Rev Esp Cardiol
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Heart failure (HF) and sleep-disordered breathing are conditions highly prevalent in the general population that often co-exist in the same patient. Epidemiological and pathophysiological studies indicate that there may be a causal link between sleep-disordered breathing and HF with either left ventricular systolic dysfunction or preserved ejection fraction. ⋯ Although there are no available data to indicate that treating sleep-disordered breathing in HF patients reduce cardiac mortality, several studies demonstrate a significant improvement in structural and functional cardiovascular parameters. This review focuses on the clinical and epidemiological bases, the pathophysiological mechanisms and the therapeutic implications between HF and sleep apnea-hypopnea syndromes.
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The incidence of myocardial infarction in Spain is low, and mortality has been decreasing over the last few decades. The objective of this study was to analyze trends in myocardial infarction mortality, incidence, attack rates, and 28-day case-fatality attack rates between 1990 and 1999 in the general population aged 35-74 years in Girona, Spain. ⋯ Myocardial infarction incidence and mortality rates were low in the general population aged 35-64 years. Rates improved in men aged 35-64 years during the period 1990-1999, but not in those aged 65-74 years, which indicates that a combination of primary and secondary prevention has increased the age at which a myocardial infarction or its recurrence is observed. Rates in woman were lower and did not change during the study period.
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Comparative Study
[Sedentary lifestyle: physical activity duration versus percentage of energy expenditure].
To compare different definitions of a sedentary lifestyle and to determine which is the most appropriate for demonstrating its relationship with the metabolic syndrome and other cardiovascular risk factors. ⋯ Given that it is relatively easy to determine whether a patient performs less than 25 minutes of physical activity per day, use of this definition of a sedentary lifestyle is recommended for clinical practice. The serum paraoxonase activity level could provide a useful marker for studying sedentary lifestyles.
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Contemporary atrial pacemakers incorporate pacing modes for treating atrial arrhythmias. Because atrial fibrillation in the right atrium can exhibit an organized pattern, it can be difficult to differentiate from atrial flutter. We assessed criteria for discriminating between atrial flutter and organized atrial fibrillation when using a bipolar electrode in the right atrium. ⋯ Cycle length was better than the variation in cycle length for differentiating atrial flutter from organized atrial fibrillation.
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The aim of this study was to analyze the patterns of investigator and institutional collaboration in papers published in the Revista Española de Cardiología. ⋯ An analysis of collaboration networks led to the identification of a number of author networks in cardiovascular medicine in Spain, and highlighted the interrelationships between them in terms of both scientific research and scientific publications. The most significant aspect of institutional collaboration was the predominance of collaboration within institutions and within Spanish autonomous regions (i.e., 80.57% of collaborations). Possible topics for future study include an analysis of the scientific productivity of the networks identified and of changes in the pattern of collaboration over time.