Revista médica de Chile
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Revista médica de Chile · Oct 2001
[The six minute walking test elicits lung hyperinflation in patients with severe chronic obstructive lung disease].
Exercise tolerance in patients with COPD is highly variable and poorly related to airways obstruction assessed by FEV1. These patients develop dynamic hyperinflation (DH) during an incremental exercise test which can be evaluated through a reduction in inspiratory capacity (IC). ⋯ Our results demonstrate that a moderate exercise such as the walking test induces DH and hypoxemia in patients with COPD and FL and stresses the importance of assessing DH by measuring IC in these patients.
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Revista médica de Chile · Oct 2001
Case Reports[Massive pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade as the presentation form of hypothyroidism].
We report a 43 years old female, admitted due to fatigability, asthenia and diffuse abdominal pain. On admission, obesity, slowness of thinking, bradycardia, distention of jugular veins and ascites were observed on physical examination. ⋯ A pericardial tap was performed, draining 350 ml. Thyroid hormone substitution was started and after 12 months of follow up, the heart size decreased and a control echocardiogram showed a minimal pericardial effusion.