Publications by authors named "Maria Teresa Politi"

Introduction: Cardiovascular surgery risk prediction models are widely applied in medical practice. However, they have been criticized for their low methodological quality and scarce external validation. An additional limitation added in Latin America is that most of these models have been developed in the United States or Europe, which present marked geographical differences.

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Introduction: The brain drain of physicians from lower-middle-income countries to high-income countries is a growing phenomenon that contributes to global health inequalities. Retention strategies are difficult to implement locally and to specifically target the population at risk of migrating. We hypothesize that medical students who are teaching assistants have greater intentions to migrate to practice Medicine abroad.

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Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with worse evolution presented clinical deterioration 7-10 days after the onset of symptoms, which suggests that the inflammatory response could participate in the pathophysiology of the disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between plasma C-reactive protein (PCr) on hospital admission and mechanical ventilation requirement during hospitalization in adults with COVID-19.

Methods: Retrospective, observational cohort at a private center in the province of Buenos Aires.

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Objective: To identify predictive factors for the length of physiotherapy sessions for adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

Design: Longitudinal panel study.

Setting: ICU of a secondary-care public teaching hospital, the University Hospital at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy of predicted prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) regarding actual PPM measured postoperatively. To assess the association between PPM and prosthetic valve dysfunction.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study including adult patients after aortic valve replacement surgery with a biological prosthesis.

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Objectives: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) use is an essential strategy for many cardiovascular surgeries. However, its use and duration have been associated with a higher rate of postoperative complications, such as low cardiac output syndrome due to myocardial oedema and dysfunction. Though Aquaporin water channels have been implicated in myocardial water balance, their specific role in this clinical scenario has not been established.

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Article Synopsis
  • Significant changes in vascular mechanics occur during aortic cross-clamping, affecting arterial compliance and resistance, which can be analyzed using numerical models.
  • Experimental data from 11 patients undergoing vascular surgery revealed a 10% reduction in the time constant of pressure waves after clamping and a 17% increase after unclamping, indicating notable hemodynamic alterations.
  • Correlations between arterial waveform analysis and numerical simulations were moderate during clamping and strong after unclamping, demonstrating the utility of these models in understanding vascular behavior during surgical procedures.
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Background: The curvature of the aortic arch is associated with the risk of endoleak formation after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). However, the adequate assessment of the angles of the aorta continues to represent a major difficulty. We developed a new program based on three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions of computed tomography (CT) scans to objectively identify the location of the aortic points of maximum curvature, and to automatically calculate the main aortic arch angles, comparing final values with visual assessment methods.

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Three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (3DTTE) may have a role in predicting final left ventricular volumes and clinical response after the surgical ventricular reconstruction (SVR) of left ventricular aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms. Left ventricle final volumes can be calculated through "virtual aneurysmectomy." We present a patient with a huge ventricular dilation combined with myocardial dissection, localized wall rupture, and aneurysm of the left ventricular apex after acute myocardial infarction in which accurate predictions from 3DTTE suggest potential clinical value.

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Divergent concepts on the origin of the dicrotic notch are widespread in medical literature and education. Since most medical textbooks explain the origin of the dicrotic notch as caused by the aortic valve closure itself, this is commonly transmitted in medical physiology courses. We present clinical data and numerical simulations to demonstrate that reflected pressure waves could participate as one of the causes of the dicrotic notch.

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