Pre-Existing Atrial Fibrillation in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: Insights from the CARDIO COVID 19-20 Registry.

Pre-existing (chronic) atrial fibrillation (AF) has been identified as a risk factor for cardiovascular complications and mortality in patients with COVID-19; however, evidence in Latin America (LATAM) is scarce. This prospective and multicenter study from the CARDIO COVID 19-20 database includes hospitalized adults with COVID-19 from 14 countries in LATAM. A parsimonious logistic regression model was used to identify the main factors associated with mortality in a simulated case-control setting comparing patients with a history of AF to those without.

Serum Uric Acid Elevation is Associated to Arterial Stiffness in Hypertensive Patients with Metabolic Disturbances.

Introduction: Chronic serum uric acid elevation (SUA) is known to be induced by dyslipidemia, hypertension, inflammation, and insulin resistance. Therefore, it has been associated with higher risk for coronary artery disease and cardiovascular mortality. Also, increased levels of SUA have been associated with regional arterial stiffness, assessed by pulse wave velocity (PWV).

Arterial wall structure and dynamics in type 2 diabetes mellitus methodological aspects and pathophysiological findings.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM), or adult-onset diabetes, is being considered as a new pandemic. Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in type 2 DM, due to arterial structure and functional changes. Assessment of arterial structure and biomechanics, by non-invasive methods and parameters, can be used to detect early alterations related to DM.

The extent of perfusion-F18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography mismatch determines mortality in medically treated patients with chronic ischemic left ventricular dysfunction.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the determinants of mortality in a large group of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy who are treated medically and the impact of the extent of viable tissue on prognosis.

Background: Whether the presence of viability drives mortality in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy who are treated medically and whether the extent of viability is important are issues that are currently unclear.

Methods: Two hundred sixty-one patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy underwent positron emission tomography (PET) for assessment of viability.

Dynamic aortomyoplasty in treating end-stage heart failure.

Background: Dynamic aortomyoplasty is an alternative to heart transplantation. The goal of our study was to evaluate the benefits of aortic counterpulsation obtained using dynamic aortomyoplasty in patients with heart failure refractory to pharmacologic treatment and with contraindications to heart transplant.

Methods: In this study, we compared the pre-operative and post-operative data of 15 selected patients who underwent dynamic thoracic aortomyoplasty.

A new approach to assist postoperative heart failure in an animal model: juxta-aortic counterpulsation.

Aortic counterpulsation is a useful technique frequently used in postcardiotomy heart failure. An acute heart failure model in open chest sheep was chosen to evaluate hemodynamic improvement with a counterpulsation balloon pump in juxta-aortic position. This was achieved with a manufactured Dacron prosthesis and a balloon pump placed between the prosthesis and the aorta.

Endothelium-dependent arterial wall tone elasticity modulated by blood viscosity.

The role of blood viscosity on arterial wall elasticity before and after deendothelization (DE) was studied. Seven ovine brachiocephalic arteries were studied in vitro under physiological pulsatile flow conditions achieved by a mock circulation loop. Instantaneous pressure and diameter signals were assessed in each arterial segment.