Revista portuguesa de cardiologia : orgão oficial da Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia = Portuguese journal of cardiology : an official journal of the Portuguese Society of Cardiology
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Cardiovascular complications are associated with increased mortality and morbidity during the postoperative period, resulting in longer hospital stay and higher treatment costs. ⋯ High-risk surgery, RCRI > or = 2, cTnI levels and SAPS II were predictors of postoperative MCE. Patients with MCE had longer ICU stay and higher mortality rate.
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A growing number of hospitals have implemented the Manchester Triage System (MTS) in their Emergency Department (ED), so as to better prioritize the evaluation of those attending these departments. ⋯ Most patients admitted for ACS are initially triaged as orange or yellow, an indication for prompt assessment in the ED; this has a positive effect on time to first medical assessment, but has no effect on time to hospital admission.
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Bilevel positive pressure (BiPAP) non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is frequently used in our emergency department (ED), as an adjuvant in the treatment of acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema (ACPE) to reduce the need for tracheal intubation (TI) in these patients. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the safety of NIV in patients with ACPE in our ED, used by a group of physicians outside the intensive care unit (ICU), by comparing our results with previously published results. We also wanted to identify possible additional advantages of NIV in the treatment of acpe. ⋯ We observed a statistically significant improvement after one hour of NIV in respiratory and pulse rate, arterial pH, PaCO2 and peripheral blood O2 saturation. Despite the small sample size, these results suggest that it is possible to use NIV in the treatment of ACPE outside the ICU, without increasing the risks of TI or decreasing efficacy. In these cases NIV probably accelerates clinical resolution and relieves symptoms.
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Major depression is found in one fifth of heart failure patients, and clinically significant depressive symptoms in almost half. The association of depression and heart failure appears to be related both to the psychological aspects of severe heart disease, and to pathophysiological and psychosocial mechanisms. The presence of depression is associated with a worsening of the prognosis, and increased risk of death, rehospitalization, and functional decline. ⋯ Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are effective and safe antidepressants in cardiac patients. They should be prescribed in therapeutic doses until sustained remission is obtained. Collaboration between psychiatrists and other specialists at primary and secondary care levels is recommended and contributes to better quality care.
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Previous studies have demonstrated that acute phase hyperglycemia is associated with increased in-hospital mortality in diabetic patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), but this has not been clearly demonstrated in non-diabetic patients. The present study was designed to determine whether admission hyperglycemia (AG) is an independent predictor of in-hospital and six-month mortality after ACS in non-diabetic patients. ⋯ AG is an independent predictive factor of in-hospital death after ACS in non-diabetic patients. Although it did not show an independent association with higher risk of six-month death, AG appears to contribute to it, since the risk is greater the higher the AG. Its predictive value may have been blunted by the insufficient power of the sample and/or by the time interval between acquisition of AG and the evaluated endpoint.