Brecha de género en los cuidados médicos en las redes de atención al infarto agudo de miocardio con elevación del segmento ST: hallazgos de la red catalana Codi Infart / Gender gap in medical care in ST segment elevation myocardial infarction networks: Findings from the Catalan network Codi Infart

OBJETIVO: Evaluar el impacto del género sobre el pronóstico y el manejo en una red regional de atención al infarto agudo de miocardio con elevación del segmento ST. DISEÑO: Estudio observacional sobre una base de pacientes consecutivos recogida prospectivamente. Ámbito: Red catalana de atención al infarto agudo de miocardio con elevación del segmento ST. PACIENTES: Pacientes atendidos entre enero de 2010 y diciembre de 2011. INTERVENCIONES: Angioplastia primaria, fibrinólisis o manejo conservador. Variables de interés: Se compararon, según el género, intervalos de tiempo, proporción y tipo de reperfusión, mortalidad global y complicaciones intrahospitalarias y mortalidad global a 30 días y un año. RESULTADOS: De 5.831 pacientes atendidos, 4.380 tenían diagnóstico de infarto agudo de miocardio con elevación del segmento ST, siendo 961 (21,9%) de ellos mujeres. Estas tenían mayor edad (69,8±13,4 frente a 60,6±12,8 años, p < 0,001), mayor prevalencia de diabetes (27,1 frente a 18,1%, p < 0,001), Killip>I (24,9 frente a 17,3%, p < 0,001) y ausencia de reperfusión (8,8 frente a 5,2%, p < 0,001) que los hombres. Además, las mujeres presentaban mayores retrasos en la atención (primer contacto médico-balón: 132 frente a 122min, p < 0,001; inicio de síntomas-balón: 236 frente a 210min, p < 0,001), más complicaciones intrahospitalarias (20,6 frente a 17,4%, p = 0,031) y mortalidad intrahospitalaria, a 30 días y un año (4,8 frente a 2,6%, p = 0,001; 9,1 frente a 4,5%, p < 0,001; 14,0 frente a 8,3%, p < 0,001). Sin embargo, tras el análisis multivariado no hubo diferencias en mortalidad a 30 días y un año. CONCLUSIONES: A pesar del peor perfil de riesgo y el peor tratamiento recibido, las mujeres presentaron similares resultados a 30 días y un año que sus homólogos masculinos atendidos por una red de atención al infarto

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of gender upon the prognosis and medical care in a regional acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction management network. DESIGN: An observational study was made of consecutive patients entered in a prospective database. Scope: The Catalan acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction management network. PATIENTS: Patients treated between January 2010 and December 2011. INTERVENTIONS: Primary angioplasty, thrombolysis or conservative management. Variables of interest: Time intervals, proportion and type of reperfusion, overall mortality, and in-hospital complication and overall mortality at 30 days and one year were compared in relation to gender. RESULTS: Of the 5,831 patients attended by the myocardial infarction network, 4,380 had a diagnosis of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction, and 961 (21.9%) were women. Women were older (69.8±13.4 vs. 60.6±12.8 years; P<.001), had a higher prevalence of diabetes (27.1 vs. 18.1%, P<.001), Killip class>I (24.9 vs. 17.3%; P<.001) and no reperfusion (8.8 vs. 5.2%; P<.001) versus men. In addition, women had greater delays in medical care (first medical contact-to-balloon: 132 vs. 122min; P<.001, and symptoms onset-to-balloon: 236 vs. 210min; P<.001). Women presented higher percentages of overall in-hospital complications (20.6 vs. 17.4%; P=.031), in-hospital mortality (4.8 vs. 2.6%; P=.001), 30-day mortality (9.1 vs. 4.5%; P<.001) and one-year mortality (14.0 vs. 8.3%; P<.001) versus men. Nevertheless, after multivariate adjustment, no gender differences in 30-day and one-year mortality were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a higher risk profile and poorer medical management, women present similar 30-day and one-year outcomes as their male counterparts in the context of the myocardial infarction management network

Haemoglobin responses to transfusion in severe iron deficiency anaemia: potential impact of gastrointestinal disorders.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion may be justified in iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) when an increase in oxygen delivery is needed, as sometimes occurs in subjects with haemoglobin <8·0 mg/dL, serious comorbidities or at risk of cardiovascular instability. Earlier investigations showed that some patients with severe IDA requiring transfusion had lower than expected post-transfusion haemoglobin levels with poorer clinical outcomes than other patients. After hypothesizing that haemoglobin responses to transfusion were different and that the underlying gastrointestinal (GI) disorders causing IDA could be a confounder explaining this association, these responses were analysed in a prospective cohort of IDA adults referred for outpatient GI investigation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Transfused patients with proven IDA, baseline haemoglobin at referral <9·0 g/dL and no extraintestinal bleeding were eligible. To assess a homogeneous population, only GI disorders known to cause occult bleeding were considered. Haemoglobin increments per 100 mL of RBCs were investigated. RESULTS: In total, 2818 patients were enrolled over 10·5 years. On multivariable regression, diffuse angiodysplasias and GI cancer independently predicted for reduced increments in post-transfusion haemoglobin [adjusted regression coefficients: -0·082 (95% confidence interval, -0·093 to -0·072) and -0·073 (95% confidence interval, -0·081 to -0·066), respectively, P < 0·001 in both]. Haemoglobin responses in the remaining bleeding disorders were adequate and agreed with the principle that one RBC unit increases the haemoglobin an average of 1 g/dL. CONCLUSION: The potential differential impact of GI disorders on changes in haemoglobin levels after RBC transfusion could be useful for transfusing physicians, especially for diagnostic purposes.

Gender gap in medical care in ST segment elevation myocardial infarction networks: Findings from the Catalan network Codi Infart. / Brecha de género en los cuidados médicos en las redes de atención al infarto agudo de miocardio con elevación del segmento ST: hallazgos de la red catalana Codi Infart.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of gender upon the prognosis and medical care in a regional acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction management network. DESIGN: An observational study was made of consecutive patients entered in a prospective database. SCOPE: The Catalan acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction management network. PATIENTS: Patients treated between January 2010 and December 2011. INTERVENTIONS: Primary angioplasty, thrombolysis or conservative management. VARIABLES OF INTEREST: Time intervals, proportion and type of reperfusion, overall mortality, and in-hospital complication and overall mortality at 30 days and one year were compared in relation to gender. RESULTS: Of the 5,831 patients attended by the myocardial infarction network, 4,380 had a diagnosis of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction, and 961 (21.9%) were women. Women were older (69.8±13.4 vs. 60.6±12.8 years; P<.001), had a higher prevalence of diabetes (27.1 vs. 18.1%, P<.001), Killip class>I (24.9 vs. 17.3%; P<.001) and no reperfusion (8.8 vs. 5.2%; P<.001) versus men. In addition, women had greater delays in medical care (first medical contact-to-balloon: 132 vs. 122min; P<.001, and symptoms onset-to-balloon: 236 vs. 210min; P<.001). Women presented higher percentages of overall in-hospital complications (20.6 vs. 17.4%; P=.031), in-hospital mortality (4.8 vs. 2.6%; P=.001), 30-day mortality (9.1 vs. 4.5%; P<.001) and one-year mortality (14.0 vs. 8.3%; P<.001) versus men. Nevertheless, after multivariate adjustment, no gender differences in 30-day and one-year mortality were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a higher risk profile and poorer medical management, women present similar 30-day and one-year outcomes as their male counterparts in the context of the myocardial infarction management network.

Supervivencia y pronóstico neurológico en paradas cardiorrespiratorias extrahospitalarias por ritmos desfibrilables tratadas con hipotermia terapéutica moderada / Survival and neurological outcome in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests due to shockable rhythms treated with mild therapeutic hypothermia

OBJETIVO: Analizar la supervivencia y el pronóstico neurológico a corto y medio plazo de los pacientes atendidos en nuestro hospital tras sufrir una parada cardiorrespiratoria (PCR) extrahospitalaria secundaria a un ritmo desfibrilable y tratados con hipotermia terapéutica moderada (HTM). DISEÑO: Estudio prospectivo, observacional desde el 1 de enero de 2010 al 31 de diciembre de 2012, con un seguimiento de 6 meses. Ámbito: Hospital de tercer nivel. PACIENTES: Pacientes que sufrieron una PCR extrahospitalaria secundaria a ritmos desfibrilables. Criterios de exclusión: ritmos no desfibrilables, maniobras de reanimación > 45 min sin recuperación de pulso, shock séptico, coagulopatía previa, enfermedad terminal u orden de limitación del esfuerzo terapéutico

OBJECTIVE: To analyze survival and neurological outcome at short and medium term in patients treated with mild therapeutic hypothermia (HTM) in our hospital after suffering an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (CA) secondary to a shockable rhythm. DESIGN: Prospective, observational study from September 1, 2010 to December 31, 2012, with a follow up of 6 months. SETTING: Tertiary hospital. PATIENTS: All patients who suffer an out-of-hospital CA due to shockable rhythms. Exclusion criteria: non-shockable rhythms, resuscitation > 45 minutes without pulse recovery, septic shock, previous coagulopathy, terminal illness or order for withholding treatment. Intervention: Mild hypothermia (33°C) and postresuscitation care on the basis of standardized protocols. MAIN VARIABLES: Demographic and epidemiological data, CA data and survival and neurological outcome at hospital discharge and after 6 months. To assess the patients' neurological status, Cerebral Performance Categories (CPC) scale was used. RESULTS: A total of 54 patients were analyzed. 37 patients were discharged to hospital, representing a survival at discharge of 68.5%, which remains 6 months later because no discharged patient died during the follow up period. Regarding neurological outcome, 44.4% of patients were alive and with CPC 1-2 at discharge and up to 54.71% at 6months. CONCLUSIONS: The results of survival and neurological functional status obtained in our center after implementation of HTM are comparable to those published in the literature

[Survival and neurological outcome in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests due to shockable rhythms treated with mild therapeutic hypothermia]. / Supervivencia y pronóstico neurológico en paradas cardiorrespiratorias extrahospitalarias por ritmos desfibrilables tratadas con hipotermia terapéutica moderada.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze survival and neurological outcome at short and medium term in patients treated with mild therapeutic hypothermia (HTM) in our hospital after suffering an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (CA) secondary to a shockable rhythm. DESIGN: Prospective, observational study from September 1, 2010 to December 31, 2012, with a follow up of 6 months. SETTING: Tertiary hospital. PATIENTS: All patients who suffer an out-of-hospital CA due to shockable rhythms. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: non-shockable rhythms, resuscitation >45 minutes without pulse recovery, septic shock, previous coagulopathy, terminal illness or order for withholding treatment. INTERVENTION: Mild hypothermia (33°C) and postresuscitation care on the basis of standardized protocols. MAIN VARIABLES: Demographic and epidemiological data, CA data and survival and neurological outcome at hospital discharge and after 6 months. To assess the patients' neurological status, Cerebral Performance Categories (CPC) scale was used. RESULTS: A total of 54 patients were analyzed. 37 patients were discharged to hospital, representing a survival at discharge of 68.5%, which remains 6 months later because no discharged patient died during the follow up period. Regarding neurological outcome, 44.4% of patients were alive and with CPC 1-2 at discharge and up to 54.71% at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: The results of survival and neurological functional status obtained in our center after implementation of HTM are comparable to those published in the literature.

Annular erythema in primary Sjogren's syndrome: description of 43 non-Asian cases.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to evaluate the prevalence and characterize the main epidemiological, clinical and immunological features of annular erythema (AE) in non-Asian patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS). METHODS: We carried out a retrospective study searching for AE in 377 Spanish patients with primary SS fulfilling the 2002 American-European criteria. In addition, we searched PubMed (1994-2012) using the MeSH terms "annular erythema" and "primary Sjögren's syndrome" for additional cases. All cases with AE reported in patients with SS associated with systemic lupus erythematosus were excluded. RESULTS: In our Spanish cohort, we found 35 (9%) patients diagnosed with AE. All were white females, with a mean age of 47 years at diagnosis of AE. AE preceded diagnosis of SS in 27 (77%) patients. Cutaneous AE lesions involved principally the face and upper extremities. All patients reported photosensitivity, with cutaneous flares being reported during the warmest months in 93% of patients. Immunological markers consisted of anti-Ro/La antibodies in 31 (89%) patients. In the literature search, we identified eight additional non-Asian patients with primary SS diagnosed with AE. In comparison with 52 Asian patients, the 43 non-Asian patients with AE related to primary SS were more frequently women (100% vs 78%, p=0.008), and cutaneous lesions were less frequently reported in the face (55% vs 81%, p=0.045) and more frequently in the neck (40% vs 14%, p=0.041). Immunologically, non-Asian patients had a lower frequency of anti-Ro antibodies and a higher frequency of negative Ro/La antibodies, although the differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: AE is not an exclusive cutaneous feature of Asian patients with primary SS. In addition to the characteristic cutaneous expression, AE has a very specific clinical and immunological profile: often presenting before the fulfillment of SS criteria, overwhelmingly associated with anti-Ro antibodies but weakly associated with other immunological markers and the main systemic SS-related features.

White matter abnormalities in primary Sjögren syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the main characteristics of patients with primary Sjögren syndrome (SS) and white matter abnormalities (WMA) seen by a specialist SS unit. METHODS: The study cohort included 321 consecutive patients fulfilling the 2002 classification criteria for primary SS. We retrospectively analyzed the results of neuroimaging studies performed in patients who presented with neurological symptoms. Patients were further evaluated by three neurologists to determine fulfillment of the McDonald criteria for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). RESULTS: Fifty-one (16%) patients had at least one neuroimaging study, and 25 of these had WMA. WMA were classified as vascular pathological changes in 21 patients: 10 had multiple small focal lesions, 7 had beginning confluence of lesions and 4 had diffuse involvement of the entire region. WMA were classified as inflammatory/demyelinating lesions (MS-like) in 4 patients who fulfilled the MRI Barkhof criteria. Patients with inflammatory/demyelinating lesions were younger (53.7 vs. 73.5 years, P = 0.001) and had a lower frequency of hypertension (25% vs. 86%, P = 0.031) and altered glomerular filtration rate (0% vs. 70%, P = 0.047) in comparison with patients with vascular lesions. The multivariate age-sex adjusted model including the seven variables which were statistically significant in the univariate analysis (antimalarial therapy, leukopenia, anti-La/SSB antibodies, diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome and HDL-c levels) identified hypertension (P = 0.019) and HDL-c levels (P = 0.032) as independent predictors of WMA in primary SS patients. CONCLUSION: Neuroimaging studies disclosed WMA in 49% of patients with primary SS and suspected neurological involvement. WMA were identified as vascular pathological changes in 80% of the patients, and hypertension and HDL-c levels as predictive factors for this association.

Estudio piloto de la utilidad de la tomografía computarizada cardiaca para descartar síndrome coronario agudo en urgencias / Utility of coronary computed tomography to rule out acute coronary syndrome in the emergency department: a pilot study

Objetivo: Analizar, en pacientes con dolor torácico de bajo riesgo, las aportaciones de la coronariografía por tomografía computarizada multidetector (TCMD) en el diagnóstico de síndrome coronario agudo (SCA). Método: Subestudio piloto descriptivo y retrospectivo de un estudio prospectivo que comparaba la rentabilidad diagnóstica de la ecografía de estrés con la angiografía por TCMD. Se realizó en una unidad de dolor torácico (UDT) que atiende a pacientes con dolor torácico no traumático. Se incluyeron, en 2008, pacientes sin coronariopatía conocida y con al menos 2 factores de riesgo coronario y dolor torácico con estudio habitual (historia clínica, electrocardiogramas, troponinas seriadas y ergometría) negativo para SCA. Se registraron datos clínicos, epidemiológicos y se les realizó una coronariografía por TCMD y, si era patológica, un cateterismo. Resultados: De los 502 pacientes con posible SCA atendidos durante la disponibilidad de la prueba, 54 (10,7%) cumplían criterios para la TCMD. La TCMD mostró coronarias normales en 35 (64,8%); en 3 (5,5%), no interpretables por artefactos; y en 16(29,6%) la TCMD fue patológica. En estos últimos, se practicaron 15 cateterismos, de los que 10 fueron patológicos. Así, la TCMD permitió el diagnóstico de SCA en un 2,0% adicional de los pacientes incluidos inicialmente en el grupo de posible SCA y el18,5% de los 54 pacientes finalmente incluidos. Conclusiones: La TCMD cardiaca aumentó el rendimiento diagnóstico de un protocolo estándar (historia clínica, electrocardiogramas y troponinas seriadas y ergometría) en los pacientes con dolor torácico (AU)

Objective: To analyze the diagnostic contribution of coronary multidetector computed tomography (CMCT) in low-riskchest pain patients. Methods: Retrospective, descriptive substudy as part of a prospective study of the diagnostic yield of stress echocardiography in comparison with CMCT angiography. The setting was a non-traumatic chest pain unit. Patients with chest pain but without diagnosed coronary artery disease and fewer than 2 coronary risk factors in 2008 were included if the information usually gathered to diagnose acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (ie, medical history, electrocardiogram, troponin series, and ergometry) was negative. Clinical and patient data were recorded and CMCT was performed; if abnormalities were detected, heart catheterism was undertaken. Results: Of the 502 patients suspected of having ACS while CMCT was available to the department, 54 (10.7%) met the criteria for performing the procedure. CMCT demonstrated normal coronary arteries in 35 (64.8%). In 3 (5.5%) the findings could not be interpreted due to artifacts and in 16 (29.6%), abnormalities were detected. Catheterization was performed in 15 of the 16 patients; the test was positive in 10. CMCT led to a diagnosis of ACS in an additional 2% of the group of patients in whom the diagnosis was initially suspected and in 18.5% of the 54 patients included in the CMCT study (AU)