[Once in a blue moon: coronavirus disease complicates pregnancy in a patient with unknown pulmonary hypertension and subsequent left ventricular dysfunction]. / Enfermedad por coronavirus complicando el embarazo en una paciente con hipertensión pulmonar desconocida y posterior disfunción ventricular izquierda: una rara asociación.

During COVID-19 pandemic, several clinical manifestations have been described beyond respiratory compromise that characterizes the viral disease. Cardiovascular manifestations are one of the main complications. In this case, we report an unusual association between the novo diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension in a pregnant patient with SARS Cov-2, with subsquent development of left ventricular dysfunction.

Durante la pandemia por COVID-19, se han descrito diferentes manifestaciones clínicas que van más allá del compromiso respiratorio que caracteriza a la enfermedad viral. Las manifestaciones cardiovasculares son una de las principales complicaciones. En este caso, nosotros reportamos la asociación poco usual entre el diagnóstico de novo de hipertensión pulmonar arterial en una paciente embarazada con SARS Cov-2 que posteriormente desarrolló disfunción ventricular izquierda.

Clindamycin Efficacy in Patients With Methicillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus aureus in a Fourth-Level Hospital in the City of Medellín.

BACKGROUND:  The antibiotic of choice for methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteremia is antistaphylococcal penicillins, such as oxacillin, but cefazolin has also risen as an equally effective alternative. Murine models have suggested that clindamycin is a therapeutic alternative for Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB). METHODS:  In this retrospective cohort study, patients from the Hospital Universitario San Vicente Fundación (HUSVF) in Medellín, Colombia, were recruited from January 2013 and December 2019. Patients with positive blood culture for MSSA, with at least one follow-up blood culture, and those with more than 72 hours of parenteral antibiotic therapy for SAB were selected. The main objective was to determine the efficacy of clindamycin compared to other antibiotics to achieve a microbiologic cure. Secondary results included in-hospital mortality and hospital stay. RESULTS:  A total of 486 patients were included (clindamycin = 50 and other anti-MSSA = 436). The patients in the clindamycin group had a lower rate of microbiological cure (n = 41 [84%]) compared to other antibiotics (n = 367 [84%]) (OR 1.08 IC 95% 0.74-1.58). In secondary outcomes, no statistically significant differences were observed in the in-hospital mortality. The main source of SAB was a central or peripheral catheter (58%). CONCLUSIONS:  Our study found no differences in the rate of microbiological cure, in-hospital mortality, and hospital stay on the clindamycin group compared to other anti-MSSA antibiotics. However, in patients with metastatic complications, the rate of microbiological cure is reduced, and the in-hospital mortality is higher in patients with more severe disease.

Current treatment for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. A systematic review of the new therapies

Abstract Introduction: heart failure with reduced ejection fraction has a growing therapeutic arsenal. Thus, the indications for each therapy must be refined. Methods: a systematic review was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, to update the systematic search performed in the development of the "Clinical Practice Guidelines for Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment and Rehabilitation" (CPG) of the Colombian Ministry of Health. Results: six new clinical trials were found which substantially modify the main recommendations of the CPG. Angiotensin receptor antagonists combined with neprilysin inhibitors (ARNI), sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, betablockers and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA) are now the main core of treatment for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Other therapeutic options should be considered after beginning and titrating the doses of these four medications. Discussion: given the robustness of the evaluating studies, the proposed practical scheme, as the central core with four fundamental therapeutic strategies, will improve the treatment of patients with heart failure and allow the stepwise inclusion of other alternatives, plotted as orbits, to impact on other individual outcomes. (Acta Med Colomb 2021; 46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36104/amc.2021.2108).

Validation of VIRSTA and Predicting Risk of Endocarditis Using a Clinical Tool (PREDICT) Scores to Determine the Priority of Echocardiography in Patients With Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia.

BACKGROUND: Infective endocarditis (IE) secondary to Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) has high morbidity and mortality. The systematic use of echocardiography in SAB is controversial. We aimed to validate VIRSTA and Predicting Risk of Endocarditis Using a Clinical Tool (PREDICT) scores for predicting the risk of IE in Colombian patients with SAB and, consequently, to determine the need for echocardiography. METHODS: Cohort of patients hospitalized with SAB in 2 high complexity institutions in Medellin, Colombia, between 2012 and 2018. The diagnosis of IE was established based on the modified Duke criteria. The VIRSTA and PREDICT scores were calculated from the clinical records, and their operational performance was calculated. RESULTS: The final analysis included 922 patients, 62 (6.7%) of whom were diagnosed with IE. The frequency of IE in patients with a negative VIRSTA scale was 0.44% (2/454). The frequency of IE in patients with a negative PREDICT scale on day 5 was 4.8% (30/622). The sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) of the VIRSTA scale was 96.7% and 99.5%, respectively. For the PREDICT scale on day 5, the sensitivity and NPV were 51.6% and 95.1%, respectively. The discrimination, given by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, was 0.86 for VIRSTA and 0.64 for PREDICT. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with negative VIRSTA, screening echocardiography may be unnecessary because of the low frequency of IE. In PREDICT-negative patients, despite the low frequency of IE, it is not safe to omit echocardiography.