Iatrogenic ventricular fibrillation in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome is the most common manifestation of ventricular pre-excitation syndrome and is mostly found in individuals with no structural heart disease. Although the risk of malignant arrhythmias is low, sudden cardiac death (SCD) as the first clinical manifestation of WPW syndrome is well documented, and atrial fibrillation (AF) with a rapid ventricular response is the main mechanism involved. Unfortunately, the signs of pre-excitation and arrhythmias are sometimes under-diagnosed and under-treated. We describe the case of a 31-year-old man who was admitted with an irregular wide complex tachycardia consistent with pre-excited AF, which was not promptly diagnosed, and who developed ventricular fibrillation (VF) after administration of atrioventricular (AV) nodal blockers, as a primary manifestation of WPW syndrome. Blocking the AV node in patients with pre-excited AF may increase the ventricular rate and potentially result in hemodynamic instability. Among patients with WPW syndrome who survive an episode of SCD, catheter ablation of the accessory pathway is the treatment of choice.

Temporal trends of lipid control in very high cardiovascular risk patients.

INTRODUCTION: Since 2011, the European guidelines have included a specific low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) target, <70 mg/dl, for very high cardiovascular risk (CVR) patients. However, registries have shown unsatisfactory results in obtaining this level of adequate lipid control. OBJECTIVES: To assess temporal trends in the use of lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) and attainment of adequate control in very high CVR patients since 2011. METHODS: We performed a retrospective observational study including very high CVR patients admitted in two periods: the first two years since the 2011 guidelines (2011/2012) and five years later (2016/2017). Lipid values, LLT, clinical variables and adequate lipid control rates were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 1314 patients were reviewed (2011/2012: 638; 2016/2017: 676). Overall, 443 patients (33.7%) were not under LLT and only a slight improvement in drug prescription was observed from 2011/2012 to 2016/2017. In LLT users, the proportion of high-intensity LLT increased significantly in the later years (6.4% vs. 24.0%; p<0.001), but this was not associated with adequate lipid control. Overall, mean LDL-C was 95.4±37.2 mg/dl and adequate control was achieved in 320 patients (24.4%), without significant differences between 2011/2012 and 2016/2017 (p=0.282). Independent predictors of adequate control were male gender, older age, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, prior acute coronary syndrome, prior stroke and LLT, while stable coronary artery disease was associated with higher risk of failure. CONCLUSION: Even after the introduction of specific LDL-C targets, these are still not reached in most patients. Over a five-year period, LLT prescription only improved slightly, while adequate lipid control rates remained unchanged.

Cardiac rehabilitation in older patients: Indication or limitation?

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical impact of a cardiac rehabilitation program in an older population. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of 731 coronary patients who attended phase 2 of a cardiac rehabilitation program between January 2009 and December 2016. We compared the response to the program of older (≥65 years) and younger (<65 years) patients, analyzing changes in metabolic profile (including body mass index, waist circumference and lipid profile), exercise capacity, cardiac autonomic regulation parameters (such as chronotropic index and resting heart rate), and health-related quality of life scores. RESULTS: Older patients represented 15.9% of our cohort. They showed significant reductions in waist circumference (male patients: 98.0±7.9 cm vs. 95.9±7.9 cm, p<0.001; female patients: 90.5±11.4 cm vs. 87.2±11.7 cm, p<0.001), LDL cholesterol (102.5 [86.3-128.0] mg/dl vs. 65.0 [55.0-86.0] mg/dl, p<0.001) and triglycerides (115.0 [87.8-148.5] mg/dl vs. 97.0 [81.8-130.0] mg/dl, p<0.001). Post-training data also showed a noticeable improvement in older patients' exercise capacity (7.6±1.8 METs vs. 9.3±1.8 METs, p<0.001), along with a higher chronotropic index and lower resting heart rate. Additionally, health-related quality of life indices improved in older subjects. However, our overall analysis found no significant differences between the groups in changes of the studied parameters. CONCLUSION: Older coronary patients benefit from cardiac rehabilitation interventions, similarly to their younger counterparts. Greater involvement of elderly patients in cardiac rehabilitation is needed to fully realize the therapeutic and secondary preventive potential of such programs.

The Role of Patent Foramen Ovale Closure in the Secondary Prevention of Cryptogenic Stroke: a Meta-Analysis Report

Abstract Background: Patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure has been compared to medical therapy for secondary prevention of recurrent cryptogenic stroke. Objectives: To produce an updated meta-analysis including only data from the primary analyses of clinical trials and to evaluate the role of PFO closure in the secondary prevention of recurrent stroke. Methods: Search in Medline (PubMed) and in ISI Web of Knowledge. Parameters under analysis and meta-analyses were: stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA) and atrial fibrillation (AF). Comprehensive Meta-analysis Software V.2.0 (Biostat) was used. Random-effects analyses were carried out. A level of significance of 5% was used. Results: In this study six, randomized trials enrolling 3,750 patients were included. Unlike other published meta-analyses on the same topic, in this case, only clinical trial data, and not follow-up data, were used. PFO closure, as compared with medical therapy alone, demonstrated superiority in reducing the rate of recurrent stroke (risk ratio with PFO closure vs. medical therapy, 0.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.17 to 0.78; p = 0.01). PFO closure did not offer a significant benefit in prevention of TIA (risk ratio with PFO closure vs. medical therapy, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.64 to 1.44; p = 0.85). Among patients assigned to closure group, an increased risk of atrial fibrillation was seen (risk ratio with PFO closure vs. medical therapy, 4.64; 95% CI, 2.38 to 9.01; p < 0.01). Conclusions: In patients with cryptogenic stroke who had a patent foramen ovale, a protective effect of closure was seen concerning the risk of recurrent stroke, but not regarding the prevention of TIA.

Role of Left Ventricle Function in Cardiac Rehabilitation Outcomes in Stage B Heart Failure Patients.

PURPOSE: To study the role of left ventricle systolic function in cardiac rehabilitation program (CRP) response in stage B heart failure patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was completed of 691 patients with previous myocardial infarction that underwent a CRP, classified in 3 groups: preserved ejection fraction (pEF), mid-range ejection fraction (mrEF), and reduced ejection fraction (rEF). We compared the response to CRP analyzing the relative changes of estimated cardiorespiratory fitness (CRFe), resting heart rate (HR), and chronotropic index (CI). RESULTS: After exercise training (median [interquartile range]) mrEF (23.9% [9.7, 40.8]) and rEF (23.9% [9.7, 41.2]) groups had a better CRFe response to CRP than pEF groups (17.6% [0.0, 35.9]), P = .009. CI increased similarly in all groups. We found a small effect of CRP on resting HR. CONCLUSION: Exercise-based CRP yields notable benefits to mrEF and rEF groups and the magnitude of its benefits is, at least, similar to that found in pEF patients.

Benefits of Cardiac Rehabilitation in Coronary Artery Disease: DOES WEIGHT MATTER?

PURPOSE: To evaluate the response of patients with obesity to a cardiac rehabilitation program (CRP), compared with patients without obesity. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 731 patients who completed phase II of a CRP after an acute coronary syndrome. The response to the CRP was assessed using the relative changes in exercise capacity (EC), resting heart rate (HR), and chronotropic index (CI). RESULTS: Only 23% of patients had obesity. Patients with obesity showed lower EC and CI at baseline and at the end of phase II of the CRP. Despite that, we reported a higher relative improvement for EC in patients with obesity (median [interquartile range], 23.9% [5.2, 40.8] vs 17.6% [8.1, 35.9], P = .043) and similar improvements in CI (10.9% [-1.4 to 34.2] vs 7.1% [-7.1 to 28.2], P = .100), compared with patients without obesity. There were no significant changes in resting HR. CONCLUSION: Regardless of their lower exercise performance at baseline, patients with obesity had a remarkably positive response to the CRP compared with patients without obesity.

Prevalence of auto-antibodies associated to pulmonary arterial hypertension in scleroderma - A review.

The prevalence of auto-antibodies associated to pulmonary arterial hypertension in scleroderma patients was reviewed, based on reports cited in two major scientific databases. Data were collected on the following types of antibodies: antinuclear, anti-double-stranded DNA, anticentromere, anti-CENP-A, anti-CENP-B, anti-bicaudal D2, anti-nucleolar, anti-Scl-70 (anti-topoisomerase I), anti-topoisomerase II α, anti-RNP, anti-U1RNP, anti-U3RNP, anti-RNA polymerase III, anti-Th/To, anti-histone, antiphospholipid, anti-PmScl, anti-Sm, anti SSA (anti-Ro),anti SSB (La), anti-Ro52 (TRIM 21), anti-Ku, anti-B23, anti-RuvBL1, anti-RuvBL2, anti-fibrin bound tissue plasminogen activator, anti-endothelial cell, anti-phosphatidylserine-prothrombin complex, anti-endothelin-1 type A receptor, anti-angiotensin II type 1 receptor, anti­carbonic anhydrase II, anti-fibroblast, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide, anti-4-sulfated N-Acetyl-lactosamine, class I and II anti-human leukocyte antigen. Auto-antibodies were shown by different authors to be associated to this condition, with different prevalence values for each type of auto-antibody. Antinuclear antibodies, anti-centromere antibodies, antiphospholipid antibodies, anti-U3 RNP antibodies and anti-Th/To antibodies would appear to show a particularly important prevalence in scleroderma patients with pulmonary hypertension, appearing in about 8/10 (antinuclear), 1/ 2 (anti-centromere, anti-phospholipid), and 1/4 (anti-U3RNP, anti-Th/To) of patients. The available evidence points in the direction of a strong association between auto-immune mechanisms and pulmonary hypertension in the setting of scleroderma.

Cardiac pauses during sleep in a patient with sleep obstructive apnea and atrial fibrillation.

Cardiac rhythm disturbances are common in sleep apnea patients. The authors report on a 74-year-old female patient with atrial fibrillation, with a background history of arterial hypertension, obesity, and obstructive sleep apnea. Holter monitoring was performed, on 5 different occasions. Pauses were seen in every Holter monitoring, the number of which varied between 10 and 72. All pauses occurred during the sleeping period and adjacent hours (23:00-8:59 hours) with a single exception. In this patient, we can speculate that parasympathetic may predominate over sympathetic activity during sleep.

Serviço social e universidade de terceira idade: uma proposta de participaçäo social e cidadania para idosos / Social service and university of the old age: a proposal of social participation and citzenship for the aged people

Proposta de trabalho do Serviço Social da UnATI-UERJ a partir das ações desenvolvididos num projeto de extensão cujo eixo temático são as questões de participação social e cidadania na terceira idade. A equipe do projeto, foi composta de estudantes do curso de serviço social, da Faculdade de Serviço Social da UERJ. Ao longo de sete anos, foram oferecidos aos alunos idosos cursos livres na área temática das Atividades Informativas e Formativas. Os alunos interessados nestes cursos, em sua maioria mulheres idosas, demonstraram interesse em discutir questões de seu processo de envelhecimento, ao mesmo tempo que estavam dispostas a conhecer seus direitos sociais e ter uma participação mais ativa no programa. Essa nova forma de viver a velhice tem possibilitado a esses segmentos rever estereótipos e mitos que, ainda, presentes em nossa sociedade, resultam numa representação negativa da velhice. Os resultados revelaram que os idosos que freqüentam essas atividades demonstram interesse em reconstruir sua imagem como cidadãos de terceira idade, lutando pela garantia de implementação de seus direitos sociais.

As mulheres na Universidade de Terceira Idade: busca por novas formas de envelhecer / The women in University of Old Age: search about new way to make old

Estudo sobre a experiência junto com as mulheres idosas que participam das atividades desenvolvidas pela UnATI na Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Apresenta quais são os objetivos propostos pela UnATI e as áreas nas quais as mulheres idosas têm maior participação, tais como, a dança, a música e as artes. Observa-se a relação entre gênero e geração e quais os motivos que as levam a participar da UnATI