Browsing by Author "Augusto, J"
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- Derivation and external validation of the SHIeLD score for predicting outcome in normotensive pulmonary embolismPublication . Freitas, P; Santos, AR; Ferreira, AM; Oliveira, A; Gonçalves, M; Corte-Real, A; Lameiras, C; Maurício, J; Ornelas, E; Matos, C; Faria, D; Augusto, J; Simões, J; Morais, C, et al.Identifying patients with normotensive pulmonary embolism (PE) who may benefit from thrombolysis remains challenging. We sought to develop and validate a score to predict 30-days PE-related mortality and/or rescue thrombolysis. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed 554 patients with normotensive PE. Independent predictors of the studied endpoint were identified from variables available at admission in the emergency department and were used to create a score. The model was validated in 308 patients from a separate hospital. RESULTS: A total of 64 patients died or needed rescue thrombolysis (44 in the derivation cohort). Four independent prognostic factors were identified: Shock index ≥ 1.0 (OR 3.33; 95% CI 1.40-7.93; P = 0.006), HypoxaemIa by the PaO2/FiO2 ratio (OR 0.92 per 10 units; 95% CI 0.88-0.97; P < 0.001), Lactate (OR 1.38 per mmol/L; 95% CI 1.09-1.75; P = 0.008) and cardiovascular Dysfunction (OR 5.67; 95% CI 2.60-12.33; P < 0.001) - SHIeLD score. In the development cohort, event rates for each risk tercile were 0.0%, 2.2%, and 21.6%. In the validation cohort, corresponding rates were 0.0%, 1.9%, and 14.3%. The C-statistic was 0.90 (95% CI 0.86-0.94, P < 0.001) in the derivation cohort and 0.82 (95% CI 0.75-0.89, P < 0.001) in the validation cohort. Decision curve analysis showed that the SHIeLD score is able to accurately identify more true positive cases than the European Society of Cardiology decision criteria. CONCLUSIONS: A risk score to predict 30-days PE-related mortality and/or rescue thrombolysis in patients with normotensive PE was developed and validated. This score may assist physicians in selecting patients for closer monitoring or aggressive treatment strategy.
- Early peripheral endothelial dysfunction predicts myocardial infarct extension and microvascular obstruction in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.Publication . Baptista, SB; Faustino, M; Brízida, L; Loureiro, J; Augusto, J; Abecasis, J; Monteiro, C; Leal, P; Nédio, M; Abreu, PF; Gil, V; Morais, CINTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The role of endothelial dysfunction (ED) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is poorly understood. Peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) allows non-invasive evaluation of ED, but has never been used for this purpose early after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (P-PCI). Our purpose was to analyze the relation between ED assessed by PAT and both the presence of microvascular obstruction (MVO) and infarct extension in STEMI patients. METHODS: ED was assessed by the reactive hyperemia index (RHI), measured by PAT and defined as RHI <1.67. Infarct extension was assessed by troponin I (TnI) release and contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (ceCMR). MVO was assessed by ceCMR and by indirect angiographic and ECG indicators. An echocardiogram was also performed in the first 12 h. RESULTS: We included 38 patients (mean age 60.0±13.7 years, 29 male). Mean RHI was 1.87±0.60 and 16 patients (42.1%) had ED. Peak TnI (median 118 mg/dl, IQR 186 vs. 67/81, p=0.024) and AUC of TnI (median 2305, IQR 2486 vs. 1076/1042, p=0.012) were significantly higher in patients with ED, who also showed a trend for more transmural infarcts (63.6% vs. 22.2%, p=0.06) and larger infarct mass on ceCMR (median 17.5%, IQR 15.4 vs. 10.1/10.3, p=0.08). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was lower and wall motion score index (WMSI) was higher on both echocardiogram and ceCMR in patients with ED. On ceCMR, MVO was more frequent in patients with RHI <1.67 (54.5% vs. 11.1%, p=0.03). ECG and angiographic indicators of MVO all showed a trend toward worse results in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of ED assessed by PAT 24 h after P-PCI in patients with STEMI is associated with larger infarcts, lower LVEF, higher WMSI and higher prevalence of MVO.
- Inappropriate Prescribing to Elderly Patients in an Internal Medicine Ward.Publication . Urzal, J; Pedro, AB; Oliveira, I; Romero, I; Achega, M; Correia, I; Aldomiro, F; Augusto, JINTRODUCTION: Polypharmacy is often observed in elderly patients and is associated with an increased risk of adverse drug reactions, side effects and interactions. Clinicians should be alert to inappropriate drug prescribing and reduce polypharmacy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Observational, longitudinal, retrospective and descriptive study in an internal medicine ward in a Portuguese hospital. Polypharmacy was defined as the use of five or more different medicines. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of polypharmacy and inappropriate prescribing at admission and discharge in an internal medicine ward, according to deprescribing.org guidelines/algorithms. A total of 838 consecutive patients were admitted between January and July 2017. All patients were aged under 65 years old, and those who died before discharge were excluded. Patients' medications were reviewed from a medical database at hospital admission and discharge. We examined whether patients were taking anticoagulants, proton pump inhibitors, benzodiazepines, antipsychotics and/or antihyperglycemic medication. RESULTS: A total of 483 patients were included, mean age was 79.2 ± 8.0 years, and 42% of patients were male. Median number of medications at admission and discharge was six. Polypharmacy was present in more than 70% of admitted patients. Proton pump inhibitors were the most common inappropriate prescription at discharge (17.2%). DISCUSSION: This study demonstrated a low use of inappropriate medicine (11.2% - 17.2%) in older people discharged from hospital, when compared to other studies. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that polypharmacy is present in more than 70% of elderly admitted patients. Nevertheless, the drug inappropriateness rate was not significantly affected by polypharmacy at both admission and discharge, being overall lower than published data.
- Mild troponin elevation in patients admitted to the emergency department with atrial fibrillation: 30-day post-discharge prognostic significance.Publication . Augusto, J; Santos, M; Roque, D; Faria, D; Urzal, J; Morais, J; Gil, V; Morais, CPatients with atrial fibrillation (AF) often undergo troponin (Tn) testing in the emergency department (ED), but the clinical significance of mildly elevated values remains unclear. We evaluated short-term 30-day post-discharge outcomes in AF patients according to troponin levels. Out of 2181 AF patients evaluated in the ED (June 2014 to June 2015), we included consecutive admitted patients. Patients were grouped into those with normal Tn values (≤ 0.05 ng/mL), mild elevations (> 0.05-0.5 ng/mL, 10× URL) and marked elevations (> 0.5 ng/mL). Outcomes included acute coronary syndrome (ACS), revascularization, all-cause mortality and combined end point; the secondary outcome was ischemic stroke. A total of 348 patients (90.9%) had Tn testing, which was associated with longer in-hospital stay (median 2.04 vs. 0.74 days in unmeasured Tn, p = 0.014); 37.1% did not have clinical suspicion of ACS. Mild Tn elevation occurred in 19.0% and 6.3% had markedly elevated values. Compared to normal values, mild elevations had higher absolute incidence, without statistical significance, of ACS (1.5 vs. 0.0%, p = 0.202), revascularization (1.5 vs. 0.0%, p = 0.202), all-cause mortality (12.1 vs. 6.9%, p = 0.200), combined end point (13.3 vs. 6.9%, p = 0.084) or ischemic stroke (4.5 vs. 2.3%, p = 0.394). Tn testing is routine in admitted AF patients, even without suspicion of ACS, and is associated with prolonged stay. Mild Tn elevation is associated with a nonsignificant trend toward higher adverse events. Larger-scale studies are needed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Tn testing for prognosis in admitted AF patients, as this prolongs stay and has unclear impact on patient management.
- Predictors of de novo atrial fibrillation in a non-cardiac intensive care unitPublication . Augusto, J; Fernandes, A; Freitas, PT; Gil, V; Morais, COBJECTIVE: To assess the predictors of de novo atrial fibrillation in patients in a non-cardiac intensive care unit. METHODS: A total of 418 hospitalized patients were analyzed between January and September 2016 in a non-cardiac intensive care unit. Clinical characteristics, interventions, and biochemical markers were recorded during hospitalization. In-hospital mortality and length of hospital stay in the intensive care unit were also evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 310 patients were included. The mean age of the patients was 61.0 ± 18.3 years, 49.4% were male, and 23.5% presented de novo atrial fibrillation. The multivariate model identified previous stroke (OR = 10.09; p = 0.016) and elevated levels of pro-B type natriuretic peptide (proBNP, OR = 1.28 for each 1,000pg/mL increment; p = 0.004) as independent predictors of de novo atrial fibrillation. Analysis of the proBNP receiver operating characteristic curve for prediction of de novo atrial fibrillation revealed an area under the curve of 0.816 (p < 0.001), with a sensitivity of 65.2% and a specificity of 82% for proBNP > 5,666pg/mL. There were no differences in mortality (p = 0.370), but the lengths of hospital stay (p = 0.002) and stay in the intensive care unit (p = 0.031) were higher in patients with de novo atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSIONS: A history of previous stroke and elevated proBNP during hospitalization were independent predictors of de novo atrial fibrillation in the polyvalent intensive care unit. The proBNP is a useful and easy- and quick-access tool in the stratification of atrial fibrillation risk.
- Treino de equipa na emergência cardiorespiratóriaPublication . Pereira, E; Inácio, F; Carvalho, F; Silva, HR; Augusto, J; Rombo, J; Fernandes, J; Orfão, J; Santos, M; Pires, RuiO Treino de Equipa na Emergência Cardiorrespiratória revela-se como fator contributivo para o sucesso das situações de reanimação em contexto de internamento hospitalar. Tem como objectivos a formação de situações de emergência com a consequente gestão da equipa de saúde nessas situações, e a capacitação para a manipulação de equipamentos, nomeadamente adjuvantes da via aérea, monitor desfibrilhador e carro de urgência. No presente, visamos a apresentação de dados relevantes dessas formações que decorreram no período de 4 meses do ano 2016. Concretizaram-se 8 sessões de formação que envolveram 8 formadores internos para um total de 31 formandos (enfermeiros e médicos do serviço de internamento e de cuidados intensivos). A opção pelas sessões de formação basearam-se num modelo de atuação de 3 elementos, cujos temas centrais abordados foram a revisão de algoritmos de PCR, as funções de cada elemento, a comunicação entre equipa e a simulação de cenários com o consequente manuseamento de carro de urgência, monitor desfibrilhador, adjuvantes da via aérea e fármacos de emergência. A avaliação das sessões, foi realizada com base em questionários aplicados aos formandos, no momento após a realização das formações. Foi centrado em dificuldade sentida para cada função e na aptidão para o desempenho das funções. Conclui-se que a simulação de cenários de emergência cardiorrespiratória contribui para a melhoria da gestão da equipa, para a manipulação dos equipamentos e para a priorização de intervenções. Permite, igualmente, aumentar a confiança dos profissionais e a retenção da informação fornecida, com a possibilidade de redução de erros ocorridos em situações de emergência cardiorrespiratória.
- Tromboembolismo pulmonar e disseção da aorta concomitantes: abordagem à anticoagulaçãoPublication . Roque, D; Magno, P; Ministro, A; Santos, M; Sousa, M; Augusto, J; Morais, COs autores descrevem um caso de uma doente admitida após episódio pré-sincopal associado a precordialgia e cujo ecocardiograma sumário feito no Servic¸o de Urgência demonstrou alterac¸ões compatíveis com tromboembolismo pulmonar, tendo a doente sido submetida a terapêutica fibrinolítica, após episódio de paragem cardiorrespiratória. Na angiotomografia de tórax feita posteriormente para confirmac¸ão diagnóstica demonstra-se a presenc¸a não só de trombos no nível da artéria pulmonar, mas também de dissec¸ão da aorta Stanford B, tendo-se optado pela manutenc¸ão de anticoagulac¸ão terapêutica e a doente evoluído de forma favorável.
- Utility of Pacemaker With Sleep Apnea Monitor to Predict Left Ventricular Overload and Acute Decompensated Heart FailurePublication . Augusto, J; Antunes, S; Ferreira, JB; Faria, D; Roque, D; Beringuilho, M, et al.Pacemakers with sleep apnea monitor (SAM) provide an easy tool to assess obstructive sleep apnea over long periods of time. The link between respiratory disturbances at night and the incidence of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is not well established. We aimed at (1) determining the ability of SAM pacemakers to evaluate the extent of left ventricular overload and (2) assess the impact of respiratory disturbances at night on the occurrence of ADHF over 1-year of follow-up. We conducted a single-center prospective study. Consecutive patients with SAM pacemakers were comprehensively assessed. SAM automatically computes a respiratory disturbance index (RDI, apneas/hypopneas per hour - AH/h) in the previous night and the percentage of nights with RDI >20 AH/h in the previous 6 months. Thirty-seven patients were included (79.3 ± 11.2 years, 46% males). A high RDI in the previous night and a higher %nights with increased RDI were associated with increased NT-proBNP values (p = 0.008 and p = 0.013, respectively) and were the sole predictors of increased noninvasive pulmonary capillary wedge pressures (PCWP) in the morning of assessment (p = 0.031 and p = 0.044, respectively). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed an area under the curve of 0.804 (95% confidence interval 0.656 to 0.953, p = 0.002) for %nights with RDI >20 AH/h in the prediction of high PCWP. Patients with >12.5% of nights with RDI >20AH/h tended to have more ADHF during follow-up (log-rank p = 0.067). In conclusion, a high burden of apneas/hypopneas at night is associated with elevated NT-proBNP and PCWP values and an increased risk of ADHF over 1 year. These patients might benefit from early tailored clinical management.