Characterization of Latin American migrants at risk for Trypanosoma cruzi infection in a non-endemic setting. Insights into initial evaluation of cardiac and digestive involvement.

BACKGROUND: Trypanosoma cruzi causes Chagas disease (CD), a potentially fatal disease characterized by cardiac disorders and digestive, neurological or mixed alterations. T. cruzi is transmitted to humans by the bite of triatomine vectors; both the parasite and disease are endemic in Latin America and the United States. In the last decades, population migration has changed the classic epidemiology of T. cruzi, contributing to its global spread to traditionally non-endemic countries. Screening is recommended for Latin American populations residing in non-endemic countries. METHODS: The present study analyzes the epidemiological characteristics of 2,820 Latin American individuals who attended the International Health Service (IHS) of the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona between 2002 and 2019. The initial assessment of organ damage among positive cases of T. cruzi infection was analyzed, including the results of electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiogram, barium enema and esophagogram. RESULTS: Among all the screened individuals attending the clinic, 2,441 (86.6%) were born in Bolivia and 1,993 (70.7%) were female. Of individuals, 1,517 (81.5%) reported previous exposure to the vector, which is a strong risk factor associated with T. cruzi infection; 1,382 individuals were positive for T. cruzi infection. The first evaluation of individuals with confirmed T. cruzi infection, showed 148 (17.1%) individuals with Chagasic cardiomyopathy, the main diagnostic method being an ECG and the right bundle branch block (RBBB) for the most frequent disorder; 16 (10.8%) individuals had a normal ECG and were diagnosed of Chagasic cardiomyopathy by echocardiogram. CONCLUSIONS: We still observe many Latin American individuals who were at risk of T. cruzi infection in highly endemic areas in their countries of origin, and who have not been previously tested for T. cruzi infection. In fact, even in Spain, a country with one of the highest proportion of diagnosis of Latin American populations, T. cruzi infection remains underdiagnosed. The screening of Latin American populations presenting with a similar profile as reported here should be promoted. ECG is considered necessary to assess Chagasic cardiomyopathy in positive individuals, but echocardiograms should also be considered as a diagnostic approach given that it can detect cardiac abnormalities when the ECG is normal.

Infiltración de los ligamentos uterosacros con un anestésico local de larga duración en pacientes sometidas a histerectomía vaginal / Infiltration of the uterosacral ligaments with a long-acting local anesthetic in patients undergoing vaginal hysterectomy

Objetivo: Conocer si la infiltración de los ligamentos uterosacros con un anestésico de vida media larga, al practicar una histerectomía vaginal, disminuye la utilización de otras formas de analgesia postoperatoria con posible morbilidad. Sujetos y métodos: Ensayo clínico controlado y aleatorizado y a doble ciego con 2 grupos de pacientes. Al grupo de estudio (45 pacientes) se le inyectaron 5 ml de ropivacaína al 0,75% en cada ligamento uterosacro durante la intervención. Al grupo control no se le realizó ninguna inyección paracervical. Se valoró el dolor postoperatorio a las 2 h del inicio de la anestesia, a las 2.30, 3.30, 13.30 y 25.30. En los casos en que la valoración de la Escala Visual Analógica (EVA) era superior a 3, se practicaba una analgesia epidural considerada de rescate. Resultados: El grupo de estudio no precisó anestesia epidural de rescate en el 68,9% de las pacientes, frente al 43,6% del grupo control (p = 0,027). Conclusiones: Infiltrar los ligamentos uterosacros con un anestésico local de larga duración en las pacientes sometidas a histerectomía vaginal disminuye la necesidad de emplear analgesia de rescate, que es cara y tiene efectos secundarios adversos