[An alternative for improving the diagnosis of smear-negative tuberculosis and other bronchopulmonary disorders in Cuba]. / Una alternativa para mejorar el diagnóstico de la tuberculosis con baciloscopia negativa y otros problemas broncopulmonares en Cuba.

OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis of tuberculosis in patients with negative acid-fast bacillus smears poses a challenge to both clinicians and public health authorities. In an attempt to aid diagnosis in such cases, an expert committee was established in Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba in 1995. The aim of this study was to describe the progress of the committee's work and the corresponding results for the period 1996 through 2003. PATIENTS AND METHODS: For each patient studied by the commission, we analyzed the following data: patient's residence and referring center, tentative diagnosis proposed by the attending physician, history of antibiotic treatment, and final diagnosis made by the commission. RESULTS: Of the 1703 patients studied, 84.8% were from La Habana, 48.4% were 55 years or older, and 63.8% were men. Between 2001 and 2003, 11.3% of patients were already on antituberculosis treatment when their case was studied by the commission. The corresponding percentage for 1996 through 2000 was 16.9% (P=.001). Active tuberculosis was confirmed in 43.1% of a total of 918 patients with full test results during the period 1996 through 2000 and in 52.2% of a total of 619 patients (52.2%) during the period 2001 through 2003 (P< .001). Of 344 patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis and negative acid-fast bacillus smears between 2001 and 2003, 128 (37.2%) were diagnosed with active tuberculosis. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that the work of the commission is viable, sustainable, and useful for preventing overdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment, and that it also serves an educational purpose.

[Behavior of predictive variables of exacerbations of the COPD in the neumological hospital of Cuba.] / Comportamiento de variables predictivas de exacerbaciones de la EPOC en el hospital neumológico de Cuba.

The use of predictive variables of exacerbations of the COPD is not a practice generalized in our environment, for what we cannot characterize the exacerbating patient neither to design strategies for its integral handling. There was carried out a prospective descriptive study to correlate in patient with diagnosis of COPD from the Neumologic Hospital of Cuba, with the objective of determining the association between clinical, functional variables and imagenological and the exacerbations frequency a year. The population was constituted for patients with clinical diagnosis of COPD and the sample for those patients with confirmed diagnosis that they completed the inclusion approaches. The correlation among the variables was carried out by means of the Coefficient of Correlation of Pearson with an interval of Trust of 95% and the test t student with a significance level (p) smaller than 0.05. 81.82% of the very serious patients are exacerbating with emphysema. 75% of the patients with index of the lung artery / aorta have more than two exacerbations a year. 84.61% of the patient exacerbating presented degree four of the dyspnea. The half pressure of the lung artery next to the VEF1 constituted the best exacerbations predictors in the group of studied patients.

Adjuvant interferon gamma in patients with drug - resistant pulmonary tuberculosis: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is increasing in the world and drug-resistant (DR) disease beckons new treatments. METHODS: To evaluate the action of interferon (IFN) gamma as immunoadjuvant to chemotherapy on pulmonary DR-TB patients, a pilot, open label clinical trial was carried out in the Cuban reference ward for the management of this disease. The eight subjects existing in the country at the moment received, as in-patients, 1 x 10(6) IU of recombinant human IFN gamma intramuscularly, daily for one month and then three times per week up to 6 months as adjuvant to the indicated chemotherapy, according to their antibiograms and WHO guidelines. Sputum samples collection for direct smear observation and culture as well as routine clinical and thorax radiography assessments were done monthly. RESULTS: Sputum smears and cultures became negative for acid-fast-bacilli before three months of treatment in all patients. Lesion size was reduced at the end of 6 months treatment; the lesions disappeared in one case. Clinical improvement was also evident; body mass index increased in general. Interferon gamma was well tolerated. Few adverse events were registered, mostly mild; fever and arthralgias prevailed. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that IFN gamma is useful and well tolerated as adjunctive therapy in patients with DR-TB. Further controlled clinical trials are encouraged.

[Tuberculosis risk assessment in the staff of the National University Pneumologic Hospital of Havana]. / Riesgo de ocurrencia de la tuberculosis en los trabajadores del Hospital Universitario Neumológico Benéfico Jurídico de La Habana.

INTRODUCTION: tuberculosis is traditionally considered as a professional disease in health care workers. OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the individual and collective tuberculosis infection risk by areas or departments in the National University Pneumologiic Hospital of Havana, Cuba. METHODS: the individual risk was assessed during 2008-2009 by means of a survey administered to the staff that includes personal data, labor location and exposition to M. tuberculosis, and a Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) was applied to 112 of them. A > or = 10 mm cut-off point was used for positivity. The collective risk was measured in each area or department by the prevalence of TB infection, the tuberculin conversion rate and the number of tuberculosis cases hospitalized per year. RESULTS: of the 183 surveyed workers, 60.7% had workers for more than 5 years in the institution. Of the 64 negative workers in the previous survey, 34.4% became positive in this survey. The latent TB infection prevalence was 50.8% (CI 95%: 43.36-58.23); higher prevalence found in nurses (64.7%-CI 95%: 38.6-84.7) and lower in health non-related technicians(30%-CI 95%: 8.1-64.6). Half of the departments or areas (17/34) were evaluated as high risk, 23.5% as intermediate risk, 11.8% as low risk and 14.7% as very low risk. CONCLUSIONS: the National Pneumologic Hospital, as it was expected, is a high risk facility for Micobacterium tuberculosis infection that may affect its workers, and most of its areas pose a potential risk potential for the staff working there.

Eliminación de la tuberculosis en Cuba: contribuciones recientes, resultados y desafíos / Elimination of tuberculosis in Cuba: recent contributions, results and challenges

Desde el 70 al 80 Aniversario de la fundación del Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Pedro Kourí", los investigadores, profesionales y técnicos de este centro, han laborado en cooperación con diversas instituciones académicas y de los servicios de salud de Cuba (en equipos multidisciplinarios) en las tareas de desarrollo científico, innovación tecnológica y construcción de capacidades. Este artículo resume las principales investigaciones realizadas sobre la tuberculosis desde 2008-2017; como contribuciones al Programa Nacional de Control y Eliminación de la Tuberculosis con la perspectiva de aumentar la calidad, efectividad y eficiencia de las acciones y acelerar la solución de la incidencia y la mortalidad por tuberculosis, para la investigación, la vigilancia y control de la tuberculosis. Se presentan evidencias que fundamentan las innovaciones en el manejo clínico terapéutico de pacientes inmunocompetentes e inmunocomprometidos, en niños y adolescentes, sobre las indicaciones para el control de la infección tuberculosa latente, la vigilancia de los desenlaces del tratamiento anti-tuberculosis, la investigación de contactos de casos, los cambios en el sistema de registro e información, el monitoreo y evaluación de la calidad de la detección de casos de tuberculosis, el impacto sobre la morbilidad y la mortalidad.

During the period extending from the 70th to the 80th anniversary of the founding of Pedro Kouri Tropical Medicine Institute, researchers, professionals and technicians from the center, in joint cooperation with a variety of Cuban academic and health care institutions, have integrated into multidisciplinary teams engaged in tasks related to scientific development, technological innovation and capacity building. The paper summarizes the main research studies about tuberculosis conducted from 2008 to 2017 as contributions to the National Tuberculosis Control and Elimination Program, with a view to enhancing the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of actions, swiftly finding a solution to tuberculosis incidence and mortality, and fostering tuberculosis research, surveillance and control. Evidence is presented which substantiates innovations in the clinical therapeutic management of both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients, children and adolescents, and indications are provided for latent tuberculosis infection control, surveillance of anti-tuberculosis treatment outcomes, investigation of case contacts, changes in the record and information system, quality monitoring and evaluation of the detection of tuberculosis cases, and impact on morbidity and mortality.

Comisión de diagnóstico de casos sospechosos de tuberculosis con baciloscopia negativa: aceptabilidad del servicio por los médicos presentadores / Commission for the diagnosis of bacteriologically negative suspected tuberculosis cases: acceptability of the service by presenting physicians

Introducción: en etapa de eliminación de la tuberculosis, resulta de gran interés la identificación temprana de estos enfermos en cualquiera de sus formas, incluyendo aquellos con manifestaciones clínicas-radiológicas y microscopía negativa. Objetivos: conocer la frecuencia con que los médicos de diferentes servicios de salud presentan los expedientes clínicos de enfermos sospechosos de tuberculosis en la Comisión de Diagnóstico de enfermos de Tuberculosis con Baciloscopias Negativas (CODIBAARNE) del Hospital Neumológico Benéfico Jurídico de La Habana, la procedencia de dichos facultativos y sus opiniones sobre este servicio científico-técnico. Métodos: estudio descriptivo exploratorio. Para precisar la procedencia de los médicos presentadores, se aplicó un único formulario de encuesta. Resultados: en el 2004-05 se encuestaron 181 médicos y en el 2011, 40. De los primeros 181 encuestados, 118 (65,2 por ciento) procedían de 44 policlínicos de la atención primaria de salud y 63 (34,8 por ciento) de 17 hospitales de atención secundaria. Del primer grupo, 142 (78,5 por ciento) consideraron bueno y útil el servicio científico-técnico y 34 (19 por ciento) expresaron que era instructivo y aprendían con el servicio brindado. Del segundo grupo, 33 (82,5 por ciento) son Médicos Generales Integrales, y expresaron opiniones muy similares a las del primer grupo entrevistado. Conclusión: CODIBAARNE brinda extensa cobertura de servicios científico-técnicos a médicos de atención primaria y secundaria, que suscitan opiniones muy favorables de la gran mayoría de sus usuarios, considerándola como una herramienta complementaria para el diagnóstico de la tuberculosis con baciloscopia negativa(AU)

Introduction: in tuberculosis elimination an important role is played by early identification of all patients, including those with negative clinical-radiological and microscopy results. Objectives: determine the frequency with which physicians from various health services submit the medical records of patients with suspected tuberculosis to the Commission for the Diagnosis of Bacteriologically Negative Tuberculosis (CODIBAARNE) of Havana Benéfico Jurídico Pneuological Hospital, the institutional affiliation of those physicians and their opinions about this technical-scientific service. Methods: a descriptive exploratory study was conducted to determine the place of origin of presenting doctors. A unique survey form was used. Results: 181 doctors were surveyed in the period 2004-2005 and 40 in 2011. Of the former 181 doctors, 118 (65.2 percent) were from 44 primary health care polyclinics and 63 (34.8 percent) from 17 secondary health care hospitals. 142 (78.5 percent) evaluated the technical and scientific service as good and useful, and 34 (19 percent) said it was instructive. Of the second group 33 (82.5 percent) were comprehensive general physicians. Their opinions were very similar to those of the first group. Conclusion: CODIBAARNE provides extensive coverage of technical and scientific services to primary and secondary health care physicians, generating very favorable opinions among most of its users, who view it as a complementary tool for the diagnosis of bacteriologically negative tuberculosis(AU)

Riesgo de ocurrencia de la tuberculosis en los trabajadores del Hospital Universitario Neumológico Benéfico Jurídico de La Habana / Tuberculosis risk assessment in the staff of the National University Pneumologic Hospital of Havana

Introducción: la tuberculosis es considerada tradicionalmente como una enfermedad profesional de los trabajadores sanitarios. Objetivo: evaluar el riesgo individual y colectivo de infección tuberculosa por áreas o departamentos en el Hospital Neumológico Universitario Benéfico Jurídico. Métodos: durante 2008- 2009 se midió el riesgo de tuberculosis para los trabajadores; se aplicó una encuesta con datos personales, de ubicación laboral y exposición al Mycobacterium tuberculosis, así como una prueba tuberculínica a 112 de ellos y se consideraron positivas aquellas ³ 10 mm. El riesgo colectivo se midió posteriormente en cada área/departamento, según el riesgo individual, la prevalencia de infección tuberculosa, la tasa de conversión tuberculínica y el número de casos de tuberculosis hospitalizados por año. Resultados: de un total de 183 trabajadores encuestados 60,7 por ciento lleva más de 5 años trabajando en el centro. De 64 trabajadores negativos en la encuesta tuberculínica anterior, 34,4 por ciento convirtieron en la presente. La prevalencia de infección tuberculosa latente fue 50,8 por ciento (IC 95 por ciento:43,36-58,23); mayor en las enfermeras (64,7 por ciento-IC 95 por ciento:38,6-84,7) y menor en técnicos no afines a la salud (30 por ciento- IC 95 por ciento:8,1-64,6). La mitad de los departamentos/áreas (17/34) se evaluaron con riesgo alto, 23,5 por ciento con riesgo intermedio, 11,8 por ciento con riesgo bajo y 14,7 por ciento con riesgo muy bajo. Conclusiones: el Hospital Neumológico Benéfico Jurídico, tal como se esperaba, es un centro de alto riesgo de infección por Mycobacterium tuberculosis para sus trabajadores, y el personal está expuesto a un riesgo potencial de enfermar por tuberculosis en la mayoría de sus áreas.

Introduction: tuberculosis is traditionally considered as a professional disease in health care workers. Objective: to evaluate the individual and collective tuberculosis infection risk by areas or departments in the National University Pneumologiic Hospital of Havana, Cuba. Methods: the individual risk was assessed during 2008-2009 by means of a survey administered to the staff that includes personal data, labor location and exposition to M. tuberculosis, and a Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) was applied to 112 of them. A 10 mm cut-off point was used for positivity. The collective risk was measured in each area or department by the prevalence of TB infection, the tuberculin conversion rate and the number of tuberculosis cases hospitalized per year. Results: of the 183 surveyed workers, 60.7 percent had workers for more than 5 years in the institution. Of the 64 negative workers in the previous survey, 34.4 percent became positive in this survey. The latent TB infection prevalence was 50.8 percent(CI 95 percent:43.36-58.23); higher prevalence found in nurses (64.7 percent-CI 95 percent:38.6-84.7) and lower in health non-related technicians(30 percent- CI 95 percent:8.1-64.6). Half of the departments or areas (17/34) were evaluated as high risk, 23.5 percent as intermediate risk, 11.8 percent as low risk and 14.7 percent as very low risk. Conclusions: the National Pneumologic Hospital, as it was expected, is a high risk facility for Micobacterium tuberculosis infection that may affect its workers, and most of its areas pose a potential risk potential for the staff working there.

Enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica y pulsioximetría en el sueño nocturno / Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulsioximetry during night sleep

Se desarrolló un estudio observacional descriptivo del monitoreo de la saturación del oxígeno arterial durante el sueño, en 21 pacientes del sexo masculino, con una edad promedio de 63,4 años, quienes presentaban una enfermedad pulmonar obstructuctiva crónica (EPOC). Todos presentaban normoxemia o ligera hipoxemia diurna, y diferentes grados de disfunción ventilatoria de tipo obstructiva. Estos resultados fueron alcanzados por los estudios de función pulmonar (espirometrías), así como de los gases en sangre arterial (gasometrías), además de la pulsioximetría continua nocturna de 3 h (180 min) por medio del equipo de fabricación cubana OXY9800 en modo grabación. Se consideró una desaturación nocturna significativa cuando el paciente se mantuvo durante el 30 por ciento o más del tiempo de registro con saturación < 90 por ciento (TSaO2 < 90 por ciento ³ 30 por ciento). De acuerdo con este criterio se clasificaron los pacientes en 2 grupos: desaturadores y no desaturadores. De los 21 pacientes, seis fueron desaturadores para el 28,6 por ciento. El análisis de los resultados de la regresión logística en nuestro estudio identificó como predictora de la desaturación nocturna de oxígeno en pacientes con EPOC al FEV1 en su valor real y porcentual

Aplicaciones clínicas del oximetro cubano OXY 9800 / Clinical applications of the Cuban OXY 9800 oximeter

El monitoreo de pulsioximetría continua (modo grabación) es una técnica no invasiva que ofrece elementos importantes en relación con el estado de la oxigenación de la sangre y con el estado cardiopulmonar al medir además de la saturación de la oxyhemoglobina la frecuencia del pulso digital. En este trabajo se exponen de forma resumida 3 aplicaciones diferentes de esta técnica y sus resultados

Ecuaciones de predicción derivadas de la espirometría en hombres sanos no fumadores / Prediction equations derived from spirometry in sound non-smoker men

Se hizo un estudio de corte transversal para establecer las ecuaciones de regresión o predicción de la función pulmonar normal a 85 hombres sanos no fumadores, de un área de salud del municipio Cerro en Ciudad de La Habana, en el período comprendido entre febrero y mayo del año 2001. Por medio de ajuste de regresión lineal por mínimos cuadrados de las variables espirométricas: FVC, FEV1, FEF25-75 y PEF, las ecuaciones de regresión extranjeras que se dan en la literatura como oficiales y que más se adaptaron a nuestros resultados, fueron: para FVC las de Cherniack 1972, para FEV1 las de Morris 1971, para FEF25-75 las de Morris 1971, y para PEF las de Tinker 1961 las cuales son las recomendadas para utilizarlas con nuestra población adulta del sexo masculino