Assessing the overall medication use by elderly people in a Brazilian hospital using the start/stopp criteria version 2

To estimate the frequency of the use of medicines listed in the Screening Tool to Alert Doctors to the Right Treatment (START) and Screening Tool of Older Person's Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria version 2 among the elderly. A cross-sectional study was conducted on elderly who were attended in medical clinic and cardiology sectors in a hospital in southern Brazil attended at a hospital from February through September 2016. A data-collection tool was used to obtain information on variables, such as demographic and clinical data, and medications used before and during the hospitalization period. The adequacy of the medicines taken was examined with regard to omission (START) or inappropriate use (STOPP). This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Southern Santa Catarina. A total of 307 subjects were included in the final sample. The mean age was 75.2 years (SD = 8; range 65-102). Of the total, 93.5% had had at least one potential prescribing omission (PPO) listed in the START criteria, whereas 95.4% used at least one medicine of the STOPP criteria. PPO was significantly associated with lower mean age (74.9 years, SD = 7.9 versus 79.0 years, SD = 8.8) among the elderly who did not have PPOs detected by the START criteria (p-value=0.03). Furthermore, PPO was associated with longer hospital stay (18 versus 9 days; p-value=0.03). This study revealed inadequate prescription affecting 99.3% of the participating patients. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first to use the START and STOPP criteria, version 2, in Brazil.

Caracterização do perfil e complicações intra-hospitalares dos pacientes submetidos ao cateterismo cardíaco em um hospital terciário / Profile and in-hospital complications of patients undergoing cardiac catheterization in a tertiary care hospital

OBJETIVOS: Avaliar o perfil dos pacientes submetidos ao cateterismo cardíaco e as complicações intra-hospitalares decorrentes da intervenção. MÉTODOS: Coorte retrospectiva com análise transversal da linha de base realizada no período entre 2007 e 2013, no setor de hemodinâmica de um hospital terciário da região sul do Brasil. O estudo incluiu pacientes submetidos ao cateterismo cardíaco diagnóstico ou terapêutico. Os dados foram extraídos de prontuários eletrônicos por meio de formulário padronizado e armazenados em base de dados para posterior análise. RESULTADOS: Dos 994 pacientes avaliados, 584 (58,8%) eram do gênero masculino. A média de idade foi de 61,4 anos. Hipertensão arterial sistêmica foi o fator de risco mais prevalente, sendo seguida de dislipidemia e diabetes mellitus. Em relação à apresentação clínica, 550 (55,3%) pacientes tinham síndrome coronariana aguda, 402 (40,4%) angina estável e 42 (4,2%) eram assintomáticos. A cineangiocoronariografia foi normal em 152 (15,3%) pacientes, e 842 (84,7%) apresentaram alterações. Destes, 251 (29,8%) apresentaram obstrução de padrão uniarterial, 190 (22,6%) biarterial e 401 (47,6%) triarterial. Verificou-se uma incidência de 15,6% para complicações, sendo que 1% dos pacientes sofreu algum evento maior (morte no procedimento ou complicações neurológicas durante a evolução hospitalar). O restante foi representado por insuficiência renal aguda (1,4%) e complicações vasculares locais (13,2%), principalmente hematoma no local de punção. Durante a internação hospitalar posterior, 50 pacientes (5%) evoluíram para óbito, sendo 46 (92%) mortes por causa cardíaca. CONCLUSÕES: Nesta amostra de pacientes submetidos ao cateterismo cardíaco houve predominância do gênero masculino e a média de idade foi de 61,4 anos. Os fatores de risco para doença cardiovascular mais frequentes foram hipertensão arterial sistêmica, dislipidemia e diabetes mellitus. O padrão de lesão coronariana mais comum foi triarterial. A principal indicação para a realização do procedimento foi síndrome coronariana aguda e a taxa de complicações foi de 15,6%, sendo hematoma no local de punção a complicação com maior incidência.

AIMS: To evaluate the profile of patients undergoing cardiac catheterization and in-hospital complications associated with the procedure. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of a retrospective cohort study conducted in a tertiary care hospital in southern Brazil between 2007 and 2013. The study included patients undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic cardiac catheterization. The data were extracted from electronic medical records using a standardized form and stored in a database for further analysis. RESULTS: Out of 994 assessed patients, 584 (58.8%) were male. The mean age was 61.4 years. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor, followed by dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus. Regarding clinical presentation, 550 (55.3%) patients had acute coronary syndrome, 402 (40.4%) had stable angina, and 42 (4.2%) were asymptomatic. Cineangiography was normal in 152 (15.3%) patients and abnormal in 842 (84.7%). Of these, 251 (29.8%) had single vessel disease, 190 (22.6%) had double vessel disease, and 401 (47.6%) had triple vessel disease. The overall incidence of complications was 15.6%, and 1% of the patients suffered some kind of major event (death during the procedure and neurological complications during their hospital stay). Other complications included acute kidney injury (1.4%) and local vascular complications (13.2%), mainly hematoma at the puncture site. Fifty (5%) patients died during the hospital stay, 46 (92%) of them from cardiac causes. CONCLUSIONS: The patients undergoing cardiac catheterization were predominantly male, with mean age of 61.4 years. The most frequent risk factors for cardiovascular disease included hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus. Most of the patients had triple vessel disease. The main indication for the procedure was acute coronary syndrome. The overall incidence of complications was 15.6% with predominance of hematoma at the puncture site.