Early Outcomes of the Norwood Procedure in a Reference Center in Brazil.

Background: Only two papers have addressed the early outcomes of patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) undergoing the Norwood operation, in Brazil.

Objectives: We evaluated patients with HLHS undergoing the first-stage Norwood operation in order to identify the predictive factors for early (within the first 30 days after surgery) and intermediate (from early survival up to the Glenn procedure) mortality.

Methods: Patients with HLHS undergoing the stage I Norwood procedure from January 2016 through April 2019, in our service, were enrolled.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation After Norwood Surgery in Patients With Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: A Retrospective Single-Center Cohort Study From Brazil.

Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is increasingly being used to support patients after the repair of congenital heart disease.

Objective: We report our experience with patients with a single functional ventricle who were supported by ECMO after the Norwood procedure, reviewing the outcomes and identifying risk factors for mortality in these patients.

Methods: In this single-center retrospective cohort study, we enrolled 33 patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) who received ECMO support after the Norwood procedure between January 2015 and December 2019.

Laser Doppler Assessment of Vasomotor Axon Reflex Responsiveness to Evaluate Neurovascular Function.

The vasomotor axon reflex can be evoked in peripheral epidermal nociceptive C-fibers to induce local vasodilation. This neurogenic flare response is a measure of C-fiber functional integrity and therefore shows impairment in patients with small fiber neuropathy. Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and laser Doppler imaging (LDI) are both techniques to analyze vasomotor small fiber function by quantifying the integrity of the vasomotor-mediated axon reflex.

Modified Hybrid Procedure in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: Initial Experience of a Center in Northeastern Brazil.

Introduction:: Although it only corresponds to 2.5% of congenital heart defects, hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is responsible for more than 25% of cardiac deaths in the first week of life. Palliative surgery performed after the second week of life is considered an important risk factor in the treatment of HLHS.

Impaired reduction of nocturnal systolic blood pressure and severity of diabetic retinopathy.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of elevated levels of nocturnal blood pressure (BP) on diabetic retinopathy (DR). A total of 88 diabetic hypertensive patients were divided according to the stage of DR. They underwent 24 h ambulatory BP monitoring and ophthalmological evaluation, and their average level of fasting blood glucose as well as their glycemic control index (percentage of fasting blood glucose higher than 11.

Reproducibility of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Objective: To evaluate the reproducibility of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) (SpaceLabs-90207) and placebo effect on ABPM.

Methods: Blood pressure was measured in the office and over two ABPM periods with an interval from one to ten months (mean 4.9 months), in 26 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension.