Functional behavior of patients with conventional pacemakers undergoing cardiac resynchronization

FUNDAMENTO: A terapia de ressincronização cardíaca (TRC) é eficiente no tratamento de pacientes com insuficiência cardíaca (IC), disfunção ventricular grave e bloqueio intraventricular. O marcapasso convencional (MPC) em região apical de ventrículo direito provoca alterações da seqüência de ativação normal do coração semelhante às do BRE. Nesse sentido, pacientes com MPC e IC avançada poderiam ser candidatos a TRC, mas reduzidas casuísticas foram avaliadas e não há conclusões definitivas. OBJETIVO: Analisar o comportamento clínico-funcional da terapia de ressincronização cardíaca (TRC) nos portadores de marcapasso convencional. MÉTODOS: Pacientes com MPC, IC-CF(NYHA) III/IV refratária a terapêutica medicamentosa, fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo (FEVE) <35%, foram submetidos a TRC. O comportamento clínico-funcional foi avaliado prospectivamente após seis meses. A redução de uma CF-IC foi estabelecida como resposta efetiva ao procedimento. Foram analisados: duração do QRS (ECG), diâmetro diastólico (DDVE), diâmetro sistólico do ventrículo esquerdo (DSVE) e FEVE ao ECO. A análise estatística utilizou os testes t de Student pareado e a correlação de Spearman. RESULTADOS: Vinte e nove pacientes com idade média de 61,5 anos foram estudados. Seis eram do sexo feminino e houve predomínio da cardiomiopatia chagásica. Em seguimento clínico de 22,7±13 meses, 86,2% dos pacientes melhoraram com a TRC. Nesse grupo, a FEVE média aumentou em 18% (p=0,013); houve redução da duração do QRS em 11,8% (p=0,002) e não houve redução significativa dos diâmetros intracavitários do ventrículo esquerdo. CONCLUSÃO: A TRC é efetiva para pacientes com MPC e IC avançada porque proporciona taxa elevada de responsivos (86,2%), melhora significativa da FEVE e redução da duração do QRS.BACKGROUND: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an efficient treatment for patients with heart failure (HF), severe ventricular dysfunction and intraventricular block. Conventional pacemakers (CPM) implanted in the right ventricular apical area cause alterations in the normal sequence of cardiac activation similar to those induced by LBBB (left bundle-branch block). Therefore, patients with CPM and advanced HF could be candidates to undergo CRT, but as only small numbers of patients have been evaluated so far, definitive conclusions are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical and functional outcome of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in patients with conventional pacemakers. METHODS: Patients with CPM, who were in NYHA HF functional class III/IV class refractory to drug therapy, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ) <35% underwent CRT. Patients’ clinical-functional behavior was assessed prospectively six months after the procedure. The improvement of one HF-functional class was set as an effective response to the procedure. The following was assessed: QRS duration (ECG), diastolic diameter (LVDd), left ventricular systolic diameter (LVSd) and LVEF seen on the echocardiogram. For the statistical analysis, Student’s paired t test and Spearman’s correlation were used. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients (mean age 61.5) were evaluated. Of these, six were females, and chagasic cardiomyopathy was predominant. During the clinical follow-up of 22.7±13 months, 86.2% of the patients benefited from CRT. Within this group, the mean LVEF increased by 18% (p=0.013), QRS duration dropped by 11.8% (p=0.002) and no significant reduction in left ventricular intracavitary diameters was observed. CONCLUSION: CRT is effective for patients with CPM and advanced HF as it yields a high rate of response (86.2%), significantly improves LVEF and reduces QRS duration

Avaliação e estratificação da cardiomiopatia hipertrófica quanto ao risco de morte súbita: uma revisão integrativa: Evaluation and stratification of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as to the risk of sudden death: an integrative review

Introdução: A cardiomiopatia hipertrófica (CMH) é uma condição genética autosômica-dominante, mais comumente causada por mutações de genes sarcoméricos, caracterizada pela hipertrofia miocárdica ventricular esquerda (HVE) de várias morfologias, com ampla gama de manifestações clínicas e alterações hemodinâmicas. É a causa mais frequente de morte súbita cardíaca (MSC) em jovens e atletas competitivos devido a arritmia ventricular fatal. Em alguns pacientes, entretanto, a CMH pode ter curso benigno. Objetivo: Identificar e analisar os fatores de risco de morte súbita associados à cardiomiopatia hipertrófica. Método: Foi realizada revisão integrativa a fim de estratificar e avaliar a história natural da cardiomiopatia hipertrófica em relação aos fatores de risco de morte súbita. Extraídos artigos científicos publicados no período de 2000 a 2022, das bases de dados – Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System online (MEDLINE/Pubmed), Literatura Latino Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS) e Scientific Eletronic Library Online (Scielo) – utilizando-se do vocabulário livre e controlado indexados nos Descritores em Ciências de Saúde (DeCS) – Cardiomiopatia hipertrófica, morte súbita, fatores de risco, morte súbita cardíaca. Foram selecionados estudos observacionais da língua inglesa. A presente revisão integrativa incluiu 23 artigos. Inicialmente encontrados 874 estudos, que passaram por uma seleção através da leitura de títulos, seguida pela exclusão de duplicação de trabalho, conseguinte de avaliação do resumo e, por fim, a análise dos artigos na íntegra, garantindo assim sua qualidade. Resultados: Os fatores de risco associados a morte súbita (MS) na cardiomiopatia hipertrófica foram: história pessoal de fibrilação ventricular (FV), MSC ou taquicardia ventricular (TV) sustentada; história familiar de MSC; síncope prévia inexplicada; taquicardia ventricular não sustentada (TVNS); espessura máxima da parede do ventrículo esquerdo de ≥30mm e resposta anormal da pressão arterial durante o exercício.&nbsp; As evidências demonstraram a relevância de acrescentar ao algoritmo de seleção dos pacientes: a disfunção sistólica do VE, aneurisma apical de VE e o realce tardio extenso (RTG) na ressonância magnética cardíaca. Conclusão:&nbsp; A estratificação de risco para MSC na CMH apresentou ampliação dos preditores. Existe a necessidade contínua de pesquisas em torno do tema para a instituição de medidas terapêuticas a fim de evitar desfechos fatais da doenç

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Remodelamento ventricular na estimulação cardíaca apical do ventrículo direito Ventricular remodeling in right ventricular apical pacing

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a taxa de remodelamento ventricular (RV) e a importância de variáveis clínico-funcionais em pacientes com função cardíaca normal submetidos à estimulação artificial apical do ventrículo direito (VD). MÉTODOS: Dentre 268 pacientes consecutivos com BAVT e marcapasso convencional, foram excluídos os portadores de fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo (FEVE) < 55% e diâmetro diastólico do ventrículo esquerdo (DDVE) > 53 mm ao eco-Doppler. O RV foi definido como o conjunto de modificações ecocardiográficas documentadas pelo menos 6 meses pós-implante: aumento >10% no DDVE e redução > 20% na FEVE. As variáveis analisadas foram: cardiopatia de base, classe funcional de insuficiência cardíaca (IC), tempo de estimulação ventricular e duração do QRS. A análise estatística incluiu os testes da razão de verossimilhança, exato de Fisher e a soma de postos de Wilcoxon. O valor de p foi significante quando < 0,05. RESULTADOS: o estudo incluiu 75 pacientes com idade média de 70,9 ± 14 anos, 22,6% do sexo masculino. O tempo médio entre as avaliações foi de 80,2 meses. A FEVE média pré-implante foi 72% e o DDVE 46 mm e pós-implante, 69,7% (p = 0,0025) e 48,5mm (p < 0,0001), respectivamente. A duração média do QRS pós-implante foi 156 ms. O RV ocorreu em apenas quatro pacientes (5,3%), e nenhuma das variáveis exploratórias discriminou esse comportamento. CONCLUSÃO: Pacientes sem disfunção ventricular submetidos à estimulação cardíaca apical do VD em longo seguimento apresentaram baixa taxa de RV, e não foram definidos fatores associados para sua ocorrência.<br>OBJECTIVE: To determine ventricular remodeling (VR) and the role of clinical and functional variables in patients with normal cardiac function who underwent right ventricular apical pacing (RVAP). METHODS: Among the 268 consecutive patients with standard pacemaker due to complete atrioventricular block (CAVB), those with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 55% and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) > 53 mm on Doppler echocardiography were excluded. Ventricular remodeling was defined as echocardiographic changes documented at least six months after implantation, namely, a >10% increase in LVEDD and a > 20% decrease in LVEF. The following variables were analyzed: underlying heart disease, NYHA functional class of heart failure (HF), time of ventricular stimulation, and QRS duration. Statistical analysis included likelihood ratio test, Fisher’s exact test, and Wilcoxon rank-sum test. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The study included 75 patients, mean age 70.9 ± 14, of whom 22.6% were male. Mean time between both evaluations was 80.2 months. Before implantation, mean LVEF was 72% and LVEDD was 46 mm; after implantation this values were 69.7% (p = 0.0025) and 48.5 mm (p = 0.0001), respectively. Mean QRS duration after implantation was 156 ms. Ventricular remodeling was observed only in four patients (5.3%), and no exploratory variable specified this behavior. CONCLUSION: In a long-term follow-up, patients without ventricular dysfunction who underwent RV apical pacing (RVAP) showed low VR rate, and no analyzed variable was associated with its occurrence

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non-detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peer-reviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non-detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio-temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other large-scale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data

Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable

Brazil, home to one of the planet's last great forests, is currently in trade negotiations with its second largest trading partner, the European Union (EU). We urge the EU to seize this critical opportunity to ensure that Brazil protects human rights and the environment

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data