Impacto de las asincronías en el pronóstico del paciente bajo ventilación mecánica invasiva / Prognosis impact of the asynchronies in the mechanical ventilated patient / Impacto das assincronias no prognóstico do paciente com ventilação mecânica invasiva

Resumen: La ventilación mecánica es común en pacientes críticos. La asincronía paciente-ventilador existe cuando las fases de la respiración administradas por el ventilador no coinciden con las del paciente. Las asincronías son frecuentes e infradiagnosticadas, éstas se han asociado con desenlaces desfavorables como son: mayor duración de ventilación mecánica, estancia en la unidad de terapia intensiva, mortalidad, incomodidad del paciente, alteraciones del sueño y disfunción diafragmática. Esta revisión describe los desenlaces adversos reportados que se han asociado a la presencia de asincronías en pacientes adultos bajo ventilación mecánica invasiva. La evidencia actual sugiere que el mejor enfoque para manejar las asincronías es ajustar la configuración del ventilador y mejorar su detección. Si bien la mayoría de la evidencia proviene de estudios observacionales y ensayos clínicos aleatorizados realizados en poblaciones heterogéneas y con un número limitado de pacientes, los resultados sugieren desenlaces desfavorables clínicamente significativos en los pacientes que experimentan un índice de asincronía elevado. Por lo anterior, es necesario generar mayor evidencia en este tópico.

Abstract: Mechanical ventilation is common in critically ill patients. Patient-ventilator asynchrony exists when the breathing phases administered by the ventilator do not match those of the patient. They are frequent but underdiagnosed, and have been associated with worse outcomes because they negatively affect patient comfort, length of mechanical ventilation, length of stay in the intensive care unit and mortality. This review describes the negative outcomes associated with the presence of asynchronies in adult patients with invasive mechanical ventilation. Current evidence suggests that the best approach to handle asynchronies is to adjust the fan settings and improve the quality of detection. While most of this evidence comes from observational studies and randomized clinical trials which were done with heterogeneous populations and a limited number of patients, the results suggest less favorable clinically significant outcomes in patients with asynchronies. So it is necessary to generate more evidence in this topic.

Resumo: A ventilação mecânica é comum em pacientes críticos. A assincronia paciente-ventilador existe quando as fases da respiração fornecida pelo ventilador não coincidem com as do paciente. As assincronas são frequentes e subdiagnosticadas, tendo sido associadas a desfechos desfavoráveis como: maior tempo de ventilação mecânica, permanência em unidade de terapia intensiva, mortalidade, desconforto do paciente, distúrbios do sono e disfunção diafragmática. Esta revisão descreve os resultados adversos relatados que foram associados à presença de assincronia em pacientes adultos sob ventilação mecânica invasiva. A evidência atual sugere que a melhor abordagem para gerenciar assincronias é ajustar as configurações do ventilador e melhorar a detecção do ventilador. Embora a maioria das evidências provenha de estudos observacionais e ensaios clínicos randomizados conduzidos em populações heterogêneas e com um número limitado de pacientes, os resultados sugerem resultados clinicamente desfavoráveis significativos em pacientes que apresentam uma alta taxa de assincronia. Portanto, é necessário gerar mais evidências sobre este tema.

Impact of comorbidities in mexican SARS-COV-2-positive patients: a retrospective analysis in a national cohort

ABSTRACT Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak is a significant challenge for health-care systems around the world. Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the impact of comorbidities on the case fatality rate (CFR) and the development of adverse events in patients positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the Mexican population. Materials and methods: We analyzed the data from 13,842 laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 patients in Mexico between January 1, 2020, and April 25, 2020. We investigated the risk of death and the development of adverse events (hospitalization, pneumonia, orotracheal intubation, and intensive care unit [ICU] admission), comparing the number of comorbidities of each patient. Results: The patient mean age was 46.6 ± 15.6 years, 42.3% (n = 5853) of the cases were women, 38.8% of patients were hospitalized, 4.4% were intubated, 29.6% developed pneumonia, and 4.4% had critical illness. The CFR was 9.4%. The risk of hospitalization (odds ratio [OR] = 3.1, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.7-3.7), pneumonia (OR = 3.02, 95% CI: 2.6-3.5), ICU admission (OR = 2, 95% CI: 1.5-2.7), and CFR (hazard ratio = 3.5, 95% CI: 2.9-4.2) was higher in patients with three or more comorbidities than in patients with 1, 2, or with no comorbidities. Conclusions: The number of comorbidities may be a determining factor in the clinical course and its outcomes in SARS-CoV-2-positive patients.

Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients diagnosed with covid-19 in a tertiary care center in Mexico City: a prospective cohort study

ABSTRACT Background: Regional information regarding the characteristics of patients with coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 is needed for a better understanding of the pandemic. Objective: The objective of the study to describe the clinical features of COVID-19 patients diagnosed in a tertiary-care center in Mexico City and to assess differences according to the treatment setting (ambulatory vs. hospital) and to the need of intensive care (IC). Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort, including consecutive patients with COVID-19 from February 26, 2020 to April 11, 2020. Results: We identified 309 patients (140 inpatients and 169 outpatients). The median age was 43 years (interquartile range, 33-54), 59.2% men, and 18.6% healthcare workers (12.3% from our center). The median body mass index (BMI) was 29.00 kg/m2 and 39.6% had obesity. Compared to outpatients, inpatients were older, had comorbidities, cough, and dyspnea more frequently. Twenty-nine (20.7%) inpatients required treatment in the IC unit (ICU). History of diabetes (type 1 or 2) and abdominal pain were more common in ICU patients compared to non-ICU patients. ICU patients had higher BMIs, higher respiratory rates, and lower room-air capillary oxygen saturations. ICU patients showed a more severe inflammatory response as assessed by white blood cell count, neutrophil and platelet count, C-reactive protein, ferritin, procalcitonin, and albumin levels. By the end of the study period, 65 inpatients had been discharged because of improvement, 70 continued hospitalized, and five had died. Conclusions: Patients with comorbidities, either middle-age obese or elderly complaining of fever, cough, or dyspnea, were more likely to be admitted. At admission, patients with diabetes, high BMI, and clinical or laboratory findings consistent with a severe inflammatory state were more likely to require IC.

Primera crisis epiléptica en pacientes adultos / First seizures in adult patients

Resumen: Una primera crisis epiléptica en pacientes adultos es un problema común en la práctica clínica y su manejo representa un desafío para los médicos. El objetivo de esta revisión es proporcionar un abordaje clínico sistemático para la clasificación, diagnóstico y tratamiento de los pacientes que han experimentado una primera crisis porque ello podría auxiliar al clínico a reconocer y tratar apropiadamente esta afección. Debido a que una primera crisis puede tener diversas causas, es esencial identificar si el evento correspondió a una crisis provocada (sintomática aguda) o no provocada. Por tanto, la clasificación adecuada de la crisis es fundamental para establecer la duración del abordaje diagnóstico, la necesidad de una intervención terapéutica y el pronóstico en cada caso. Los pacientes diagnosticados con una crisis única no provocada requieren la realización de un electroencefalograma y una resonancia magnética para estimar el riesgo de recurrencia e identificar a los pacientes que cumplen criterios diagnósticos de epilepsia. Asimismo, se recomienda individualizar el tratamiento con fármacos antiepilépticos para reducir el riesgo de recurrencia temprana (≤ 2 años), debido a que esto puede producir efectos adversos. Por último, señalamos algunas áreas de incertidumbre para incentivar la investigación a futuro en este tema.

Abstract: First seizures in adult patients are a common problem in clinical practice, and their management represents a challenge for physicians. The aim of this review is to develop a systematic clinical approach for the classification, diagnosis and treatment of patients who have experienced a first seizure, which could help clinicians to recognize and treat this condition appropriately. Because these seizures can arise from several etiologies, it is essential to know if the event was a provoked (acute symptomatic) or an unprovoked seizure. Thus, an adequate classification is of utmost importance to establish the length of the diagnosis approach, the necessary treatment and the individual prognosis. Patients diagnosed with a single unprovoked seizure require an electroencephalogram and a brain magnetic resonance imaging to assess the risk of recurrence as well as to identify those patients who meet the diagnosis criteria for epilepsy. We recommend individualized antiepileptic drug therapy to reduce early seizure recurrence (≤ 2 years), even if it can produce some adverse effects. Finally, there are still certain areas of uncertainty to promote future research in this topic.

Regional changes in central noradrenaline levels after X-irradiation at birth

La inyección neonatal de nerutóxicos a roedores produce cambios permanentes en los niveles centrales de noradrenalina (NA). Estos cambios se asocian a una hiperinervación del tallo encefálico (BS) y cerebelo (CE) y a una hipoinvervación de la corteza cerebral (CO) y médula espinal (SC). El sistema nervioso central en desarrollo de los mamíferos es sensible a los rayos-X. El objetivo de este trabajo fue estudiar los efectos de una dosis de radiación-X en ratas neonatas sobre los niveles centrales de NA, evaluados post-nacimiento. La cabeza de los animales fue expuesta a 200, 500 ó 700 rad (SC no irradiada) en las 24 h luego del nacimiento. Fueron sacrificados a los 30, 90, 185 ó 390 días de edad y se separon las siguientes regiones: BS, CO, CE, SC y el "resto del encéfalo" (RB). La NA se aisló por adsorción en columnas de alúnina y se determinó por métodos fluorométrico. A los 30 días, la NA del BS se incrementó luego de 200 (173 % del control), 500 (205.9%) y 700 rad (188.2%), retornando a los valores del control alrededor del día 90. Luego de 500 rad se produjo un aumento persistente en la concentración de NA tanto en CE como en RB, inclusive evaluada al día 390: 220% y 170.3%, respectivamente. Asimismo, 700 rad determinaron un incremento permanente en la concentración de NA del CE: 186.7%, determinada en el día 390. Una atrofia persistente del CE fue inducida tanto por 500 (78.4% del control) como por 700 rad (39.1%), pesado en el día 390. Las dos dois mayores produjeron una...