[Problems posed by surgical patients submitted to long-term corticotherapy]. / Problèms posés par les opérés soumis a une corticothérapie au long cours

Contrary to the long-standing attitude which consisted of descreasing the doses of cortisone, or even of weaning patients before undergoing a surgical intervention, the author emphasizes the necessity for a quantitative and qualitative increase in corticotherapy in order to avoid the risks of acute hypocorti-costeroidism.

Controlled trial of platelet anti-aggregating agents and subcutaneous heparin in prevention of postoperative deep vein thrombosis in high risk patients.

In a prospective randomised trial, three groups of 20 patients each were compared. A first group served as a control, a second group received dipyridamole and acetylsalicylic acid and a third group received low doses of heparin. The incidence of deep vein thrombosis determined by the 125I-fibrinogen test was 40% in the first group, 50% in the second group, and 5% in the third group. The differences between the heparin group and the two other groups are statistically significant. No wound complication and no haematoma at the injection site occurred.