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Resume Dans le cadre d’un projet de greffe renale a partir d’un donneur vivant, le patient est susceptible d’eprouver un sentiment de dette complexe envers ses proches, dont, particulierement, la personne qui propose de donner un rein. Les impacts sur l’autonomie de la personne soignee, sur sa liberte de disposer de son corps, peuvent s’averer a la fois nefastes et benefiques. Une reflexion parait donc essentielle pour determiner les differents parametres de la dette et envisager des pistes eventuelles favorisant ses aspects positifs et limitant ses consequences deleteres.

Background Flexible optical bronchoscopes are essential for management of airways in ICU, but the conventional reusable flexible scopes have three major drawbacks: high cost of repairs, need for decontamination, and possible transmission of infectious agents. The main objective of this study was to measure the cost of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and percutaneous tracheostomy (PT) using reusable bronchoscopes and single-use bronchoscopes in an ICU of an university hospital. The secondary objective was to compare the satisfaction of healthcare professionals with reusable and single-use bronchoscopes. Methods The study was performed between August 2009 and July 2014 in a 16-bed ICU. All BAL and PT procedures were performed by experienced healthcare professionals. Cost analysis was performed considering ICU and hospital organization. Healthcare professional satisfaction with single-use and reusable scopes was determined based on eight factors. Sensitivity analysis was performed by applying discount rates (0, 3, and 5%) and by simulation of six situations based on different assumptions. Results At a discount rate of 3%, the costs per BAL for the two reusable scopes were 188.86€ (scope 1) and 185.94€ (scope 2), and the costs per PT for the reusable scope 1 and scope 2 and single-use scopes were 1613.84€, 410.24€, and 204.49€, respectively. The cost per procedure for the reusable scopes depended on the number of procedures performed, maintenance costs, and decontamination costs. Healthcare professionals were more satisfied with the third-generation single-use Ambu® aScope™. Conclusions The cost per procedure for the single-use scope was not superior to that for reusable scopes. The choice of single-use or reusable bronchoscopes in an ICU should consider the frequency of procedures and the number of bronchoscopes needed. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13613-016-0228-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

In the perioperative period, several potential conflicts between anaesthetists/intensive care specialists and surgeons may exist. They are detrimental to the quality of patient care and to the well-being of the teams. They are a source of medical errors and contribute to burn-out. Patients can become the victims of such conflicts, which deserve ethical reflection. Their resolution through analysis and shared solutions is necessary. This article seeks to analyse these conflicts, taking into account their specificities and constraints. In order to understand this context, it is important to consider the specificities of each group involved and the records of such situations. Several factors can prevent these conflicts, first and foremost the patients themselves and the quality of the care that is provided. Medical deontology aims mainly at preventing and resolving these conflicts. Generally speaking, the quality approach which is increasingly applied in health care institutions (involving declarations of adverse events, morbidity/mortality reviews, benchmarking, analysis and improvement of practices, etc.) also contributes to the prevention and resolution of disagreements. The teaching of communication techniques that begins with the initial training, the evaluation of team behaviours (through simulation training for example), the respect of others' constraints, particularly when it comes to learning, as well as transparency regarding conflicts of interests, are all additional elements of conflict prevention. Lastly, conflicts may at times be caused by deviant behaviours, which must be met with a clear and uncompromising collective and institutional approach. This article concludes by offering a standardised approach for conflict resolution.

Additional file 2. Cost analysis for the reusable and the single-use scopes for bronchoalveolar lavage and tracheostomy in the intensive care unit during the six years of the study.

Contexte : La prise en charge de la fin de vie constitue un enjeu societal crucial auquel le legislateur a repondu par la loi du 22 avril 2005. Neanmoins, un debat emerge de la societe civile sur l'opportunite de depenaliser/legaliser l'euthanasie et/ou le suicide assiste (E/SA). Cette question interroge directement les medecins, en particulier les anesthesistesreanimateurs (AR). Objectif : Mettre en perspective les concepts a partir d'une analyse de la litterature medicale et de l'experience des pays qui ont legifere sur E/SA. Resultats : La loi du 22 avril 2005 constitue une reponse adaptee a l'essentiel des situations de fin de vie auxquelles est confronte l'AR. Sa force tient a l'obligation de dispenser des soins palliatifs quand les therapeutiques devenues vaines sont interrompues. Neanmoins, les demarches d'accompagnement et de soins palliatifs sont introduites trop tard durant le cours des maladies fatales. Leur enseignement et des mesures incitatives fortes s'imposent. Les rares cas ou E/SA sont demandes par les patients ou leurs proches resultent souvent de decisions non-prises en amont et/ou de traitements qui ne considerent pas le patient dans sa globalite. La mise en oeuvre d'E/SA ne se resume pas a la simple affirmation d'un principe d'autonomie. Les procedures d'E/SA laissent entrevoir de reelles difficultes et des risques de derives. Conclusion : Nous formulons un message de prudence et de mesure. Peut-on repondre aux questions douloureuses de la fin de vie, de la souffrance morale, en supprimant le sujet lorsqu'une reelle demarche de soins palliatifs n'a pas ete pleinement mise en oeuvre ? ER - End of Reference

Resume Le comite d’ethique de la Societe francaise d’anesthesie et de reanimation (Sfar) a ete sollicite par l’agence de la biomedecine sur la question des prelevements d’organes apres arret des therapeutiques actives (ATA). Ce type de prelevement est autorise et pratique aux Etats-Unis, au Canada, au Royaume-Uni, aux Pays-Bas et en Belgique. Les trois premiers pays ont redige des recommandations concernant ce type de prelevement. Ces recommandations fixent pour l’essentiel une procedure ou une conduite a tenir operationnelle, une fois l’ATA valide. Le comite a deliberement cadre sa reflexion selon un champ plus large et global que celui qui prevaut dans l’approche anglo-saxonne. Cette analyse qui envisage toutes les etapes d’un tel prelevement, nous a conduits a emettre des reserves quant a l’applicabilite de ce type de prelevement a tout patient chez qui une decision d’ATA aurait ete validee. Dans un souci de coherence par rapport aux pratiques du prelevement d’organes chez des patients en mort encephalique qui prevalent en France, nous avons souligne la necessite de n’envisager l’ATA-M3, pour le moment, que chez les patients cerebro-leses chez qui un tres mauvais pronostic neurologique pouvait etre predit avec un niveau de certitude eleve, au moyen d’examens paracliniques. Dans notre esprit, les elements de preuve doivent etre fixes et assumes par la collectivite, representee par l’agence de biomedecine, et pas par le medecin en charge du malade. Ils doivent etre opposables au cas ou l’on s’interrogerait sur la qualite de la pronostication neurologique. Ce texte a ete endosse par le conseil d’administration de la Sfar.

Background: A propofol target-controlled infusion (TCI) is often proposed for the management of difficult airway intubation and fibreoptic intubation under anaesthesia and spontaneous ventilation. No data are available about sevoflurane. The aim of the present study was to compare propofol and sevoflurane as hypnotics during fibreoptic intubation under spontaneous ventilation. Methods: After regional ethical committee approval, 52 ASA I–II patients without any predictors for difficult intubation gave their informed consent. They were randomly assigned to one of two groups. After 3 min of pre-oxygenation, patients received either propofol with a plasmatic target concentration of 4 mg/l (group P; n= 26) or sevoflurane 4% with tidal volume ventilation (group S; n= 26). After 2 min, propofol was increased by 1 mg/l and sevoflurane was increased by 1% every 2 min until there was no reaction during mandible translation. This concentration was maintained for 4 min before starting nasotracheal fibrescopy for intubation. During both induction and fibrescopy, pulse oximetry, bispectral index (BIS), heart rate, and arterial blood pressure were monitored. Quality of intubation and operator satisfaction were evaluated. Data were compared using Student’s t-test, Mann-Withney U-test or chi-square test. A P-value < 0.05% was considered to be significant. Results: During induction, no difference in pulse oximetry, BIS values at the end of induction, or duration of induction were noticed. Five episodes of desaturation under 90% occurred during fibreoptic intubation in group P compared with none in group S. Conclusion: Sevoflurane provides good fibreoptic intubation conditions to spontaneously breathing patients without any hypoxemic episodes such as those observed with propofol.

In ICU sedation, use of inhalated gaz has interesting qualities, but remains limited due to lack of available and appropriate material. a new medical device (MirusTM (Pall)) allows feedback of the delivered flow rate from the targeted minimal alveolar concentration (MAC). Sedation is usually monitored by the RASS (Richmond Assessment Sedation Score).

Las tecnicas laparoscopicas han revolucionado la cirugia abdominal y, por consiguiente, las tecnicas anestesicas han tenido que adaptarse. Las modificaciones fisiologicas generadas por el neumoperitoneo son minimas cuando las presiones no sobrepasan los 12 mmHg, por lo que las contraindicaciones absolutas son raras. Un numero considerable de operaciones de cirugia digestiva se pueden realizar ahora por laparoscopia, pero no siempre son evidentes las ventajas de esta respecto de las tecnicas convencionales, por lo que todavia sigue siendo discutida para determinadas indicaciones. Casi siempre se propone una anestesia general con intubacion orotraqueal y ventilacion controlada. En el postoperatorio, la tecnica analgesica de eleccion es una analgesia multimodal que combina anestesicos locales, administrados por via intraperitoneal, con opiaceos y antiinflamatorios no esteroideos. Los setrones constituyen un buen tratamiento preventivo de las nauseas y los vomitos postoperatorios, relativamente comunes. Las intervenciones laparoscopicas que se realizan para tratar el reflujo gastroesofagico presentan complicaciones frecuentes, sobre todo perforacion esofagica o aparicion de neumotorax. Los principales problemas planteados por la cirugia colica derivan de su duracion, con riesgo de hipotermia, de difusion del protoxido de nitrogeno y de complicaciones relacionadas con la posicion. En la actualidad, la cirugia laparoscopica se propone ampliamente a los pacientes obesos, sobre todo para la cirugia bariatrica.

Psoriasis has a chronic and relatively benign course. However, severe complications are possible. One rare complication is acute interstitial pneumonitis. This entity should be suspected when a patient presents with dyspnoea and high fever. Knowledge of this pathology is crucial, for although it is essential to rule out aetiologies requiring specific management such as microbial infection or drug-related syndromes, diagnosis should not be delayed as its severe clinical course is improved by corticosteroids. We report two patients with an acute respiratory distress syndrome arising during the course of pustular psoriasis. Repeated bacteriological testing in lungs and blood remained negative. In both cases lung involvement was severe, requiring artificial ventilation. Dramatic clinical resolution was obtained by using corticosteroids. Besides infectious causes and drug hypersensitivity to methotrexate or acitretin, acute respiratory distress syndrome, sometimes due to a pulmonary capillary leak syndrome, is a rare cause of pneumonitis in the course of psoriasis, and may be fatal. Its pathogenesis is unknown. However, animal models suggest a role for T-helper (Th) 1 lymphocytes, known to be activated in psoriasis, and a role for tumour necrosis factor-alpha, a major Th1 cytokine, in alveolar damage.

In the perioperative period, several potential conflicts between anaesthetists/intensive care specialists and surgeons may exist. They are detrimental to the quality of patient care and to the well-being of the teams. They are a source of medical errors and contribute to burn-out. Patients can become the victims of such conflicts, which deserve ethical reflection. Their resolution through analysis and shared solutions is necessary. This article seeks to analyse these conflicts, taking into account their specificities and constraints. In order to understand this context, it is important to consider the specificities of each group involved and the records of such situations. Several factors can prevent these conflicts, first and foremost the patients themselves and the quality of the care that is provided. Medical deontology aims mainly at preventing and resolving these conflicts. Generally speaking, the quality approach which is increasingly applied in health care institutions (involving declarations of adverse events, morbidity/mortality reviews, benchmarking, analysis and improvement of practices, etc.) also contributes to the prevention and resolution of disagreements. The teaching of communication techniques that begins with the initial training, the evaluation of team behaviours (through simulation training for example), the respect of others' constraints, particularly when it comes to learning, as well as transparency regarding conflicts of interests, are all additional elements of conflict prevention. Lastly, conflicts may at times be caused by deviant behaviours, which must be met with a clear and uncompromising collective and institutional approach. This article concludes by offering a standardised approach for conflict resolution.

We compared the duration of analgesia produced by a mixture of lignocaine and bupivacaine, either alone or combined with morphine (75 micrograms.kg-1), buprenorphine (3 micrograms.kg-1) or sufentanil (0.2 microgram.kg-1) in 80 patients after brachial plexus block for orthopaedic surgery of the upper limb. The characteristics of analgesia were evaluated hourly using a visual analogue scale. The analgesia was considered satisfactory for scores of 30 or less. The median duration (range) of satisfactory analgesia was: 11.5 (8-15) h without an opioid, 21 (9-27) h with morphine, 20 (14-34) h with buprenorphine and 24.5 (11-38) h with sufentanil. We conclude that the addition of an opioid to a local anaesthetic mixture lengthens the duration of analgesia.

Little is known regarding sevoflurane kinetics and toxicity during long-term sedation of intensive care unit (ICU) patients using the AnaConDa® system. The objective of the present study was to establish a pharmacokinetic description of 48-h sevoflurane administration, and to estimate plasma concentrations of metabolites.Forty-eight hour sedation with sevoflurane vaporized via an AnaConDa® device, with an end-tidal concentration objective of 1.5% (v/v), was initiated in 12 non-obese patients who did not have hepatic or renal failure but who required sedation for more than 48 h in our ICU. Plasma sevoflurane, hexafluoroisopropanol, and fluoride concentrations were determined over this time period and pharmacokinetic analysis was performed.The mean plasma concentration of sevoflurane was 76 mg/L at 24 h and 70 mg/L at 48 h. Wash-out of plasma sevoflurane correlated with a rapid decrease in the mean end-tidal sevoflurane level. The mean free plasma fraction of hexafluoroisopropanol never exceeded 8 mg/mL. The mean fluoride concentration was 0.8 µmol/L on day 0, 51.7 µmol/L on day 1, and 68.1 µmol/L on day 2 (P0.0001). The distribution volume was 53 L, the elimination constant 2.9 h-1, the transfer constant from compartment 1 to compartment 2 (K1-2) 1.2 h-1, the K2-1 0.26 h-1, the half-life of elimination 3.78 h, and the total clearance 156 L/h.Following 48 hours of sedation using sevoflurane inhalation administered using an AnaConDa® delivery device, sevoflurane washout was rapid. Plasma fluoride levels accumulated over the study period without apparent nephrotoxicity.

Management of the end of life is a major social issue which was addressed in France by law, on April 22nd 2005. Nevertheless, a debate has emerged within French society about the legalization of euthanasia and/or assisted suicide (E/AS). This issue raises questions for doctors and most especially for anesthetists and intensive care physicians.To highlight, dispassionately and without dogmatism, key points taken from the published literature and the experience of countries which have legislated for E/AS.The current French law addresses most of the end of life issues an intensive care physician might encounter. It is credited for imposing palliative care when therapies have become senseless and are withdrawn. However, this requirement for palliative care is generally applied too late in the course of a fatal illness. There is a great need for more education and stronger incentives for early action in this area. On the rare occasions when E/AS is requested, either by the patient or their loved-ones, it often results from a failure to consider that treatments have become senseless and conflict with patient's best interest. The implementation of E/AS cannot be reduced to a simple affirmation of the Principle of autonomy. Such procedures present genuine difficulties and the risk of drift.We deliver a message of prudence and caution. Should we address painful end of life and moral suffering issues, by suppressing the subject, i.e. ending the patient's life, when comprehensive palliative care has not first been fully granted to all patients in need of it ?

RATIONALE: Postextubation distress after a successful spontaneous breathing trial is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The soluble form of the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (sRAGE) is a marker of alveolar type I epithelial cell injury, and levels of sRAGE are elevated during acute lung injury. It remains unknown whether sRAGE levels can be useful in identifying patients at risk for postextubation distress during the process of weaning from mechanical ventilation. OBJECTIVES: To verify whether plasma sRAGE levels can be predictive of postextubation distress or weaning failure. METHODS: 89 patients from 2 intensive care units were included in this observational prospective study. Plasma sRAGE levels were measured in duplicate by ELISA before and at the end of a 60-minutes spontaneous breathing trial (SBT), and 4 hours after extubation. To quantify lung aeration, a lung ultrasound score was calculated. MAIN RESULTS: Patients who succeeded SBT (86%) and those who failed (14%) had no differences in sRAGE levels, before (median 954 pg/mL and 1021 pg/mL, respectively, p=0.8) and at the end of SBT (median 876 pg/mL and 1038 pg/mL, respectively, p=0.7). 27 patients (35% of extubated patients) experienced postextubation distress. Patients with or without postextubation distress had comparable sRAGE levels before SBT (median 1131 pg/mL and 872 pg/mL, respectively, p=0.4), after SBT (median 1106 pg/mL and 839 pg/mL, respectively, p=0.7), and 4 hours after extubation (1075pg/mL and 1027 pg/mL, respectively, p=0.3). In patients with postextubation distress, sRAGE levels were not predictive of the need for non invasive or invasive ventilation. sRAGE levels were not associated with lung aeration whether time points were considered separately (before, after SBT, 4 hours after extubation) or together (Spearman's rho=0.05; p=0.5). CONCLUSIONS: Plasma levels of sRAGE do not predict SBT failure/success or postextubation distress in patients undergoing a weaning trial. Lung aeration loss during a successful weaning trial may predict postextubation distress, but cannot be evaluated by sRAGE levels in this setting. sRAGE is a marker of alveolar epithelial injury in the acute setting of ALI/ARDS but does not seem useful in the weaning period.

To describe the knowledge of paediatricians regarding the practice of antimicrobial prophylaxis for caesarean section in reference to the Consensus Conference of the French Society of Anesthesia and Intensive Care (SFAR) and assess the feasibility of a change in attitude (injection of the antibiotic prior to incision) among paediatricians Perinatal Health Network of Auvergne (RSPA) working in maternity.Cross sectional study by survey.First questionnaire was sent to 46 RSPA paediatricians working in maternity. Almost one-third of paediatricians who returned the questionnaire said they were not concerned. A second questionnaire was developed with two paediatricians of the CHU and sent to the same 46 paediatricians. The statistical part involved percentages.Response rates were respectively 61% and 67%. For the first questionnaire, only 25% of the paediatricians knew the antibiotic and the time for injection. For the second questionnaire, 87% were in favour of an administration before incision and 42% thought it will not affect the care of the newborn. For 35% of respondents, it could lead to a change in the duration of antibiotic therapy in cases of perinatal infection and for 13% only a delay in the implementation of antibiotic therapy in children.The RSPA paediatricians did not know the practices of antibiotic prophylaxis for caesarean section. However, they did not appear opposed to an administration before cord clamping as it would not delay the implementation of any antibiotics in the newborn.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact on mechanical ventilation and ICU outcomes of substituting remifentanil for sufentanil, in an analgesia-based sedation protocol. A database of data prospectively collected was retrospectively analyzed. The study was carried out in a 16-bed tertiary-care ICU.The study included 1544 mechanically ventilated patients admitted from January 2001 to December 2006. Patients were compared between two consecutive phases. Analgesia-based sedation guidelines were the same, except for the opiate used. The patient-to-nurse ratio (2.5) and ventilator weaning practices remained unchanged. 794 patients were included during the sufentanil phase, and 750 during the remifentanil phase. Remifentanil was associated with significantly less time spent on mechanical ventilation (10 days[3-21] vs. 14 days[3-27], P0.01) and in the ICU (16 days[3-22] vs. 19 days[4-26], P0.01). The difference was significant for patients ventilated no longer than four days (P=0.0035) but not for patients ventilated more than four days (P=0.058). Sedation target on the Ramsay scale was reached more often with remifentanil. The use and amount of hypnotic agents in addition to the opiate were significantly lower with remifentanil. The cost of analgesia-based sedation was similar in the sufentanil and the remifentanil group.Our study suggests that using a short-acting opiate with short context-sensitive half-life in an analgesia-based sedation protocol may significantly decrease the duration of mechanical ventilation and the ICU length of stay even though not significantly in long term sedation, while improving the achievement of sedation goals despite a lower requirement for adjunctive hypnotic agents, with no additional costs.

We studied the potentiation of analgesia for labour by the addition of clonidine to epidural low-concentration levobupivacaine with sufentanil in a randomised, double-blinded study. We enrolled primiparous women who were in spontaneous labour. The study solutions, made of 100 ml levobupivacaine 0.0625% plus sufentanil 0.45 μg.ml(-1) and either 150 μg clonidine or no clonidine, were used for induction of analgesia, and for its maintenance with self-administered boluses and a continuous background infusion. The need for additional epidural boluses during labour was lower and analgesia and maternal satisfaction were better in the clonidine (n = 57) than in the control group (n = 58). Blood pressure was lower and the rate of instrumental delivery higher in the clonidine group. Clonidine (1.36 μg.ml(-1)) added to the epidural solution of low-concentration levobupivacaine improves the quality of analgesia. The relevance of the haemodynamic effects should be explored in larger validation studies.

To assess the management of post-partum haemorrhage (PPH) in delivery rooms by the anaesthetists of the Auvergne region.Cross sectional study.An anonymous postal survey was sent to all the anaesthetists working in a public or private hospital with a maternity unit.The response rate was about 70 %. Eight percent of the respondents never practiced in obstetrics; others all declared to have managed PPH at least once. Only 66 % declared to know the right definition of PPH, 98 % declared to have guidelines in the delivery room, 87 % to use graduate blood receipt pockets, 85 % to work under midwives-directed delivery at expulsion, 88 % to have a HemoCue™ system. More than 80 % declared to use first oxytocin and to switch for prostaglandins in case of failure, to put two venous catheters and a urinary catheter, to administer broad-spectrum prophylactic antibiotic and to draw a blood sample for early biology. Packed red cells, platelets and fresh frozen plasma were accessible in less than 30 minutes for 98 %. Transfusion guidelines were applied. Only 27 % could have arterial radiologic embolisation on site. The knowledge about PPH and its consensual care tended to be poorer in practitioners from the university hospital, and younger under 40 also.This survey, with a good response rate, showed a practice generally fitting to the guidelines, although with some failures depending on the practioner's age and type of hospital.

International audience; Objectives: The impact of recruitment maneuvers on gas exchange, hemodynamics, alveolar recruitment, and hyperinflation is highly variable among patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. The objective was to determine whether differences in lung morphology, defined as differences in the pulmonary distribution of aeration loss, predict the response to recruitment maneuvers.Design: Prospective study.Setting: A 16-bed medical-surgical intensive care unit in a university hospital.Measurements and main results: Nineteen consecutive patients with early acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome were studied. Computed tomography scans, respiratory mechanics, hemodynamics, and gas exchange were obtained at zero end-expiratory pressure during an open-lung ventilation (controlled mode, tidal volume 6 mL/kg of ideal body weight, positive end-expiratory pressure set 2 cm H2O above the lower inflection point of the inspiratory pressure volume curve at zero end-expiratory pressure) during a recruitment maneuver (continuous positive airway pressure of 40 cm H2O for 40 secs), and, finally, 5 mins after the recruitment maneuver during open-lung ventilation. Nine patients presented focal and 10 presented nonfocal lung morphology at zero end-expiratory pressure. Recruitment maneuver-induced recruited volume after 5 mins of open-lung ventilation was 48 +/- 66 mL and 417 +/- 293 mL in patients with focal and nonfocal lung morphology, respectively (p = .0009). Recruitment maneuver-induced alveolar hyperinflation represented 23% +/- 14% and 8% +/- 9% of total lung volume in patients with focal and nonfocal morphology, respectively (p = .007). In patients with focal lung morphology, hyperinflated lung volume was significantly greater during and 5 mins after (316 +/- 155 mL) than immediately before recruitment maneuvers (150 +/- 175 mL; p = .0407.Conclusion: Lung morphology at zero end-expiratory pressure predicts the response to recruitment maneuvers. Patients with focal lung morphology are at risk for significant hyperinflation during the recruitment maneuvers, and lung recruitment is rather limited.

To analyze the current knowledge related to xenon anaesthesia.References were obtained from computerized bibliographic research (Medline), recent review articles, the library of the service and personal files.All categories of articles on this topic have been selected.Articles have been analyzed for biophysics, pharmacology, toxicity and environmental effects, clinical effects and using prospect.The noble gas xenon has anaesthetic properties that have been recognized 50 years ago. Xenon is receiving renewed interest because it has many characteristics of an ideal anaesthetic. In addition to its lack of effects on cardiovascular system, xenon has a low solubility enabling faster induction of and emergence from anaesthesia than with other inhalational agents. Nevertheless, at present, the cost and rarity of xenon limits widespread use in clinical practice. The development of closed rebreathing system that allowed recycling of xenon and therefore reducing its waste has led to a recent interest in this gas.Reducing its cost will help xenon to find its place among anaesthetic agents and extend its use to severe patients with specific pathologies.

We report a case of acute postcesarean colonic pseudo-obstruction (Ogilvie's syndrome). We report the treatment algorithm we followed. Recording to this algorithm may improve the treatment of this pathology and perhaps avoid surgical treatment in emergency.

To assess the usefulness and the feasibility to use a software supervising continuous infusion rates of drugs administered with pumps in ICU.Follow-up of practices and inquiry in three intensive care units.Guardrails software(TM) of reassurance of the regulations of the rates of pumps (AsenaGH, Alaris).First, evaluation and quantification of the number of infusion-rates adjustments reaching the maximal superior limit (considered as infusion-rate-errors stopped by the software). Secondly, appreciate the acceptance by staffs to such a system by a blinded questionnaire and a quantification of the number of dataset pumps programs performed with the software.The number of administrations started with the pumps of the study in the three services (11 beds) during the period of study was 63,069 and 42,694 of them (67.7 %) used the software. The number of potential errors of continuous infusion rates was 11, corresponding to a rate of infusion-rate errors of 26/100,000. KCl and insulin were concerned in two and five cases, respectively. Eighty percent of the nurses estimated that infusion-rate-errors were rare or exceptional but potentially harmful. Indeed, they considered that software supervising the continuous infusion rates of pumps could improve safety.The risk of infusion-rate-errors of drugs administered continuously with pump in ICU is rare but potentially harmful. A software that controlled the continuous infusion rates could be useful.

The duration of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care (AIC) residency increased from four to five years in 2002 in France. AIC is a specialty increasingly chosen in relation to medical and surgical specialties. We conducted a national survey by questionnaire on the evaluation of their theoretical and practical training by the French residents.A questionnaire (demographics, motivations for the choice, training) was sent to 1422 residents, enrolled since 2002, in each province.In total, 562 questionnaires (40 %) were returned. The mean age of residents is 28+/-2 years, 46 % are women, on average in 6th semester [1-10th]. The obtained specialty was their first choice for 90 % and of the obtained city home for 73 %. Residents declare that the place of their definitive installation will be chosen depending on the quality of life mainly. So, 97 % referred the same choice of specialty. Training in locoregional anaesthesia (LRA) was evaluated correct or good by 53 % of residents and in the management of difficult intubation correct or good by 62 %. Theoretical training was assessed correct by 31 % of responders and good by 53 % and practical training correct by 25 % and good by 61 %.The AIC is now a specialty of positive choice by students. This choice is reinforced by teaching and practice during the residency. The global training is as good as a whole. Residents wish to deepen in some areas (ultrasound, LRA, critical reading, medical redaction) and an evaluation of their practical training with simulations.French AIC residents seem satisfied with almost all their training and referred the same choice of specialty.

We report a case of per anaesthesia malignant hyperthermia (MH) arisen in a 16-year-old young man presenting antecedents of five anaesthesia with use of halogenated agents without complication and having started a typical crisis of MH after five hours of anaesthesia with sevoflurane and with recurrence of the crisis after 14 hours in ICU. The association in the same clinical case of these three peculiarities of the crisis of MH already described separately in the international literature allows us to insist on their importance, with the French-speaking anaesthesiologists community.

Various laboratory investigations were assessed with respect to their accuracy in detecting myocardial contusion in patients with blunt chest trauma. All patients, aged between 18 and 50 years, admitted to the intensive care unit for flail chest, sternal fracture, pulmonary contusion, pleural or mediastinal lesion not requiring surgery, were included over a twelve month period. A complete cardiac assessment was carried out, including a physical examination, electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, enzyme assay (ALAT, ASAT, LDH, CPK and MB isoenzyme), two-dimensional echocardiography (2D-EC), thallium-201 scintigraphy. Myocardial contusion was diagnosed when an area of decreased or absent thallium-201 uptake was found in the scintigraphy. These latter results were compared with those obtained with the other investigations. Sixteen patients, mean age 34 years, were included; two who died before the end of the investigations were excluded. 2D-EC provided the most useful data (pericardial effusions in a third of the cases). The physical examination, enzyme assays, and chest films were of low value. The investigations carried out six months after the initial trauma showed that long term follow-up was not required. All patients were asymptomatic ten months after their trauma Although the diagnosis of myocardial contusion was made in half the cases using thallium-201 scintigraphy, 2D-EC provided reliable data and had the advantage to be carried out at the patient's bedside.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of paracetamol-induced hypotension in intensive care unit (ICU). The secondary end-point was the description of pathophysiologic phenomenon during this hypotension and risk factors.An observational study in three ICU of a French teaching hospital.All consecutives patients whom benefit from intravenous paracetamol administration were included in the study. When a 20% droop in arterial blood pressure occurred, plasma samples were obtained and tryptases were measured at 6 and 48 hours. Clinical, biological characteristics and paracetamol administration duration were prospectively monitored.During a 2-months period, 127 ICU patients were included in the study with 1507 paracetamol administration. Twenty droops in arterial blood pressure were recorded in ICU. The incidence rate was 1.33%. Administration duration was 32+/-9 min. No respiratory nor cutaneous manifestations occurred during hypotensions. A specific treatment was administrated in half of the patients. Hypotension incidence was higher (3.9%) in patients with brain injury. Eighty percent of patients with hypotension have a severe sepsis or a septic shock.In this cohort of ICU patients, hypotension incidence was higher than reported in drug legal mentions. Immunoallergic phenomenon was excluded. Brain injury and sepsis seems to be risk factors.

Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) is subject to a large number of failures due to discomfort of the art, the feeling of difficulty breathing and pain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of sophrology to improve conditions for the realization of NIV in patients with ARF.In this prospective randomized and controlled study, consecutive patients with ARF were included. From the very first NIV session, they received either sophrology during the first 30 min of NIV (S group), or standard care by the same nurse during 30 min (T group). The hemodynamic and ventilatory data were recorded continuously; pain, respiratory difficulty and discomfort were measured with a numeric scale at the end of the session.Thirty patients were included in the study, 27 have been analysed. Each patient received an average of four sessions NIV during the protocol. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of improvement in gas exchange. In contrast, there was a significant difference in terms of reduction of difficulty in breathing (-76%), discomfort (-60%) and decrease the pain (-40%) in the sophrology group (p0.001). Respiratory rate, heart rate and systolic arterial blood pressure were decrease during NIV.Sophrology constitutes aid for the achievement of the meetings of NIV in patients' IRA.

Caspofungin has shown efficacy and very low toxicity in empirical antifungal therapy in refractory invasive Aspergillus infections and invasive candidiasis in neutropenic (or non) patients. To date, there is no data on tolerability of caspofungin in ICU patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate caspofungine tolerability in critical care patients.Over a 36-month period, 1430 patients were admitted in a general intensive care unit. All patients data were collected in a prospective database. All the clinical or biological side effects reported in the multicentric studies were required. The patients were laminated in two groups, according to the initial hepatic function.Seventy-three patients were treated with caspofungin (5.1%) and 58% were immunocompromised. Immunosuppression was due to acute leukemia (30%), solid organ transplant (20%) or other causes of immunosuppression. In this group, SAPS2 was higher (51+/-20 versus 44+/-20; p0.05) as mortality rate was (60% versus 23%). More than 90% of patients were ventilated and 55% needed extrarenal therapy. Caspofungin treatment was initiated for aspergillosis in 12 patients, candidiasis in 33 patients and others indications. Partial or complete response to treatment was 72%. Median duration of caspofungin administration was 11 days, no liver dysfunction or acute renal failure due to caspofungin was reported whatever initial liver function was.This prospective open study demonstrate the very low toxicity of caspofungin even in critical care patients.

To evaluate the practice of labour epidural analgesia in Auvergne.Cross-sectional study by a mail survey.An anonymous postal questionnaire was sent to all anaesthetists working in public or private hospital having a maternity unit.The response rate was 82%. Eighty-eight percent of the respondents practise epidural analgesia in obstetrics (EAO) for labour pain relief, but 49% of them did so only on call. Fifty percent of the respondents ask for platelets and fibrinogen beforehand and 41% accept a one month validity for these tests. One third uses a full aseptic method (surgical hand washing, cap and face mask, sterile gloves and gown, double disinfection of patient's back). Nearly all respondents practice skin anaesthesia, 67% use saline solution for identification of the epidural space, 58% insert the catheter 4cm into the epidural space and 25% use a lidocaine-epinephrine epidural test dose. The analgesic solution is mostly based on ropivacaine (83%) associated with sufentanil (96%); patient controlled epidural analgesia rate is used by 58% of anaesthetists whereas 37% of them never use epidural clonidine and 52% never practice combined spinal epidural (CSE) analgesia during labour.EAO is mainly practiced on call. There are too many laboratory tests ordered before EAO. Technique used to insert epidural catheter is partly uniform and ropivacaine with sufentanil is the analgesic solution most often used. CSE for labour analgesia is still not often used.

A 77-year-old female was admitted in our hospital for uterine prolapse surgery. She developed ventricular tachycardia during induction of general anaesthesia and after initial symptomatic measures, she was transferred to the coronary care unit. Heart failure persisted and electrocardiographic changes mimicking acute myocardial infarction appeared. Coronary angiography was normal and left ventriculography revealed akinesis of the apical region of the left ventricle and apical ballooning during systole, with relative sparing of the base of the heart. Complete recovery of left ventricular function occurred 8 days after the initial onset of symptoms. A diagnosis of Takotsubo syndrome was made on the basis of consistent clinical and laboratory findings, typical echocardiography and angiography findings, and reversible course. This case emphasises the importance of being aware of uncommon causes of cardiac dysfunction in stressful situations, especially during induction of general anaesthesia.

Spontaneous slow waves are present in the systemic circulation including the intracranial compartment. They are supposed to reflect the cerebral autoregulation. We hypothesised that in the absence of cardio respiratory variability, during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), we should reveal extreme physiologic controls.Ten patients were included. Arterial blood pressure (ABP, radial invasive), extracorporeal circuitry pressure and cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV, middle cerebral artery) were recorded. We analysed the slow waves in the B (8 to 50) and the UB (50 to 200) bands (in milli-Hz). The analysis, before and during CPB, was performed in the tine domain (correlation coefficient, entropy, mean quantity of mutual information, relative entropy) and in the frequency domain (spectrogram, frequency spectrum, coherence).CPB dramatically changed monitored signals decreasing their entropy and revealing a dominant CBFV 70 mHz-frequency and a dominant ABP 9 mHz-frequency. There was no association between the signals (p0.05). Before CPB we found complex patterns where B and UB waves were present.We hypothesised that CPB provoked a highly protective mechanism, reducing the fluctuations of CBF, by a deactivation of B waves, revealing monotonous UB waves.

Perineal and proctologic surgery is well known as very painful. The apparition of new specific needles, long acting and less toxic local anaesthetics and neurostimulation allowed reconsidering some old forgotten techniques. Those blocks appear really useful to optimize multimodal postoperative analgesia and postoperative rehabilitation. After anatomic review, authors describe perineal regional anaesthesia and discuss about main indications and advantages, in the eyes of their experience and bibliographic review.

Spontaneous slow waves are present in the systemic circulation including the intracranial compartment. They are supposed to reflect the cerebral autoregulation. We hypothesised that in the absence of cardio respiratory variability, during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), we should reveal extreme physiologic controls.

Summary The aim of this prospective double-blind study was to evaluate the effect of the pressure on injection of local anaesthetic during peribulbar anaesthesia. Fifty patients scheduled for cataract surgery under peribulbar anaesthesia, with a two injection site technique, were randomly assigned to receive a mixture of 5ml of etidocaine 1%, 4ml of bupivacaine 0.5% and hyaluronidase SOW, injected under a constant pressure of either 140g.cm-2 (group 1) or 250g.cm-2 (group 2). After orbital compression, the degree of akinesia of the extra-ocular and orbicular muscles was graded by clinical assessment. A significantly higher rate of satisfactory akinesia of the extra-ocular muscles was found in group 2 (72% vs 28% in group 1) (p < 0.01). No significant relationship was found between the time taken to administer the anaesthetic mixture at constant pressure and the quality of the block.

We report the case of a patient suffering from an immune liver cirrhosis with chronic liver insufficiency and a portal hypertension, presenting with three consecutive pregnancies. During the first pregnancy, stillbirth occurred at 34 weeks gestation (WG) with a justified vaginal delivery. There was no liver deterioration during the second pregnancy until 36 WG when fetal distress occurred, requiring a caesarean section under general anaesthesia. During the third pregnancy, fetal distress and maternal hepatic failure occurred at 35 WG, requiring an emergency caesarean section complicated with post partum haemorrhage and an episode of encephalopathy.

The case described is a patient submitted to an oncologic gynaecological surgery under combined epidural and general anaesthesia. The anaesthesia involved complications, a prolonged motor blockade for up to 9 h whereas recommended doses had been respected. A few later after a magnetic resonance imaging that did not showed any extradural haematoma, full recovery occurred. The combined epidural and general anaesthesia was approved as an interesting technique for both per and postoperative analgesia, but also for postoperative rehabilitation. Nevertheless, for older patients, inhalational anaesthetics and opioids have to be decreased during the intervention, moreover local anaesthetics doses for epidural anaesthesia have to be reduced too, in order to control motor blockade duration.