Factores asociados con mal pronóstico en embarazadas con diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2 / Factors associated with poor forecasting in pregnant women with SARS-Cov-2 diagnosis

Resumen OBJETIVO: Describir los factores asociados con mal pronóstico en embarazadas con diagnóstico de infección por virus SARS-CoV-2. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal, descriptivo y comparativo de los datos abiertos reportados por la Secretaría de Salud de México de pacientes COVID-19 hasta el 26 de abril de 2020. Se incluyeron mujeres embarazadas, con reporte positivo para infección por SARS-CoV-2. El grupo control se integró con mujeres en edad reproductiva. Se excluyeron las mujeres en quienes el estado puerperal se reportó desconocido o sin correspondencia. En ambos grupos se analizaron la severidad de la enfermedad y las comorbilidades asociadas con la severidad. RESULTADOS: Se registraron 84 mujeres embarazadas con infección por SARS-CoV-2 vs 2836 con infección por SARS-CoV-2 en edad reproductiva. El 33% de las embarazadas requirió hospitalización vs 17% de las no embarazadas; fue mayor la necesidad de intubación (2.4 vs 0.08%), ingreso a la unidad de cuidados intensivos (3.6 vs 1.3%) y letalidad en las embarazadas (7.14 vs 0.7%). Éstas tuvieron mayor probabilidad de llegar a la forma severa de la infección (7%) vs las no embarazadas en edad reproductiva (2.8%). Las comorbilidades asociadas con mayor severidad fueron diabetes (50%) y tabaquismo (33%). CONCLUSIÓN: Las mujeres embarazadas tienen mayor probabilidad de experimentar una forma severa ante la infección por SARS-CoV-2 vs las mujeres en edad reproductiva. Los principales factores asociados con la infección fueron la coexistencia de diabetes y el antecedente de tabaquismo.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To describe the associated factors with the degree of severity in pregnant Mexican women reported with SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Descriptive, transversal and comparative study of free dates reported by Mexico's Health Secretary of COVID-19 patients until April 26th, 2020. Pregnant women positive to SARS-CoV-2 infection were included. Control group were women in reproductive age. Exclusion criteria were women with puerperal status reported as unknown or does not apply. Infection was analyzed by severity in both groups, then comorbidities associated to degree of severity were determined with descriptive statistic. RESULTS: 84 pregnant women were positive to SARS-CoV-2 vs 2,836 non-pregnant infected women in reproductive age. 33% of pregnant women required hospitalization vs 17% of control group. 2.4% vs 0.08% required intubation, 3.6% vs 1.3% were admitted to critical care unit and lethality was 7.14% vs 0.7% in pregnant vs control group respectively. Main comorbidities associated with severity in pregnant women were diabetes (50%) and tobacco use (33%). CONCLUSION: Pregnant women have greater probability to develop a severe form of SAR-CoV-2 infection compared to women in reproductive age. The main associated factors to severe forms were diabetes and tobacco use.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study of oral sildenafil citrate in treatment-naive children with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Safe, effective therapy is needed for pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension. METHODS AND RESULTS: Children (n=235; weight ≥8 kg) were randomized to low-, medium-, or high-dose sildenafil or placebo orally 3 times daily for 16 weeks in the Sildenafil in Treatment-Naive Children, Aged 1-17 Years, With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (STARTS-1) study. The primary comparison was percent change from baseline in peak oxygen consumption (PV(O(2))) for the 3 sildenafil doses combined versus placebo. Exercise testing was performed in 115 children able to exercise reliably; the study was powered for this population. Secondary end points (assessed in all patients) included hemodynamics and functional class. The estimated mean±SE percent change in PV(O(2)) for the 3 doses combined versus placebo was 7.7±4.0% (95% confidence interval, -0.2% to 15.6%; P=0.056). PV(O(2)), functional class, and hemodynamics improved with medium and high doses versus placebo; low-dose sildenafil was ineffective. Most adverse events were mild to moderate in severity. STARTS-1 completers could enter the STARTS-2 extension study; patients who received sildenafil in STARTS-1 continued the same dose, whereas placebo-treated patients were randomized to low-, medium-, or high-dose sildenafil. In STARTS-2 (ongoing), increased mortality was observed with higher doses. CONCLUSIONS: Sixteen-week sildenafil monotherapy is well tolerated in pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension. Percent change in PV(O(2)) for the 3 sildenafil doses combined was only marginally significant; however, PV(O(2)), functional class, and hemodynamic improvements with medium and high doses suggest efficacy with these doses. Combined with STARTS-2 data, the overall profile favors the medium dose. Further investigation is warranted to determine optimal dosing based on age and weight. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00159913.

Pediatric cardiac surgery: a challenge and outcome analysis of the Guatemala effort.

A large underserved population of children with congenital cardiac malformation (CCM) exists in many developing countries. In recent years, several strategies have been implemented to supplement this need. These strategies include transferring children to first-world countries for surgical care or the creation of local pediatric cardiovascular surgical programs. In 1997, an effort was made to create a comprehensive pediatric cardiac care program in Guatemala. The objective of this study is to examine the outcome analysis of the Guatemala effort. The goals of our new and first pediatric cardiac care program were to: 1) provide diagnosis and treatment to all children with a CCM in Guatemala; 2) train of local staff surgeons, 3) established a foundation locally and in the United States in 1997 to serve as a fundraising instrument to acquire equipment and remodeling of the pediatric cardiac unit and also to raise funds to pay the hospital for the almost exclusively poor pediatric cardiac patients. The staff now includes 3 surgeons from Guatemala, trained by the senior surgeon (A.R.C.), seven pediatric cardiologists, 3 intensivists, and 2 anesthesiologists, as well as intensive care and ward nurses, respiratory therapists, echocardiography technicians, and support personnel. The cardiovascular program expanded in 2005 to 2 cardiac operating rooms, 1 cardiac catheterization laboratory, 1 cardiac echo lab, 4 outpatients clinics a 6-bed intensive care unit and a 4-bed stepdown unit, a 20 bed general ward (2 beds/room) and a genetics laboratory. Our center has become a referral center for children from Central America. A total of 2,630 surgical procedures were performed between February 1997 and December 2007, increasing the number of operations each year. Postoperative complication occurred in 523 of 2,630 procedures (20%). A late follow-up study was conducted of all the patients operated from 1997 to 2005. Late mortality was 2.7%. Development of a sustainable pediatric cardiac program in emerging countries presents many difficult challenges. Hard work, perseverance, adaptability, and tolerance are useful aptitudes to develop a viable PCP in an "emerging" country. We are not in favor of Medical-Surgical Safari efforts, unless these efforts include training of a local team and eventual unit independence. It helps if an experienced (+/- senior/retired!) surgeon leads this effort on a full-time, pro bono basis. Local and international fund raising is essential to complement vastly insufficient government subsidies.

Improvement in congenital heart surgery in a developing country: the Guatemalan experience.

BACKGROUND: In 1997, an effort was made to disseminate US pediatric cardiac surgical practices to create a new comprehensive program in Guatemala. The objective of this study was to describe the improvement of the program by exploring the reduction in risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS: A retrospective cohort study of surgical procedures performed in Guatemala from February 1997 to July 2004 was conducted. Data were divided into 3 time periods (1997 to 1999, 2000 to 2002, and 2003 to 2004) and compared with a US benchmark (2000 Kids' Inpatient Database of 27 states and 313 institutions). The risk adjustment for congenital heart surgery (RACHS-1) method was used to adjust for case mix. Mortality rates, standardized mortality ratios, and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. A total of 1215 surgical procedures were included. Median age was 3.1 years (range, 1 day to 17.9 years). The overall mortality was 10.7% (n=130). The RACHS-1 method showed better discrimination than in prior reports (area under receiver operating characteristic curve=0.854). A decreasing trend in mortality rate was observed in every RACHS-1 risk category over the 3 time periods. When compared against the US benchmark, the reduction in risk-adjusted mortality was noted by a decrease of standardized mortality ratio from 10.0 (95% confidence interval, 7.2 to 13.7) in 1997-1999, to 7.8 (95% confidence interval, 5.9 to 10.0) in 2000-2002, and to 5.7 (95% confidence interval, 3.8 to 8.3) in 2003-2004. CONCLUSIONS: In a short time period, mortality after congenital heart surgery has been reduced substantially in Guatemala. Measurement of risk-adjusted mortality is a useful method to assess pediatric cardiac program improvement in the developing world.

Low-dose oral sildenafil for patients with pulmonary hypertension: a cost-effective solution in countries with limited resources.

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary arterial hypertension, both primary and secondary, continues to pose a therapeutic problem. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy and safety of a low-dose of oral sildenafil in 10 patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. METHODS: We administered a single daily dose of 0.5 milligrams per kilogram of sildenafil for 3 months to 10 patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Their average age was 26.8 years. Diagnoses were primary pulmonary arterial hypertension in 3 patients, and secondary pulmonary arterial hypertension due to congenital cardiac disease in the remaining 7 patients. Outcome measures included the clinical state, the mean pulmonary arterial pressure, and the indexed pulmonary vascular resistance; the latter two assessed at the beginning and at the end of the treatment period by cardiac catheterization. We also analysed the cost of the treatment. RESULTS: Oral treatment was well tolerated, and resulted in an improvement of the functional capacity in 9 of the 10 patients. Pulmonary arterial pressure decreased from 70 to 60 millimetres of mercury (p equal to 0.05), and indexed pulmonary vascular resistance decreased from 21.8 to 15.8 Wood units per square metre (p equal to 0.006). The mean cost per patient for 3 months on oral treatment with sildenafil was 120.99 American dollars. CONCLUSIONS: A low dose of 0.5 milligrams per kilogram per day of oral sildenafil, instead of 1 to 4 milligrams per kilogram per day, provided early clinical and haemodynamic improvements, and proved less expensive. Additional experience is now required to define more reliably the true long-term benefits of this therapy.

Congenital cardiac disease in children with Down's syndrome in Guatemala.

BACKGROUND: Congenital cardiac disease is the greatest cause of death in patients with Down's syndrome during the first two years of life, with from two-fifths to two-thirds of those with Down's syndrome also having congenital cardiac malformations. The lesions within the heart can be single or multiple. Our objective was to evaluate the frequency and type of such congenital cardiac malformations in patients born with Down's in Guatemala, and to provide baseline information for further research. METHODS: We reviewed all patients with Down's syndrome who underwent a cardiologic screening examination between January, 1997, and December, 2003, in the only department dealing with Paediatric Cardiology in Guatemala. RESULTS: Of the 349 patients reviewed, 189 (54.1 per cent) also had an associated congenital cardiac malformation. The median age at diagnosis was 6 months, with a range from 2 to 13 months. In 152 patients (80.4 per cent), the cardiac lesion was isolated, while 37 patients (19.6 per cent) had multiple defects. The most common single defect was patency of the arterial duct, found in 54 of the 189 patients (28.6 per cent), followed by ventricular septal defect in 27.5 per cent, atrial septal defect in 12.7 per cent, and atrioventricular septal defect with common atrioventricular junction in 9.5 per cent. The most frequent concomitant malformation found co-existing with other congenital cardiac lesions was patency of the arterial duct, found in 17.5 per cent. CONCLUSIONS: As far as we are aware, ours is the first epidemiologic study concerning the frequency and type of congenital cardiac disease found in Guatemalan children with Down's syndrome. The high frequency of patency of the arterial duct, and the differential distribution of the cardiac malformations associated with Down's syndrome among Guatemalan children, differ from what has been reported in the United States of America, Europe, and Asia. This difference warrants further research.

Modified extrapleural ligation of patent ductus arteriosus: a convenient surgical approach in a developing country.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive surgery for the closure of a large patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) using an extrapleural technique offers an alternative to other minimally invasive approaches such as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery or interventional cardiologic procedures. METHODS: Between August 1999 and December 2003, 513 patients with PDA were admitted to Unidad de Cirugia Cardiovascular de Guatemala, of whom 327 (64%) were considered surgical candidates. Of these, 218 (67%) were selected for surgical extrapleural (SEP) closure initially by weight (< 10 kg) and a ductal diameter at the pulmonary end of greater than 4 mm. Subsequently, we included also patients who weighed more than 10 kg. Median age at operation was 51 months (range 5 days to 38 years). RESULTS: Median operating time was 32 minutes (range 23 to 52 minutes). All 218 patients had SEP closure and were extubated in the operating room. There were no hospital deaths. Two patients required a blood transfusion. Two additional patients bled postoperatively, requiring reoperation. A pneumothorax occurred in 3 patients that required a chest tube. The 6-month follow-up revealed residual ductal shunts in 2 patients that were closed percutaneously with a coil. The treatment of the remaining 295 patients included a surgical transpleural (STP) approach in 109 (37%) and transcatheter closure in 186 (63%), with a coil in 110 (37%) and an Amplatzer device in 76 (26%). CONCLUSIONS: Minimally invasive closure of a PDA through a short, 3-cm to 5-cm skin and muscle-sparing posterior thoracotomy and an SEP approach provides a convenient and safe technique with a low incidence of complications and also a cost-saving option compared with other invasive techniques.

Sistema Nacional de Monitoria, Supervisión y Evaluación / National system of Monitory, Supervision and Evaluation

El Ministerio de Salud de Nicaragua, pone a la disposición el presente documento normativo que orienta las pautas y metodologías del Sistema Nacional de Monitoría, Supervisión y Evaluación (SINAMSE). Con el objetivo de articular formas de control, vistas como procesos integrados en los niveles administrativos y asistencial de su personal, contribuir con la elaboración y desarrollo del plan de salud y mejorar la calidad de los programas y servicios que se brindan a la población. Comprende en su primera parte el marco de referencia, conceptos y terminologías que regirán el Sistema Nacional de Monitoría, Supervisión y Evaluación. En la segunda parte propone los pasos para organizar y realizar la monitoría, supervisión y evaluación dividiendo cada uno de los procesos en tres etapas: preparación, ejecución y seguimiento. La forma en que esta estructura este Sistema Nacional permite que con nuevas revisiones se incluyan otras formas de control y que sirva como guia para unificar la capacitación de los recursos humanos que realizan actividades de control y gestión.

Prevalencia de Enfermedad de Chagas en el grupo materno-infantil del municipio de Santa María Ixhuatán el período de marzo-abril 1993 / Chagas disease prevalence in the maternal and child group of Municipio Santa María Ixhuatán in the period of march-april 1993

Se estudió un grupo de 51 mujeres en edad reproductiva,(54)embarazadas(6) madres lactantes y sus recién nacidos. Todos ellos procedentes del municipio de Santa María Ixhuatán. A todos los sujetos de la investigación se les practicó una encuesta clínica-epidemiológica, examen físico completo incluyendo electrocardiograma y se les determinó la presencia de anticuerpos anti-T cruzi. El propósito de este estudio fue el de establecer la prevalencia de la infección chagásica en una muestra del grupo materno-infantil de este municipio Para ello se determinaron anticuerpos T. cruzi utilizando para ello 3 métodos inmunológicos. Se encontró en las mujeres en edad reproductiva (embarazada o madre lactante) 7 seropositivas(14 por ciento ) y en los 6 neonatos se encontró 2 seropostivos y 4 negativos