[Organization of an operational site. Comparison of the durations of intervention planned and real]. / Organisation d'un site opératoire. Comparaison des durées d'intervention prévues et réelles.

OBJECTIVE: To improve planning of our operational site by comparing the durations of intervention scheduled by the surgeons and the real durations of occupation of room of intervention, surgical procedure and surgical operation. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study carried out of December 8, 2003 to February 27, 2004. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Anaesthetic and surgical times of the interventions of visceral and gynaecological surgery were raised. From these data several durations were calculated like the duration of occupation of the room of intervention, surgical procedure and surgical operation. These durations were compared with the durations envisaged by the surgeons to carry out the planning of the operational activity. RESULTS: Two hundred and ten interventions were studied. The analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the duration planned and the real duration of occupation of the room of intervention 45 minutes [5-125] (p<0.0001). The duration planned corresponded with duration of surgical operation, duration which did not take into account anaesthetic induction and surgical installation. CONCLUSIONS: The effectiveness of the planning of an operational site depends on the exactness of the durations scheduled, which are used for its realization. It is significant that all the actors of the operating theatre suite use the durations closest to reality.

[Coma in type 2 diabete mellitus on metformin treatment]. / Coma chez un diabétique de type 2 traité par la metformine.

Non traumatic coma in diabete mellitus has two origins : hypo- or hyperglycemia. Coma with hyperglycemia can be due to ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar state or lactic acidosis. The present observation reports on a type 2 diabete mellitus patient presenting with a coma while the patient was on metformin and glibenclamide treatment. On admission, biologicals tests showed major acidosis, hyperglycemia and hyperosmolarity. No metformine accumulation was demonstrated by analytical measure. In this case, the association of hyperosmolar state and metabolic acidosis prove the difficulty of the differential diagnosis.

Gastric residue is not more copious in obese patients.

IMPLICATIONS: Previous studies have shown that obese patients have a larger volume of gastric content than lean patients do. However, methodological limitations call into question the validity of these findings. We have reexamined this issue and found identical gastric content volumes in fasting obese and lean subjects after an 8-h fast.