Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Background Stroke management require rapid identification, assessment, and transport of patients to qualified health care centers. However, there is little description in the literature on the multiple challenges associated with the pre-hospital transport of suspected stroke patients. Objective To characterize the pre-hospital care provided to suspected stroke patients by the Brazilian Emergency Medical Service (SAMU in Portuguese), by means of a descriptive case study. Methods This is a descriptive study of a series of cases. Data from the SAMU regarding the responses to emergency calls from suspected stroke patients were collected. Independent reviewers confirmed the diagnostic hypothesis and all discordances were assessed using kappa statistics. Clinical data and transport times were described as frequency and proportion or central tendency and dispersion measures. Normality of continuous variable distribution was assessed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of medians, with a 5% significance level. Results During the studied period, 556 suspected stroke patients were treated. The kappa index was 0.82 (95% CI 0.737 to 0.919) CI. In 74.7% of the cases, the symptom onset time was not recorded. The median time elapsed between the call for emergency services and the ambulance arrival was 18 minutes, and the median transport time was 38 minutes. A total of 34% of the patients were taken to referral hospitals for stroke. Conclusion This study revealed a low level of knowledge regarding the need to determine the exact time of symptom onset of suspected stroke patients. Also, the study showed the low rate of patients taken to referral hospitals. (Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2021; [online].ahead print, PP.0-0)

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Background Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality among adults. Evidence has shown that sedentary behaviors are the main preventable outcome, however, many sedentary children also become sedentary adults. Therefore, identifying potential risk factors as early as possible contributes to therapeutic success. Objective To achieve an anthropometric and cardiovascular mapping of school-age students from Sergipe State, Brazil. Methods A school-based cross-sectional study with a representative sample from public schools in the state of Sergipe (n= 4700). Anthropometric and blood pressure measurements were performed, and the Global School-based Student Health Survey was used to assess the physical activity level. An independent samples t-test was performed for all comparisons, and significance was established at 5% (p<0.05). Results Despite showing mean blood pressure values within reasonable limits (SBP = 114.1±12.4 mm Hg and DBP = 66.3±8.1 mm Hg), school-age students did not comply with global recommendations for health promotion. It was also observed a high rate of low body weight (42.6%), suggesting dietary compromises, which can interfere with the development of this population. In addition, only 7.3% of students met the minimum physical activity criteria proposed for maintaining their health status. Conclusion The findings of the present study emphasize the importance of maintaining Physical Education classes as an essential curricular component, since they provide several health benefits and ensure that this population reaches the minimum daily recommendations, preventing diseases in adult life. (Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2020; [online].ahead print, PP.0-0)

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Background Prolonged mechanical ventilation (MV) after cardiac surgery imposes a significant burden on the patient in terms of morbidity and financial hospital costs. Objective To develop a risk score model to predict prolonged MV in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Methods This was a historical cohort study of 4165 adult patients undergoing CABG between January 1996 and December 2016. MV for periods ≥ 12 hours was considered prolonged. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between risk predictors and prolonged MV. The variables were scored according to the odds ratio. To build the risk score, the database was randomly divided into 2 parts: development data set (2/3) with 2746 patients and internal validation data set (1/3) with 1419 patients. The final score was validated in the total database and the model's accuracy was tested by performance statistics. Significance was established at p < 0.05. Results Prolonged MV was observed in 783 (18.8%) patients. Predictors of risk were age ≥ 65 years, urgent/emergency surgery, body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cardiopulmonary bypass time ≥ 120 minutes. The area under the ROC curve was 0.66 (95% CI, 0.64-0.68; p<0.001), the Hosmer-Lemeshow chi-square test was χ2: 3.38 (p=0.642), and Pearson's correlation was r = 0.99 (p<0.001), indicating the model’s satisfactory ability to predict the occurrence of prolonged MV. Conclusion Selected variables allowed the construction of a simplified risk score for daily practice, which may classify the patients as having low, moderate, high, and very high risk. (Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2020; [online].ahead print, PP.0-0

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Background The SARS-COV2 pandemic has deeply affected the availability for training and competing for recreational and professional athletes. However, to date, the disease’s course among the athletic population has not been *studied . Objectives To compare the observed and expected rates of hospitalization for COVID-19 and to establish relationships between demographics and sportive characteristics of an athletic sample, and the COVID-19 infection rate. Material and Methods This study uses cross-sectional data sampling through an online questionnaire to collect data from recreational and professional athletes. Based on self-reports, athletes were grouped in COVID-19 and Non-COVID-19 cases. To decrease detection bias for each four patients who reported being hospitalized, one additional virtual patient was added to the sample. The observed rate of hospitalization (ORH) was compared with age expected rate of hospitalization (ERH) from the literature data. A multivariate model (MM) was developed to establish independent relationships between the prevalence of COVID-19 cases and the variables mentioned above. The statistical significance level was defined for a p-value<0.05. Results Answers from 1,701 individuals were analyzed. The COVID-19 group was comprised of 99 (5.8%) individuals, four of whom reported having been hospitalized. ORH and ERH were respectively of 5.0% and 18.1% (p=0.001). In the MM female gender (OR=2.02, 95% CI 1.28 to 3.19), cycling (OR=2.91, 95% CI 1.58 to 5.39), swimming (OR=2.97, 95% CI 1.14 to 7.74), and triathlon (OR=2.10, 95% CI 1.13 to 3.91) were independently associated with a COVID-19 prevalence. Conclusion Self-reported rates of hospitalization for COVID-19 among athletes were much lower than expected. The prevalence of positive cases of COVID-19 was independently higher for cyclists, triathletes, and swimmers than for runners.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Background The new American Heart Association guidelines for hypertension (HT) proposed a reduction of the diagnostic cut-off point, leading to a substantial increase in the prevalence of HT. Objectives To assess the prevalence of HT determined by the traditional criteria, the AHA criteria, and home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) in a population of young adults attending a primary healthcare unit, and its association with cardiovascular risk. Methods A cross-sectional population study on adults aged from 20 to 50 years attending a primary healthcare unit, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sociodemographic and anthropometric data, cardiovascular risk factors, office blood pressure and HBPM were registered. The diagnosis of HT was defined by traditional criteria (office BP ≥ 140 x 90 mmHg) and by the new (AHA) criteria (office BP ≥ 130 x 80 mmHg). Bivariate analysis was used for comparisons between the two diagnostic criteria, and Kappa coefficient was used to assess the agreement in diagnosis between office BP and HBPM. The level of significance adopted was 5% (p<0.05). Results A total of 472 individuals were evaluated (male: 39%; mean age: 38.5 ± 8.7 years). The prevalence of HT was 23.5% and raised to 41.1% with the new AHA criteria. The prevalence of HT using HBPM was 25.5%, but the diagnostic agreement was low (kappa=0.028) with changes in diagnosis in 18% of the cases. Conclusion The prevalence of HT almost doubled with the new AHA diagnostic criteria for HT. HBPM seemed to be an important instrument in HT diagnosis in this population. (Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2021; [online].ahead print, PP.0-0)

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Background Resistance training is used in different exercise programs, with different objectives and different levels of physical fitness. Training-related variables, such as volume, rest time and intensity, can affect the response of blood pressure (BP), but studies on the effect of these variables on BP are still needed. Objective To evaluate the acute response of BP in trained individuals undergoing two different methods of resistance training. Methods The sample was divided into three groups: (1) the German volume training (GVT) (n= 15), which consisted of 10 series of 10 repetitions at 50% of 1-repetition maximum (RM) with intervals of 30 seconds; (2) the sarcoplasm stimulating training (SST) (n= 16), performed at 8 RM and 85% of 1-RM and interval of 10 seconds until failure, followed by removal of 20% of weight and repetition of the whole series (total of three sets), and the control group (CG) (n= 15) who underwent BP measurements only. The two-way repeated measures ANOVA was used for analysis of variations, and a p< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results In the within-group analysis, a significant lowering of systolic blood pressure (SBP) was found at 10 minutes (125.4±10.8 mmHg, p= 0.045) and 20 minutes (124.5±8.5 mmHg, p= 0.044) post-training compared with immediately after training. In the between-group comparison, higher SBP values were observed immediately after training in the SST group (142.1±28.2, p= 0.048) compared with the CG. Conclusion High-volume and high-intensity resistance training programs did not cause abnormal changes in blood pressure. (Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2021; [online].ahead print, PP.0-0)

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Background Resistant hypertension (RH) is manifested by the presence of blood pressure values resistant to antihypertensive therapy. RH is highly prevalent among black individuals, increasing cardiovascular risk in this population and requiring effective control of this comorbidity. Objectives To investigate the medication profile and therapeutic adherence in black people with apparent RH. Methods This is a cross-sectional study, with a convenience sample of individuals with apparent RH. Data were obtained from medical records. Therapeutic adherence was assessed using the Morisky Therapeutic Adherence Scale of 8 items (MMAS-8) and statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS, version 23. Significance was set at p <0.05. Results Of the 120 individuals, 90 (75%) were women and 72 (60%) were black. Mean SBP was 153.09 (SD 25.59) mm Hg and mean DBP, 90.82 (SD 16.91) mm Hg, with a statistical difference in relation to the target pressure for SBP. Regarding the medication profile, 79.2% of the individuals used the recommended regimen for RH (ACEI / ARB + Diuretic + CCB), with the fourth most used drug being beta-blockers. The average score in MMAS-8 was 6.62 (SD 1.38) points, with 19.2%, 50.0%, and 30.8% showing low, medium, and high adherence, respectively. Conclusions It was evidenced that two-thirds of the individuals did not have high therapeutic adherence and not all used the ideal regimen for the management of RH, nor full doses. Thus, most individuals were probably affected by pseudoresistance, which was initially diagnosed as apparent RH. (Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2021; [online].ahead print, PP.0-0)

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Background: Obesity has repercussions on functional capacity (FC). The six-minute walk test (6MWT) is a useful tool for assessing submaximal FC, and the distance reached at 6 minutes of walking (D6MW) is a relevant prognostic marker. Objective: This paper aims to establish a reference equation for the distance predicted in 6MWT in obese Brazilian subjects. Methods: This study included 460 patients (306 women), with a body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m2, 71% (328) of whom presented a grade III obesity (BMI ≥ 40 Kg/m²) and were evaluated with 6MWT. Heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and Borg scale perception of effort were recorded before and after the 6MWT. For statistical analysis, Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, an unpaired T-Test, Pearson's correlation, and multiple linear regression were used, together with a significance level set at p<0.05. Results: Gender, age, and BMI were significantly correlated with D6MW and were identified by multiple linear regression as the best predictors of the D6MW. Together, they explain 48.7% of the D6MW variance for obese Brazilian subjects. Based on these findings, an equation was proposed – D6MW = 930.138 + (27.130 x Genderfemales = 0; males = 1) − (5.550 x BMI kg/m2) − (4.442 x Age years). When the average of the D6MW obtained with the above equation was compared to the average calculated with the equations described in medical literature for healthy and obese individuals, the latter tended to overestimate the D6MW. Conclusion: The proposed reference equation exhibited better assessment of FC in obese Brazilian patients, providing proper subsidies for the follow up ofinterventions in this population..

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Mechanical ventilation in prone position is an alternative strategy for patients with acute respiratory discomfort syndrome (ARDS) to improve oxygenation in situations when traditional ventilation modalities have failed. However, due to the significant increase in ARDS cases during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the experimental therapeutic use of potentially arrhythmogenic drugs, cardiopulmonary resuscitation in this unusual position could be needed. Therefore, we will review the available scientific evidence of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in prone position.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract COVID-19, caused by the coronavirus family SARS-CoV-2 and declared a pandemic in March 2020, continues to spread. Its enormous and unprecedented impact on our society has evidenced the huge social inequity of our modern society, in which the most vulnerable individuals have been pushed into even worse socioeconomic situations, struggling to survive. As the pandemic continues, we witness the huge suffering of the most marginalized populations around the globe, even in developed, high-income latitudes, such as North America and Europe. That is even worse in low-income regions, such as Brazil, where the public healthcare infrastructure had already been struggling before the pandemic. Cities with even more evident social inequity have been impacted the most, leaving the most socioeconomically disadvantaged ones, such as slum residents and black people, continuously inflating the statistics of COVID-19 sufferers. Poverty, marginalization, and inequity have been well-known risk factors for morbidity and mortality from other diseases. However, COVID-19 has deepened our society’s wound. It is up to us to heal it up. If we really care for the others and want to survive as a species, we must fight social inequity.