There is limited contemporary prospective real-world evidence of patients with chronic arterial disease in Latin America. The Network to control atherothrombosis (NEAT) registry is a national prospective observational study of patients with known coronary (CAD) and/or peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in Brazil. A total of 2,005 patients were enrolled among 25 sites from September 2020 to March 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Brazilian Society of Angiology and Vascular Surgery, through the Guidelines Project, presents new Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Guidelines, on the subject of care for abdominal aortic aneurysm patients. Its development prioritized descriptive guidelines, using the EMBASE, LILACS, and PubMed databases. References include randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and cohort studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground and Objectives: Elderly patients affected by acute heart failure (AHF) often show different patterns of comorbidities. In this paper, we aimed to evaluate how chronic comorbidities cluster and which pattern of comorbidities is more strongly related to in-hospital death in AHF. Materials and Methods: All patients admitted for AHF to an Internal Medicine Department (01/2015−01/2019) were retrospectively evaluated; the main outcome of this study was in-hospital death during an admission for AHF; age, sex, the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), and 17 different chronic pathologies were investigated; the association between the comorbidities was studied with Pearson’s bivariate test, considering a level of p ≤ 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcute heart failure (AHF) is a cardiac emergency with an increasing incidence, especially among elderly patients. The Emergency Heart failure Mortality Risk Grade (EHMRG) has been validated to assess the 7-days AHF mortality risk, suggesting the management of patients admitted to an emergency department (ED). EHMRG has never been implemented in Italian ED nor among elderly patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDue to its anatomical characteristics, the deep femoral artery is protected from most vascular injuries. We report a case of a soccer player with pseudoaneurysm of a perforating branch of the deep femoral artery, associated with an arteriovenous fistula and secondary to complete rupture of the vastus medialis muscle. Magnetic resonance imaging showed muscle damage associated with a pseudoaneurysm and angiotomography confirmed the presence of a pseudoaneurysm associated with a deep arteriovenous fistula of a branch of the deep femoral artery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Emergency Heart Failure Mortality Risk Grade (EHMRG) can predict short-term mortality in patients admitted for acute heart failure (AHF) in the emergency department (ED). This paper aimed to evaluate if TAPSE/PASp, an echocardiographic marker of ventricular desynchronization, can improve in-hospital death prediction in patients at moderate-to-high risk, according to EHMRG score classification. From 1 January 2018 to 30 December 2019, we retrospectively enrolled all the consecutive subjects admitted to our Internal Medicine Department for AHF from the ED.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Appl Thromb Hemost
March 2022
Background: The COMPASS trial demonstrated that in patients with peripheral arterial disease, the combination of rivaroxaban and aspirin compared with aspirin reduces the risk of major adverse limb events, but it is not known whether this combination can also improve symptoms in patients with intermittent claudication. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of the combination on claudication distance.
Study Design: Eighty-eight patients with intermittent claudication will be randomized to receive rivaroxaban 2.
Background: In the Brazilian public health system, conventional surgery is the standard procedure for treatment of varicose veins (VV). We aimed to compare clinical and quality of life (QoL) results of patients subjected to bilateral treatment of VV by a single-procedure or staged-procedure approach.
Methods: A total of 111 patients undergoing bilateral treatment for VV were treated either by a single-surgery or 2 staged procedures (minimal: 30-day interval) depending on institutional protocol.
Objective: This study examines the changes in anxiety and depression scores of 84 patients subjected to aortic or iliac aneurysm correction with no previous psychiatric history.
Methods: Patients were referred to the evaluation using the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories no more than 3 days before surgery (i.e.
Clinics (Sao Paulo)
August 2021
Objectives: In Brazil, descending thoracic aorta disease, including aneurysms and dissections, is managed preferentially by endovascular treatment, owing to its feasibility and good results. In this study, we analyzed endovascular treatment of isolated descending thoracic aortic disease cases in the Brazilian public health system over a 12-year period.
Methods: Public data from procedures performed from 2008 to 2019 were extracted using web scraping techniques to assess procedure type frequency (elective or urgency), mortality, and governmental costs.
Objectives: This study aims to examine the changes in anxiety and depression scores in 138 patients with critical limb ischemia (rest pain or gangrene) who had no previous psychiatric history, at 30 days and 6 months after surgical revascularization.
Methods: Patients were submitted to a questionnaire-based evaluation using the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories before surgery (no more than three days before surgery) ("Pre-Op"), 30 days after surgical revascularization ("Early PO") and at least 6 months after surgical revascularization ("Late PO"). The cut-off scores for depression were (1) < 10, no depression or minimal depression; (2) 10‒18, mild to moderate depression; (3) 19‒29, moderate to severe depression; and (4) 30‒63, severe depression.
Clinics (Sao Paulo)
April 2021
Objectives: In Brazil, descending thoracic aorta disease (TAD), including aneurysms and dissection, are preferentially managed by endovascular treatment (TEVAR) due to the feasibility and good results of this technique. In this study, we analyzed endovascular treatment of isolated TAD (ITAD) in the public health system over a 10-year period in São Paulo, a municipality in Brazil in which more than 5 million inhabitants depend on the governmental health system.
Methods: Public data from procedures performed between 2008 and 2019 were extracted using web scraping techniques.
Elderly patients affected by suspected infection and declining clinical conditions can be admitted to stepdown units (SDU), but a risk stratification is necessary to optimize their management. Admission troponin I (aTnI) has a prognostic role, however, one of the most commonly used stratification tools, the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (SOFA), does not consider myocardial injury. With this paper, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic accuracy of a new score, named SOFA-T, considering both SOFA score and aTnI in a cohort of elderly patients admitted to the stepdown beds of two Internal Medicine departments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To reduce intensive care unit overcrowding and optimize resources, elderly patients affected by suspected infection with declining clinical conditions could be managed in internal medicine departments with stepdown beds. However, commonly used prognostic scores, as Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) or quick SOFA (qSOFA) have never been studied in this specific setting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role and the accuracy of SOFA and qSOFA as prognostic scores in a population of elderly patients with suspected infection admitted to stepdown beds of two internal medicine departments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: New antithrombotic strategies that reduce primary thrombosis and restenosis might improve vascular outcomes in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) undergoing arterial angioplasty. The study objective is to evaluate the potential benefit of apixaban plus aspirin compared with standard of care dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in reducing thrombotic restenosis and artery re-occlusion in patients undergoing endovascular infrapopliteal revascularization.
Study Design: This multicenter, parallel-group, prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint adjudication, proof-of-concept, exploratory trial aims to randomize 200 patients 72 hours after successful infrapopliteal angioplasty for critical limb ischemia (CLI).
Objective: To analyze the leadership potential of physicians in a public hospital in the city of São Paulo.
Methods: A descriptive pilot study, in which 40 assistant physicians and medical residents were randomly selected to receive an electronic invitation of the company Caliper Estratégias Humanas do Brasil . To those who accepted it, a link was sent to fill out a personality evaluation focused on the work, comprising 112 alternatives related to 21 domains of 4 performance areas.
Objective: This study aims to correlate the demographic data, different clinical degrees of chronic venous insufficiency (CEAP), ultrasound findings of saphenofemoral junction (SFJ) reflux, and anatomopathological findings of the proximal segment of the great saphenous vein (GSV) extracted from patients with primary chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) submitted to stripping of the great saphenous vein for the treatment of lower limb varicose.
Method: This is a prospective study of 84 patients (110 limbs) who were submitted to the stripping of the great saphenous vein for the treatment of varicose veins of the lower limbs, who were evaluated for CEAP clinical classification, the presence of reflux at the SFJ with Doppler ultrasonography, and histopathological changes. We study the relationship between the histopathological findings of the proximal GSV withdrawal of patients with CVI with a normal GSV control group from cadavers.
Asymptomatic rupture of a popliteal arterial aneurysm (AAP) is rare but has been previously reported in the literature. Here, we present the first case of a thrombosed AAP that ruptured and developed into an abscess. We present the case of an 83-year-old male patient who was admitted to the emergency room in an impaired general condition, with a 3-month history of a daily fever that mainly occurred in the evening (38°C), a lack of appetite, and weight loss of 18 kg over 3 months.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm type 3 (TAAA3) is a challenging disease to vascular surgeons. In these cases, the best treatment methodology is conventional surgery, which portends a mortality rate ranging from 8% to 25%. Endovascular treatment has been shown to be a good alternative, with encouraging results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic kidney disease and hyperuricemia have been associated to an increased risk and a worse prognosis in acute ischemic stroke. Several mechanisms, including platelet dysfunction, coagulation disorders, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and an increased risk of atrial fibrillation could be implicated. The role of serum uric acid in this setting is still object of debate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClinics (Sao Paulo)
November 2016
Objectives:: This study compared radiofrequency ablation versus conventional surgery in patients who had not undergone previous treatment for bilateral great saphenous vein insufficiency, with each patient serving as his own control.
Method:: This was a randomized controlled trial that included 18 patients and was carried out between November 2013 and May 2015. Each of the lower limbs of each patient was randomly assigned to undergo either radiofrequency ablation or conventional surgery.
Objective: We proposed and tested a novel acquisition protocol for optimizing a fast computed tomography angiography using a 160-row detector scanner using a longer contrast injection time coupled with multiphasic rate of injection.
Methods: A prospective randomized study was performed to compare image quality, contrast enhancement, and radiation dose in 2 groups (a fast acquisition and a widely accepted slow acquisition).
Results: There was no difference between groups regarding image quality, noise, and diagnostic performance, but we evidenced a trend to higher radiation dose for the fast acquisition protocol.
Chronic diseases are increasing worldwide. Association of two or more chronic conditions is related with poor health status and reduced life expectancy, particularly among elderly patients. Comorbidities represent a risk factor for adverse events in several critical illnesses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Compare the use of carbon dioxide contrast medium with iodine contrast medium for the endovascular treatment of ilio-femoral occlusive disease in patients without contraindications to iodine.
Materials And Methods: From August 2012 to August 2014, 21 consecutive patients with ilio-femoral occlusive disease who were eligible for endovascular treatment and lacked contraindications to either iodine contrast or carbon dioxide were randomized into the carbon dioxide or iodine groups and subjected to ilio-femoral angioplasty.We analyzed the feasibility of the procedures, the surgical and clinical outcomes, the procedure lengths, the endovascular material costs, the contrast costs and the quality of the angiographic images in each group.