Infecciones respiratorias agudas bajas y mortalidad posneonatal / Acute lower respiratory infections and post-neonatal mortality

La mortalidad por infecciones respiratorias agudas bajas (IRAB) en Argentina, constituye la tercera causa de muerte en menores de un año y es la primera causa si tomamos la mortalidad posneonatal. En este contexto, desde el año 2002, debido al lanzamiento del Programa Nacional IRAB, se lleva a cabo en el hospital en el período de Contingencia (1 de junio al 31 de agosto de cada año) el Centro de Prehospitalizacion,con el fin estratégico de disminuir la morbimortalidad de pacientes con enfermedad respiratoria aguda baja menores de 2 años. Durante 2012 realizamos un estudio descriptivo poblacional de cortetransversal, en el que se analizó el manejo de la Contingencia IRAB en el Hospital Luisa Cravenna de Gandulfo, contemplando la participación de todos los servicios involucrados. Entre los objetivos específicos se encuentran: obtener indicadores de morbimortalidad por IRAB y realizar contrarreferencia de pacientes IRAB atendidos en nuestro centro. Para la realización de este estudio se tuvieron en cuenta todos los niños menores de 2 años atendidos en nuestro hospital por IRAB. En el transcurso de la Contingencia,se atendió un 35% más de pacientes que en 2011, a expensas de esfuerzos propios y regionales.

Mortality for acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in Argentina is the third cause of death in infants less than one year old, and the first if we consider post-neonatal mortality. Against this backdrop, with the launch of the National ALRI Program, since 2002 the Pre-hospitalization Centre has been operat-ing in our hospital during the contingency period (July 1 to August 31 of each year), with the strategic aim of reducing the morbidity and mortality of infants aged less than two years old with acute lower respiratory pathology. In 2012, we carried out a cross-sectional, descriptive population study to analyze the way ALRI contingency was handled in the Luisa Cravenna de Gandulfo Hospital, considering the participation of all the medical services involved. The specific objectives included obtaining indicators of morbidity and mortality for ALRI and performing counter-references on ALRI patients treated in our health centre. In order to perform our study we included all infants aged less than two years old who were treated in our hospital for ALRI. During the contingency, due to self and regional efforts, we treated 35% more patients than in 2011.

A 13-month multicenter clinical experience of a low-dose monophasic oral contraceptive containing 20 microg ethinylestradiol and 75 microg gestodene in Latin American women.

This prospective, multicenter study was conducted to evaluate the contraceptive reliability, cycle control and tolerability of a 21-day oral contraceptive regimen containing 20 microg ethinylestradiol and 75 microg gestodene in four Latin American countries (Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia). Participants took trial medication daily for 21 days. Contraceptive efficacy, cycle control and tolerability were evaluated over a period of 13 cycles. Efficacy data gathered from 5,109 treatment cycles were obtained from 393 participants. The trial medication proved to be an effective contraceptive and provided good cycle control. One pregnancy because of poor compliance was recorded. This resulted in a study Pearl index of 0.25. Forty-six percent of Latin American women reported one intracyclic spotting bleeding episode and 37.6% reported one intracyclic breakthrough bleeding (medium/excessive bleeding) episode during cycles 2-4 (primary target). Overall, intracyclic bleeding was reported in 41%. Overall, there was a trend towards a lower incidence of spotting in all the countries and this difference had statistical significance between Argentina and the others three countries (p < 0.05) during cycles 2-4. This trend was also apparent with respect to breakthrough bleeding, but again the difference did not achieve statistical significance. The discontinuation rate because of adverse events was low (3%); no serious adverse events were reported. More than 78% of the women in the four countries maintained constant body weight or lost weight (2 kg) during the study. The treatment effect on blood pressure was negligible. There were no appreciable changes in mean laboratory values over the course of the study.