[Cholestatic hepatitis and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid combination. Personnel case report and literature review]. / Hépatite cholostatique et association amoxicilline-acide clavulanique. Observation personnelle et revue de la littérature.

The association amoxicillin-clavulanic acid is a widely used medication. Only about 15 cases of cholestatic hepatitis were reported in Belgium between 1990 and 1993; about 100 cases have been reported to the pharmaceutical company. This effect is severe but reversible. The injury is probably idiosyncratic or immunologically based. Age, sex and treatment duration are as many agents of risk. The diagnosis is undertaken on basis of clinical examination, chronological study, biological evolution and histology.

[Systemic sarcoidosis with cutaneous lesions: literature review]. / Sarcoïdose systémique avec lésions cutanées: revue de la littérature.

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disease of unknown etiology. The diagnosis is based on consistent clinical, biological and radiological findings supported by histologic evidence of noncaseating epithelioid granulomas. Skin lesions occur in about a quarter of patients with sarcoidosis. The purpose of this article is to analyse through the clinical presentation of dermatological lesions, a potential link with systemic disease.

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Case report and review of the literature.

We describe a peritoneal mesothelioma. There are many aspecific symptoms. Professional exposure is found in only fifty percent of cases. The histological diagnosis is often difficult. The survival period is short because of the absence of curative treatment.

Early defibrillation by EMTs: the Brussels experience.

Considering that in Brussels the first-aid ambulance team reaches the patient in cardiac arrest 10 min before the physician-manned ambulance, we instituted a feasibility study of early defibrillation by emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Three hundred EMTs received a 20-h automatic external defibrillation (AED) training course followed by a refresher course every 6 months. Of 316 cardiac arrests included in this study, asystole was encountered in 53% and ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia (VF/VT) in 33% of the cases on arrival of the EMTs. In the VF/VT group, defibrillation was performed by EMTs with a Laerdal Heartstart 7-9 min before the medical team arrived. The overall cardiac arrest survival rate improved from 7% in 1989 to 19% in 1992. However, the long-term survival rate (14/105) of ventricular fibrillation remained low because of excessive delays in emergency medical service (EMS) access and in early ACLS. In conclusion, this work shows that in Brussels: (1) early defibrillation of cardiac arrest victims in VF is feasible by EMTs when a training and a follow-up program are implemented; (2) the weakest link of the chain of survival is the early EMS access, and the early ACLS; and (3) AED program increases the interest and the efficacy of EMTs and medical teams in the management of cardiac arrests.