Is Chagas cardiomyopathy an independent risk factor for patients with heart failure?

Some studies showed increased mortality in chagasic patients but most of these studies did not perform statistical adjustments to socioeconomic variables. The main objective of this study was to investigate if there is an independent association between Chagas etiology and mortality in patients with heart failure and moderate to severe left ventricle systolic dysfunction. Stratified analysis by the variables associated to chagasic etiology and multivariate analysis through logistic regression were performed to evaluate the relationship between Chagas cardiomyopathy and one-year mortality.

Influence of gender on the prognostic value of troponin I after elective percutaneous coronary interventions.

Objective: To evaluate the association between troponin I concentrations (TnI) in patients submitted to elective percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) and adverse coronary events (ACE) during a six month follow-up period.

Methods: One hundred and eleven patients who had been submitted to an elective PCI were consecutively selected during a one year timeframe. The patients had stable angina (SA), unstable angina (UA) or silent ischemia (SI) and were asymptomatic for at least 72 hours before the procedure.

[Predictors of in-hospital lethality in patients with advanced heart failure].

Objective: Describe the clinical characteristics and identify potential risk factors for in-hospital lethality in patients with decompensated heart failure admitted to an intensive care unit.

Methods: Decompensated heart failure patients consecutively admitted to an intensive care unit between June 2001 and December 2003 were selected and followed during hospitalization until discharge or death. Clinical characteristics at admission were recorded and evaluated as independent risk predictors for in-hospital mortality by multiple logistic regression analysis.

[Clinical and therapeutics aspects of heart failure due to Chagas disease].

Objective: Describe the clinical and therapeutic characteristics of patients with heart failure (HF) secondary to chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy and evaluate if these characteristics are different from those found in other etiologies.

Methods: A prospective analysis of the patients treated between August 2003 and June 2004 at a HF referral outpatient clinic was conducted.

Results: Three hundred and fifty six patients diagnosed with HF were included in the study.

Comparison of an intravenous pulse of methylprednisolone versus oral corticosteroid in severe acute rheumatic carditis: a randomized clinical trial.

Objectives: To compare the short-term prognosis of patients with severe acute rheumatic carditis when treated with an intravenous pulse of methylprednisolone in comparison with conventional treatment using oral prednisone.

Methods: We designed a randomized clinical trial in the setting of a university general hospital in Brazil. We randomly allocated 18 patients with the diagnosis of severe acute rheumatic carditis and congestive heart failure to receive an intravenous pulse as opposed to oral prednisolone.