Educational interventions to improve inhaler techniques and their impact on asthma and COPD control: a pilot effectiveness-implementation trial / Educação para a melhora da técnica inalatória e seu impacto no controle da asma e DPOC: um estudo piloto de efetividade-intervenção

ABSTRACT To assess the impact that educational interventions to improve inhaler techniques have on the clinical and functional control of asthma and COPD, we evaluated 44 participants before and after such an intervention. There was a significant decrease in the number of errors, and 20 patients (46%) significantly improved their technique regarding prior exhalation and breath hold. In the asthma group, there were significant improvements in the mean FEV1, FVC, and PEF (of 6.4%, 8.6%, and 8.3% respectively). Those improvements were accompanied by improvements in Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test scores but not in Asthma Control Test scores. In the COPD group, there were no significant variations. In asthma patients, educational interventions appear to improve inhaler technique, clinical control, and functional control.

RESUMO Para avaliar o impacto do ensino da técnica inalatória no controle clínico e funcional de pacientes com asma ou DPOC, incluíram-se 44 participantes antes e após essa intervenção. Houve uma diminuição significativa no número de erros cometidos, sendo que 20 pacientes (46%) melhoraram significativamente sua técnica na expiração prévia e apneia final. No grupo asma, houve significativa melhora nas médias de FEV1 (6,4%), CVF (8,6%) e PFE (8,3%), e essa melhora correlacionou-se com os resultados no Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test, mas não com os do Asthma Control Test. No grupo DPOC, não houve variações significativas. O ensino da técnica inalatória parece melhorar seu desempenho e os controles clínico e funcional em pacientes com asma.

The evaluation of sequential platelet counts has prognostic value for acute kidney injury patients requiring dialysis in the intensive care setting

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic value of platelet counts in acute kidney injury patients requiring renal replacement therapy. METHODS: This prospective cohort study was performed in three tertiary-care hospitals. Platelet counts were obtained upon admission to the intensive care unit and during the first week of renal replacement therapy on days 1, 3, 5 and 7. The outcome of interest was the hospital mortality rate. With the aim of minimizing individual variation, we analyzed the relative platelet counts on days 3, 5, 7 and at the point of the largest variation during the first week of renal replacement therapy. Logistic regression analysis was used to test the prognostic value of the platelet counts. RESULTS: The study included 274 patients. The hospital mortality rate was 62%. The survivors had significantly higher platelet counts upon admission to the intensive care unit compared to the non-survivors [175.5×103/mm3 (108.5-259×103/mm3) vs. 148×103/mm3 (80−141×103/mm3)] and during the first week of renal replacement therapy. The relative platelet count reductions were significantly associated with a higher hospital mortality rate compared with the platelet count increases (70% vs. 44% at the nadir, respectively). A relative platelet count reduction >60% was significantly associated with a worse outcome (mortality rate = 82.6%). Relative platelet count variations and the percentage of reduction were independent risk factors of hospital mortality during the first week of renal replacement therapy. CONCLUSION: Platelet counts upon admission to the intensive care unit and at the beginning of renal replacement therapy as well as sequential platelet count evaluation have prognostic value in acute kidney injury patients requiring renal replacement therapy. .

Tireoide ectópica no mediastino anterior: [revisão] / Ectopic thyroid in the anterior mediastinum: [review]

A ectopia de tireoide é rara, e a sua localização no mediastino anterior é excepcional, estando descritos apenas 5 casos nos últimos 30 anos. Os autores apresentam 2 casos clínicos, além de uma revisão da literatura abordando a etiologia, a embriologia e manifestações clínicas de ectopia de tireoide.

Ectopic thyroid is a rare condition, and its location in the anterior mediastinum is even rarer, there having been only 5 reported cases in the past 30 years. Here, we describe 2 clinical cases and present a review of the literature regarding the etiology, embryology and clinical manifestations of ectopic thyroid.

Desempenho de seis modelos de predição prognóstica em pacientes críticos que receberam suporte renal extracorpóreo / Performance of six prognostic scores in critically ILL patients receiving renal replacement therapy

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: Não existe consenso sobre qual modelo prognóstico deva ser utilizado em pacientes com disfunção renal aguda (DRA). O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o desempenho de seis escores de prognóstico em pacientes que necessitaram de suporte renal. MÉTODO: Coorte prospectiva de pacientes internados nas unidades de terapia intensiva (UTI) de três hospitais terciários que necessitaram de suporte renal por DRA durante 32 meses. Foram excluídos os pacientes crônicos em programa de diálise ou com < 24h de internação na UTI. Os dados das primeiras 24h de UTI foram utilizados no cálculo do SAPS II e do APACHE II, e os dados das primeiras 24h de suporte renal foram utilizados no cálculo dos escores LOD, ODIN, Liaño e Mehta. A discriminação foi avaliada através da área sobre a curva ROC (AUROC) e a calibração através do teste do goodness-of-fit de Hosmer-Lemeshow. A letalidade hospitalar foi o desfecho de interesse. RESULTADOS: Quatrocentos e sesseta e sete pacientes foram incluídos e a letalidade hospitalar foi 75 por cento. Os valores dos escores SAPS II, APACHE II e LOD foram 48,5 ± 11,2, 27,4 ± 6,3, 7 (5-8) pontos, respectivamente. A calibração foi adequada para todos os escores, com exceção do Mehta (p = 0,001). Entretanto, a discriminação foi ruim para todos os modelos, com AUROC variando entre 0,60 para o ODIN e 0,72 para o SAPS II e Mehta. Com exceção do Mehta, todos os modelos subestimaram a letalidade. CONCLUSÕES: Todos os seis modelos estudados foram inadequados na predição prognóstica de pacientes graves com DRA e necessidade de suporte renal.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There is no consensus about prognostic scores for use in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of six prognostic scores in predicting hospital mortality in patients with AKI and need for renal replacement therapy (RRT). METHODS: Prospective cohort of patients admitted to the intensive care units (ICU) of three tertiary care hospitals that required RRT for AKI over a 32-month period. Patients with end-stage renal disease and those with ICU stay < 24h were excluded. Data from the first 24h of ICU admission were used to calculate SAPS II and APACHE II scores, and data from the first 24h of RRT were used in the calculation of LOD, ODIN, Liaño and Mehta scores. Discrimination was evaluated using the area under ROC curve (AUROC) and calibration using the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. The hospital mortality was the end-point of interest. RESULTS: 467 patients were evaluated. Hospital mortality rate was 75 percent. Mean SAPS II and APACHE II scores were 48.5 ±11.2 and 27.4 ± 6.3 points, and median LOD score was 7 (5-8) points. Except for Mehta score (p = 0.001), calibration was appropriate in all models. However, discrimination was uniformly unsatisfactory; AUROC ranged from 0.60 for ODIN to 0.72 for SAPS II and Mehta scores. In addition, except for Mehta, all models tended to underestimate hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Organ dysfunction, general and renal-specific severity-of-illness scores were inaccurate in predicting outcome in ICU patients in need for RRT.

Effects of early changes in organ dysfunctions on the outcomes of critically ill patients in need of renal replacement therapy

INTRODUCTION: Acute kidney injury usually develops in critically ill patients in the context of multiple organ dysfunctions. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of changes in associated organ dysfunctions over the first three days of renal replacement therapy on the outcomes of patients with acute kidney injury. METHODS: Over a 19-month period, we evaluated 260 patients admitted to the intensive care units of three tertiary-care hospitals who required renal replacement therapy for > 48 h. Organ dysfunctions were evaluated by SOFA score (excluding renal points) on the first (D1) and third (D3) days of renal replacement therapy. Absolute (A-SOFA) and relative (D-SOFA) changes in SOFA scores were also calculated. RESULTS: Hospital mortality rate was 75 percent. Organ dysfunctions worsened (A-SOFA>0) in 53 percent, remained unchanged (A-SOFA=0) in 17 percent and improved (A-SOFA<0) in 30 percent of patients; and mortality was lower in the last group (80 percent vs. 84 percent vs. 61 percent, p=0.003). SOFA on D1 (p<0.001), SOFA on D3 (p<0.001), A-SOFA (p=0.019) and D-SOFA (p=0.016) were higher in non-survivors. However, neither A-SOFA nor D-SOFA discriminated survivors from non-survivors on an individual basis. Adjusting for other covariates (including SOFA on D1), A-SOFA and D-SOFA were associated with increased mortality, and patients in whom SOFA scores worsened or remained unchanged had poorer outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to baseline values, early changes in SOFA score after the start of renal replacement therapy were associated with hospital mortality. However, no prognostic score should be used as the only parameter to predict individual outcomes.

Comparing strategies to prevent extracorporeal circuit coagulation in continuous renal replacement therapies: role of citrate anticoagulation / Estratégias de prevenção de coagulação do circuito extra-corpóreo em procedimentos contínuos de suporte renal: papel da anticoagulação regional com citrato

Introduction: One important limitation of CRRT is the need of anticoagulation. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of three strategies to avoidcircuit coagulation in CRRT. Methods: Three strategies were analyzed: saline flushes, systemic anticoagulation with enoxaparin and regionalanticoagulation with citrate. Results: A total of 263 membranes used in 72 patients were evaluated. There were 61 (23%) membranes in the citrate group,23 (9%) in the enoxaparin group and 179 (68%) in the saline group. Median lifetime of membranes in the citrate group [48 (27-78) hours] was significantly higher than both of those in the enoxaparin [33 (23-48) hours, p=0.016] and in the saline group [30 (21-61) hours, p=0.008]. There were no difference between lifetimes of membranes in the enoxaparin and saline groups (p=0.604). With the exception of two patients presenting with mild metabolic alkalosis, there were no complication related to the use of citrate. Conclusions: Regional citrate anticoagulation was associated with an increased circuit lifetime incomparison with enoxaparin and saline flushes. With appropriate metabolic monitoring, this method is safe and may become a standard strategy ofanticoagulation in CRRT, even in patients with lower risks of hemorrhagic complications.

Introdução/Objetivos: A necessidade de anticoagulação do circuito extra-corpóreo é uma limitação importante à utilização de procedimentos contínuosde suporte renal (PCSR). O objetivo do presente estudo foi comparar o efeito de três estratégias de prevenção de coagulação em PCSR. Métodos: Trêsestratégias foram analisadas: lavagem com solução salina 0.9%, anticoagulação sistêmica com enoxaparina e anticoagulação regional com citrato. Resultados: Um total de 263 membranas utilizadas em 72 pacientes foi avaliado: 61 membranas (23%) no grupo citrato, 23 (9%) no grupo enoxaparina e 179 (68%) no grupo salina. A meia vida das membranas no grupo citrato [48 (27-78) horas] foi significantemente maior que a do grupo enoxaparina [33(23-48) hours, p=0.016] e salina 0,9% [30 (21-61) hours, p=0.008]. Não observamos diferença significante entre as meias-vidas das membranas no grupoenoxaparina e salina 0.9% (p=0.604). Com a exceção de dois pacientes que apresentaram discreta alcalose metabólica, não observamos complicações relacionadas ao uso do citrato. Conclusões: A anticoagulação regional com citrato esteve associada a uma maior meia vida do circuito extra-corpóreo quando comparada à anticoagulação com enoxaparina e ao uso de lavagem com solução salina 0.9%. Esse método de anticoagulação em PCSR é seguro e pode se tornar a opção de escolha, mesmo em pacientes com baixo risco de complicações hemorrágicas.

Doença renal macroglobulinemia de Waldenstrõm / Waldenstrom mscroglobulinemia in the chronic renal insufficiency

Hipertensão grave e insuficiência renal não-oligúrica se desenvolveram em homem branco de 69 anos de idade. Biopsia renal mostrou glomérulos com luzes capilares ocluídas por trombos hialinos. O exame à microscopia de imunofluorescência mostrou deposição globular focal deIgM associada predominantemente a deposição de Kappa light-chain. As características imunológicas da proteína plasmática anormal e os achadoshistológicos permitiram o diagnóstico de macroglobulinemia de Waldenstrõm acompanhada por insuficiência renal crônica

Anatomia endodôntica incomum: o canal em forma de "C" / Unusual root canal morphology: the C-shaped canal

Os autores relatam o tratamento endodôntico bem sucedido de um segundo molar inferior que apresenta uma variaçäo anatômica relativamente incomum, conhecida como "canal em C"