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Humberto Villacorta

Publications and source records attributed to Humberto Villacorta.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Aortic distensibility measured by pulse-wave velocity is not modified in patients with Chagas' disease.

BACKGROUND: Experimental studies demonstrate that infection with trypanosoma cruzi causes vasculitis. The inflammatory lesion process could hypothetically lead to decreased distensibility of large and small arteries in advanced Chagas' disease. We tested this hypothesis. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity (PWV) in 53 Chagas' disease patients compared with 31 healthy volunteers (control group). The 53 patients were classified into 3 groups: 1) 16 with indeterminate form of Chagas' disease; 2) 18 with Chagas' disease, electrocardiographic abnormalities, and normal systolic function; 3) 19 with Chagas' disease, systolic dysfunction, and mild-to-moderate congestive heart failure. No difference was noted between the 4 groups regarding carotid-femoral PWV (8.4 +/- 1.1 vs 8.2 +/- 1.5 vs 8.2 +/- 1.4 vs 8.7 +/- 1.6 m/s, P = 0.6) or pulse pressure (39.5 +/- 7.6 vs 39.3 +/- 8.1 vs 39.5 +/- 7.4 vs 39.7 +/- 6.9 mm Hg, P = 0.9). A positive, significant, similar correlation occurred between PWV and age in patients with Chagas' disease (r = 0.42, P = 0.002), in controls (r = 0.48, P = 0.006), and also between PWV and systolic blood pressure in both groups (patients with Chagas' disease, r = 0.38, P = 0.005; healthy subjects, r = 0.36, P = 0.043). CONCLUSION: Carotid femoral pulse-wave velocity is not modified in patients with Chagas' disease, suggesting that elastic properties of large arteries are not affected in this disorder.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

C-reactive protein diagnostic and prognostic value in patients presenting at the emergency room with chest pain.

OBJECTIVE: To test immediate diagnostic and prognostic values of C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients admitted to the emergency room (ER) with chest pain (CP) without ST-segment elevation on the electrocardiogram (ECG). METHODS: From January 2002 to December 2003, 980 patients were consecutively seen in the ER with CP suggestive of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (age = 64.9 +/- 14.3, men = 55%, diabetic = 18%, normal ECG = 84%). Serial CRP, creatine kinase MB mass (CKMB-mass) and troponin I determinations were performed on admission, in addition to serial ECG. CRP measurements were standardized (s-CRP) by the upper limit of normal (ULN) of the test used (3.0 mg/L for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hs-CRP] and 0.1 mg/dL for titrated CRP [t-CRP]). RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-five patients were diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and their s-CRP values were 1.31 +/- 2.90 (median = 0.47) compared to 0.79 +/- 1.39 (0.30) in no-AMI patients (p = 0.031). The s-CRP > 1.0 showed 30% sensitivity and 80% specificity, plus negative and positive predictive values of 6.1% and 96.7%, respectively, for AMI diagnosis. There were forty in-hospital cardiac events (16 deaths, 22 urgent revascularizations, and 2 acute myocardial infarction). In the first quartile of the s-CRP (< 0.10), three events were recorded, while in the fourth quartile (> 0.93) 15 events (p = 0.003) occurred. In the logistic regression model, masculine gender and s-CRP > 0.32 (odds ratio 7.6, 2.8 and 2.2, respectively) were independent predictors of cardiac events and left ventricular failure. CONCLUSION: In patients with chest pain presenting at the emergency room, s-CRP was not a good marker of AMI, although this diagnosis is virtually excluded by a normal value; in addition, values one-third above the upper limit of normal (>1 mg/L for hs-CRP or >0.33 mg/dL for t-CRP) were predictive of in-hospital adverse cardiac events.

Biomarkers↗
PubMed2005

[Anemia as a prognostic factor in a population hospitalized due to decompensated heart failure].

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence and prognostic value of anemia in a population hospitalized due to decompensated heart failure. METHOD: From July to September, 2001, 204 patients were included in a multicenter hospital registry of heart failure (EPICA Study--Niterói). This retrospective analysis comprised 142 patients with data about hematocrit and hemoglobin levels collected on hospital admission. The mean age was 69.5+/-13.3 years, and 72 (50.7%) patients were men. Hemoglobin levels < 13.5 g/dL for men and < 12 g/dL for women were considered anemia. The relation between anemia and in-hospital mortality was assessed through univariate and multivariate analysis with logistic regression. RESULTS: Anemia was observed in 89 (62.6%) patients, 52 (58%) men and 37 (42%) women. Mortality in anemic patients was 16.8% and, in nonanemic, it was 8% (P=0.11). In both sexes, the mortality rates in anemic and nonanemic patients were, respectively, 19.2% vs 0% (P=0.034) and 13.5% vs 12.2% (P=0.86). Through multivariate analysis, the following variables were found to be independently related to in-hospital mortality: hyponatremia [RR=7.0; 95% confidence interval (95% CI)=6.1 to 8.7; P=0.0001], anemia (RR=3.1, 95% CI=2.4 to 4.3; P=0.024), and presence of NYHA functional class IV (RR=1.9; 95% CI=1.3 to 2.6; P=0.04). CONCLUSION: In the population studied with decompensated heart failure, the presence of anemia was an independent marker of in-hospital mortality. Mortality in the group with anemia was significantly high among men.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

B-type natriuretic peptide: a novel early blood marker of acute myocardial infarction in patients with chest pain and no ST-segment elevation.

AIMS: This study was undertaken to determine the diagnostic value of admission B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in patients with acute chest pain and no ST-segment elevation. METHODS AND RESULTS: A prospective study with 631 consecutive patients was conducted in the emergency department. Non-ST elevation AMI was present in 72 patients and their median admission BNP level was significantly higher than in unstable angina and non-acute coronary syndrome patients. Sensitivity of admission BNP for AMI (cut-off value of 100 pg/mL) was significantly higher than creatine kinase-MB (CKMB) and troponin-I on admission (70.8 vs. 45.8 vs. 50.7%, respectively, P<0.0001) and specificity was 68.9%. Simultaneous use of these markers significantly improved sensitivity to 87.3% and the negative predictive value to 97.3%. In multiple logistic regression analysis, admission BNP was a significant independent predictor of AMI, even when CKMB and troponin-I were present in the model. CONCLUSION: BNP is a useful adjunct to standard cardiac markers in patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain and no ST-segment elevation, particularly if initial CKMB and/or troponin-I are non-diagnostic.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

The role of B-type natriuretic peptide in the diagnosis of congestive heart failure in patients presenting to an emergency department with dyspnea.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the utility of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in the diagnosis of congestive heart failure (CHF) in patients presenting with dyspnea to an emergency department (ED). METHODS: Seventy patients presenting with dyspnea to an ED from April to July 2001 were included in the study. Mean age was 72+/-16 years and 33 (47%) were male. BNP was measured in all patients at the moment of admission to the ED. Emergency-care physicians, blinded to BNP values, were required to assign a probable initial diagnosis. A cardiologist retrospectively reviewed the data (blinded to BNP measurements) and assigned a definite diagnosis, which was considered the gold standard for assessing the diagnostic performance of BNP. RESULTS: The mean BNP concentration was higher in patients with CHF (n=36) than in those with other diagnoses (990+/-550 vs 80+/-67 pg/mL, p<0.0001). Patients with systolic dysfunction had higher BNP levels than those with preserved systolic function (1,180+/-641 vs 753+/-437 pg/mL, p=0.03). At a blood concentration of 200 pg/mL, BNP showed a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 97.1%, positive predictive value of 97.3%, and negative predictive value of 100%. The application of BNP could have potentially corrected all 16 cases in which the diagnosis was missed by the emergency department physician. CONCLUSION: BNP measurement is a useful tool in the diagnosis of CHF in patients presenting to the ED with dyspnea.

Aged↗