La Nouvelle presse médicale
-
Review
[Pharmacology of narcotics administered by the epidural or intrathecal route (author's transl)].
Owing to the presence of specific opiate receptors in the spinal cord, analgesia can be obtained with epidural or intrathecal injections of morphine derivatives. The duration of analgesia depends upon the degree of water solubility of the compound. Compounds with low coefficient of distribution in lipids (e.g. morphine) do not readily cross the blood-brain barrier and have a prolonged action, whereas the duration of analgesia induced by highly lipid-soluble compounds, such as dextromoramide and phenoperidine, is not very different from that obtained with more conventional routes of administration. ⋯ However, side-effects may be observed, and their frequency mainly depends upon the quantity of narcotic injected. These side-effects reduce the number of indications, which cannot yet be precisely determined. Epidural and intrathecal analgesia appears to be particularly useful during the post-operative period in patients liable to respiratory complications.
-
Clinical Trial
[Prevention of chemotherapy-induced alopecia in cancer patients by scalp hypothermia (author's transl)].
Chemotherapy-induced alopecia observed in cancer patients can now be prevented by a simple, effective, inexpensive and well tolerated procedure: scalp hypothermia. Refrigeration is obtained by placing on the scalp two bags filled with crushed ice 15 minutes before, and removing them 15 minutes after intravenous injection of antineoplastic drugs. Only patients treated with drug combinations that are rapidly administered (into the giving-set tube or by i.v. infusion lasting less than 60 minutes) seem to benefit from scalp hypothermia. The fact that good results were obtained with those drugs (adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, 5-fluorouracil, methotrexate, vincristine) and modes of administration that are most commonly used in women with breast cancer or ovarian cancer makes this procedure extremely interesting.
-
Thirty-two of 320 patients with severe thoracic trauma were treated with costal stapling. The technique, described by R. ⋯ In addition, active respiratory physiotherapy can be undertaken at an earlier stage. The authors describe the indications and limitations of this treatment on the basis of the results obtained in this series.