Access to direct-acting antivirals for the treatment of hepatitis C in a country with limited resources. / Evaluación del acceso a antivirales para el tratamiento de la hepatitis C en un país con recursos limitados.

AIMS: To estimate the number of patients that have access to treatment of hepatitis C with direct-acting antivirals in Argentina and evaluate the factors associated with the lack of access. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional cohort study was conducted that included all the consecutive prescriptions of direct-acting antivirals issued at health centers that participated in the ECHOTM telemedicine project directed by the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, within the time frame of January 2016 and February 2017. RESULTS: A total of 143 treatment prescriptions were included and overall access was 70% (95% CI 62-77%). The only independent factor associated with a lack of treatment access was coverage by a public healthcare system (OR 4.98 [95% CI 2.05- 12.09]). CONCLUSION: Patients with hepatitis C that were covered by a public healthcare system had a 4 times higher chance of not having access to treatment with direct-acting antivirals than patients covered by other healthcare systems (private insurance or the social welfare system).

[The local and systemic effects of intracoronary ergonovine in patients with normal and nonspastic coronary arteries. A comparison with the intravenous ergonovine test]. / Efectos local y sistémico de la ergonovina intracoronaria en pacientes con arterias coronarias normales y no espásticas. Comparación con el test de ergonovina intravenoso.

Local and systemic effects of intracoronary (two bolus injections of 25 micrograms at 3-min intervals) ergonovine were determined in 60 patients with angiographic non-spastic normal coronary arteries and were compared with the most usual intravenous ergonovine dose to induce coronary artery spasm (incremental doses of 50, 100 and 200 micrograms at 3-min intervals). The mean diameter of the vessels was reduced by 15% after selective injections (baseline 2.38 +/- 0.7; after intracoronary ergonovine 2.02 +/- 0.6 mm; p less than 0.001) and no significant changes were induced in the heart rate (before 80 +/- 15; after 79 +/- 15 beats/min) and systolic aortic pressure (before 147 +/- 27; after 149 +/- 28 mmHg). Following intravenous administration, the mean coronary diameter decreased by 20% (1.90 +/- 0.6 mm; p less than 0.01 vs intracoronary dose) and the heart rate diminished slightly (76 +/- 12 beats/min; p less than 0.01). Nevertheless, the systolic aortic pressure did increase by 16% (171 +/- 28 mmHg; p less than 0.001). No major complications were observed and the appearance of side effects was minimal. Thus, the intracoronary delivery route, at the applied dosage, induces lesser vasoconstriction than usual intravenous administration, and systemic effects, such as hypertension, are avoided.