Impact of hypochloremia as a prognostic factor in patients with heart failure, a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: some studies suggest that hypochloremia is a risk factor in the prognosis of heart failure (HF) in patients with recent decompensation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: retrospective cohort study of patients discharged due to HF decompensation who began follow-up in a specialized clinic. Two groups are defined: patients with hypochloremia (chloride < 98 mmol/L) and normochloremic patients (chloride > 98 mmol/L) in the initial assessment within the first month after discharge. The rate of intravenous diuretic rescue, emergency department visits, readmission for HF and cardiovascular (CV) death are compared using a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: 165 patients were included (59% women, mean age 85 years), with 60 (36%) having hypochloremia. Both groups were comparable in terms of baseline characteristics, except for female sex, presence of peripheral artery disease, moderate-to-severe liver disease (more prevalent in the hypochloremia group), PROFUND index, and baseline furosemide dose (higher in patients with hypochloremia). The incidence of the primary event was higher in subjects with hypochloremia than in normochloremic subjects (HR: 1.59, 95% CI 0.97-2.62), mainly due to the need for intravenous diuretic rescue (HR: 1.86, 95% CI 1.07-3.24). CONCLUSIONS: hypochloremia following admission for HF decompensation is associated with a greater need for intravenous diuretic rescue therapy and probably worse overall prognosis across the spectrum of the disease, regardless of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Validación externa del algoritmo InShape II para la exclusión de la enfermedad tromboembólica crónica en los pacientes con tromboembolismo pulmonar / External validation of the InShape II study algorithm for exclusion of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in patients with pulmonary thromboembolism

Antecedentes y objetivo La complicación a largo plazo más grave del embolismo pulmonar (EP) es la hipertensión pulmonar tromboembólica crónica (HPTEC), cuyo diagnóstico precoz implica la realización de un gran número pruebas. El estudio InShape II propone un algoritmo de cribado precoz que pretende disminuir el número de estudios ecocardiográficos. El objetivo de nuestro estudio es validar este algoritmo en nuestra cohorte de pacientes. Material y métodos Se analizaron retrospectivamente los pacientes ingresados con diagnóstico de EP por angio-TC, en el Hospital Rey Juan Carlos entre noviembre del 2017 y febrero del 2020, seguidos durante al menos un año. Se recogieron datos clínicos, analíticos, y pruebas complementarias a los 3 meses y al año. Se aplicó a estos pacientes el algoritmo del estudio InShape II para validar sus resultados. Resultados En el periodo de estudio fueron diagnosticados de EP 236 pacientes, de los cuales 137 fueron excluidos. Se validó el algoritmo en 99 pacientes. Aplicando el score del InShape II hubiéramos realizado 19 ecocardiogramas (3 de ellos con probabilidad intermedia/alta de HPTEC) y no se hubieran hecho en 80 (2 de ellos con probabilidad intermedia/alta), por lo que se estableció una sensibilidad del score de un 60%, con una especificidad de un 83%, y un área bajo la curva (AUC) de 0,715 (IC 95%: 0,472-0,958). Conclusiones Nuestros resultados apoyan que el algoritmo del estudio InShape II podría ser una herramienta útil en el cribado inicial del estudio de HPTEC en entornos de baja incidencia, ya que evitaría la realización de ecocardiogramas que no aportan valor (AU)

Background and aim The most severe long-term complication of pulmonary embolism (PE) is chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), and its early diagnosis often requires numerous diagnostic tests. The InShape II study proposes an early screening algorithm that aims to reduce the number of echocardiographic studies. The objective of our study is to validate this algorithm in our patient cohort. Materials and methods We retrospectively analyzed patients admitted to Hospital Rey Juan Carlos between November 2017 and February 2020, who were diagnosed with PE based on computed tomography angiography (CTA). Patients were followed for at least one year, and clinical, laboratory, and complementary test data were collected at three months and one year. The InShape II algorithm was applied to these patients to validate its results. Results During the study period, 236 patients were diagnosed with PE, of which 137 were excluded. The algorithm was validated in 99 patients. Applying the InShape II score, 19 echocardiograms would have been performed (three of them with intermediate-high probability of CTEPH), while 80 echocardiograms would have been avoided (two of them with intermediate-high probability). This yielded a sensitivity of 60% and a specificity of 83% for the score, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.715 (95% CI: 0.472-0.958). Conclusions Our results support the notion that the InShape II algorithm could be a useful tool for initial screening of CTEPH in low-incidence settings, as it would avoid unnecessary echocardiograms that do not provide additional value (AU)

External validation of the InShape II study algorithm for exclusion of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in patients with pulmonary thromboembolism.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The most severe long-term complication of pulmonary embolism (PE) is chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), and its early diagnosis often requires numerous diagnostic tests. The InShape II study proposes an early screening algorithm that aims to reduce the number of echocardiographic studies. The objective of our study is to validate this algorithm in our patient cohort. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed patients admitted to Hospital Rey Juan Carlos between November 2017 and February 2020, who were diagnosed with PE based on computed tomography angiography (CTA). Patients were followed for at least one year, and clinical, laboratory, and complementary test data were collected at three months and one year. The InShape II algorithm was applied to these patients to validate its results. RESULTS: During the study period, 236 patients were diagnosed with PE, of which 137 were excluded. The algorithm was validated in 99 patients. Applying the InShape II score, 19 echocardiograms would have been performed (three of them with intermediate-high probability of CTEPH), while 80 echocardiograms would have been avoided (two of them with intermediate-high probability). This yielded a sensitivity of 60% and a specificity of 83% for the score, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.715 (95% CI: 0.472-0.958). CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the notion that the InShape II algorithm could be a useful tool for initial screening of CTEPH in low-incidence settings, as it would avoid unnecessary echocardiograms that do not provide additional value.

Trombosis venosa de retina. Auditoría de un programa de atención especializada / Retinal vein occlusion. Audit of a specialized care program

Background and objectives Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is the second most frequent cause of retinal vascular disease and is related to classic cardiovascular risk factors. A specific program was designed to detect and treat risk factors in patients with RVO. The aim of this study is to audit the results of this program. Patients and methods The program consisted of a multidisciplinary clinical evaluation by the Ophthalmology and Internal Medicine Departments. All patients with RVO were screened, at minimum, for hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking, overweight, and antiphospholipid syndrome. New risk factors or poor control of known risk factors were expected to be found in at least one-third of the patients. Among them, therapeutic measures were expected to be taken in at least two-thirds. A dissociated automated search of the data of all patients who entered the program between April 2021 and April 2022 was performed. Results Fifty-six patients were included for analysis. Of these, 39 (69.6%) had at least one new or poorly controlled risk factor and 43 (76.8%) had their treatment modified in some way. Antiphospholipid syndrome was detected in five (8.9%). Only one patient had low-risk hereditary thrombophilia. After an exhaustive examination, no risk factors were found in 11 patients. Conclusion This specific program has been effective in detecting new or poorly controlled risk factors and improving their treatment (AU)

Antecedentes y objetivo La trombosis venosa de retina (TVR) es la segunda causa más frecuente de enfermedad vascular de la retina y se relaciona con factores de riesgo cardiovascular clásicos. Se diseñó un programa específico para detección y tratamiento de factores de riesgo en pacientes con TVR. El objetivo de este estudio es auditar los resultados de dicho programa. Pacientes y métodos El programa consistió en una evaluación clínica multidisciplinar por parte de Oftalmología y Medicina Interna. A todos los pacientes con TVR se les realizó cribado, al menos, de hipertensión arterial, diabetes, dislipidemia, tabaquismo, sobrepeso y síndrome antifosfolípido. Se esperó encontrar nuevos factores de riesgo o pobre control de los ya conocidos en, al menos, un tercio de los pacientes. Entre ellos, se esperó tomar alguna medida terapéutica en, al menos, dos tercios. Se llevó a cabo una búsqueda automatizada disociada de los datos de todos los pacientes que entraron en el programa entre abril de 2021 y abril de 2022. Resultados Cincuenta y seis pacientes se incluyeron para el análisis. De ellos, 39 (69,6%) tenían al menos un factor de riesgo nuevo o mal controlado, y 43 (76,8%) vieron modificado en algún modo su tratamiento. Se detectó síndrome antifosfolípido en 5 (8,9%). Solo un paciente tenía una trombofilia hereditaria de bajo riesgo. Tras un examen exhaustivo no se encontró factor de riesgo alguno en 11 pacientes. Conclusión Este programa específico ha sido efectivo para detectar factores de riesgo nuevos o mal controlados y mejorar su tratamiento (AU)

Retinal vein occlusion. Audit of a specialized care program.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is the second most frequent cause of retinal vascular disease and is related to classic cardiovascular risk factors. A specific program was designed to detect and treat risk factors in patients with RVO. The aim of this study is to audit the results of this program. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The program consisted of a multidisciplinary clinical evaluation by the Ophthalmology and Internal Medicine Departments. All patients with RVO were screened, at minimum, for hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking, overweight, and antiphospholipid syndrome. New risk factors or poor control of known risk factors were expected to be found in at least one-third of the patients. Among them, therapeutic measures were expected to be taken in at least two-thirds. A dissociated automated search of the data of all patients who entered the program between April 2021 and April 2022 was performed. RESULTS: Fifty-six patients were included for analysis. Of these, 39 (69.6%) had at least one new or poorly controlled risk factor and 43 (76.8%) had their treatment modified in some way. Antiphospholipid syndrome was detected in five (8.9%). Only one patient had low-risk hereditary thrombophilia. After an exhaustive examination, no risk factors were found in 11 patients. CONCLUSION: This specific program has been effective in detecting new or poorly controlled risk factors and improving their treatment.

Long-term use of tinzaparin for the treatment of cancer-associated thrombosis in clinical practice: Insights from the prospective TROPIQUE study.

BACKGROUND: Real word data on the efficacy and safety of long-term use of tinzaparin for the treatment of cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) are scarce. METHODS: We performed a post-hoc analysis of all cancer patients included in the prospective multicenter observational TROPIQUE study who received long-term treatment with tinzaparin for a first venous thromboembolism (VTE) event. We evaluated the patterns of anticoagulant prescription, the adherence to clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for the treatment of CAT, and the clinical outcomes within a 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: In total, 301 patients were included in this post-hoc analysis. At study entry, their mean age was 64.6±11.9years and 143 (47.5%) patients were men. The most frequent cancer type was gastrointestinal (23.9%), followed by breast (17.9%) and lung (15.3%) cancer. At time of VTE diagnosis, 164 (57.8%) patients had metastatic disease and 245 (81.42%) were receiving chemotherapy. Based on the aggregation of all study pre-defined criteria, tinzaparin prescription was fully compliant with CPGs in 219 (72.8%) patients. The mean effective treatment duration with tinzaparin was 6.07±0.17months. At 6-month follow-up, the cumulative incidence of recurrent VTE was 5.4% (95% CI: 3.2-9.2%) and the cumulative incidence of major bleeding was 5.8% (95% CI: 3.6-9.6%). Clinical outcomes tended to differ across different types of cancer. Death from any cause occurred in 102 (33.9%) patients, mainly related to cancer progression. CONCLUSIONS: This post-hoc analysis of TROPIQUE confirms the favorable benefit-risk ratio of tinzaparin for the long-term treatment of CAT.

High doses of systemic corticosteroids in patients hospitalised for exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A cohort study. / Dosis altas de corticoides sistémicos en pacientes ingresados por exacerbación de enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica. Un estudio de cohortes.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of high doses of corticosteroids in patients hospitalised for exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted on patients hospitalized with COPD between January and March 2015, grouped according to the glucocorticoid dosage administered (cutoff, 40mg of prednisone/day). We compared the results of hospital stay, readmission and mortality at 3 months of discharge. RESULTS: We analysed 87 patients. The median daily dose was 60mg of prednisone (interquartile range, 46.67-82.33mg/day), and the administration route was intravenous in 96.6% of the cases. We established a relative risk (RR) for hospital stays longer than 8 days of 1.095 (95% CI 0.597-2.007; P=.765) when steroid dosages greater than 40mg/day were employed. In these patients, the hazard ratio (HR) for readmission in the 3 months after discharge was 0.903 (95% CI 0.392-2.082; P=.811), and the mortality was 1.832 (95% CI 0.229-16.645; P=.568). Neither the RR nor the HR varied in a statistically significant manner after adjusting for confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS: A daily dose greater than 40mg of prednisone in patients hospitalised for COPD exacerbation was not associated with a shorter hospital stay or a reduction in readmissions or mortality at 3 months.