Minerva

A study in France of 304 HIV negative men and women in stable heterosexual relationships with HIV positive partners (New England Journal of Medicine 1994;331:341-6) found that none of those who used condoms consistently seroconverted. Their total number of episodes of intercourse was 15 000. Among those who used condoms inconsistently the rate of seroconversion was 4.8 per 100 person years. No seroconversions occurred in couples who used condoms during vaginal intercourse but not during oral sex.

Scalping injuries have become less common in Western countries as safety measures have been improved in factories, but they still occur. Microsurgical techniques have made possible the replantation of the scalp: a review in “Injury” (1994;25:439-42) emphasises the importance of keeping the avulsed scalp cool and moist and not clamping or coagulating bleeding vessels. As many arteries and veins as possible should be anastomosed, but even one of each type of vessel may be enough.

A review of alternatives to allogeneic blood transfusion in children highlights the use of acute normovolaemic haemodilution (Archives of Disease in Childhood 1994;71:105-7). A predetermined large amount of blood is removed just before surgery …