Publications by authors named "Maria Bastos-Fernandez"

Aim: The relative apical sparing pattern of left ventricular (LV) longitudinal strain (RELAPS]>1) has been described as a typical sign of cardiac amyloidosis (CA). The objective was to validate this pattern in concomitant CA and aortic stenosis (AS) and to identify new echocardiographic variables suggestive of CA in the presence of AS.

Methods And Results: 324 consecutive patients (age 81.

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Background And Objective: Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) is generally considered the gold standard in hemodynamics to assess the impact of a stenosis on the blood flow. The standard procedure to measure involves the displacement of a pressure guide along the circulatory system until it is placed next to the lesion to be analyzed. The main objective of the present study is to analyze the influence of the pressure guide on the invasive FFR measurements and its implications in clinical practice.

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Background: Transesophageal echocardiogram probe insertion in intubated critically ill patients can be difficult, leading to complications, such as gastric bleeding or lesions in the oropharyngeal mucosa. We hypothesised that the use of a videolaryngoscope would facilitate the first attempt at insertion of the transesophageal echocardiogram probe and would decrease the incidence of complications compared to the conventional insertion technique.

Methods: In this clinical trial, patients were randomly assigned the insertion of a transesophageal echocardiogram probe using a videolaryngoscope or conventional technique.

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Background: Healthcare systems are under prominent stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A fast and simple triage is mandatory to screen patients who will benefit from early hospitalization, from those that can be managed as outpatients. There is a lack of all-comers scores, and no score has been proposed for western-world population.

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Article Synopsis
  • COVID-19 is a global pandemic, and researchers aimed to understand if prior use of ACE inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) affects the outcomes for patients diagnosed with the virus.
  • A retrospective study of nearly 1,000 COVID-19 patients found that those on ACEI/ARB drugs showed no significant differences in mortality, hospitalization, or severe cardiovascular events.
  • The study concludes that continuing ACEI/ARB treatment in COVID-19 patients is supported by existing guidelines, as it doesn't negatively impact their health outcomes.
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Introduction And Objectives: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been designated a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. It is unclear whether previous treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) affects the prognosis of COVID-19 patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical implications of previous treatment with ACEI/ARB on the prognosis of patients with COVID-19 infection.

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Background And Objectives: Chronic renal failure (CRF) is an emergent pathology in industrialized countries and is associated with high prevalence of coronary artery disease. Our aim is to determine the influence of CRF in the appearance of adverse cardiovascular events after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation in a non selected cohort.

Patients And Methods: Observational retrospective study with a cohort of 461 patients who received one or more sirolimus-eluting stent between September 2002 and December 2005 at our institution.

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