François Dessertenne

Biography

• Born in 1917
• 1948 – Assistant Professor of Medicine, Hôpital Lariboisière, France. Assistant to Prof Yves Bouvrain (1910-2002)
• Died in 2006

Medical Eponyms

Torsades de pointes (1966)

1965 – Dessertenne et al demonstrated that the progressive variations of amplitude observed were distinct from ventricular fibrillation, and they coined the term torsades de pointes

Key Medical Contributions

Major Publications

• Dessertenne F. Considerations sur I’ECG de la fibrillation ventriculaire. Archives des Maladies du Cœur et des Vaisseaux 1964; 57: 1421-1437.
• Dessertenne F. La fibrillation ventriculaire. Semaine des hôpitaux de Paris 1964; 40: 1791-1794
• Dessertenne F. La tachycardie ventriculaire à deux foyers opposés variables [Ventricular tachycardia with 2 variable opposing foci]. Archives des Maladies du Cœur et des Vaisseaux 1966; 59(2): 263–272
• Dessertenne F. Ventricular tachycardia with two variable foci. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. 1990; 4(4): 1171-1176.
• Dessertenne F, Coumel P, Fabiato A. Ventricular fibrillation and torsades de pointes. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. 1990;4(4):1177-1182.
• Dessertenne F, Fabiato A, Coumel P. Un chapitre nouveau d’électrocardiographie: les variations progressives de l’amplitude de l’électrocardiogramme [A new chapter in electrocardiography: progressive variations in the amplitude of the electrocardiogram] Actualités cardiologiques et angéiologiques internationales. 1966 Oct-Dec; 15(4): 241-58. [Reprint: Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. 1991; 5(1): 171-190.]
• Dessertenne F. Le complexe électrique ventriculaire à phase lente prolongée [The ventricular electrical complex with prolonged slow phase]. Sem Hop. 1967 Feb 14;43(8):539-41
• Dessertenne F, Refet A, Bonnafous JP. Le syndrome polygraphique. Sa definition. Ses modifications spontanées ou provoquées [The polygraphic syndrome. Its definition. Its spontaneous or induced modifications]. Sem Hop. 1967 Sep 10;43(38):2299-303.

References

Biography

• Fabiato A, Coumel P. Torsades de pointes, a quarter of a century later: a tribute to Dr. F. Dessertenne. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. 1991 Feb;5(1):167-9.

Eponymous terms

• Curtis MJ. Torsades de pointes: arrhythmia, syndrome, or chimera? A perspective in the light of the Lambeth Conventions. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. 1991 Feb;5(1):191-200
• Priori SG, Napolitano C, Schwartz PJ. Electrophysiologic mechanisms involved in the development of torsades de pointes. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. 1991 Feb;5(1):203-12.
• Fontaine G. A new look at torsades de pointes. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1992; 644: 157-177.
• Mullins ME. Mon bête noir (my pet peeve). J Med Toxicol. 2011; 7(2): 181.

Nicolas Peschanski

Prof. Nicolas Peschanski currently works as a Consultant in Emergency Medicine at the Urgences Adultes-SAMU-35 SMUR, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Rennes. Nicolas does research in Emergency Medicine at U1096 INSERM EnVI Normandy University research Unit. He's Associate Prof. teaching Clinical Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Rennes-1 University School of Medicine. Involved in the #FOAMed development, he is a current member of the french Society of Emergency Medicine Guideline Committee.

 

Mike Cadogan

Associate Professor Curtin Medical School, Curtin University. Emergency physician MA (Oxon) MBChB (Edin) FACEM FFSEM Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.  Passion for rugby; medical history; medical education; and asynchronous learning #FOAMed evangelist. Co-founder and CTO of Life in the Fast lane | Eponyms | Books | Twitter |