Intramyocardial Dissecting Hematoma: A Mechanical Complication Needing Surgical Therapy?

Intramyocardial dissecting hematoma is a form of cardiac rupture caused by myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary intervention, or trauma. It is a cavity between myocardial fibers caused by partial rupture of the ventricular wall. Therapeutic management, including the timing for surgical approach, has not been standardized.

Morphine and clinical outcomes in patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction treated with fibrinolytic and antiplatelet therapy: Insights from the TREAT trial.

Background: Morphine is commonly used to relieve pain, anxiety and dyspnea in STEMI but it lowers blood pressure and delays the activity of oral antiplatelet agents. The impact of morphine on clinical outcomes remains unknown. This analysis was performed to determine if morphine use was associated with increased risk of adverse clinical events among STEMI patients treated with fibrinolytic therapy and clopidogrel or ticagrelor.

[Cardiovascular admissions in Intensive Care Units during COVID-19 pandemic].

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to measures of social isolation, labor restrictions, a strong information campaign and the suspension of scheduled medical activities. The aim of this study was to describe the impact of these measures on the number of hospitalizations in Cardiovascular Intensive Care Units, with the hypothesis that the social behavior generated by this emergency promotes a decreased demand for medical care, even when severe cardiovascular disease is involved. We compared the number of admissions in March-April 2010-2019 versus March-April 2020, based on a prospective study including six institutions (three public and three private) that use Epi-Cardio® as a multicenter registry of cardiovascular care unit discharge.

Lungs as target of COVID-19 infection: Protective common molecular mechanisms of vitamin D and melatonin as a new potential synergistic treatment.

COVID-19 pandemic has a high mortality rate and is affecting practically the entire world population. The leading cause of death is severe acute respiratory syndrome as a consequence of exacerbated inflammatory response accompanied by uncontrolled oxidative stress as well as the inflammatory reaction at the lung level. Until now, there is not a specific and definitive treatment for this pathology that worries the world population, especially the older adults who constitute the main risk group.

Mobile phone text messaging to improve medication adherence in secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Background: Worldwide at least 100 million people are thought to have prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD). This population has a five times greater chance of suffering a recurrent cardiovascular event than people without known CVD. Secondary CVD prevention is defined as action aimed to reduce the probability of recurrence of such events.

Initial Results and Long-Term Follow-up of Percutaneous Mitral Valvuloplasty in Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background: Percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty (PMV) is an attractive therapeutic approach in patients with mitral stenosis. The aim of this study was to assess the immediate and long-term clinical, echocardiographic and haemodynamic outcomes of PMV in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension (PAH).

Methods: Percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty was performed in 157 consecutive patients; 60 patients (38.

Analysis of the invasive strategy decision in patients with acute coronary syndrome without ST-segment elevation in a real-world setting.

Observational studies have reported a marked discrepancy between the risk estimated by scores and the use of an invasive strategy in patients with acute coronary syndromes. The objective is to describe the criteria used to decide an early invasive strategy and to determine the differences between those criteria and the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction risk score (TRS). Patients entered to the Epi-Cardio registry with a diagnosis of non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome were analyzed.

[Diffusion and adoption of health care innovations in cardiology, in Argentina].

Background: Medicine is changing rapidly and diagnostic and therapeutic innovations are common. Not all professionals adopt these innovations in the same way.

Aim: To survey the physicians' opinions on adopting innovations in cardiovascular health care, to classify individuals from an innovative to a conservative behavior, and to individualize opinion leaders among them, in order to build a social network of influence.

Survey on Ethical Conduct Thresholds in Cardiologal Medical Practice in Argentina.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the attitude of a group of cardiologists on the ethical conducts they would accept or adopt when encountered with different hypothetical situations of medical practice. Between August and September of 2011, 700 Argentine cardiologists were surveyed in situations which posed ethical dilemmas in the patient-physician relationship, among colleagues or involving financial agreements with employers or the pharmaceutical industry. Ethical conflicts were evidenced in a series of inappropriate conducts such as differential fees, trips and meals sponsored by laboratories, splitting fees, overbilling, self-referral, charging for patient referral, financial compensation for ordering medical procedures, and various situations derived from the relationship with employers.

[Conflict of interest policies and disclosure requirements among European Society of Cardiology national cardiovascular journals].

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is used by biomedical journals to guarantee credibility and transparency of the scientific process. Conflict of interest disclosure, however, is not systematically nor consistently dealt with by journals. Recent joint editorial efforts paved the way towards the implementation of uniform vehicles for conflicts of interest disclosure.