Critical care in developing nations: what has the COVID-19 pandemic revealed?

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the lives of millions of individuals, resulting in over 600 million cases and over 6 million fatalities worldwide. In developing nations, mortality rates for intubated patients with viral pneumonia were as high as 80%, compared to 30% in developed countries. This article intends to discuss the causes of this disparity, focusing on the main problems shared by nations with limited resources.

Acute pancreatitis caused by Systemic Lupus Erythematosus activity: A case report and literature review / Pancreatitis aguda por actividad del lupus eritematoso sistémico: Reporte de caso y revisión de la literatura

A 32-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus came to the rheumatology outpatient clinic reporting abdominal pain for a week, along with fever, arthralgias, myalgias, alopecia, asthenia and dyspnea on exertion over the last two months. She was hypotensive and tachycardic, requiring admission to the intensive care unit. She was diagnosed with lupus-related acute pancreatitis, an unusual complication occurring in less than 1% of cases. Most cases are mild and self-limited; however, severe and life-threatening events with multiple organ failure are possible. This article is a case report of lupus-related critical acute pancreatitis, and a literature review.

Mujer de 32 años con lupus eritematoso sistémico acude a consulta externa de reumatología por dolor abdominal de una semana de evolución, además de fiebre, artralgias, mialgias, alopecia, astenia y disnea de esfuerzo de 2 meses de evolución. También presentó hipotensión y taquicardia, por lo que requirió ingreso en la unidad de cuidados intensivos. Le diagnosticaron pancreatitis aguda relacionada con el lupus, que es una complicación inusual que ocurre en menos del 1% de los pacientes. La mayoría de los casos son leves y autolimitados, sin embargo, es posible que se presenten eventos graves y potencialmente mortales, con disfunción multiorgánica. Este artículo es un reporte de caso de una pancreatitis aguda crítica relacionada con lupus y una revisión de la literatura.

Intensive care medicine and the intensivist: from 1850 to 2021 / A medicina intensiva e o intensivista: de 1850 a 2021

Intensive Care Medicine gained prominence in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a recent medical specialty, which many physicians and the public know little about. This article makes a historical perspective, from the emergence of the first areas for observation of critically ill patients in the nineteenth century to the present, to the impact of the pandemic and its consequences (AU)

A Medicina Intensiva ganhou destaque no anos de 2020 e 2021 devido à pandemia por COVID-19. Trata-se de uma especialidade recente, e ainda pouco conhecida por muitos médicos e pelo público. Este artigo faz uma perspectiva histórica, desde o surgimento das primeiras áreas para observação de pacientes graves no século XIX, até o pre-sente, com o impacto da pandemia, e as perspectivas futuras (AU)