Antiplatelet drugs in the elderly: prescriptions often inappropriate and reduced tolerance by associated diseases and drugs.

To assess the conditions of prescriptions and tolerance of antiplatelet drugs (APD) in the elderly and to detail the parameters that influence the tolerance of these drugs. Prospective survey in a Department of Geriatric Medicine. Two hundred nineteen patients 70 years and older treated with one or two APD prior to admission were included during 7 months in 2008. We recorded the type of APD, associated diseases, main associated or co-prescribed drugs which could interact with APD and the bleeding adverse events including cutaneous bleeding. The mean age of the 219 patients was 84.5 ± 6.7 years (70-101 years), women 59.4%. Among patients 64.8% received aspirin (mainly 75 mg), 28.3% received clopidogrel and 6.8% received their combination; 16.9% of prescriptions were off-label; 51.6% of patients had an associated disease and/or an associated drug which could have increased risk of bleeding event. Among the patients who received a gastric-protective drug, the prescription followed the recommendations of the French Health Authority in 38.9%. We recorded bleeding events in 24.2% of patients at admission and in 18.3% of patients during the hospitalization. Bleeding events were significantly more frequent in patients treated with aspirin than clopidogrel (40.8 vs. 24.2%, P < 0.05) and/or with an associated drug (OR = 2.36, 95% CI 1.34-4.14, P < 0.01) and/or an associated disease (OR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.01-3.42, P < 0.05). APD treatment was stopped in 28.8% of patients, mainly because lack of indication or bleeding adverse events. Off-label prescriptions of APD were not rare in the elderly, and adverse events are frequent. The results of this preliminary study evoke that medical situations at increased risk of bleeding are perhaps insufficiently evaluated, either in case of prescription of associated drugs with increased bleeding risk or during the follow-up of patients with associated diseases. Cutaneous bleeding events should be more taken into account in prospective studies.

Which parameters differ in very old patients with chronic atrial fibrillation treated by anticoagulant or aspirin? Antithrombotic treatment of atrial fibrillation in the elderly.

The objective was to determine the main parameters taken into account for the decision of antithrombotic treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) by vitamin K antagonist or aspirin. This was a prospective clinical study of four clinical services of geriatric medicine. Two hundred and nine inpatients, 84.7 +/- 7 years (women 60.8%), with chronic AF were included. The patients were distributed into two groups (anticoagulant or aspirin) according to medical decision. All the decision criteria for treatment were recorded: cardiopathy, conditions of life, clinical examination (nutrition and autonomy, mini-mental state examination (MMSE), walking evaluation, comorbidity), subjective evaluation of risk of falls and glomerular filtration rate. The thromboembolic risk and the bleeding risk, evaluated subjectively for each patient, were compared with two scores of thrombo-embolic risk and bleeding risk. The evolution of the patients was recorded after 3 months. Student's t-test and chi-squared tests were used for statistical analysis. One hundred and two patients (48.8%) received anticoagulant and 107 patients received aspirin. Patients in the aspirin group were significantly older (86.5 +/- 6.5 vs. 82.9 +/- 7.1 years), with more frequent social isolation, higher systolic blood pressure, and had more important subjective bleeding risk and risk of falls. Patients in the anticoagulant group had significantly more valvulopathies and a more important subjective thromboembolic risk. Thrombo-phlebitis antecedents, dementia, denutrition and walking alterations were only slightly more frequent in patients in the aspirin group. Physicians underestimated thromboembolic risk (one-third of patients) and they overestimated bleeding risk (half of the patients). After 3 months, the two groups did not significantly differ for death, bleeding or ischaemic events. In common practice, the decision of antithrombotic treatment for AF should take into account not only cardiovascular but also geriatric criteria.

Intracardiac thrombi in primary antiphospholipid syndrome: two case reports.

We describe two patients who developed stroke and ischemia of the left lower limb, related to intracardiac thrombi, as the first manifestation of primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS). Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) revealed intracardiac thrombi as abnormal hyperechogenic, nonmobile masses, firmly attached to the left atrial appendage and the anterior part of the mitral annulus, respectively. Our patients received high-intensity oral anticoagulant therapy (INR 3.0-4.0), which resulted in the rapid disappearance of clinical symptoms, without subsequent recurrence of thromboembolic manifestations, and the disappearance of intracardiac thrombi on TEE. Our findings underscore that PAPS should be suspected in patients presenting with intracardiac thrombi, even if they have no previous history of thromboembolic disorders. Moreover, because intracardiac thrombi may precede other manifestations of PAPS, this finding in young patients without underlying heart disease should invoke a search for both antiphospholipid and anticardiolipin antibodies.

Perfil hemodinámico después del trasplante cardiaco ortotópico

La falla del corazón derecho desarrollada después de un trasplante cardiaco, está asociada a una resistencia vascular pulmonar (RVP) elevada en el preoperatorio. Treinta y tres pacientes son estudiados en este protocolo, de un grupo de 66 trasplantados. Son excluidos del estudio los pacientes trasplantados que fueron tratados con drogas inotrópicas, el rechazo miocárdico agudo y los trasplantados con abundante líquido pericárdico. Las medidas fueron realizadas a la semana, al mes y a los tres meses después de realizado el trasplante. Desde la primera semana postoperatoria se observa una mejoría significativa del gasto cardiaco (GC), de la presión arterial pulmonar, de la presión capilar pulmonar y de la resistencia vascular pulmonar. Esta mejoría continúa presentándose hasta el tercer mes. Además de la disminución de la resistencia vascular pulmonar se observa que la presión arterial pulmonar sistólica no presenta modificaciones y esto es debido, probablemente al aumento significativo del gasto cardiaco. Entre la primera semana y el primer mes el incremento del GC es debido a un aumento del volumen de inyección sistólico (VES): 68ñ3 ml vs 82ñ3,5 ml (p<0.001) entre el primer y el tercer mes el VES no se altera de manera significativa; sin embargo, se encuentra una elevación importante de la FC (83ñ1,4 vs 92ñ1,8; p<0.02). La presión de la aurícula derecha recobra valores normales hacia el tercer mes, lo que hace suponer sobre la persistencia de una falla ventricular derecha prolongada

Remplazo valvular aórtico después de valvuloplastia aórtica por estenosis aórtica calcificada: a proposito de 104 pacientes

De febrero de 1987 a diciembre de 1990, 104 pacientes (48 hombres, 56 mujeres) con una edad media de 69 años se beneficiaron de un remplazo valvula aórtico después de una o varias dilataciones percutáneas por sonda de balón. Treinta y un pacientes estaban en clase funcional II, 73 pacientes estaban en una clase III y IV. Un cuadro de angina estaba presente en 22 pacientes (16 en clase I-II, 6 en clase II-IV), 12 pacientes presentaban síncopes o lipotimias de esfuerzo. Las indicaciones de valvuloplastia fueron las siguientes: Un riesgo quirúrgico que se juzga elevado en 46 pacientes, una decisión personal en 41 enfermos; 5 pacientes fueron dilatados de manera pre-operatoria en razón de su alto riesgo quirúrgico, 7 pacientes rechazaron la intervención, 5 fueron operados de urgencia (2 insuficiencias aórticas masivas, una perforación de ventrículo izquierdo, un choque cardiogénico, una endocarditis en choque cardiogénico). El tiempo entre la dilatación y la intervención fue en promedio 472 días. Los pacientes presentaron mejoría sobre un período medio de 261 días. Fuera de las urgencias, los enfermos fueron operados en razón de una re-estenosis. La técnica operatoria consistió en realizar 53 remplazos valvulares por válvula mecánica, 51 remplazos valvulares por válvulas biológicas. Otra intervención quirúrgica asoció en 17 casos (6 monopuentes, 2 puentes dobles, 1 puente triple, 1 sutura del ventrículo izquierdo, 1 intervención de Bigelow, 2 remplazos valvulares mitrales, 1 anuloplastia tricuspidea, 1 endarterectomía de carotida, 1 remplazo de la aorta ascendente, un cierre de una comunicación interauricular). La mortalidad operatoria fue de 7 pacientes (6.7 por ciento). Los hallazgos operatorios permitieron constatar la presencia de 8 lesiones debidas a la dilatación dadas principalmente por desgarros valvulares o desinserciones valvulares que conllevan a realizar una intervención rápida (6 casos) o en urgencia (2 casos) por insuficiencia aórtica masiva. No se halló huella de la dilatación del orificio aórtico, ni aumento de la morbilidad de las valvas en los otros pacientes. Dos grupos fueron realizadosÑ pacientes a riesgo quirúrgico elevado y pacientes con baja fracción de eyección. Nuestra experiencia y la de la mayor parte de la literatura muestran que la dilatación aórtica con balón no debe ser consideranda como una alternativa al remplazo valvular aórtico; ella puede ser propuesta cuando existen ...