Prevalence, Clinical Staging and Risk for Blood-Borne Transmission of Chagas Disease among Latin American Migrants in Geneva, Switzerland

Chagas disease, a parasitic disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is a leading cause of cardiac and digestive tract disorders in Mexico, Central and South America. An increasing number of cases have recently been reported in North America and Europe due to international human migration, but data outside Latin America remains scarce. This study showed that Chagas disease is an emerging health problem in Switzerland, affecting a substantial proportion of Latin American migrants (13%). Persons at increased risk of infection were Bolivian, older than 35 years or had a mother infected with T. cruzi. Early signs of cardiac or digestive tract disease were found in one out of six infected patients. The risk of local transmission by blood transfusion or organ transplant was illustrated by the frequent willingness expressed by patients to donate blood or organs in Switzerland. The authors recommend the screening of persons at risk of infection and the diffusion of appropriate information to the medical community to increase awareness of this emerging health problem. Considering that affected persons frequently lack health insurance in Switzerland, a facilitated access to medical care is an important step towards better recognition and management of Chagas disease

The relationship of the musculocutaneous nerve to the brachial plexus evaluated by MRI

Axillary plexus blocks (AXB) are widely used for upper limb operations. It is recommend that AXB should be performed using a multiple injection technique. Information about the course and position of the musculocutaneous nerve (MCN) is of relevance for AXB performance. The objective of this study was to examine the position of the MCN and its relationship to the axillary sheath using MRI. 54 patients underwent an AXB with 40 ml of local anaesthetic before MRI examination. The course of the MCN and the position where it left the axillary sheath and perforated the coracobrachial muscle (MCN exit point), in relation to the axillary artery and the block needle insertion point in the axillary fold, were recorded. The MCN was seen clearly in 23, partly in 26, and not identified in five patients at the MCN exit point. The mean distance from the insertion point of the block needle in the axillary fold to the MCN exit point was 36.8 mm (SD = 18.9, range: 0–90.5). In 37 patients the MCN exit point was positioned inside the Q(1) quadrant (lateral anterior to the axillary artery) and in 11 patients inside the Q(2) quadrant (medial anterior to the axillary artery). There is a wide variability as to where the musculocutaneous nerve (MCN) leaves the axillary sheath. Therefore multiple injection techniques, or the use of a proximally directed catheter, should be appropriate to block the MCN