[Obesity hypoventilation syndrome and pulmonary hypertension. An association little-known in Mexico].

The obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) refers to the combination of obesity, daytime hypercapnia and sleep-disordered breathing. Obesity has risen to epidemic proportions in the last three decades in the United States, Mexico and Europe. The OHS is associated with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in 30%.

[Acute myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation: Code I].

Code infarction is a timely strategy for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with elevation of the ST segment. This strategy has shown an increase in survival and quality of life of patients suffering from this event around the world. The processes of management and disposition aimed at the reduction of time for effective and timely reperfusion are undoubtedly a continuous challenge.

[Situational diagnosis of cancer care at the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social].

Cancer is a public health problem with an impact on Health Services in Mexico; it is also, one of the leading causes of mortality (mortality rate: 610.6 / 100 000) and is expected to double the total number of new cases by 2035 (GLOBOCAN). The most frequent neoplasms are the malignant tumor of breast, prostate, cervix and uterin, colorectal and pulmonary.

[Impact of the implementation of the Infarction Code strategy in patients with acute myocardial infarction diagnosis in the Hospital de Cardiología of the Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI].

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the implementation of the Infarction Code strategy in patients with acute myocardial infarction diagnosis.

Methods: Consecutive patients with ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction ≤12 hours of evolution, were included in the infarction code strategy, before (Group I) and after (Group II). Times of medical attention and major cardiovascular events during hospitalization were analyzed.

[Quality dimensions focused on the healthcare protocol Infarction Code (Código Infarto)].

The Código Infarto (Infarction Code) strategy is part of the comprehensive care program "A Todo Corazón" (To All Heart), whose aim is to reinforce the prevention and health care of cardiovascular diseases. Mexico faces a big challenge, since it is the country with greater mortality secondary to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the first 30 days in patients of 45 years or older (28% compared with 7.9% of the average).

[Protocol for the care of acute myocardial infarction in emergency: Código infarto (The Infarction Code)].

Cardiovascular diseases are a major public health problem because of their they impact on more than 30% of all deaths worldwide. In our country and in the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) are also the leading cause of death and the main cause of lost of healthy life years due to disability or premature death. 50% of deaths are premature; most of them are due to acute myocardial infarct.

[Treatment of hypertension in patients with coronary arterial disease].

Reports of randomized controlled trials and prospective observational studies provide the most reliable data on the association between blood pressure and coronary heart disease (CHD). The totality of the evidence indicate a strong association between blood pressure and coronary heart disease, which is continuous at levels of less than 115 mm Hg of systolic. In general, 60 to 69 years of age, 10 lower mm Hg systolic blood pressure is associated with lower risk of one-fifth of a coronary heart disease event.

[Hypertension during pregnancy: the challenge continues].

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy affect approximately from 5 to 10 % of all pregnant women, and are the main contributors of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. This group of disorders includes chronic hypertension, as well as the conditions that arise de novo in pregnancy: gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. This last group is believed to be part of the same continuum, but with arbitrary division.

[Systemic arterial hypertension in the elderly. Recommendations for clinical practice].

Hypertension is common in people aged 65 and older. In those aged 70 and older, hypertension is more poorly controlled than in those whose age is between 60 and 69 years. The number of trials available concerning the elderly population is limited; therefore, strong recommendations on blood pressure (BP) goals are limited.

[Cardiovascular complications of hypertensive crisis].

It is inexorable that a proportion of patients with systemic arterial hypertension will develop a hypertensive crisis at some point in their lives. The hypertensive crises can be divided in hypertensive patients with emergency or hypertensive emergency, according to the presence or absence of acute end-organ damage. In this review, we discuss the cardiovascular hypertensive emergencies, including acute coronary syndrome, congestive heart failure, aortic dissection and sympathomimetic hypertensive crises (those caused by cocaine use included).

[Consensus on Systemic Arterial Hypertension In México].

This Consenso Nacional de Hipertensión Arterial Sistémica (National Consensus on Systemic Arterial Hypertension) brings together experiences and joint work of 79 specialists who have been in contact with the patient affected by systemic arterial hypertension. All concepts here presented were outlined on the basis of the real world practice of Mexican hypertensive population. The consensus was developed under strict methodological guidelines.

[Systemic arterial hypertension in child and adolescent].

The epidemic of childhood obesity, the risk of developing left ventricular hypertrophy, and evidence of the early development of atherosclerosis in children would make the detection of and intervention in childhood hypertension important to reduce long-term health risks; however, supporting data are lacking. Secondary hypertension is more common in preadolescent children, with most cases caused by renal disease. Primary or essential hypertension is more common in adolescents and has multiple risk factors, including obesity and a family history of hypertension.

[Systemic arterial hypertension in México. A consensus to mitigate its comorbidities].

Given that systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) is the most common illness presented by the adults who come to primary care in México, in this supplement a group of cardiologists, as well as other specialists, from the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) offer a systematic review, a critical analysis, and a national consensus of guidelines as a frame of reference to the daily clinical practice in order to mitigate SAH in México.

[Methodology for superiority versus equivalence and non-inferior clinical studies. A practical review].

Physicians should always remember that a negative result in a superiority trial never would prove that the therapies under research are equivalent; more often, there may be a risk of type 2 (false negative) error. Equivalence and not inferiority studies demand high standards to provide reliable results. Physicians should take into account above all that the equivalence margins tend to be too large to be clinically significant and that the claim of equivalence can be misleading if a study has not been conducted at a sufficiently high level.

[Telemetric monitoring reduces visits to the emergency room and cost of care in patients with chronic heart failure].

Background: Tele-cardiology is the use of information technologies that help prolong survival, improve quality of life and reduce costs in health care. Heart failure is a chronic disease that leads to high care costs.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of telemetric monitoring for controlling clinical variables, reduced emergency room visits, and cost of care in a group of patients with heart failure compared to traditional medical consultation.