Toxic epidermal necrolysis; 15 years'' experience in a Dutch burns centre

BACKGROUND: Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a severe and potentially fatal drug reaction characterized by an extensive skin rash with blisters and exfoliation, frequently accompanied by mucositis. The wounds caused by TEN are similar to second-degree burns and severe cases may involve large areas of skin loss. OBJECTIVES: Analysis of our results in patients with TEN and evaluation of the variety of therapeutic interventions that has been studied and suggested in TEN. PATIENTS/METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 19 consecutive patients with TEN treated in our burns centre between 1989 and 2004. RESULTS: Immediate withdrawal of any potentially fatal drug, maximum supportive care, and a restricted and tailored antibiotic, medical and surgical treatment regimen confined mortality to 21%, whereas prognosis scores like APACHE II and SCORTEN predicted mortality of 22 and 30%, respectively. A positive contribution of selective digestive decontamination is suggested but has yet to be established. CONCLUSIONS: Because of a potentially fatal outcome, fast referral of a patient suspected of TEN to a specialized centre (mostly a burns unit or specialized dermatology centre) for expert wound management and tailored comprehensive care is strongly advised and contributes to survival.     

Epidemiologie und Prävention von AIDS in der Bevölkerung

International Journal of Public Health - Die Übertragungswege des HIV, welche in der Bevölkerung eine Rolle spielen, sind heute bekannt. Neben der sexuellen Übertragung, der...     

Features of the metabolic syndrome of "hypertriglyceridemic waist" and transplant coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the prevalence of the atherogenic metabolic triad and the hypothesis that waist circumference and fasting triglyceride concentrations could be used as screening tools for identification of the atherogenic metabolic triad in a population of heart transplant men. It also evaluated the relationship between the atherogenic metabolic triad and coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: In the study group of 83 consecutive male heart transplant patients having their routine annual coronarography, 23 patients (28%) were characterized by the atherogenic metabolic triad defined by the presence of elevated fasting insulin and apolipoprotein B concentrations and by small low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles. RESULTS: Seventy-seven per cent of patients with waist circumference values >/= 90 cm and with elevated triglyceride levels (>/=2.0 mmol/liter) were characterized by this atherogenic metabolic triad. Patients with the atherogenic metabolic triad were at markedly increased risk of CAD (odds ratio of 25.3, 95% CI: 1.11-577.3, p < 0.04) compared to heart transplant patients without the atherogenic metabolic triad. CONCLUSIONS: About 30% of heart transplant patients showed the features of the atherogenic metabolic triad. Measurement and interpretation of waist circumference and fasting triglycerides could be used among heart transplant patients to early identify men characterized by the presence of elevated fasting insulin and apolipoprotein B concentrations and small LDL particles. The presence of the atherogenic metabolic triad identified patients at high risk of CAD even in the heart transplant population.     

Skin to skin contact in neonatal care: knowledge and expectations of health professionals in 2 neonatal intensive care units]

Skin to skin contact is a method derived from kangaroo care whose implementation in industrialized countries has rarely been assessed. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the barriers, knowledge and expectations of health professionals regarding this care in 2 level III neonatal care units in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Investigation was conducted by means of 2 questionnaires, one intended to physicians, the other to the nursing staff sharing some common questions. The 2 neonatal units differed by the level of implementation of skin to skin contact. Results were compared according to occupation and site of work. RESULTS: 80% of the physicians and 71.4% of the paramedical staff answered to the questionnaires. The difficulties were linked to technical or architectural constraints. Responses were not very different between the 2 teams. The majority (90%) considered this practice as a fully-fledged care. The positive effects on attachment (96% of the answers) were well-known but those on sleep (2,9%), breast-feeding (5%) and pain (0%) were only rarely mentioned. Barriers to implementation were centred on infant's safety. The majority of the team wished to benefit from an educational intervention. DISCUSSION: Although the perception of skin to skin contact was positive in these 2 teams, increased knowledge of the evidence supporting its practice could enable babies and parents to benefit from all its positive effects. The need for educational program was clearly mentioned to improve parents' information. CONCLUSION: This work emphasises the complexity of introducing new procedures in neonatal care particularly in the field of developmental care.     

Gastric schwannoma. A case diagnosed by puncture biopsy]

One case of schwannoma of the stomach diagnosed with ultrasound-guided biopsy puncture is reported. This diagnosis is usually not established with radiographic and endoscopic examinations. A preoperative diagnosis allows partly predicting the type of exeresis to be performed. On the other hand, guided biopsy puncture seldom allows establishing a prognosis, for which the criteria are based on the analysis of the whole tumor and the possible discovery of synchronous or metachronous metastases.     

Etomidate modifies hemodynamic response to fentanyl in patients with impaired left ventricular function]

The haemodynamic effects and the side-effects of anaesthesia using high doses of fentanyl were compared in two groups of 12 patients each. All the patients had poor left ventricular function and were scheduled for elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery or valvular replacement. Patients were randomly assigned to either group. In group EF, patients were given 5 micrograms.kg-1 of fentanyl, followed by 0.3 mg.kg-1 of etomidate. Once they had lost consciousness, they were given 15 mg of pancuronium and 25 micrograms.kg-1 of fentanyl over a 5 min period. Patients in group F received the full 30 micrograms.kg-1 dose of fentanyl over a 5 min period, followed by 15 mg of pancuronium. The patients were intubated 2 min after the end of the fentanyl infusion. They were mechanically ventilated with 100% oxygen. Anaesthesia was maintained with a continuous infusion of fentanyl (total dose 100 micrograms.kg-1). The usual haemodynamic parameters were monitored and calculated, as well as pain during injection of the drugs, myoclonia, chest wall rigidity and the time to loss of consciousness. The two groups were comparable with respect to age, weight, height and surgery. One third of the patients in group EF complained of pain during etomidate injection. The time required to loose consciousness was shorter in group EF (55 +/- 16 sec) than in group F (177 +/- 56 sec) (p < 0.001). The cardiac index decrease in group EF (2.0 +/- 0.4 l.min-1.m-2 vs. 1.9 +/- 0.4 l.min-1.m-2) (p < 0.05), respectively between the time just before tracheal intubation (T1), and 10 min after tracheal intubation (T3).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Extending the capability paradigm to address the complexity of disability

Amartya Sen looks at people's well-being in terms of functioning and freedom, rather than in terms of the amount of goods or services consumed. The capability approach, developed by Sen, deals with what people are able to achieve by using these commodities. Concerning disability, he wrote: “We must take note that a disabled person may not be able to do the many things that an able-bodied individual can, with the same bundle of commodities” [Sen, A. K. (1985). Commodities and capabilities. Oxford: Oxford University Press [1999], p. 7]. The capability approach makes it possible to analyse the economic situation of people with disabilities in a different way. What becomes important is their functioning, i.e. what they are able to achieve within a given context. In fact, the capability set includes not only what a person is effectively able to achieve, but also the potential functionings that he/she can choose. This expresses the degree of freedom that a person with disability benefits from in a given environment. The challenge is therefore to reduce the constraints that the environment adds to a person's impairment in order to expand their capability set and to allow them to live a life which they value. This paper reviews the paradigms that address disability and the ways of assessing a person's capability set within this framework. Achieved functionings are easily measured through cross-sectional surveys, using counterfactual analysis to compare the situations of disabled and non-disabled people. This was done in 2005 in Afghanistan when a national disability survey was carried out on a random sample of households. Measuring detailed capabilities, especially their freedom dimension, is quite complex and requires identifying people's potential choices in an ever-changing environment. This implies a need to extend the philosophical framework and to adopt appropriate statistical methodologies.