Programa de tamizaje universal e intervención precoz (PTUIP) en hipoacusia sensorioneural bilateral congénita: Tarea pendiente desde la perspectiva de políticas públicas de salud en Chile / Universal screening program and early intervention (uspei) in congenital bilateral sensorineural hearing loss in Chile

Congenital hearing loss is the total or partial inability to hear sounds through the ears. It is the most common disability in newborns in Chile and worldwide, and is a permanent condition. The direct impact on children who are not adequately diagnosed is the alteration in acquisition of language and cognitive skills and a decline in their social and school insertion, jeopardizing their professional and potentially productive life. Universal screening programs for hearing loss are essential for the diagnosis, since 50% of infants with hearing loss have no known risk factor. Screening before one month of age, confirmation before 3 months, and effective intervention before 6 months, allows the development of these children as if they had normal hearing. In Chile there is a selective program of screening for infants aged less than 32 weeks or 1,500 grams, as part of Explicit Health Guarantees, but it covers only 0.9% of newborns per year. Therefore, a large majority of children remain without diagnosis. The aim of this review is to compare the situation in Chile with other countries, raising the need to move towards a universal neonatal hearing loss screening program, and propose necessary conditions in terms of justification and implementation of a universal screening public policy.

Consultas por dolor torácico en el servicio de urgencia hospitalario de una comunidad rural, Llay-Llay 2005-2007 / Consultations with pain as presenting complaint at the emergency unit of a rural community hospital in Llay-Llay, between 2005 and 2007

El dolor torácico es una de las causas más frecuentes de consulta servicios de urgencia. Engloba causas banales y otras potencialmente mortales como las cardiovasculares. Material y Método: Estudio descriptivo transversal. Se utilizaron fichas de atención y protocolos Auge de dolor torácico en consultantes por esta causa entre enero de 2005 y diciembre de 2007, en el servicio de urgencia del Hospital San Francisco de Llay-Llay. Resultados: Sobre un total de 957 pacientes, el 48,6 por ciento correspondió al sexo masculino y un 51,3 por ciento al sexo femenino, con una media de edad de 50,16 años. Los diagnósticos más prevalentes fueron la costocondritis (37,5 por ciento), trastorno ansioso (10,8 por ciento), precordalgia inespecífica (8,5 por ciento), crisis hipertensiva (6,6 por ciento) y angina inestable (3,6 por ciento). Cabe destacar un 2,4 por ciento de casos de infarto agudo del miocardio, de los cuales el 73,9 por ciento pertenecía al sexo masculino. Los principales factores de riesgo fueron la hipertensión arterial (39,7 por ciento), obesidad (32,7 por ciento) y tabaquismo (28,42 por ciento). El consumo de sustancias se objetivó en un 33,99 por ciento, principalmente alcohol y en el sexo masculino. La hospitalización alcanzó un 11,8 por ciento, principalmente hombres de entre 61-80 años de edad, cuyo diagnóstico principal correspondió a la esfera cardiovascular. Conclusión: En la gran mayoría de los casos el dolor torácico no representa gravedad, pero es fundamental descartar enfermedades serias, especialmente en pacientes con factores de riesgo. El diagnóstico y tratamiento oportuno deben basarse en un alto grado de sospecha del médico de urgencias, que cuenta con escasas herramientas, para lograr un diagnóstico específico y oportuno para mejorar el pronóstico de los pacientes que consultan por dolor torácico.

Chest pain is one of the most common presenting complaint at the emergency units. It includes banal and potentially lethal causes such as cardiovascular ones. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study. Medical care records and AUGE protocols for chest pain in patients with chest pain as chief complaint attending the emergency unit at the Hospital San Francisco de LLay-Llay between January 2005 and December 2007 were used. Results: Of a total of 957 patients, 48,69 percent were males and 51,3 percent were females, with a mean age of 50,16 years. The most prevalent diagnoses were costochondritis (37,5 percent); anxiety disorder (10,8 percent); non-specific precordialgia (8,5 percent), hypertensive crisis (6,6 percent) and unstable angina(3,6 percent). It is noteworthy that 2,4 percent were acute myocardial infarction cases, of which 73,9 percent occurred in males. The main risk factors were high blood pressure (39,7 percent), obesity (32,7 percent) and smoking (28,42 percent). Substance consumption was evidenced in 33,99 percent, mainly involving alcohol and occurring in males. Hospital admission reached 11,8 percent, involving mainly males aged between 61and 80, with diagnoses of cardiovascular conditions. Conclusion: In the great majority of the cases chest pain did not represent a severe condition, however it is critical to rule out serious diseases, particularly in patients with risk factors. Timely diagnosis and treatment should be based on a high degree of suspicion from the emergency unit physician, who has seldom tools to attain a specific and timely diagnosis that will enable the improvement of the prognosis of patients attending with chest pain as chief complaint.