Cost-utility analysis of an implantable cardioverterdefibrillator for the treatment of patients with ischemic or non-ischemic New York Heart Association class II or III heart failure in Colombia.

Introduction: The use of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator reduces the probability of sudden cardiac death in patients with heart failure.

Objective: To determine the cost-utility relationship of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator compared to optimal pharmacological therapy for patients with ischemic or non-ischemic New York Heart Association class II or III (NYHA II-III) heart failure in Colombia.

Materials And Methods: We developed a Markov model including costs, effectiveness, and quality of life from the perspective of the Colombian health system.

Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging Evidence of Edema in Chronic Chagasic Cardiomyopathy.

The persistence of inflammatory processes in the myocardium in varying degrees of chronic Chagas heart disease has been poorly investigated. We hypothesized that edema could occur in patients with chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy and corresponds to the persistence of inflammatory processes in the myocardium. Eighty-two Chagas disease (CD) seropositive patients (64.

[Determination of prognostic value of the OESIL risk score at 6 months in a Colombian cohort with syncope evaluated in the emergency department; first Latin American experience].

Objectives: To establish the prognostic value, with sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for the OESIL syncope risk score to predict the presentation of severe outcomes (death, invasive interventions, and readmission) after 6 months of observation in adults who consulted the emergency department due to syncope.

Methods: Observational, prospective, and multicentre study with enrolment of subjects older than 18 years, who consulted in the emergency department due to syncope. A record was mad of the demographic and clinical information of all patients.

A novel method of placing right ventricular leads in patients with persistent left superior vena cava using a conventional j stylet.

Background: Locating pacemaker electrodes can become complicated by congenital abnormalities such as persistent left superior vena cava (LSVC).

Objective: To evaluate a technique for the implanting of ventricular electrode in patients with persistent LSVC.

Materials And Methods: The study was carried out from June 2001 to June 2010 involving all patients who were admitted to the Hospital Universitario Mayor, Instituto de Corazon de Bogota and Hospital Universitario Clinica San Rafael (Bogota-Colombia) for implanting pacemakers or cardiac defibrillators.

Asystole in course of epileptic episode.

A subgroup of patients with epilepsy die suddenly and ictal bradycardia (IB) has been implicated. We describe a 63-year-old man with diagnosis of refractory epilepsy. The patient had long video and EEG/ECG recordings (48 hours) of wakefulness and abnormal sleep due to the presence of seven ictal events, which are associated with complex partial seizures that start on the temporal region.

[Presence of antibodies to cardiac neuroreceptors in patients with Chagas disease].

Introduction: The presence of antibodies against cardiac neuroreceptors has been established in several kinds of heart diseases as well as in Chagas disease. The antibody type most frequently identified is that which recognizes the muscarinic acetyl choline receptor type II (anti-m2MAChR).

Objective: The frequency of the anti-m2MAChR was determined in a group of Colombian patients with permanent pacemaker implantation and Chagas disease.

[Frequency of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in patients with implanted pacemaker].

Introduction: In Colombia the impact of infections of Trypanosoma cruzi are known to produce chronic cardiopathy and expressed by bradycardia. In Colombia the extent and impact of these infections has not been examined.

Objective: The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of T.