Alfonso Barbato

Blood Pressure Measurements Taken by Patients are Similar to Home and Ambulatory Blood Pressure Measurements

OBJECTIVE To compare blood pressure measurements taken at home by physicians, nurses, and patients with office blood pressure measurement , ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and home blood pressure measurement. METHODS A total of 44 patients seen by a home care program were studied. Protocol 1 a) blood pressure was measured by the patient, a physician and a nurse during a regular home visit (Home1); b) home blood pressure measurement was measured for 4 days (HBPM1); c) office blood pressure measurement was measured by a physician, a nurse, and the patient; and by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Protocol 2 blood pressure was measured by the patient, a physician, and a nurse during a special home visit in the presence of a physician and a nurse only (Home2); and b) home blood pressure measurement was taken for the second time (HBPM2). Echocardiography, guided by a two-dimensional echocardiograph, was performed. RESULTS Protocol 1: a) office blood pressure measurement and Home1 were significantly higher than ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, except for systolic and diastolic office blood pressure measurement taken by the patient or a family member, systolic blood pressure taken by a nurse, and diastolic blood pressure taken by a physician. b) ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and HBPM1 were similar. Protocol 2: a) HBPM2 and Home2 were similar. b) Home2 was significantly lower than Home1, except for diastolic blood pressure taken by a nurse or the patient. There were significant relationships between: a) diastolic blood pressure measured by the patient and the thickness of the interventricular septum, posterior wall, and left ventricular mass; and b) ambulatory and HBPM2 diastolic and systolic blood pressure taken by a physician (home2) and left ventricular mass. Therefore, the data indicate that home blood pressure measurement and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring had good prognostic values relative to “office measurement.” CONCLUSION This study showed that the measurement most similar to home blood pressure measurement and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was blood pressure measured by the patient, and that home blood pressure measurement and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring had good prognostic value relative to “office measurements”.

Contribution of Doppler echocardiography to the evaluation of systolic and diastolic function of obese women versus a control group

OBJECTIVEnTo study by doppler echocardiography the cardiac systolic and diastolic functions of health, uncomplicated obese subjects.nnnMETHODSnFifty-nine obese women with an average body mass index (BMI) of 35 kg/m2 were evaluated and compared with 19 subjects with an average BMI of 23 kg/m2 (control group).nnnRESULTSnIn the obese group, a clear tendency was observed toward higher systolic pressure, increased wall thickness and, consequently, myocardial mass, elevation on the circumference stress of the left ventricular wall, and an indisputable presence of diastolic abnormalities. Filling abnormalities were observed with impaired relaxation, with prolonged isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) and augmented atrium contribution representing early indexes of cardiac dysfunction when systolic performance is still normal.nnnCONCLUSIONnObesity is generally a chronic condition, and doppler echocardiography can be used as a noninvasive instrument for early evaluation of left ventricular diastolic indexes.

Evaluation of efficacy, reliability, and tolerability of sibutramine in obese patients, with an echocardiographic study

UNLABELLEDnThis is a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of sibutramine in the management of obese patients for a 6-month period.nnnMETHODnSixty-one obese patients (BMI >30, <40 kg/m2), aged 18-65 years were evaluated. In the first phase of the study (30 days), the patients were given a placebo. We monitored compliance with a low-calorie diet (1200 kcal/day) and to the placebo. In the next stage, the double-blind phase (6 months), we compared placebo and sibutramine (10 mg/day). The criteria for evaluating efficacy were weight loss, reduction in body mass index (BMI), and abdominal and hip circumferences. Tolerability was assessed based on reported side effects, variation in arterial blood pressure and heart rate, metabolic profile (fasting glucose, total cholesterol and its fractions, and triglycerides), laboratory tests (renal and hepatic functions), and flow Doppler echocardiogram.nnnRESULTSnWe observed a greater weight loss (7.3 kg, 8% vs 2.6 kg, 2.8%) and a reduction in body mass index (7.4% vs 2.1%) in the sibutramine group than in the placebo group. Classifying the patients into 4 subgroups according to weight loss (weight gain, loss <5%, loss of 5% to 9.9%, and loss >10%), we observed a weight loss of >5% in 40% of the patients on sibutramine compared with 12.9% in the placebo group. We also detected weight gain in 45.2% of the placebo group compared to 20% in the sibutramine group. The sibutramine group showed improvement in HDL- cholesterol values (increased by 17%) and triglyceride values (decreased by 12.8%). This group also showed an increase in systolic blood pressure (6.7%, 5 mmHg). There were no changes in echocardiograms comparing the beginning and end of follow-up, and side effects did not lead to discontinuation of treatment.nnnDISCUSSIONnSibutramine proved to be effective for weight loss providing an 8% loss of the initial weight. Compliance to prolonged treatment was good, and side effects did not result in discontinuation of treatment. These data confirmed the good efficacy, tolerability, and safety profiles of sibutramine for treatment of obesity.

Estudo ecocardiográfico do coração de pacientes obesos comparando-os a grupo controle de indivíduos normais: análise crítica

The authors analyzed left ventricular systolic and diastolic function of normally obese, uncomplicated, nondiabetic, normotensive subjects by using multiple echo Doppler indices. They evaluated 60 obese individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of 35kg/m2 and a control group (BMI = 24kg/m2) of 39 subjects. Our results show that obese group was associated with an increased systolic blood pressure, increased left ventricular mass and augmented systolic circumferencial wall stress. Filling abnormalities were observed with impairment of relaxation prolonged isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) and augmented atrial contribution represent an early index of cardiac dysfunction when systolic performance is still normal. Obesity is generally a chronic condition and echocardiography as a noninvasive method can be used for repeated assessment of cardiac performance.

Left Ventricular Dilation and Pulmonary Vasodilatation after Surgical Shunt for Treatment of Pre-Sinusoidal Portal Hypertension.

Objective The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate the long-term cardiovascular and pulmonary hemodynamic effects of surgical shunt for treatment of portal hypertension (PH) due to Schistosomiasis mansoni. Location The University of São Paulo Medical School, Brazil; Public Practice. Methods Hemodynamic evaluation was performed with transesophageal Doppler and contrast-enhanced echocardiography (ECHO) on twenty-eight participants with schistosomal portal hypertension. Participants were divided into two groups according to the surgical procedure used to treat their schistosomal portal hypertension within the last two years: group 1—distal splenorenal shunt (DSRS, n = 13) and group 2—esophagogastric devascularization and splenectomy (EGDS, n = 15). Results The cardiac output (5.08 ± 0.91 L/min) and systolic volume (60.1 ± 5.6 ml) were increased (p = 0.001) in the DSRS group. DSRS participants had a significant increase (p < 0.0001) in their left ventricular end-systolic and end-diastolic diameters as well as in their left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes (p < 0.001) compared with the preoperative period. No statistically significant difference was found in the patients who underwent EGDS. ECHO revealed intrapulmonary vasodilatation (IPV) in 18 participants (64%), 9 DSRS and 9 EGDS (p > 0.05). Conclusions The late increase in the cardiac output, stroke volume and left ventricular diameters demonstrated left ventricular dilatation after a distal splenorenal shunt. ECHO revealed a greater prevalence for IPV in patients with schistosomiasis than has previously been described in patients with PH from liver cirrhosis.