Interarm blood pressure measurement and the reference-arm assignment variability.

OBJECTIVE: The arm with the higher blood pressure (BP) is assigned as the follow up arm for hypertensive patients (reference-arm). We evaluated the reproducibility of this assignment. METHODS: BP was measured simultaneously on both arms with a double cuff validated device in two visits separated <10 days (two sets of three readings per visit). Two reference-arms were assigned in each visit (the arm with higher BP, at least ≥1 mmHg). The intravisit and intervisit agreements of this assignment were evaluated. RESULTS: We included 313 hypertensive patients. First visit mean right arm BP was 131.6 (16.6)/75.3 (9.4) mmHg and left arm BP was 132.4 (16.9)/75.7 (9.7) mmHg (P = 0.002). Intravisit concordance at the first and second visits were κ = 0.60 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.516-0.696] and κ = 0.45 [95% CI, 0.356-0.555], respectively. Therefore, 21.8% of patients (at the first visit) and 29.1% (at the second visit) with the right arm as the reference-arm in the first round of readings changed to the left arm in the same visit in the second round of readings. The intervisit κ index was 0.25 [95% CI, 0.147-0.365]. After that, 36.8% of patients with the right arm as the reference-arm at the first visit changed to the left arm at the second visit. The subgroup (9.5%) with an interarm systolic BP difference ≥10 mmHg at the first visit did not differ significantly from the rest of patients. CONCLUSION: The reference-arm assignment agreement is weak to moderate. The assignment of the reference-arm should be individualized and not considered as definitive.

Prognosis of status epilepticus in patients requiring intravenous anesthetic drugs (a single center experience).

PURPOSE: There is concern about the safety of anesthetic drugs (IVADs) in the management of status epilepticus (SE). To clarify this aspect, we aimed to assess the factors associated with a poor prognosis in SE requiring anesthetics. METHOD: We analyzed all SE requiring IVADs between October 2011 and December 2015. Demographics, clinical data, etiology, SE duration, indications for sedation, electroencephalography features, complications and the prognosis at discharge were collected. Hypoxic etiology was ruled out. RESULTS: 73 patients needed IVADs. These were indicated as third-line treatment for SE in 58.9%, for decreased level of consciousness resulting from previous treatments in 27.4%, and for the underlying etiology in 13.7%. At discharge 41(56.2%) patients showed a bad outcome and 32 a good outcome. Outcome was poorer in patients with higher STESS (p=0.003), lower level of consciousness (p=0.025), non-convulsive SE in coma (p=0.040), potentially fatal etiology-PFE (p=0.006), longer duration (p=0.026), presence of complications (p=0.022), use of IVADs due to the underlying etiology (p=0.020), and periodic epileptiform discharges on electroencephalography (p=0.032). Following multivariate analysis, SE duration >12h (OR=3.266; 95%CI=1.077-9.908; p=0.037), STESS ≥3 (OR=4.816; 95%CI=1.435-16.165; p=0.011), and PFE (OR=3.526; 95%CI=1.184-10.506; p=0.024) were independently associated with a poor functional prognosis. Regarding mortality, duration >12h (OR=7.07; 95%CI=1.836-27.220; p=0.004), low level of consciousness (OR=6.97; 95%CI=1.194-40.718; p=0.031), and presence of complications (OR=21.32; 95%CI=2.440-186.295; p=0.006) were independent predictors of death. CONCLUSIONS: Lengthy duration of SE in patients requiring IVADs is associated with a poorer prognosis and death. A STESS ≥3 and the etiology seem mainly related to the functional status at discharge, whereas more severely impaired consciousness and complications during sedation are related to mortality.

Usefulness of intravenous lacosamide in status epilepticus.

Lacosamide (LCM) is a treatment option for status epilepticus (SE) described in several series. We therefore proposed to describe its use in status epilepticus patients in our hospital. All patients admitted to our hospital for SE from September 2010 to April 2012 were evaluated. We collected related variables including the type of SE, etiology, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) used, loading dose of AEDs, cessation of SE after AEDs, ICU admission and mortality. In those patients receiving LCM, we reviewed the infusion rate and time to response. We compared patients receiving LCM with patients in whom it was not used. This was a retrospective and uncontrolled study. A total of 92 patients were included; 67.7 % of SE patients who received LCM responded to treatment. The vast majority of the patients presented non-convulsive and motor focal SE. When we selected patients to receive four or more AEDs, the LCM efficacy was 55.6 %, a very similar result compared to when it was not used. Subsequently, we analyzed the sample regarding the AED administered as the second or third line of treatment, and the responder rate was significantly higher when LCM was used (84.6 vs. 47.8 %, p 0.041). After an adjusted regression analysis, the use of LCM was independently associated with cessation of SE. The total percentage of undesirable effects was very low (12 %), and they were all mild. No relationship was found between a specific etiology and better response. LCM is a useful drug that represents an alternative in the treatment of non-convulsive or focal motor SE. Its efficacy might be more important when it is administered as a second or third option after benzodiazepines. A randomized trial is required to confirm these results.

Percepción de las enfermedades y conducta preventiva / Perception of illnesses and preventive behavior

Se comenta la importancia del conocimiento de las formas de percepción de las enfermedades en la predicción del comportamiento preventivo de la población y en el ajuste y adecuación de los programas de educación para la salud. Se distinguen seis dimensiones en la percepción de las patologías y se analizan el significado de sentimientos y actitudes que dirigen la conducta de los individuos. Se plantea la necesidad de investigar la relación entre percepción y conducta real en la población en estado de salud