Revista española de cardiología (English ed.)
-
Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed) · Jan 2013
A campaign for information and diagnosis of atrial fibrillation: "pulse week".
Atrial fibrillation occurs in 5%-15% of elderly patients and causes one-fourth to one-fifth of all cerebrovascular events. These patients are frequently asymptomatic. We conducted a public campaign aiming to evaluate the effectiveness of a program for information on and diagnosis of atrial fibrillation in individuals aged 65 years old or more from the primary care perspective. ⋯ A public, 5-day campaign based on pulse palpation and targeting elderly individuals had little impact on the detection of new cases of atrial fibrillation in our environment.
-
Oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry is commonly used for monitoring critical patients, but its utility as a diagnostic marker of acute heart failure has not been assessed. This study analyzed the diagnostic role of oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry in a series of patients with acute myocardial infarction. ⋯ Baseline oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry is useful in establishing the diagnosis and severity of heart failure in acute settings such as myocardial infarction and may have prognostic implications.The diagnosis may be suspected when baseline oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry is <93. Full English text available from:www.revespcardiol.org.