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In a population with only passive leads, the Fidelis lead exhibited an impaired long-term survival, but performance was better than in previous studies in which >90% of leads were active models.

The effectiveness of platelet concentrate transfusion depends on such variables as blood bag material, donor--recipient compatibility, and time elapsed between donation and transfusion. To study the latter a corrected thrombocyte increment for recovery in the recipients was evaluated with 108 platelet transfusions in 31 patients. In 83 treatment programs, the mean recovery at the one-hour post-transfusion time point was 8.6 X 10(9) platelets/l with fresh platelets and 5.9 X 10(9) platelets/l with stored platelets. Significantly better recovery was achieved with freshly prepared platelet over the total of platelet concentrates stored for up to 96 hours; however, if the recoveries in different patient groups given stored platelets were considered separately in terms of storage times of up to 48 h or 48-96 h, the good recovery with fresh platelets was significantly better only when compared to the older (p = 0.034) but not to the younger group of stored platelets. In patients with signs indicating enhanced platelet destruction (fever, splenomegaly, disseminated intravascular coagulation) the transfusion with fresh platelet concentrates gave a significantly better recovery compared to stored platelet concentrates (p = 0.028), whereas in the absence of such signs the recovery produced by fresh concentrates was not significantly higher than with stored concentrates. These findings may be relevant for the logistics in blood banking.

The use of a gelatin plasma substitute as an integral part of a unified national program for the procurement of blood components and derivatives paves the way for the extensive use of red cell concentrates in the treatment of hemorrhage, the plasma from the original donations being partly diverted to the fractionation program of a national transfusion service. We estimated the potential of such a system paced by the demand for red cells and predicted that the use of 20% of fresh whole blood and 80% concentrates would not increase the demand for albumin, the yield of which would suffice to cover three-quarters of current needs in our country. The actual performance of a program using 85% of red cell concentrates in a university hospital with an exceptionally high incidence of major hemorrhage was analyzed in detail. The use of albumin per unit of transfused red cells rose by 9%. With a nationwide increase of this magnitude, 67% of the demand in our country could still be met and the estimated true need for albumin of 200 kg per million inhabitants and year would be fully covered. The yield of factor VIII is 200--300% of the demand. The determinants of the effects of such a system vary from country to country, but its fundamental potential is obviously considerable.

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Singular expiratory twitches are produced in decerebrate pigeons by a laryngeal stimulus. The twitches are followed by a respiratory standstill. The rhythm, thereafter, starts with a slightly prolonged inspiration. Benzoetamine and C-G 370591) prolonged the respiratory standstill and pentobarhitone shortened it. Todays knowledge on the patho-physiology of cough is still rather fragmentary [1,2]. The aim of this paper is to provide additional information by focussing on expiratory activity. Pigeons are suitable animals in which various kinds of expiratory activity may be easily provoked. In [5] a special type of such activity is described. It was obtained by an appropriate mechanical stimulation of the larynx and consisted of as cries of expiratory outbursts in the form of an expiratory seizure which was followed by a respiratory standstill. It is this latter reaction, in particular, upon which this paper is focussed.