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González-García, Mauricio and Luis Ernesto Téllez. Adaptation to living at high altitude in patients with COPD. Comparative study of exercise capacity and ventilatory variables between patients residing at high and low altitudes in the Andes. High Alt Med Biol. 00:000-000, 2024. Introduction: Although some variables related to oxygen transport and utilization such as ventilation, pulmonary vascular responses to hypoxia, heart rate (HR), cardiac output, hemoglobin (Hb), and oxygen saturation (SpO2) are used to compare adaptation to altitude between populations, peak oxygen consumption (VO2) constitutes an integrative measure of total oxygen transport that may reflect successful adaptation to altitude. We designed this study to make a direct comparison of VO2 in a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients residing at high altitude (Bogotá, Colombia: 2,640 m) (COPD-HA) and those living at low altitude (Bucaramanga, Colombia: 959 m) (COPD-LA). Methods: All patients performed a CPET with measurements of VO2, minute ventilation (VE), HR, oxygen pulse (VO2/HR), ventilatory equivalents (VE/VCO2), and SpO2. Unpaired T-test or Mann-Whitney U test were used for comparisons between COPD-HA and COPD-LA. Results: We included 71 patients with COPD, 53 COPD-HA, and 18 COPD-LA. There were no differences between groups in age, sex, or forced expiratory volume in 1 second. The means ± SD of Hb, g/dl was slightly higher in COPD-HA (15.9 ± 1.9 vs. 14.7 ± 1.8, p = 0.048), without differences in VO2, % pred (71.6 ± 17.9 vs. 69.0 ± 17.0, p = 0.584), VO2/HR, % pred (92.1 ± 22.0 vs. 89.7 ± 19.8, p = 0.733) or VE/MVV, % (75.5 ± 14.1 vs. 76.5 ± 14.3, p = 0.790) at peak exercise between groups. Median (IQR) of VE/VCO2 nadir [38.0 (37.0-42.0) vs. 32.5 (31.0-39.0), p = 0.005] was significantly higher, and SpO2, % at rest [88.0 (86.0-91.0) vs. 95.0 (94.0-96.0), p < 0.001] and at peak exercise [84.0 (77.0-90.0) vs. 93.0 (92.0-95.0), p < 0.001] were significantly lower in COPD-HA. Conclusions: Despite higher desaturation at rest and during exercise in COPD-HA, there were no differences in VO2 peak between COPD-HA and COPD-LA, suggesting a potential altitude adaptation in those patients chronically exposed to hypoxia.
RESUMO
Resumen Introducción: la neumonía adquirida en la comunidad es una infección aguda del parénquima pulmonar que corresponde a una importante causa de morbi-mortalidad en Colombia. En esta entidad, se ha asociado la pobre calidad en la atención y la mala adherencia a las guías de manejo con un impacto negativo tanto en el desenlace clínico del paciente, como en la academia y solvencia económica de un Hospital Universitario. Objetivo: describir la calidad de la atención médica y adherencia a la guía colombiana de manejo de la neumonía adquirida en la comunidad en el Hospital Universitario de Santander durante el periodo 2014-2015. Materiales y métodos: estudio descriptivo de corte transversal; se seleccionaron 121 historias clínicas con diagnóstico de Neumonía Adquirida en la Comunidad en el Hospital Universitario de Santander durante el periodo 2014-2015. A partir de estas, se recolectaron variables respecto a la aproximación diagnóstica, asignación de tratamiento y recomendaciones generales, evaluando por cada ítem individual el porcentaje de adherencia a la guía de Neumonía adquirida en la comunidad de la Asociación Colombiana de Infectología y los criterios de calidad en la atención de la Community Acquired Pneumonia Organization. Resultados: los ítems con mayor cumplimiento fueron: el hemoleucograma (100%) y la toma de radiografía de tórax (98%). Por otra parte, la clasificación CURB-65 (15%), la indicación de radiografía de tórax en el control (12%) y las recomendaciones para cese de tabaquismo y vacunación (0%) fueron los parámetros con menor rendimiento. Conclusiones: se evidenció una falencia en el proceso de clasificación clínica del paciente, condición que, asociada al escaso uso de laboratorios de diagnóstico microbiológico y el excesivo uso de estudios de imagen no indicados como la tomografía computarizada, favorece un tratamiento ineficiente y el desarrollo de resistencia farmacológica. MÉD.UIS.2019;32(2):23-30
Abstract Introduction: community-acquired pneumonia is an acute infection of lung parenchyma, being nowadays an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Colombia. In this entity, poor health care quality and poor adherence to management guidelines has been associated with a negative impact on both, the clinical outcome of the patient and the academic and financial solvency of a university hospital. Objective: to describe the quality of medical care and adherence to the Colombian community-acquired pneumonia guideline in the Hospital Universitario de Santander during the 2014-2015 period. Methods: descriptive cross-sectional study. 121 clinical records with diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia in the Hospital Universitario de Santander were selected. Variables regarding diagnostic approach, treatment assignment and general recommendations were collected from these, evaluating for each item the proportion of adherence to the guideline as well as the quality criteria in medical care defined by the Community Acquired Pneumonia Organization. Results: items with best reported adherence were: complete blood count (100%) and chest X-ray (98%). On the other hand, CURB-65 classification (15%), chest X-ray indicated for the ambulatory control (12%), as well as recommendations for cessation of smoking and vaccination (0%), were the parameters with the lowest performance. Conclusions: there was evidence of failure in the clinical classification of the patient, which was associated with poor use of microbiological diagnostic laboratories and overuse of imaging studies such as computed tomography, thus favoring inefficient treatment and development of bacterial pharmacological resistance. MÉD.UIS.2019;32(2):23-30