After 111 years of its discovery, Chagas disease remains a major public health challenge in Brazil and in other Latin American countries, reason why it continues to be a relevant topic in discussion panels worldwide. The disease was first described in 1909 by Carlos Justiniano Ribeiro das Chagas after his observations during an expedition to eradicate malaria in the rural areas of the state of Minas Gerais, in the city of Lassance. Carlos Chagas’ magnificent life journey makes him a […]

Since the first descriptions on the use of lung ultrasound (LUS) for bedside evaluation of critically ill patients, important publications have underscored the utility of LUS for the detection of a wide array of pulmonary and pleural diseases, as well as for the differential diagnosis of acute respiratory failure, proving to be an important tool for a point-of-care based examination and an extended resource for examining critical patients, cited by many as the “new stethoscope”., The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak […]

Abstract Background Patient self-report is the most common diagnostic tool in the literature to detect HIV/HAART-associated lipodystrophy. However, data on the association of cardiovascular risk factors with HIV/HAART-associated lipodystrophy assessed by self-report are still missing. Objectives To determine the prevalence of self-reported HIV/HAART-associated lipodystrophy and to identify independent associations between traditional modifiable cardiovascular risk factors and self-reported lipodystrophy. Methods We conducted a retrospective observational study at an outpatient infectious disease clinic in the Central-West of Brazil to identify the association […]

Abstract Background The prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is important in clinical practice due to its high morbidity and mortality. Different guidelines have recommended the use of different cardiovascular risk assessment tools, which may have implications on therapeutic decisions. Objective To evaluate the agreement rate between the Framingham risk score (FRS) and the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) tool on CVD risk assessment in disease-free subjects. Methods Cross-sectional study with a sample of 51 subjects treated at the outpatient clinic […]

Abstract Background Malnutrition can affect the clinical course of hospitalized patients, increasing hospital stay, infections, mortality, and hospital costs. Among heart disease patients, the malnutrition prevalence ranges from 25 to 51.9%. Objective To assess the prevalence of malnutrition and its association with clinical complications in cardiac patients admitted to a cardiology hospital. Method Retrospective cohort study with patients evaluated within 48 hours of admission to the ward of a referral center for cardiology in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Patients were aged […]

Abstract Background There has been an increase in the number of cases of Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) and of scientific publications on the theme over the last years. However, little is known about the status of this disease in Brazilian hospitals. Objective To assess mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during hospitalization and follow-up of TTS patients seen in a tertiary hospital in Brazil. Methods This was a retrospective, observational study on 48 patients. Clinical data, signs and symptoms, complementary […]

Abstract Background The importance of regional sympathetic denervation in the pathophysiology and prognosis of Chagas disease has been recognized. Objective To conduct a review of studies that have assessed dysautonomia in chronic Chagas heart disease. Methods The search was performed on the Medline, Pubmed, Lilacs and SciELO databases. The inclusion criteria were: original articles published in full; studies on individuals with Chagas disease, that used diagnostic methods for chagasic cardiomyopathy, and had clear inclusion and exclusion criteria. Duplicate studies, studies […]

Abstract Background: Mortality from cardiovascular diseases has reduced in Brazil in recent decades, but this phenomenon is not clear in the northeast region of the country. Objectives: To describe the mortality trends from cardiovascular disease in Bahia from 2000-2015, in total population and by sex and age groups, and by specific causes (ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular diseases, rheumatic heart disease and heart failure). Methods: This was a time series study. Data were obtained from SIM-DATASUS and IBGE, and the 10th […]

Abstract Background: Primary care physicians have difficulty dealing with patients who have HF with preserved LVEF(HFpEF). The prognosis of HFpEF is poor, and difficult to predict on primary care. Objective: The aim of the study is to apply the H2FPEF score to primary care patients and verify its power to assess the risk of death or hospitalization due to cardiovascular disease. Methods: This longitudinal study included 402 individuals, with signs or symptoms of HF, aged≥45 years and, underwent an evaluation […]

Abstract Background Heart failure is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children. Objective To determine the clinical characteristics of children with acute heart failure syndrome in the emergency ward of River state university teaching hospital, Nigeria and identify factors associated with poor outcomes. Methods This was an 18month retrospective review of the acute heart failure register. Poor outcome measures were defined as the persistence of heart failure after 4 days on admission or death. Results Ninety-two (4.1%) of […]

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 […]

Abstract Heart transplantation (HT) is an established treatment for patients with advanced heart failure (HF). Chagas disease (CD), caused by the Trypanosoma cruzi (T.cruzi) is an important cause of HF in Latin America. Considering CD is a chronic infectious disease, the use of immunosuppressive therapy after HT can reactivate T. cruzi infection and compromise outcomes. Early diagnosis and treatment of this complication is extremely important, which requires knowledge, experience, and a high degree of suspicion by transplant physicians. Furthermore, with […]

Abstract The well-known occurrence of Chagas disease in endemic areas has become a worldwide problem, and cardiac magnetic resonance allows the early detection of cardiac involvement and complications of this disease. Cardiac magnetic resonance is a useful tool in all phases of Chagas disease, and new promising techniques using T1 mapping and extracellular volume measurements are able to detect cardiac involvement even earlier than conventional techniques.

Abstract Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) represents the most dramatic course of chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC) and is closely related to the presence of ventricular arrhythmias and heart disease. Although several aspects of ventricular arrhythmias in CCC have been elucidated in the last decades, such as the role of impaired cardiac autonomic modulation reported in pre-clinical studies, important questions remain unresolved regarding these cardiac problems and SCA. The aim of this article is to discuss recent developments in the understanding of […]

To the Editor of the International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences, We have read with interest the Point of View: “Performance of the Rapid Response Systems in Health Care Improvement: Benefits and Perspectives” by Viviane Cordeiro Veiga and Salomón Soriano Ordinola Rojas, published ahead of print in the International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences on April 15, 2019. Rapid response teams to treat trauma patients in Australia 30 years ago, in 1989. From the outset, the aim was to early recognize signs […]

Introduction Infective endocarditis (IE) is one of the first diagnostic hypotheses for patients admitted for acute heart failure and evidence of infection. Blood samples are collected for culture, and empiric, broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy is initiated. Emergent cardiac surgery may be required depending on the severity of the case. These procedures reduce bacteremia and improve clinical condition, which, in turn, may lead to discontinuation of diagnostic investigation in the presence of blood culture-negative endocarditis. Some of these patients, however, will have […]

Abstract A 72-year-old woman was admitted for acute heart failure. The echocardiography revealed moderate depression of the left ventricular ejection fraction. Coronary disease was excluded by coronarography. Cardiac magnetic resonance showed predominantly left ventricular septal hypertrophy and severe depression of the left ventricular systolic function. There was also a bright, multifocal and patchy late gadolinium enhancement with subendocardial, mesocardial and subepicardial involvement, suggestive of sarcoidosis. Biochemical study, thoracic computed tomography and positron emission tomography were inconclusive for extra-cardiac sarcoidosis. Therefore, […]

In the September / October (2020) issue vol. 33(5):589-590 In the article “Declaring Physical Activity as ‘Essential’ During the COVID-19 Pandemic May not be a Good Measure”, with DOI number: , published in the International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences, 33 (5): 589-590, on pages 589-590, in the first paragraph the text was included: “Pandemic?”,” Where it read: […]