Felipe Mallmann

Characteristics of Acute Asthma Patients Attended Frequently Compared with Those Attended Only Occasionally in an Emergency Department

Asthma patients that depend on emergency department (ED) services are generally considered to have extremely poor disease control and prognosis. It is important to identify characteristics related to poor disease control and frequent visits to the ED to apply appropriate clinical management. This study comprised a cross-sectional survey of consecutive patients with asthma exacerbation (age ≥12 years) presenting at the adult ED of a large, tertiary care, university-affiliated hospital over a 2-month period. The frequent visitors (FV) were defined by ≥3 visits to the ED in the preceding year, and the occasional visitors (OV) by ≤2 visits. Eighty-six patients (61 females and 25 males) were included in the study (mean age 38 ± 18 years). Of these patients, 51.2% were FV and 48.8% were OV. Sixty-nine percent had annual income lower than A

Early prediction of poor outcome in patients with acute asthma in the emergency room

3000 and 66.3% had ≤8 years of the formal education. Only 18.6% had used inhaled corticosteroids, 79.1% identified the asthma attack severity, 70.9% increased or initiated inhaled β-agonist, 20.9% increased or initiated steroid therapy, and 55.8% had an asthma action plan for attack. The number of hospital admissions in past year (OR 4.3, P = .02), use of home nebulizer (OR 3.6, P = .05) and the lack of a written asthma action plan (OR 3.3, P = .03) were independently associated with frequent visits to the ED. We conclude that a substantial proportion of the patients that visit the ED are FV. These patients are more likely to have hospital admission in the past year, to use a home nebulizer, and to lack a written asthma action plan. They should be considered the most important target for asthma education.

Asma aguda em adultos na sala de emergência: o manejo clínico na primeira hora

Early identification of patients who need hospitalization or patients who should be discharged would be helpful for the management of acute asthma in the emergency room. The objective of the present study was to examine the clinical and pulmonary functional measures used during the first hour of assessment of acute asthma in the emergency room in order to predict the outcome. We evaluated 88 patients. The inclusion criteria were age between 12 and 55 years, forced expiratory volume in the first second below 50% of predicted value, and no history of chronic disease or pregnancy. After baseline evaluation, all patients were treated with 2.5 mg albuterol delivered by nebulization every 20 min in the first hour and 60 mg of intravenous methylprednisolone. Patients were reevaluated after 60 min of treatment. Sixty-five patients (73.9%) were successfully treated and discharged from the emergency room (good responders), and 23 (26.1%) were hospitalized or were treated and discharged with relapse within 10 days (poor responders). A predictive index was developed: peak expiratory flow rates after 1 h < or =0% of predicted values and accessory muscle use after 1 h. The index ranged from 0 to 2. An index of 1 or higher presented a sensitivity of 74.0, a specificity of 69.0, a positive predictive value of 46.0, and a negative predictive value of 88.0. It was possible to predict outcome in the first hour of management of acute asthma in the emergency room when the index score was 0 or 2.

Relação entre alterações funcionais e radiológicas em pacientes com fibrose cística

Asthma is a disease with high prevalence in our country and around the world. Although new therapeutic approaches have been recently developed, there appears to be a worldwide increase in morbidity and mortality from asthma. In many institutions, asthma exacerbation is still a common medical emergency. Clinical evidence demonstrates that the first hour of management of acute asthma in the emergency room entails crucial decisions that could be determinant in the clinical outcome. In this non-systematic review, the authors focus on the first hour assessment and treatment of patients with acute asthma and outline an appropriate strategy for their management. Diagnosis, severity assessment, pharmacological treatment, complications, and the decision regarding the place where additional treatment will take place will be considered. It is reasonable to expect that these recommendations will help physicians make appropriate decisions about the first hour care of acute asthma in the emergency room.

Prevalence and risk factors for referable diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 1 diabetes: a nationwide study in Brazil

BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a disease marked by airway inflammation and airflow obstruction, resulting in air trapping in the lungs. OBJECTIVE: To assess the associations between airflow limitation, pulmonary volume and X-ray findings in patients with cystic fibrosis. METHOD: A cross-sectional retrospective study. Review of spirometric, plethysmographic, and chest X-ray findings of outpatients (age ³ 16 years). The airflow findings were classified as within normal limits or as airflow obstruction: mild, moderate or severe obstructive alteration. RESULTS: A total of 23 patients (15 male and eight female; mean age, 21 ± 5.9 years) were studied. Six of them were within normal limits, four had a mild, five had a moderate, and eight had a severe obstructive alteration. There was an association between airflow limitation and the increase of residual volume (p = 0.006) and also with the Brasfield score (p = 0.001), but not with the total lung capacity (p = 0.33). There was a correlation between residual volume and Brasfield score (r = 0,73, p = 0,002), but not with the total pulmonary capacity. Moreover, according to X-ray criteria, the air trapping was correlated only with the residual volume (p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: In patients with cystic fibrosis (age ³ 16 years), the progressive airflow limitation is accompanied by an increase in residual volume, while the total pulmonary capacity remains normal or tends to decrease. The X-ray score was associated with airflow limitation and residual volume, but not with total lung capacity.

Comparison between binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy and digital retinography for diabetic retinopathy screening: the multicenter Brazilian Type 1 Diabetes Study

Department of Ophthalmology, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Department of Ophthalmology, Federal University of S~ao Paulo, S~ao Paulo, Brazil; Department of Ophthalmology, Federal Hospital of the Servers of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Department of Internal Medicine, Diabetes Unit, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Department of Ophthalmology, Center of Endocrinology and Diabetes of the State of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil; Department of Ophthalmology, Regional hospital of Taguatinga, Bras ılia, Brazil; Department of Ophthalmology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Campinas, Campinas, S~ao Paulo, Brazil; Diabetics Association of Bauru, S~ao Paulo, Brazil; Department of Endocrinology and Ophthalmology, Federal University of S~ao Paulo, S~ao Paulo, Brazil