[Coronary thrombosis and cannabis abuse: a case report]. / Trombosi coronarica e consumo di cannabis: caso clinico.

Marijuana consumption is growing up becoming very common especially between young people. 9-THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, acts on the endocannabinoid system having different cardiovascular effects, including arrhythmias, acute coronary syndrome, and sudden cardiac death. We present the case of a young man from Gambia with no cardiovascular risk factors, marijuana consumer, presenting to the emergency department with ST-elevation myocardial infarction. At coronary angiography, thrombotic left anterior descending coronary artery subocclusion was documented. We also describe the association between acute coronary syndrome and cannabis abuse.

Boerhaave's syndrome - a difficult differential diagnosis of chest pain.

Boerhaave's syndrome is a very rare disease characterised by a spontaneous rupture of the oesophagus. It is often misdiagnosed and there is no consensus as to the best treatment. We describe a case of a 61 year-old man without significant previous medical history presenting in the emergency room with acute chest and back pain. Despite objective and laboratory tests negative for chest pain screening, computed tomography showed the presence of mediastinal air and pneumothorax consistent with oesophagus rupture. Urgent surgical intervention saved the patient.

Predictive validity of measures of comorbidity in older community dwellers: the Insufficienza Cardiaca negli Anziani Residenti a Dicomano Study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the ability of five measures of comorbidity to predict mortality and incident disability in basic activities of daily living (BADLs) in unselected older persons. DESIGN: An assessment of the data obtained from the Insufficienza Cardiaca negli Anziani Residenti a Dicomano (ICARe Dicomano) Study, a longitudinal epidemiological survey on heart failure in older people. SETTING: Dicomano, a small, rural town near Florence, Italy. PARTICIPANTS: The entire population aged 65 and older living in Dicomano, Italy, was enrolled in the ICARe Dicomano Study. MEASUREMENTS: At baseline (1995), comorbidity was quantified in 688 participants, based on clinical diagnoses, using disease count (DC), Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), Index of Co-Existent Diseases (ICED), and Geriatric Index of Comorbidity (GIC), or on drug use, using Chronic Disease Score (CDS). Incident ADL disability was assessed in 1999 and vital status in 2004. RESULTS: Mortality increased with the severity of comorbidity, with hazard ratios around 2 when comparing the highest and the lowest quartiles of DC, CCI, and ICED in Cox regressions adjusted for age, sex, and physical and cognitive performance. Prediction of mortality with GIC and CDS was only borderline significant. All measures predicted incident ADL disability; the strongest risk gradient (hazard ratio = 8.2 between the highest and lowest quartiles) was observed with ICED. Physical and, to a minor extent, cognitive performance added significantly to predicting mortality and incident BADL disability. CONCLUSION: All the measures of comorbidity predicted death and BADL disability in older community dwellers. DC, CCI, and ICED performed better than GIC and CDS. Physical performance measures are strong, independent contributors to the prediction of these outcomes.

Electrocardiographic changes in hiatal hernia: a case report.

We describe the case of a 78-year-old woman admitted to our department for suspected silent myocardial ischaemia with the evidence of T wave inversion in anterior lead. All the instrumental exams excluded inducible myocardial ischaemia. A gastroscopy showed a moderate hiatal hernia. We postulate that electrocardiogram modification could be attributed to hiatal hernia.

Predictors of 6-month mortality in elderly patients with mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease discharged from a medical ward after acute nonacidotic exacerbation.

OBJECTIVES: To identify clinical outcomes and variables associated with 6-month mortality in very elderly patients admitted for nonacidotic acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: General medicine acute care ward. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred forty-four elderly patients with COPD (mean age+/-standard deviation 82+/-7, 55.7% female) admitted to the hospital because of non-acidotic AECOPD. MEASUREMENTS: Cognitive and mood status and physiological variables were measured. Self-reported comorbidities were assessed using the Charlson Comorbidity Index. In-hospital and long-term mortality and clinical outcomes were recorded. RESULTS: At admission, this elderly population with AECOPD had low cognitive performance (mean Mini-Mental State Examination score 21+/-5), no presence of significant depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale score 4+/-3), good nutritional status (body mass index (BMI) 25.1+/-5.5), moderate comorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity Index 4.0+/-1.9), high functional disability (Barthel Index (BI) 52+/-34), and moderate severity of acute exacerbation (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score 9.7+/-4.2). Two hundred twenty-five inpatients with AECOPD were successfully discharged, whereas 15 were transferred to the intensive care unit, and four died in the hospital. The 6-month cumulative mortality rate in discharged patients with AECOPD was 20%. Multivariate Cox analysis shows that lower BMI (beta=-0.16; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.73-0.99), higher APACHE II score (beta=0,17; 95% CI=1.03-1.36), and lower BI at discharge (beta=-0.02; 95% CI=0.96-0.99) were independently associated with 6-month mortality. CONCLUSION: Malnutrition, severity of exacerbation and disability status could be identified as risk factors associated with 6-month mortality of elderly patients admitted for nonacidotic AECOPD.