Impact of cardiology referral: clinical outcomes and factors associated with physicians' adherence to recommendations.

Objectives: Cardiology referral is common for patients admitted for non-cardiac diseases. Recommendations from cardiologists may involve complex and aggressive treatments that could be ignored or denied by other physicians. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of patients who were given recommendations during cardiology referrals and to examine the clinical outcomes of patients who did not follow the recommendations.

Multicenter study of perioperative evaluation for noncardiac surgeries in Brazil (EMAPO).

Introduction: The accuracy of perioperative evaluation methods available is better than chance, but their performance is not ideal.

Objectives: To compare a new evaluation method (EMAPO) to the American College of Physicians method for determining the risk of cardiovascular complications in noncardiac surgeries and to look for new influencing variables.

Methods: Evaluations through EMAPO and the American College of Physicians method were employed for 700 patients.

[Brazilian consensus of monitoring and hemodynamic support - part III: alternative methods for cardiac output monitoring and volemia estimation].

Background And Objectives: Cardiac output and preload as absolute data do not offer helpful information about the hemodynamic of critically ill patients. However, monitoring the response of these variables to volume challenge or inotropic drugs is a very useful tool in the critical care setting, particularly for patients with signs of tissue hypoperfusion. Although PAC remains the " gold standard" to measure cardiac output and preload, new and alternative technologies were developed to evaluate these hemodynamic variables.

[Part II: basic hemodynamic monitoring and the use of pulmonary artery catheter].

Background And Objectives: Monitoring of vital functions is one of the most important tools in the management of critically ill patients. Nowadays is possible to detect and analyze a great deal of physiologic data using a lot of invasive and non-invasive methods. The intensivist must be able to select and carry out the most appropriate monitoring technique according to the patient requirements and taking into account the benefit/risk ratio.

Hemodynamic and tissue oxygenation responses to exercise and beta-adrenergic blockade in patients with hyperthyroidism.

Background: Exercise-induced dyspnea is a frequent feature in patients with hyperthyroidism.

Hypothesis: Data from clinical studies to elucidate the origin of this symptom are lacking. In the current study, we examined the hemodynamic and oxygenation responses to exercise and beta-adrenergic blockade in patients with hyperthyroidism and their relationship with dyspnea.

Reduction in cardiovascular events after vascular surgery with atorvastatin: a randomized trial.

Objectives: This prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial was performed to analyze the effect of atorvastatin compared with placebo on the occurrence of a 6-month composite of cardiovascular events after vascular surgery. Cardiovascular complications are the most important cause of perioperative morbidity and mortality among patients undergoing vascular surgery. Statin therapy may reduce perioperative cardiac events through stabilization of coronary plaques.

Secular trends in a population with ischemic heart disease admitted to the Instituto do Coração in São Paulo.

Objective: To assess the clinical and demographic characteristics of a population with ischemic heart disease admitted in the final decades of the 20th century.

Methods: This study retrospectively assessed patients hospitalized with ischemic heart disease divided into the following 2 groups: acute group - 11.181 patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted from 1/1/82 to 12/31/94; and chronic group - 4.

Demographic characteristics of the population undergoing cine coronary angiography at the Instituto do Coração of the Medical School of USP from 1986 to 1995.

Objective: To obtain information about the profile and behavior of a population with ischemic heart disease undergoing cine coronary angiography and to determine disease severity.

Methods: Retrospective study assessing patients hospitalized at InCor from 1986 to 1995, in which the variables age, sex, and number of major coronary arteries with obstruction degree > or =40% were analyzed.

Results: We studied 18,221 patients and observed a significant increase in the number of females (22.

[Electrocardiographic abnormalities and cardiovascular risk factors for ischemic heart disease in an adult population from São Paulo, Brazil].

Objective: Ischemic heart disease is associated with high rates of mortality and it is the most prevalent among cardiovascular diseases. It is a multifactorial disease, and its prevention depends on control of risk factors. Resting electrocardiogram can be used to detect manifestations of ischemic heart disease, since some electrocardiographic abnormalities are indicative of coronary disease in asymptomatic subjects.