Risk-assessment algorithm and recommendations for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in medical patients

The risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in medical patients is high, but risk assessment is rarely performed because there is not yet a good method to identify candidates for prophylaxis

Vírus da cinomose canina: detecção do RNA viral pelo Nested RT-PCR em cães com diagnóstico clínico

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a pathogen which affects dogs and causes severe disease leading to death. Dogs infected with CDV can be diagnosed by RNA detection by Nested PCR technique. The following study proposed to valuate CDV RNA in blood, urine and saliva samples. The Nested-PCR technique was able to detect CDV RNA in different types of biologic samples. The higher number of positive results was obtained in urine samples.O vírus da cinomose canina (CDV) é um patógeno que afeta cães, causando doença grave e que pode levar a morte. Os cães infectados pelo CDV podem ser diagnosticados pela detecção do RNA utilizando-se a técnica de Nested-PCR. O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o RNA do CDV no sangue, urina e saliva em cães com diagnóstico clínico de cinomose. A técnica de Nested-PCR foi capaz de detectar o RNA em diferentes tipos de amostras biológicas. Obteve-se um maior número de resultados positivos em amostras de urina

Venous thromboembolism risk assessment in hospitalised patients: A new proposal

OBJECTIVE: Cross-sectional studies have been conducted to evaluate the adequacy of prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism. However, these studies often evaluate prophylaxis on the data collection day, without analysing the prophylactic dose or duration and without reference to inappropriate use in patients without risk. A prospective, observational study was performed to assess the adequacy of prophylaxis in a general medicine ward of a university hospital. METHOD: In the analysis, the use of the proper prophylactic dose at the correct time, the use in patients with contraindications, and the misuse in patients without risk of venous thromboembolism were considered. RESULTS: A total of 245 patients were evaluated. Of these patients, 104 (42.4%) were considered to be at risk, and 82.7% either received adequate prophylaxis (i.e., the correct dose at the right time) or did not receive prophylaxis because it was contraindicated. Among the 141 patients who were not at risk, 81 (57.4%) incorrectly received prophylaxis, the majority (61/81) of whom presented with risk factors but did not demonstrate reduced mobility. Among the entire group, only 59.6% of patients were properly treated. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation of prophylaxis adequacy should consider not only whether the correct dose is administered at the correct time but also whether it is used in patients with contraindications and whether it is inappropriately administered to patients who are not at risk

Fatal pulmonary embolism in hospitalized patients: a large autopsy-based matched case-control study

OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary embolism is an underdiagnosed major cause of death for hospitalized patients. The objective of this study was to identify the conditions associated with fatal pulmonary embolism in this population. METHODS: A total of 13,074 autopsy records were evaluated in a case-control study. Patients were matched by age, sex, and year of death, and factors potentially associated with fatal pulmonary embolism were analyzed using univariate and multivariate conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: Pulmonary embolism was considered fatal in 328 (2.5%) patients. In the multivariate analysis, conditions that were more common in patients who died of pulmonary embolism were atherosclerosis, congestive heart failure, and neurological surgery. Some conditions were negatively associated with fatal pulmonary embolism, including hemorrhagic stroke, aortic aneurism, cirrhosis, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and pneumonia. In the control group, patients with hemorrhagic stroke and aortic aneurism had short hospital stays (8.5 and 8.8 days, respectively), and the hemorrhage itself was the main cause of death in most of them (90.6% and 68.4%, respectively), which may have prevented the development of pulmonary embolism. Cirrhotic patients in the control group also had short hospital stays (7 days), and 50% died from bleeding complications. CONCLUSIONS: In this large autopsy study, atherosclerosis, congestive heart failure, and neurological surgery were diagnoses associated with fatal pulmonary embolism

Representação computacional das construções de sujeito-predicado do português do Brasil

Este trabalho apresenta uma proposta para representar computacionalmente construções do Português Brasileiro, no âmbito do Constructicon da FrameNet Brasil. Dessa forma, demonstra de que maneira as teorias irmãs da Semântica de Frames e da Gramática das Construções podem ser implementadas computacionalmente com vias a sustentar aplicações em Compreensão de Língua Natural. </p

What else in times of COVID-19? The role of minimally invasive autopsy for the differential diagnosis of acute respiratory failure in a case of kala-azar

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a chronic vector-borne zoonotic disease caused by trypanosomatids, considered endemic in 98 countries, mainly associated with poverty. About 50,000–90,000 cases of VL occur annually worldwide, and Brazil has the second largest number of cases in the world. The clinical picture of VL is fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and pancytopenia, progressing to death in 90% of cases due to secondary infections and multi-organ failure, if left untreated. We describe the case of a 25-year-old female who lived in the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, who had recently taken touristic trips to several rural areas in Southeastern Brazil and was diagnosed post-mortem. During the hospitalization in a hospital reference for the treatment of COVID-19, the patient developed acute respiratory failure, with chest radiographic changes, and died due to refractory shock. The ultrasound-guided minimally invasive autopsy diagnosed VL (macrophages containing amastigote forms of Leishmania in the spleen, liver and bone marrow), as well as pneumonia and bloodstream infection by gram-negative bacilli

CARACTERIZAÇÃO DO ATENDIMENTO DO SERVIÇO DE ATENDIMENTO MÓVEL DE URGÊNCIA (SAMU) ÀS EMERGÊNCIAS CLÍNICAS

RESUMO Objetivo: caracterizar os atendimentos clínicos realizados pelo SAMU de Salvador. Metodologia: trata-se de estudo descritivo, exploratório e transversal cuja amostra foi composta de 465 fichas de atendimentos clínicos realizados pelo SAMU, na cidade de Salvador na Bahia. Os dados foram obtidos por meio de instrumento de coleta de dados e a análise descritiva realizada com o software SPSS, no qual foram processadas frequências relativas e absolutas. Resultados: os usuários atendidos se caracterizaram por serem homens (49,9%) com média de idade de 54 anos [desvio-padrão (DP)=21)]. Os agravos neurológicos (36,1%), cardiológicos (14,4%) e respiratórios (12,9%) foram prevalentes. Unidades de suporte básico foram as mais acionadas (63,7%) e tiveram como principal desfecho o atendimento no local e remoção para um hospital de referência (21,7%), no entanto, recursos como oxigenoterapia e punção venosa não foram utilizados na maior parte dos atendimentos. A média de tempo entre a abertura da ocorrência e saída da base foi de 22 minutos (DP= 20). O tempo resposta teve média de 39 minutos (DP= 25) e a duração total média da ocorrência foi de duas horas (DP= 1:23). Conclusão: os atendimentos clínicos realizados pelo SAMU ocorrem prevalentemente com homens e por agravos neurológicos. Identificou-se discordância entre a necessidade dos pacientes e o envio de recursos, mediante a avaliação da equipe. Os tempos implicados no atendimento pré-hospitalar são elevados

Impacto de um programa para profilaxia de tromboembolismo venoso em pacientes clínicos em quatro hospitais de Salvador

OBJETIVO: Implementar um programa hospitalar de profilaxia de TEV através da criação de uma comissão, da realização de palestras e da distribuição de algoritmos baseados na Diretriz Brasileira para Profilaxia de TEV em Pacientes Clínicos e avaliar seu impacto na adequação da utilização de profilaxia em quatro hospitais de Salvador, Bahia. MÉTODOS: Foram realizados dois estudos de corte-transversal, um antes e um depois da implementação do programa, e comparadas as proporções de pacientes em risco de TEV e as mudanças na adequação da profilaxia. RESULTADOS: Foram avaliados 219 pacientes clínicos antes e 292 depois do programa. As taxas daqueles com pelo menos um fator de risco para TEV e daqueles com contra indicação (CI) para heparina foram semelhantes nos dois grupos: 95% vs. 98% (p=0,13) e 42% vs. 34% (p=0,08), respectivamente. Nos dois estudos, 75% vs. 82% (p=0,06) eram candidates para profilaxia, e 44% vs. 55% (p =0,02) eram candidatos sem qualquer CI para heparina. Após o programa, utilizou-se mais profilaxia mecânica, 0,9% vs. 4,5% (p=0,03) e menos profilaxia farmacológica, 55,3% vs. 47,9% (p=0,04), embora tenha havido um aumento significativo na utilização das doses corretas das heparinas, 53% vs. 75% (pThere is a discrepancy between guideline recommendations and practice of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in hospitals worldwide. OBJECTIVE: To implement a program using a risk-assessment tool (RAT) for VTE and educational lectures based on the Brazilian Guidelines for VTE Prophylaxis for Medical Patients and to evaluate the impact of these tools on adequacy of VTE prophylaxis in 4 hospitals in Salvador, Bahia. METHODS: We performed two cross-sectional surveys before and after the implementation of the program to compare the proportion of patients at-risk of VTE and the changes in the adequacy of VTE prophylaxis. RESULTS: We compared the data of 219 medical patients before with 292 patients after the program. The rates of patients with at least one risk factor for VTE and with contraindications (CI) for heparins were similar: 95% vs. 98% (p=0.13), and 42% vs. 34% (p=0.08), respectively. In both studies, 75% vs. 82% (p=0.06) were candidates for prophylaxis, and 44% vs. 55% (p =0.02) were candidates for prophylaxis and had no CI for heparin. After the program there was an increase in the use of mechanical prophylaxis 0.9% vs. 4.5% (p=0.03) and a decrease in pharmacological prophylaxis, 55.3% vs. 47.9% (p=0.04). However, there was a significant increase of use of the recommended doses of heparins, 53% vs. 75 (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: There is underutilization of VTE prophylaxis in Brazilian hospitals. Strategies based on passive distribution of RAT and educational lectures were not sufficient to improve the practice of prophylaxis, but improved the adequacy of VTE prophylaxis in hospitalized patients

Efficacy and safety of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir in treatment-naïve adults with chronic hepatitis C virus genotypes 1–6 in Brazil

Introduction and objectives: Glecaprevir/pibrentasvir is a highly effective and well tolerated treatment for hepatitis C infection. Brazilian patients were not included in the original development studies for glecaprevir/pibrentasvir. This study aimed to assess safety and efficacy of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir in treatment-naïve Brazilian adults without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis. Patients and methods: EXPEDITION-3 was a Phase 3, open-label, multicenter study in treatment-naïve Brazilian adults with hepatitis C infection genotype 1–6. Patients without cirrhosis (F2 or F3) or with compensated cirrhosis (F4) received 8 or 12 weeks of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir, respectively. The primary efficacy endpoint was the rate of sustained virologic response at post-treatment Week 12. Secondary endpoints were on-treatment virologic failure and relapse rates. Baseline polymorphisms were assessed in NS3 and NS5A. Adverse events and laboratory abnormalities were monitored. Results: 100 patients were enrolled, 75 received 8 weeks of treatment and 25 received 12 weeks; all patients completed treatment. Overall sustained virologic response at post-treatment Week 12 rate was high (98.0%; 98/100; 95% confidence interval: 93.0–99.4) and remained high regardless of baseline viral or host factors, including demographics, hepatitis C virus RNA levels, polymorphisms in NS3 and/or NS5A, genotype, and relevant comorbidities. 55% of patients reported ≥1 adverse event, the most common beingheadache (18.0%). Four patients reported serious adverse events; none were considered drug related orled to study drug discontinuation. No hepatic decompensations were observed.Conclusions: Glecaprevir/pibrentasvir was effective and well tolerated in treatment-naïve Brazilianpatients with hepatitis C infection without cirrhosis and with compensated cirrhosis