Ischemic aetiology, self-reported frailty, and gender with respect to cognitive impairment in chronic heart failure patients

Decisive information on the parameters involved in cognitive impairment in patients with chronic heart failure is as yet lacking. Our aim was to determine the functional and psychosocial variables related with cognitive impairment using the mini-mental-state examination (MMSE) with age-and education-corrected scores. A cohort study of chronic heart failure patients included in an integrated multidisciplinary hospital/primary care program. The MMSE (corrected for age and education in the Spanish population) was administered at enrolment in the program. Analyses were performed in 525 patients. Demographic and clinical variables were collected. Comprehensive assessment included depression (Yesavage), family function (family APGAR), social network (Duke), dependence (Barthel Index), frailty (Barber), and comorbidities. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed to determine the predictors of cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment affected 145 patients (27.6 %). Explanatory factors were gender (OR: 2.77 (1.75-4.39) p 3.5 (OR: 0.59 (0.35-0.99) p = 0.048), and beta-blocker treatment (OR: 0.36 (0.17 to 0.76, p = 0.007)). No association was found between cognitive impairment and social support or family function. The observed prevalence of cognitive impairment using MMSE corrected scores was 27.6 %. A global approach in the management of these patients is needed, especially focusing on women and patients with frailty, low albumin levels, and ischemic aetiology heart failure

Seven-year mortality in heart failure patients with undiagnosed diabetes : an observational study

Background: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and heart failure have adverse clinical outcomes, but the characteristics and prognosis of those with undiagnosed diabetes in this setting has not been established. Methods: In total, 400 patients admitted consecutively with acute heart failure were grouped in three glycaemic categories: no diabetes, clinical diabetes (previously reported or with hypoglycaemic treatment) and undiagnosed diabetes. The latter was defined by the presence of at least two measurements of fasting plasma glycaemia ≥ 7 mmol/L before or after the acute episode.Group differences were tested by proportional hazards models in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality during a 7-year follow-up. Results: There were 188 (47%) patients without diabetes, 149 (37%) with clinical diabetes and 63 (16%) with undiagnosed diabetes. Patients with undiagnosed diabetes had a lower prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidaemia, peripheral vascular disease and previous myocardial infarction than those with clinical diabetes and similar to that of those without diabetes. The adjusted hazards ratios for 7-year total and cardiovascular mortality compared with the group of subjects without diabetes were 1.69 (95% CI: 1.17-2.46) and 2.45 (95% CI: 1.58-3.81) for those with undiagnosed diabetes, and 1.48 (95% CI: 1.10-1.99) and 2.01 (95% CI: 1.40-2.89) for those with clinical diabetes. Conclusions: Undiagnosed diabetes is common in patients requiring hospitalization for acute heart failure. Patients with undiagnosed diabetes, despite having a lower cardiovascular risk profile than those with clinical diabetes, show a similar increased mortality

Alirocumab Reduces Total Nonfatal Cardiovascular and Fatal Events : The ODYSSEY OUTCOMES Trial

The ODYSSEY OUTCOMES (Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcomes After an Acute Coronary Syndrome During Treatment With Alirocumab) trial compared alirocumab with placebo, added to high-intensity or maximum-tolerated statin treatment, after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in 18,924 patients. Alirocumab reduced the first occurrence of the primary composite endpoint and was associated with fewer all-cause deaths. This pre-specified analysis determined the extent to which alirocumab reduced total (first and subsequent) nonfatal cardiovascular events and all-cause deaths in ODYSSEY OUTCOMES. Hazard functions for total nonfatal cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, stroke, ischemia-driven coronary revascularization, and hospitalization for unstable angina or heart failure) and death were jointly estimated, linked by a shared frailty accounting for patient risk heterogeneity and correlated within-patient nonfatal events. An association parameter also quantified the strength of the linkage between risk of nonfatal events and death. The model provides accurate relative estimates of nonfatal event risk if nonfatal events are associated with increased risk for death. With 3,064 first and 5,425 total events, 190 fewer first and 385 fewer total nonfatal cardiovascular events or deaths were observed with alirocumab compared with placebo. Alirocumab reduced total nonfatal cardiovascular events (hazard ratio: 0.87; 95% confidence interval: 0.82 to 0.93) and death (hazard ratio: 0.83; 95% confidence interval: 0.71 to 0.97) in the presence of a strong association between nonfatal and fatal event risk. In patients with ACS, the total number of nonfatal cardiovascular events and deaths prevented with alirocumab was twice the number of first events prevented. Consequently, total event reduction is a more comprehensive metric to capture the totality of alirocumab clinical efficacy after ACS

Effect of Alirocumab on Lipoprotein(a) and Cardiovascular Risk After Acute Coronary Syndrome

Lipoprotein(a) concentration is associated with cardiovascular events. Alirocumab, a proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor, lowers lipoprotein(a) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). A pre-specified analysis of the placebo-controlled ODYSSEY Outcomes trial in patients with recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS) determined whether alirocumab-induced changes in lipoprotein(a) and LDL-C independently predicted major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). One to 12 months after ACS, 18,924 patients on high-intensity statin therapy were randomized to alirocumab or placebo and followed for 2.8 years (median). Lipoprotein(a) was measured at randomization and 4 and 12 months thereafter. The primary MACE outcome was coronary heart disease death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or hospitalization for unstable angina. Baseline lipoprotein(a) levels (median: 21.2 mg/dl; interquartile range [IQR]: 6.7 to 59.6 mg/dl) and LDL-C [corrected for cholesterol content in lipoprotein(a)] predicted MACE. Alirocumab reduced lipoprotein(a) by 5.0 mg/dl (IQR: 0 to 13.5 mg/dl), corrected LDL-C by 51.1 mg/dl (IQR: 33.7 to 67.2 mg/dl), and reduced the risk of MACE (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.78 to 0.93). Alirocumab-induced reductions of lipoprotein(a) and corrected LDL-C independently predicted lower risk of MACE, after adjustment for baseline concentrations of both lipoproteins and demographic and clinical characteristics. A 1-mg/dl reduction in lipoprotein(a) with alirocumab was associated with a HR of 0.994 (95% CI: 0.990 to 0.999; p = 0.0081). Baseline lipoprotein(a) and corrected LDL-C levels and their reductions by alirocumab predicted the risk of MACE after recent ACS. Lipoprotein(a) lowering by alirocumab is an independent contributor to MACE reduction, which suggests that lipoprotein(a) should be an independent treatment target after ACS. (ODYSSEY Outcomes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcomes After an Acute Coronary Syndrome During Treatment With Alirocumab; NCT01663402

Tractament de manteniment amb metadona: manual de pràctica clínica

Tractament de manteniment amb metadona; Pràctica clínica; DrogodependènciesTratamiento de mantenimiento con metadona; Práctica clínica; DrogodependenciasMethadone maintenance treatment; Clinical practice; Drug addictionsEl Manual pretén ser una eina útil per disminuir la variabilitat de la pràctica clínica i garantir un nivell òptim de qualitat i millora de l'atenció sanitària en el tractament de manteniment amb metadona (TMM). Aplica les normes bàsiques utilitzades per a la preparació de guies de pràctica clínica; en primer lloc, incloent-hi la millor evidència possible sobre la base de revisions sistemàtiques de la literatura, en segon lloc, amb recomanacions clares i curtes, i en tercer lloc, en absència d’una evidència fiable en la literatura, incorporant-hi la opinió d’experts per mitjà de tècniques de consens com el mètode Delphi

Bloqueo auriculoventricular completo secundario a tromboembolia pulmonar

Paciente de 73 años, con antecedentes de neoplasia de mama y enfermedad metastásica diagnosticada en enero de 2002, estable actualmente. Ingresa por disnea súbita y sensación presincopal; se documenta la existencia de un bloqueo auriculoventricular completo, que requiere la implantación de marcapasos temporal. A las 8 h recupera el ritmo sinusal con bloqueo de rama izquierda ya conocido. Una tomografía computarizada demuestra la existencia de una tromboembolia pulmonar bilateral. Un estudio electrofisiológico muestra conducción auriculoventricular normal. Sugerimos que en presencia de bloqueo de rama izquierda, una tromboembolia pulmonar, que pudo cursar con bloqueo de rama derecha transitorio, provocó este bloqueo completo paroxístico

Prevalencia y evolución en España de los pacientes con infarto agudo de miocardio y fracción de eyección severamente deprimida, con criterios de implantación de desfibrilador automático

El Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial (MADIT) II amplía las indicaciones de los desfibriladores automáticos implantables. Presentamos un estudio retrospectivo que tiene como objetivo conocer el número de pacientes con criterios MADIT-II en nuestro entorno. Entre enero de 1999 y octubre de 2002, 758 pacientes fueron ingresados en nuestro servicio por un infarto agudo de miocardio. En 67 pacientes, la fracción de eyección fue = 30% y no eran revascularizables. La fracción de eyección media de este grupo fue del 23 ± 5%. Si excluimos a los pacientes de más de 80 años y a los que presentaban una marcada morbilidad asociada, 47 pacientes hubieran cumplido los criterios MADIT-II (6%). En un seguimiento medio de 18 meses hubo 20 muertes, 6 de ellas de forma súbita. Si extrapolamos estos datos a nuestro país, el número anual de implantes se incrementaría hasta unos 4.11

Prevalencia del síndrome de apnea obstructiva del sueño en pacientes con disfunción sinusal

Introducción y objetivos. El síndrome de apnea-hipopnea del sueño (SAHS) ha sido relacionado con varias enfermedades cardiovasculares. Podría incluso estar implicado en la etiopatogenia de la disfunción sinusal (DS), aunque se desconoce la asociación real entre las 2 enfermedades. Pretendemos conocer la prevalencia del SAHS en enfermos diagnosticados de DS. Pacientes y método. Entre junio de 2002 y diciembre de 2004 se ha estudiado a 38 pacientes consecutivos diagnosticados de DS mediante registro Holter de 24 h. Todos fueron interrogados acerca de si presentaban síntomas relacionados con SAHS y se les hizo una polisomnografía respiratoria con un equipo validado. Resultados. La edad media de los 38 pacientes fue de 67 ± 10 años, el 68% era varón y el 58%, hipertenso. En el Holter la frecuencia máxima fue de 87 ± 6 lat/min, la mínima de 35 ± 3 lat/min y la media de 48 ± 3 lat/min. El 63% de los pacientes requirió marcapasos por DS sintomática. El 39% tenía somnolencia diurna excesiva (escala de Epworth [ESS] > 9). La polisomnografía demostró que sólo un 13% tenía un índice de apnea-hipopnea/h (IAH) normal y que el 31,6% (intervalo de confianza del 95%, 16,8-46,4) tenía un SAHS (IAH > 10 y ESS > 9). Conclusiones. Considerando que la prevalencia del SAHS en la población general es de alrededor del 3%, los resultados de nuestro estudio muestran que el SAHS es 10 veces más frecuente en pacientes con DS que en la población general, lo que indica una asociación entre las 2 enfermedades