure was time to surgery. We also recorded total hospital stay, and calculated cost savings.ResultsPatients managed with IPFs had a statistically significant 50% reduction in time from presentation to surgery compared to those managed without (p = 0.024), and had a reduced hospital stay (p = 0.116). This resulted in a net saving of £10,480 (£953 per patient).ConclusionsWe conclude that foot pumps reduce the time to surgery and total hospital stay of patients requiring ankle ORIF, and are cost effective.     

37所医院消化内镜超声探头清洗消毒现况调查

目的 了解目前国内消化内镜超声探头的清洗消毒现状及存在的问题。方法 采用问卷调查的方式对全国范围内37所医院的消化内镜超声探头清洗和消毒灭菌情况进行调查。结果 70.27%的医院内镜超声探头数量为1~3条，奥林巴斯品牌最多（72.97%），48.65%的医院内镜中心每日使用探头的患者例数为0~5例；83.78%的医院采用专人清洗消毒内镜超声探头，人员主要以护理员为主（51.35%）；清洗方法以"酶洗-擦洗-擦干"为主（89.19%），清洗时间以>1 min为主（62.16%）；83.78%的医院内镜超声探头消毒方式为化学消毒剂浸泡，其中以邻苯二甲醛（70.27%）和全浸泡消毒（48.65%）为主；消毒时间以≥ 5 min为主（56.76%）；27.03%的医院对内镜超声探头进行灭菌，其中以"一用一灭菌"（21.62%）和过氧乙酸浸泡10 min（10.81%）为主；消毒灭菌后的内镜超声探头主要放置在内镜储存柜（56.76%）；78.38%的医院对当日拟使用的内镜超声探头进行再次消毒；56.76%的医院从未对消毒后的内镜超声探头进行消毒效果监测。结论 37所医院对内镜超声探头清洗和消毒灭菌情况存在一定差异，建议尽快制定内镜超声探头清洗消毒相关国家标准，规范内镜超声探头的清洗消毒流程。     

A randomized,controlled, multicenter contraceptive efficacy clinical trial of the intravas device,a nonocclusive surgical male sterilization

Because of unavoidable complications of vasectomy, this study was undertaken to assess the efficacy and safety of male sterilization with a nonobstructive intravas device （IVD） implanted into the vas lumen by a mini-surgical method compared with no-scalpel vasectomy （NSV）. IVDs were categorized into two types： IVD-B has a tail used for fixing to the vas deferens （fixed wing） whereas IVD-A does not. A multicenter prospective randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted in China. The study was comprised of 1459 male volunteers seeking vasectomy who were randomly assigned to the IVD-A （n = 487）, IVD-B （n = 485） or NSV （n = 487） groups and underwent operation. Follow-up included visits at the 3rd-6TM and 12~ postoperative months, The assessments of the subjects involved regular physical examinations （including general and andrological examinations） and semen analysis. The subjects＇ partners also underwent monitoring for pregnancy by monthly interviews regarding menstruation and if necessary, urine tests, There were no significant differences in pregnancy rates （0.65% for IVD-A, 0 for IVD-B and 0.21% for NSV） among the three groups （P 〉 0.05）. The cumulative rates of complications at the 12th postoperative month were zero, 0.9% and 1.7% in the three groups, respectively. In conclusion, IVD male sterilization exhibits a low risk of long-term adverse events and was found to be effective as a male sterilization method, similar to the NSV technique. IVD male sterilization is expected to be a novel contraceptive method.     

Use of volume-targeted non-invasive bilevel positive airway pressure ventilation in a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease in which most patients die of respiratory failure. Although volume-targeted non-invasive bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP) ventilation has been studied in patients with chronic respiratory failure of various etiologies, its use in ALS has not been reported. We present the case of a 66-year-old woman with ALS and respiratory failure treated with volume-targeted BPAP ventilation for 15 weeks. Weekly data downloads showed that disease progression was associated with increased respiratory muscle weakness, decreased spontaneous breathing, and increased use of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation, whereas tidal volume and minute ventilation remained relatively constant.     

Effect of handling breaks on estimation of heart rate responses to bouts of physical activity among young women: An accelerometer research issue

BackgroundOne of the research interests with regard to accelerometry is the evaluation of physical activity bout under free-living conditions.Research questionThis study aimed to examine the effect of treatment interruption on the estimation of heart rate (HR) response to moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) bout.MethodsTwenty-five young women performed at least 30 min of MVPA during 24 h while wearing a uniaxial accelerometer on their waist and a portable HR monitor on their chest simultaneously. Based on the time series data, MVPA bout was defined as physical activity that was maintained at no less than 3 metabolic equivalents (METs) for >10 min without or with interruption, i.e., a 1-, 2-, or 3-min interruption.ResultsThe frequency and duration of MVPA bout significantly increased with interruption (p < 0.01). The HR and estimated MET value for an MVPA bout with interruption were significantly lower than those without interruption (p < 0.01), and the difference gradually increased depending on the duration of the interruptions (p < 0.01).SignificanceThese findings indicate that treatment interruptions could influence the estimation of cardiorespiratory response to MVPA bout under free-living conditions, and interruptions could result in an overestimation of the actual intensity of an MVPA bout.