Evaluación prospectiva de la venografía mediante angioTC en el diagnóstico de enfermedad tromboembólica / Diagnostic yield of CT pulmonary angiography and venography for thromboembolic disease

Background: CT pulmonary angiography is the diagnostic procedure of choice for non-massive pulmonary embolism. Aim: To assess the diagnostic yield for thromboembolic disease of CT pulmonary angiography and venography using a 64- slice multidetector tomography. Material and Methods: Prospective study of patients with a clinical suspicion of thromboembolic disease, subjected to CT pulmonary angiography and venography. The presence and location of pulmonary thromboembolism, of isolated or concomitant deep venous thrombosis and of other significant radiological findings, were registered. Results: A 64-MDCT scanner was performed to 893 patients and thromboembolic disease was demonstrated in 240. Pulmonary thromboembolism was diagnosed in 218 patients. It was concomitant with deep venous thrombosis in 79 patients (36 percent) and isolated in the rest. Thirty fve of the 218 patients with pulmonary thromboembolism had radiological evidence of right ventricular overload. Twenty two patients (10 percent) had an isolated deep venous thrombosis. In 65 patients with pulmonary thromboembolism (30 percent) a possibly new or old malignant lesion, was observed. Seventy one of 653 patients without evidence of thromboembolic disease had potentially pathological findings on CT. Conclusions: The combined use of CT pulmonary arteriography and venography using a 64 MDCT scanner increases the diagnostic yield of the procedure for thromboembolic disease. It also allows the diagnosis of other related conditions, specially malignant tumors.

Edema pulmonar agudo por uso de tiazidas, ¿existe falla cardíaca?: Comunicación de un caso / Thiazide induced acute pulmonary edema: Report of one case

Acute pulmonary edema caused by thiazides is uncommon and of difficult diagnosis. It is considered an idiosyncratic reaction and the physiopathology or cardiac function changes are not well known. We report a 60 year-old female with a thiazide induced acute pulmonary edema who was followed with serial measurements of type B n-terminal natriuretic peptide fraction as marker for cardiac dysfunction. There was a significant elevation of the peptide, not associated to evidences of ventricular dysfunction. Its normalization paralleled the resolution of the clinical picture.

Estrés oxidativo en el paciente crítico / Oxidative stress in critically ill patients

Among critically ill patients, several physio-pathological processes such as global and local hypo-perfusion, hypoxia, endothelial injury and acidosis have been associated with the production and release of large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in a non regulated fashion. Although in physiologic conditions ROS influence intracellular processes and participate in the defense against infectious organism, in critically ill conditions they are associated with potential oxidative damage over cellular structures and with persistent activation of the inflammatory response. Mechanisms associated with oxidative damage are activation of the macrophage-monocyte system and neutrophils, ischemia-reperfusion events and intracellular ROS production. Endogenous compounds, mainly enzymes, and dietary components act as antioxidant. Several studies show that in critically ill patients increase levels of ROS or reduction of antioxidant levels are related to disease severity. In animal models of critical diseases, antioxidant therapy has shown to reduce mortality. Nevertheless, there are few studies in humans that only show improvements in hemodynamic variables, reduction in inflammatory mediators levels, decreases in oxidized compounds and that suggest a lower incidence of multiple organ failure.