Swiss medical weekly
-
Until 1977 the prognosis in childhood near drowning was rather poor. Many children died or survived permanently damaged by hypoxic encephalopathy. In the late seventies new methods of invasive neurointensive care were introduced in pediatric intensive care and were used in selected cases of near drowning. ⋯ Two children were "brain dead" and showed significant cardiovascular instability at the time of ICU admission. Both died, while all the others survived: 11 were completely normal and 1 child was slightly retarded. We conclude that the prognosis in childhood near drowning can be greatly improved by triage, generous use of artificial ventilation and invasive neurointensive care in those children who remain deeply comatose after near drowning.
-
Swiss medical weekly · Apr 1981
[The apparent parallelism of L5-S1 as an early radiologic sign of lumbo-sacral disk herniation].
The purpose of ths study was to confirm the authors' impression of parallel margins between the lower vertebral plate of the last lumbar vertebra and the upper plate of the first sacral vertebra in patients suffering from herniation of the last disc. The study involved 3 groups of patients: the first comprised patients with sciatica due to compression of the S1 nerve root, the second group consisted of normal subjects and the third included patients suffering from low back pain without disc pathology. The results show that a parallel appearance between the L5 ad S1 vertebral bodies was apparent for angles of lambda less than or equal to 10 degrees. The authors have found these parallel margins only in patients suffering from disc herniation between L5 and S1.
-
Puncture of the radial or cubital artery with a thin needle of 0.4--0.5 mm diameter connected to a glass capillary is a simple and non-invasive technique for obtaining samples for arterial blood gas analysis. Compared with the conventional sampling techniques using glass syringes and needles of larger calibers, the results, especially with regard to paO2 values, show very close agreement over a wide range from hypoxic to hyperoxic conditions (correlation coefficient r2 = 0.99) if the microsamples are analysed within 10 minutes. Delayed analysis after 30 minutes, however, shows marked underestimation of hyperoxic paO2 (greater than 150 mm Hg) with the microtechnique, whereas paO2 values below 100 mm Hg are still comparable to the macrosamples. The method described provides an accurate arterial blood gas analysis without discomfort or harmful side effects, especially in patients under treatment with anticoagulants.
-
Swiss medical weekly · Jan 1981
[Cardiovascular risk factors in headquarters staff of the World Health Organization].
Analysis of 2333 medical files of the World Health Organization's headquarters staff in Geneva gives insight into the epidemiology of cardiovascular risk factors in nationals originating from 67 different countries but living in the same environment. The study confirms well established facts such as the prevalence of hypertension (HT) with respect to sex, age, and period of observation, its consequences and interrelation with high cholesterol levels, diabetes, and obesity. The importance of a medical service with emphasis on prevention is stressed. ⋯ There is a concentric decrease according to nationality: 29 to 25% for the other countries of Central, Western, and Southern Europe, 23 to 18% for the USSR, Arab countries and North America, 9 to 6% for South East and Eastern Asia and African countries south of the Sahara (p less than 0.05 between the extremes). India and Australia do not fit the pattern of concentric decrease, since a high percentage of men in those countries have HT. As the number of files available was insufficient to carry out the same analysis for women or to determine other factors of cardiovascular risk, the study will be extended to cover the staff of other International Organizations in Geneva.
-
Swiss medical weekly · Nov 1980
Case Reports[Isolated erythroid aplasia during immunosuppressive therapy with azathioprine after kidney transplantation].
The case is presented of a 40-year-old man with pure red cell aplasia which developed 4 years after institution of azathioprine therapy for renal transplantation. The patient recovered 5 1/2 months after substitution of cyclophosphamide for azathioprine.