Compliance of guidelines for the diagnosis of mycrocytic anemia at Damas Hospital: pilot study.

Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency in the world. Serum ferritin measurement is considered the most reliable test for the diagnosis of Iron Deficiency Anemia. At our institution there seems to be non consensus in terms of the diagnostic workup for patients with microcytic anemia or the application of guidelines.

Outcomes associated with conventional management of severe sepsis at Damas Hospital.

Unlabelled: Severe sepsis and septic shock have become one of the leading causes of medical intensive care unit (MICU) mortality as well as one of the greater consumers of healthcare resources. Several institutions in the United States have reported positive outcomes after following the Severe Sepsis Campaign (SSC) recommendations. Current management of severe sepsis and septic shock at Damas Hospital's MICU follows no specific protocols or recommendations.

Independent association of LDL-C and non HDL-C with acute coronary syndrome in a Hispanic population.

Unlabelled: There is an identified relationship between increasing plasma cholesterol and the incidence of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS). The National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel identified low-density lipoprotein--cholesterol (LDL-C) as the first target of therapy and non high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (Non HDL-C) as the second target. However, in epidemiologic studies non-HDL is a superior predictor of cardiovascular risk compared with LDL-C.

Lowest safe hematocrit level on cardiopulmonary bypass in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

Unlabelled: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is the most common cardiothoracic surgical procedure performed in the United States. The majority of patients undergoing CABG are placed on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) to support the circulation. CPB hemodilutes the patient imposing extremes in the hemostatic system, requiring careful assessment of pre-surgical hematologic values.

Correlation between body mass index and need for total knee replacement in a group of Latin patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Unlabelled: Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee has been linked to obesity. Clinical observations suggested that there is a direct relationship between the degree of obesity and the severity of knee OA in the Latin community. This study associates the risk of requiring total knee replacement (TKR) attributable to being obese on a subset of Latin patients.

Preoperative clinical and demographic characteristis in Puerto Rico patients referred to inpatient cardiac rehabiliation after cardiac surgery.

Unlabelled: Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) or cardiac valve disease who have undergone cardiac surgery are prime candidates for cardiac rehabilitation. Cardiac rehabilitation is a multidisciplinary activity that aims to facilitate physical, psychological and emotional recovery. Multiple studies have evaluated preoperative characteristics of patients who undergo rehabilitation to predict improvement and prolonged length of stay after CAD surgery.

Parapharyngeal space tumor: undifferentiated sarcoma of the parotid gland. A case report.

Parapharyngeal space tumors are extremely uncommon. A 43-year-old man presents with a painless upper neck and face mass, airway obstruction and dysphagia. Physical evaluation revealed a firm, non-mobile mass extending from the right auricular region to the mandibular region of the neck.

Temporal arteritis in Puerto Rico Hispanics.

Medical statements from previous epidemiologic studies consider temporal arteritis as extremely rare or absent in Hispanic patients. A probable genetic protective condition was proposed as an explanation for this. We performed a descriptive observational, retrospective, comparable and not randomized study in the southern region of Puerto Rico (Ponce Area).

Salt taste threshold and salt good taste sensitivity in a community of students of the southern area of Puerto Rico.

Sodium appetite reflects the importance of sodium homeostasis. The sodium ion is one of the most important risk factors in the development of hypertension. Humans, for various reasons, seem to have a specific preference for salt which is consumed in excess of need and this has been characterized as an important contributor to hypertension.

High blood pressure risk factors in a community of students in the south area of Puerto Rico.

Introduction: The south area of Puerto Rico has a high density of a college student population. This population is exposed to a series of hypertension risk factors, for instance: they are exposed to the stress associated with their studies, they are the target of publicitary promotion of fast foods, alcoholic drinks, smoking, and they share with the rest of the Puertorican population predisposition to diabetes mellitus. We collected data about the risk factors for High Blood Pressure (HBP) to which this specific population was exposed.