[Frequency of kidney failure in cardiologic patients: the need to search].

Background: Chronic kidney disease is a major health problem since it is associated with a high cardiovascular risk, total morbidity and mortality, increasing prevalence and high cost treatment.

Aim: To assess the frequency of chronic kidney disease among patients consulting in a cardiology clinic.

Material And Methods: Cross-sectional assessment of 649 patients attended at a cardiology clinic.

[Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm by means of transthoracic echocardiography].

Introduction And Objectives: The increasing incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), mainly due to the aging population, and its mortality of 85-90% in the event of rupture justify opting for early diagnosis and elective treatment to repair it. The main aim of this paper is to analyze the utility of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in the study of infrarenal aorta and AAA screening.

Methods: The study included 512 patients (309 men and 203 women) consecutively assessed by TTE and, where possible, abdominal ultrasound for any reason in a cardiology department.