[Hypotension in the very preterm infant]. / Hypotension du grand prématuré.

One out of four very preterm infants will present with circulatory maladaptation during the first two days of life, with an increased risk of early complications and long term sequelae. Appreciation of those transitional difficulties cannot be limited to blood pressure. Assesment of blood pressure itself must be done in relation with gestational age and birth weight adapted norms. The effects of therapies for low systemic blood flow on blood pressure, organs and cerebral circulations are better understood, but none of them has assessed for mortality or neurodevelopmental outcomes.

[PRK with InPro-Gauss excimer laser: statistical analysis of results]. / PRK avec le laser excimer InPro-Gauss: analyse statistique des rèsultats.

PURPOSE: To analyse retrospectively the pre- and postoperative refraction and visual acuity according to Standard Graphs proposed by Waring for refractive surgery. METHODS: Ninety-three eyes with myopia ranging from -1.50 to -8 diopters (D) and/or with astigmatism ranging from 0.75 to 3 D were treated between July 1998 and June 2001. The laser delivers a broad beam with a regular gaussian energy repartition obtained by means of a plate containing an array of diffractive micro-lenses. RESULTS: The coefficient of linear correlation between the attempted and achieved spherical equivalent refraction was 0.97. A postoperative spherical equivalent refraction between -0.50 and +0.50 D was found in 92.3% of eyes. The defocus equivalent refraction (spherical refraction added to one-half of the cylindrical component, ignoring the sign) represents more accurately the reality of the refractive state, and in our study was within +/- 0.50 D for 86.4% of the eyes. A preoperative best corrected visual acuity of 10/10 was found in 78% of eyes and 64% achieved postoperatively an uncorrected visual acuity of 10/10. CONCLUSION: The InPro-Gauss excimer laser gives good refractive results. The Gauss profile delivery system provides reliability and quality of the ablated surface of cornea.

Mortality in 504 infants weighing less than 1501 g at birth and treated in four neonatal intensive care units of south-Belgium between 1976 and 1980.

Mortality was studied in 504 infants weighing less than 1501 g at birth and treated in four neonatal intensive care units of South-Belgium between 1976 and 1980. Two hundred and twenty-one babies died during their stay at the hospital, a mortality rate of 438 per 1000 live births. The neonatal mortality rate (mortality during the first 28 days of life) was 373 per 1000 live-births. Thirty-three infants died after the neonatal period, which is 15% of the total number of deaths. Two-thirds of these post-neonatal deaths were related to complications of diseases associated with pre-term delivery. Mortality rates were higher in infants of less than 1001 g than in those of 1001-1250 g or 1251-1500 birth weight. In each birth weight category, patients born in their own obstetrical departments and referred infants has similar mortality rates. Longitudinal analysis showed improving mortality rates between 1976 and 1977 in the total population of VLBW infants, between 1977 and 1978 in infants of less than 1001 g and in 1980 compared to 1976 in the 1251-1500 g group. There were higher incidences of need for ventilatory assistance, patent ductus arteriosus, necrotising enterocolitis and septicaemia in referred patients of less than 1001 g than in patients born in their own obstetrical departments with comparable birth weight. Artificial ventilation was more often required in referred infants of 1251-1500 g. This study confirms the importance of considering at least the complete hospital stay when analysing mortality in VLBW infants. Infants of less than 1001 g had high mortality, particularly after the neonatal period.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)