Abstract Background Some of the patients admitted for acute myocardial infarction have non-obstructive coronary artery disease (MINOCA). Their prognosis is not always benign, making it necessary the development of tools for risk stratification of these patients. Objectives To describe the characteristics of a sample of patients admitted for suspected MINOCA and to evaluate the prognostic value of GRACE score in this population. Methods This was a retrospective, observational, single-center, cohort study involving 56 consecutive patients with MINOCA. During one-year follow-up, […]

The care of patients with acute illnesses, in which the time to start treatment can have an important influence on the prognosis, requires a strategy based on well-defined structure and processes. Acute stroke is a disease whose prognosis is causally related to the length of care, and the possibility of implementing cerebral reperfusion therapies and neuroprotective measures. The recommendations suggest that the time should be optimized in the different phases of care, in the recognition of signs and symptoms, medical […]

Abstract Several different imaging methods can be used to evaluate patients with Chagas heart disease (CHD) for diagnostic and prognostic purposes, including plain chest radiography; echocardiography; myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, for detection of ischemia and fibrosis; radionuclide gated-angiography, for evaluation of biventricular function; 123I-MIBG labeling of sympathetic myocardial innervation; MRI, for detection and quantitation of myocardial fibrosis; and coronary angiography. This study aims to review the contributions of these nuclear medicine methods to understanding of the pathophysiology of chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy […]

Background: Resistant hypertension (RH) consists of increased blood pressure (BP) despite the use of 3 or more antihypertensives or BP control only when is use of 4 or more antihypertensives. It is fundamental to exclude pseudoresistance, which can be attributed to poor therapeutic adherence. Adherence evaluation, generally by the Morisky-Grenn test, is important because, when appropriate, it is associated with fewer cardiovascular complications and better BP control. Objectives: To evaluate the adherence of patients with RH and to investigate its […]

Background: Recently, a new HF entity, with LVEF between 40-49%, was presented to comprehend and seek better therapy for HF with preserved LVEF (HFpEF) and borderline, in the means that HF with reduced LVEF (HFrEF) already has well-defined therapy in the literature. Objective: To compare the clinical-therapeutic profile of patients with HF with mid-range LVEF (HFmrEF) with HFpEF and HFrEF and to verify predictors of hospital mortality. Method: Historical cohort of patients admitted with decompensated HF at a supplementary hospital […]

Abstract Background: Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is a well-known predictor of mortality in patients with valvular heart disease (VHD). The assessment of RV function is often difficult due to complex geometry and hemodynamic factors. We aim to analyze RV function in patients with severe mitral and/or aortic valve disease using two-dimensional strain (2DS) imaging and conventional echocardiographic parameters, comparing it with right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) measured by three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE). Methods: Fifty-three patients with severe mitral and/or aortic VHD […]

Conclusão A utilização de filmes ou de cenas de filmes é uma ferramenta interessante para desencadear discussões sobre condições cardíacas, não apenas sobre aspectos técnicos da doença, mas também sobre questões sociais, éticas e existenciais que envolvem o diagnóstico de uma doença cardíaca grave. Os premiados filmes “Manchester à beira-mar” e “Eu, Daniel Blake” são exemplos que podem nos ajudar a exercer a medicina de “forma mais sensível e mais reflexiva, alerta e moralmente responsável diante das exigências emocionais e […]

Resumo A cistatina C é utilizada como marcador de função renal e tem se mostrado promissora para avaliação do prognóstico das síndromes coronarianas agudas (SCAs). Avaliar o valor prognóstico da cistatina C em pacientes com SCAs. A busca dos artigos foi realizada empregando as bases de dados PubMed, Web of Science e Scielo. Foram incluídos na revisão sistemática estudos observacionais de coorte que avaliaram a associação entre níveis elevados de cistatina C e o desenvolvimento de eventos cardiovasculares e mortalidade […]