Infections with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus among hematopoietic SCT recipients: a single center experience.

We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 39 hematopoietic SCT (HSCT) recipients who presented at our hospital between 1 October 2009 and 31 January 2010 with the 2009 H1N1 influenza infection. The median age at presentation was 13.8 years (range: 3.3-56.9), infections developed at a median of 585 days (range: 0-2316) post transplant, the majority (n=27, 69%) occurred in allogeneic HSCT recipients, 12 (31%) patients were on immunosuppressive therapy and 12 (31%) had GVHD. Lower airway disease was present in 8 patients (21%). In total, 15 patients (39%) were hospitalized with a median duration of 4.5 days (range: 3-27 days) and 3 (8%) required mechanical ventilation; 2 of whom died.

Bone marrow and stem cell transplantation at King Hussein cancer center.

Bone marrow and stem cell transplantation in Jordan has been performed since the 1990s, but the first comprehensive program was established at King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) in March 2003. The program, in addition to other health care institutions in Amman, serves approximately 5.6 million Jordanians. Also, we treat several patients per year from neighboring Arab countries. The program at KHCC performs an average of 80 transplants per year. During the past 4 years 320 patients received transplants at KHCC; 26% of them received an autologous graft and 74% allogeneic grafts. Of the allogeneic grafts 91% were taken from matched family members, 6.7% were haploidentical from one of the parents, and 2.3% were from an unrelated donor or umbilical cord blood. The actuarial overall survival among all patients has been around 65%. The most common indication for transplantation at KHCC was leukemia/MDS followed by benign nonmalignant hematological/immune deficiency/metabolic disorders, with thalassemia major being the most common among this group. The cost of SCT is variable and depends on many factors including the type of transplant and the attending post-transplant complications. The average charge for autologous transplant (both adults and pediatrics) is 24,695 JD (one JD equals 1.42 USD), and the average charge for allogeneic transplant (both adults and pediatrics) excluding haploidentical transplant is 46,787 JD. We have not noticed any peculiar patterns of complications following BMT; however, we have seen a high incidence of chronic GVHD following minitransplant with fludarabine and single-dose TBI (Seattle protocol). At the inception of the program, invasive fungal infection mainly related to building construction, and central line complications were significant. Measures implemented to control such complications were successful to a large extent. We report our results to the EBMT group and we are accredited as an unrelated transplantation center. Although from a young program, our group has presented abstracts to international conferences.

[Intra-arterial thrombolysis of a basilar vascular accident during coronary angiography]. / Thrombolyse intra-artérielle d'un accident vasculaire basilaire au cours de la coronarographie.

The authors report the case of a 67 year old man with a previous history of aortobifemoral arterial graft who had unstable angina after carotid endarterectomy. Coronary angiography by the right brachial artery was complicated by a cerebrovascular accident with a reactive coma, convulsions and respiratory problems. Selective angiography of the right vertebral artery showed an image of occlusive thrombosis of the basilar artery. In view of the clinical state and angiographic appearances, the authors decided on immediate intra-arterial thrombolysis with Urokinase which dissolved the clot and reestablished flow in the basilar artery, the cerebellar and posterior cerebral arteries. The outcome was favourable with immediate and good recovery of consciousness and hospital discharge on the sixth day without neurological or radiological sequellae. Cerebrovascular accident is a rare and potentially serious complication of left heart catheterisation which requires immediate cerebral angiography to determine the mechanism and propose an appropriate therapeutic approach.

Randomised comparison of coronary stenting with and without balloon predilatation in selected patients.

BACKGROUND: The SWIBAP (stent without balloon predilatation) prospective randomised trial was designed to compare direct coronary stenting with stenting preceded by lesion predilatation with an angioplasty balloon. OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility and safety of direct stenting in non-complex coronary lesions in a prospective study. PATIENTS AND DESIGN: All patients < 76 years of age scheduled to undergo angioplasty of a non-complex, non-calcified lesion in a coronary artery of > 3.0 mm, who granted their informed consent, were randomised into the trial. In group I, the stent was placed without balloon predilatation, while in group II stent implantation was preceded by balloon predilatation. The primary end point was the angiographic result according to procedure assigned by randomisation. An intravascular ultrasound substudy was performed in 60 patients. RESULTS: Stent implantation was successful without predilatation in 192 of the 197 group I patients (97.5%), and with predilatation in 197 of the 199 group II patients (99%) (NS). No in-hospital stent thrombosis or death occurred. Overall procedural times, fluoroscopy times, and volumes of contrast agent given (mean (SD)) in group I v group II were 23.50 (13.54) min v 27.96 (15.23) min (p = 0.002), 6.04 (4.13) min v 6.67 (3.65) min (NS), and 135 (65) ml v 157 (62) ml (p < 0.001), respectively. No major adverse cardiovascular events had occurred by 30 days. CONCLUSIONS: The feasibility and safety of direct stenting of selected and non-complex coronary lesions is confirmed. This technique was as successful as the conventional approach and was associated with a minor reduction in fluoroscopic exposure and procedure time and the administration of less contrast agent.

[Characteristics and influence of different clinical forms on the development and prognosis of carotid sinus syndrome. Apropos of 215 cases]. / Caractéristiques et influence des différentes formes cliniques sur l'évolution et le pronostic des syndromes du sinus carotidien. A propos de 215 cas.

The carotid sinus syndrome is a well-known cause of syncope: the cardio-inhibitory forms are the easiest to diagnose and probably the easiest to treat. However, the vasodepressive forms are as common but their outcome is mainly unknown. Eight hundred and fifty-three patients underwent endocavitary electrophysiological studies with invasive blood pressure measurement for unexplained syncope between October 1984 and January 1990. A carotid sinus syndrome was diagnosed in 215 cases. Fifty-two patients (24.2%) had a cardio-inhibitory form (ventricular standstill > or = 3 s during carotid sinus massage), 40 (18.6%) had a pure vasodepressive form (isolated fall of systolic blood pressure > 50 mmHg during massage) and 123 patients (57.2%) had a mixed form. The average age was 74.1 +/- 9.7 years with no difference between the different forms. A number of parameters was different on the cardio-inhibitory and vasodepressive forms: the number of men (75.6 vas 24.4%; p < 0.05) and the number of syncopes (83.3 vs 60%; p < 0.02) were greater in the cardio-inhibitory form; the vasodepressive forms were more often associated with a history of transient ischaemic attacks (15 vs 0%), a poor cardiovascular status (hypertension: 47.5 vs 15.7%; p < 0.01), coronary artery disease (47.5 vs 25.5%; p < 0.05), cardiac failure (27.5 vs 11.7%; p < 0.05), induction of sustained supraventricular tachycardia (50 vs 23.5%; p < 0.05) and a greater pacemaker effect (53.6 vs 34.8 mmHg; p < 0.01); of the 191 patients (84.9% of the population) followed up for an average of 21.2 months, 168 received treatment: implantation of a cardiac pacemaker in 108 patients, reduction of antihypertensive and/or potentially bradycardia-inducing drugs in 30 patients, prescription of antiarrhythmic therapy, in 30 patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[The single coronary artery]. / L'artère coronaire unique.

Single coronary artery is a fairly rare entity which may nevertheless be found in 0.4 per cent of coronary arteriograms. The authors report 3 cases seen in 2 departments of cardiology. In each patient, despite the existence of definite cardiovascular risk factors, this distribution was a factor worsening coronary ischemia, leading to complete thrombosis in one case. Although most often a chance discovery, a review of the literature justifies the attribution to this anomaly of the onset of angina, infarction or even sudden death.

[Value of intravenous flecainide in electro-induced supraventricular arrhythmia. Apropos of 37 cases]. / Intérêt du flécaïnide en intraveineuse dans les troubles du rhythme supraventriculaires électro-déclenchés. A propos de 37 observations.

Thirty-seven patients presenting with electro-induced supraventricular arrhythmia sustained for more than 10 min or symptomatic received an intravenous injection of flecainide acetate (1.5 mg/kg; 10 mg/min). There were 24 cases of atrial fibrillation, 13 of atrial tachysystole with more than 180 beats per minute. Electrophysiological exploration was carried out for syncope (13 cases), lipothymia with palpitations (11 cases) or without palpitations (8 cases), or for a stroke of unknown origin. The induced arrhythmia was the only electrophysiological abnormality in 57% of cases. A return of sinus rhythm was obtained in 70% of cases during the injection (12 cases) or shortly after the end of the injection (14 patients). Safety was good, with the exception of the onset of two junctional rhythms and one case of non-syncopal monomorphic ventricular tachycardia. After an initial reduction, the PR, QRS, PA and HV intervals were significantly longer than baseline, whereas the AH space and the systolic blood pressure remained virtually unchanged. Thus the provision of IV flecainide acetate can only be beneficial in carrying out study protocols of abnormalities of the atrial substrate.

[Myocardial infarction in patients aged 70 years and over]. / Infarctus du myocarde chez les sujets âgés de 70 ans et plus.

109 subjects aged 70 years (58 women, 51 men; average age 77 years) were hospitalized in the CICU (Cardiology Intensive Care Unit) over the period stretching from 1984 to 1986. The average length of stay in the CICU was 1 week, completed by an average stay of 5 days in the cardiology department. 100 per cent of the patients were followed up. Of the clinical parameters made evident by this study, the authors note that hypertension was the predominant risk factor (52.2 per cent); a history of coronary disease was noted in 60.5 per cent; 26.6 per cent of the patients were hospitalized before the 6th hour, chest pain being typical in 78 per cent versus painless in 11 per cent of patients; topographically, the infarction was anterior in 55 per cent, posterior in 40.4 per cent, and around the circumference in 4.6 per cent of cases; 80.8 per cent of the infarctions were transmural versus 19.2 per cent of infarctions without the Q wave--the latter accounted for a higher hospital mortality rate (38 per cent versus 27.3 per cent). The main complications were disturbances in rhythm (60.6 per cent) and LVI (56.9 per cent). Complications on the form of infections were noted in 15.6 per cent. Apart from the usual indicators of severity (cardiogenic shock, VF, LVI), infarction of the RV and AF had a serious effect on the prognosis. latrogenic disease accounted for 18.9 per cent. From the point of view of prognosis, hospital mortality was 30 per cent; mortality after one year was 44 per cent and 47.7 per cent after 2 years (in a group of 76 subjects).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)