Ser agente de salud y el cuidado humanitario. Contribuyendo a su transformación / Being a health agent and the humanitarian care. Con- tributing to its transformation

El cuidado humanitario es un acto del ser, susceptible de evolucionar y conformar una unidad de cuidado a la salud con calidad para todos y requiere también de cuidado para no perder su valor de sentido positivo. Conciliar teoría y práctica no es simple, sino complejo. En este artículo se propone atender la relación Agente de Salud­Paciente por ser universal y congruente con el cambio. El enfoque epistemológico puntualiza lo positivo, lo acumulado en la historia no puede desaparecer del presente. La respuesta es integración, hacer coincidir las ciencias formales, con las sociales, humanas y la tecnología. El apoyo cultural es vital, la educación es sólo parte y convoca a construir el nuevo paradigma; al invocarlo se superan las acciones ineficaces. El acto preventivo es a todos los niveles, sea del hospital, la escuela, la comunidad el hogar y la comunidad entera. La Enfermería del futuro, con su desarrollo teórico, contribuye al cambio, del cuidado reduccionista al integral y humanitario. Se propone reforzar la atención al desempeño del Agente de Salud y orientarlo con la disposición Humanitaria. El tema profundiza en el conocimiento del cuidado y le concierne a todo profesional de la salud.

The humanitarian care is an act, the being who may evolve and transformed into a quality unit for everybody's health care. Requires attention, good care, and not to lose the sense of positive value. Must reconcile theory and practice which is not so simple, it is rather complex. We propose to address the Relationship of Health Agent - Patient to a universal approach consistent with the changing nature. The epistemological approach points out the positive sense. The history accumulated knowledge cannot fail at the present time. The answer is integration, to combine formal sciences with social and human, as well as technology. The cultural support is vital for education and is part of it, calls for the build the new paradigm. To invoke it is sufficient to avoid ineffectiveness. The preventive act is at all levels, whether in hospital, school, community, home and the entire community. The future nursing, with the care models, should contribute to shift from the reductionist care to the humanitarian care. Let us reinforce the Health Agent performance and guide it towards a Humanitarian Care. The issue analyzes the care knowledge and is of every health server concern.

Un enfoque epistemológico en la esfigmomanometría / Epistemological focus on sphygmomanometry

In the XVIII century, the English naturalist Stephen Hales started to apply blood sphygmomanometry in animals. Direct recording of the blood pressure was first applied, in the XIX century, by AE Chauveau and JLM Poiseuille. However, it was not until 1856 that it was possible to perform a direct determination of blood pressure in humans by means of a device designed by Faivre. The first sphygmomanometer appeared at the end of the XIX century. The physician Samuel K. von Basch, native of Prague and who lived a few years in Mexico, fabricated successively three models of sphygmomanometers. The first (1881), with a mercury column, proved to be the most practical and useful. This instrument inspired the sphygmomanometer of the Italian physician Scipione Riva-Rocci who presented it in 1896. His sphygmomanometer, supported on the Vierordt principle, could measure manometrically the force needed to stop the pulse wave. Thanks to the research of Russian physician N. Korotkoff, the auscultatory method was added to sphygmomanometry. During the XX century other instruments to measure blood pressure were fabricated: the Pachon's and Plesch's oscillometers, as well as the aneroid manometer. On the other side, the use of direct tensional recordings has subsisted which has allowed to document the wide oscillations of arterial pressure levels during the day. Anyway, the sphygmomanometer with a mercury column has persisted until the present and will still be used for a long time. A new evolving methodology is the continuous ambulatory sphygmomanometry.

[Reconstructive surgery of the mitral valve. Experience with 400 cases]. / Cirugía reconstructiva mitral. Experiencia de 400 casos.

From january 1980 to december 1992 a total of 400 valvulopathies were subjected to conservative mitral procedures: 364 had rheumatic heart disease, 33 were congenital abnormalities and 3 probably myxomatous. Functional class and the cardiomegaly, were in grade III and IV in most cases. Different procedures were done; the most common one was commisurotomy, also subvalvular apparatus opening, annuloplasty ring and a newly designed procedure called "Tension Stitch". The results were satisfactory, with a reoperation rate of 9.2%, mostly caused by fibrosis which in turn caused dysfunction. A second cause were technical problems. The mortality rate was 2%, and was not caused by the procedure itself but because of bad clinical status of the patients. The follow up period was 13 years and showed an actuarial survival curve of 98%, with 90.8% free of reoperation and a very good post-op quality of life. We present this analysis in a effort to bring this procedure to the attention of cardiac surgeons, considering it as an alternative to prosthesis placement.

[Diversity in studies of the prevalence of systemic arterial hypertension]. / Diversidad en los estudios de prevalencia de hipertensión arterial sistémica.

To evaluate the information about prevalence of hypertension at a national level, several articles published either within or outside Mexico from 1933 to 1995 were reviewed. Variables about criteria and methodology were considered: the BP readings, method used, cutting points to define hypertension, year for screen. There were 30 papers out of 7 states, 16 reporting the Federal District of Mexico, 3 from Jalisco, 3 from Yucatán and 2 from Tamaulipas, there was only one referring to the State of Mexico, one to Veracruz, one to Michoacán and another referring to Mexicans in USA; as whole population there were two, one by the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social and another by Secretaría de Salud. A wide variation in prevalence was found (0.47 to 30.9%) mainly attributed to different sampling, measurements and reporting methodology. Few information was disclosed regarding female and elderly populations. The trend is slightly increasing, as expected accordingly to other information sources, but the problem might actually be masked by bias interference. Most of the studies performed have contributed so far to explore the gross prevalence, but may not reach scientific evidence to base evaluations of preventive interventions. The problem may not just be happening in this country. Variability may be partially controlled following the international recommendations to record arterial blood pressure, but still, there is a lack of recommendations to uniform epidemiological reports. Otherwise the values of hypertension prevalence may not be useful for hypertension surveillance.

Diagnostic electrocardiography in epidemiological studies of Chagas' disease: multicenter evaluation of a standardized method.

An electrocardiographic recording method with an associated reading guide, designed for epidemiological studies on Chagas' disease, was tested to assess its diagnostic reproducibility. Six cardiologists from five countries each read 100 electrocardiographic (ECG) tracings, including 30 from chronic chagasic patients, then reread them after an interval of 6 months. The readings were blind, with the tracings numbered randomly for the first reading and renumbered randomly for the second reading. The physicians, all experienced in interpreting ECGs from chagasic patients, followed printed instructions for reading the tracings. Reproducibility of the readings was evaluated using the kappa (kappa) index for concordance. The results showed a high degree of interobserver concordance with respect to the diagnosis of normal vs. abnormal tracings (kappa = 0.66; SE 0.02). While the interpretations of some categories of ECG abnormalities were highly reproducible, others, especially those having a low prevalence, showed lower levels of concordance. Intraobserver concordance was uniformly higher than interobserver concordance. The findings of this study justify the use by specialists of the recording of readings method proposed for epidemiological studies on Chagas' disease, but warrant caution in the interpretation of some categories of electrocardiographic alterations.

[Arterial hypertension and other coronary risk factors in primary care]. / La hipertensión arterial y otros factores de riesgo coronario en la atención del primer nivel.

This paper is about the effort to measure the assistance load at the first level of attention given by arterial hypertension and care risk factors. It is been worked as a demonstration project to initiate activities within the setting of a Health Center. The risk factors are explored from the proportions of patients with the problems of obesity, smoking, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus and alcoholism. The information was obtained from 395 consecutive cases out of 1100 persons who came to the center in a month period. They were 325 women (82.2%) and 70 men (17.2%) with a range of 18 to 85 years, average 40 +/- 17 and a median of 36. Obesity was encountered in 35.7% in men and 48.8% in women. Diabetes was found in 9.1% both sexes. Hypercholesterolemia > 200 mg/dl in 30.4% and > 240 mg/dl in 19.6%. Alcohol abuse was encountered in 14%, 9.2% in women and 37.7% in men. Smoking was present in 22.3% of them, 16.3% in women and 50% in men. High blood pressure > 140/90 mm Hg or hypertension history was present in 21% of the cases. Controlled cases were 6.6%. In the whole group 34% showed at least one risk factor, 57% showed two factors and 66% showed three factors. Therefore, the best estimate of assistance load, on the fight of risk factors associated to hypertension should not consider less than 70% among the regular subjects coming to this health center.

[Therapeutic effectiveness of anticoagulation in acute myocardial infarction: a case-control study]. / Efectividad terapéutica de la anticoagulación en el infarto agudo del miocardio: un estudio de casos y controles.

The main aim was to assess the role of anticoagulant therapy (AT) in reducing the mortality for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). A pair-matched case-control study was designed according to three confounding factors: gender, age (+/- 5 years), and hospitalization date (+/- 13 months). Cases were defined as patients with AMI who died during hospitalization and controls were those patients with AMI who survived. Excluded from the study were patients with strong indications or contraindications for use of AT, and also those with early death (less than 12 hr). The study undertaken at the National Institute of Cardiology "Ignacio Chávez" of Mexico City and all necessary information was obtained from clinical charts of patients discharged between the period from January 1, 1975 to December 31, 1985. Complete information was accomplished for 212 pairs of cases and controls. A protective odds ratio (favoring use of AT) = 12.1 (p less than 0.0001, 95% CI 4.2-34.9) was obtained by means of a multiple logistic regression analysis by conditional method. Other variables that entered into the logistic model were: antithrombotic therapy, severity measured by Killip scale and by Norris index. Such findings support the favorable therapeutic role of AT in patients with AMI.

[Arterial blood pressure in various groups in the urban population of Morelia City]. / Valores de la presión arterial en diversos grupos de población urbana de la ciudad de Morelia.

Four groups from a urban population of Morelia were inquired, to determine frequency of high blood pressure and provide basic information of arterial hypertension in relation with other variables; 2638 persons were checked. Age ranged from 10 to 90 years, (771 men, 1867 women). Age, sex, weight and height were also measured. Evaluations were performed in the morning with mercury sphygmomanometer registering first and fifth korotkoff's sounds in orthostatic position with a second selective evaluation in sitting position. Availability of medical services and knowledge about presence of arterial hypertension were also evaluated. Blood pressure and prevalence of hypertension had similar behavior with regard to age: pressure recordings were higher in men before 40 years. After this age were higher in women. In general, 14% had high blood pressure, in the second evaluation this value dropped to 7%. For 11% of the studied population, high blood pressure had been previously recorded 7 out of 10 cases of hypertension did not have any control. Three of them had not information about this illness. We found a positive correlation between weight and blood pressure (p less than 0.001) specially among women.

[Amiodarone keratopathy. Prospective longitudinal study]. / "Queratopatía por amiodarona." Estudio longitudinal prospectivo.

In order to investigate the frequency of corneal micro-deposits of amiodarone and its relationship to age, sex, dose and treatment duration, we studied one-hundred-fifty consecutive patients from 1982 to 1986. The average age was 33.8 +/- 17.5 years for eighty woman and seventy men. The mean weekly dose was of 1.1 +/- 0.3 g and the duration was 23.7 +/- 15.3 months. A complete eye examination was performed in all cases. The corneal micro-deposits were classified in three levels according to their density. In one-hundred-fourteen cases there were corneal micro-deposits; sixty-nine had grade I, thirty grade II and fifteen grade III. None had visual disturbances. There was only a direct statistical correlation between age and micro-deposit levels. Nine cases had also deposits of pigment in the lens. Two cases presented atypical keratopathy which by their involution after withdrawal of the drug was considered to be amiodarone-related. Fifteen cases presented chronic blepharitis, and ten, chronic non-secreting conjunctivitis. Therefore, age is a determinant factor for corneal accumulation of amiodarone micro-deposits.

[Interobserver and intraobserver variation: a problem of validity in epidemiologic studies of arterial pressure]. / La variación interobservador e intraobservador: un problema de validez en los estudios epidemiólogicos de presión arterial.

In carrying out blood pressure epidemiologic studies there may be different factors that can affect internal and external validity and thus eliminate the inferential process. As part of the Hypertension and Risk Factors Associated Study conducted in March 1987 in Cuajimalpa de Morelos, Mexico City, 23 nursing students were standardized on the blood pressure auscultatory method using a sound picture and measuring intraobserver and interobserver agreement through intraclass correlation coefficient. Even though initial standardization sessions showed difficulties in the use of instruments and in the reading of blood pressure levels, final K (kappa) values measuring interobserver agreement increased from 0.25 to 0.86. Omega values measuring intraobserver agreement fluctuated between 0.86 and 0.98. This epidemiologic technique is proposed in order to improve internal and external validity of blood pressure studies.

Congenitally corrected transposition with mirror-image atrial arrangement.

Congenitally corrected transposition (discordant atrioventricular and ventriculoarterial connexions) with mirror-image atrial arrangement is much less frequent than the same chamber combinations in the setting of usual atrial arrangement. This scarcity of cases has made their analysis difficult. In this study we have compared the anomalies found in 19 patients with congenitally corrected transposition in mirror-image arrangement with those in 39 patients having usual atrial arrangement. Absolute, relative and attributable risks were calculated for the presence of subvalvar pulmonary stenosis, ventricular septal defect, tricuspid regurgitation, atrioventricular block or the absence of these anomalies for each of the two groups. A greater absolute risk was found for both subvalvar pulmonary stenosis (68.4 vs. 43.6%, respectively) and ventricular septal defect (63.2 vs. 58.9%, respectively). The absolute risk for tricuspid regurgitation was 25.6% in those with usual arrangement as against 21.1% in those with mirror-image arrangement. Atrioventricular block was also more frequent in those with usual arrangement (25.6 vs. 10.5%) as was absence of associated cardiac defects (17.9 vs. 10.5%, respectively). The relative risks were greater for subvalvar pulmonary stenosis and ventricular septal defect in the patients with mirror-image as opposed to usual atrial arrangement (1.57: 1.00 and 1.07: 1.00, respectively), contrasting with greater relative risk for tricuspid regurgitation (1.26: 1.00), atrioventricular block (2.43: 1.00) and absence of associated anomalies (1.70: 1.00) in the patients with usual arrangement. The attributable risk for subvalvar pulmonary stenosis was estimated to be 24.8% and ventricular septal defect 4.3% for those having mirror-image atrial arrangement.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Surgical results in subaortic stenosis.

Since 1965, 46 patients aged 4 to 42 years, underwent cardiac surgery for subaortic stenosis. Resection of the subvalvar obstruction without myomectomy was performed in all cases. Three patients died during the operation, another one after 6 months due to infective endocarditis and one more suddenly 11 years after treatment. One patient was lost to follow-up but 41 were available after at least 1 year of follow-up. Before surgery, 21 cases were in NYHA class I, 17 in class II and 8 in class III. One year after surgery 36 were in class I, 4 in class II and only one in class III. Actuarial survival rate was 91% from 1 to 12 years and 79% from 13 to 18 years. Event-free survival was 45% up to 18 years. The mean preoperative peak systolic gradient was 93.15 +/- 35.57 mm Hg. The first postoperative peak systolic gradient was 21.61 +/- 17.91 mm Hg (P = 0.001). Cases with adverse postoperative events such as aortic regurgitation (13 cases), restenosis (13 cases), death (2 cases) and infective endocarditis (2 cases) had a mean peak systolic gradient of 55.78 +/- 35.97 mm Hg, while in the event-free patients the gradient was 14.61 +/- 13.34 mm Hg (P = 0.001). Recurrent obstruction was observed in seven patients and an increase in the residual gradient in six. The initial mean postoperative peak systolic gradient in these patients had been 18.23 +/- 17.32 mm Hg and the second postoperative cardiac catheterisation showed a mean gradient of 59.23 +/- 37.78 mm Hg (P = 0.001). We conclude that long-term follow-up following removal of subaortic stenosis is mandatory in order to detect and treat adverse events.

Late results of mitral valve replacement with the Björk-Shiley prosthesis in children under 16 years of age.

The late results of isolated mitral valve replacement were evaluated in 37 children under 16 years of age receiving a Björk-Shiley prosthesis for the treatment of rheumatic mitral lesions. Three patients died, one during the operation and the others 2 months postoperatively. Of the latter two, one had a cerebral hemorrhage and the second had septicemia. The survivors were followed up for a mean of 4.7 years (range 2.8 to 8.9 years). After the operation, all patients were placed on a strict anticoagulant regimen with acenocoumarol. The actuarial survival rate was 92% at the end of the follow-up period. Before valve replacement two patients were in New York Heart Association Class I, 15 in Class II, 18 in Class III, and two in Class IV. After treatment 33 were in Class I and one in Class II. No instances of thromboembolism or infective endocarditis were observed in the survivors. Twenty-one patients underwent cardiac catheterization 2 to 7 years after the operation for evaluation of surgical results. The mean pulmonary artery systolic pressure decreased significantly after operation (p = 0.001), and the mean pulmonary artery wedge pressure decreased to normal values (p = 0.001). A mild mean diastolic gradient across the mitral valve at rest was found after the operation (4.9 +/- 2.4 mm Hg). During isometric exercise this gradient increased to 6.5 +/- 4.6 mm Hg. In two patients a discrete paravalvular leak was demonstrated by cineangiography, but the pulmonary wedge pressure was normal in both. The overall results with the Björk-Shiley prosthesis are encouraging in patients in whom reconstructive operations cannot be performed.

[Predictive value of the increase in diastolic arterial pressure during the exercise test in ischemic cardiopathy]. / Valor predictivo del incremento de la presión arterial diastólica durante la prueba de esfuerzo en la cardiopatía isquémica.

There are few studies on the behavior of the diastolic blood pressure during the stress test. The purpose of this report is to present a simple, noninvasive technique of measuring the mean diastolic arterial blood pressure at rest, during maximal exercise testing and in the first minute of recovery (X delta DAP). We studied 132 patients with exercise testing (E/T) and coronariography (C). Of these, 116 had coronary artery disease and 16 did not. The following data were analyzed: Age (A) X delta DAP, X2, p value, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PV+), and negative predictive value (PV-). As we analyzed our patients with coronary arterial disease, we found that in 75% of the cases, the X delta DAP increased more than 15 mmHg, immediately after maximal effort, and 86% of these cases had poor myocardial contratility by angiocardiogram. We conclude that the increase of X delta DAP has a significant value in a ischemic heart disease.

[Arterial hypertension: prevention and control at the community level. Model for a plan action]. / Medicina preventiva. Hipertensión arterial: prevención y control a nivel comunitario. Modelo para un plan de acción.

This paper presents a model of care of the patient with the problem of systemic arterial hypertension, from the point of view of the organization of community service. The development of such a service should be closely linked with the existing community health services, specially those dealing with preventive medicine, but also with other resources and their particular needs. The paper gives, general recomendations considering the main needs brought by arterial hypertension as a pathologic process. The organization should be integrated by a multidisciplinary group and pointed out their objectives and goals. The task program should be made accordingly to the peculiar conditions of the community. Such type of community service has worked years ago in developed countries. Since the problem of hypertension in our environment is already a public health problem, it is becomming necessary to achive some experience in this type of organization, as well as having preliminary results with the community response to this service.

[Arterosclerosis and its prevention. The problem and its natural controversy]. / Aterosclerosis y su prevención. El problema y su natural controversia.

It scarcely has a glimpse about the knowledge of aterosclerosis nature. About preventive recommendations, it has not yet surpassed hypothetic level, but problem is in force and requires to prove hypothetic and theoretical models that have been proposed. Everything that has been said as preventive recommendations has arisen all kind of opinions that constitute the existent controversy. Discussion is composed by the diametrically adverse points of view, in spite of that they are refered to the same data. Positive aspect that can remain is to centralize the knowledge and to comprehend best the problem nature. Controversy is a part of the collective thinking process about the theme. Obviously no one researcher has the complete solution, neither it is a lonely person work. There are exposed at the work some details of the subjacent process implicit into the term of risk factors. In order to comprehend the controversy, it is necessary to take on account the process that has been followed for the concepts formation, by no one manner it can be taken with frivolity and less to under-value it. Most part of researches on the subject agree that infancy and youthfulness are the best ages to make intervene primary prevention. There are revised these concept's bases and it is concluded that it is necessary at our ambient to acquire own experience about the theme, but we have to be very cautious at the best resources' utilization that are to our disposition.