Browsing by Author "Cardim, Nuno"
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- A Portuguese expert panel position paper on the management of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction - part I: pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatmentPublication . Silva-Cardoso, José; Moreira, Emília; Melo, Rachel Tavares de; Moraes-Sarmento, Pedro; Cardim, Nuno; Oliveira, Mário; Gavina, Cristina; Moura, Brenda; Araújo, Inês; Santos, Paulo; Peres, Marisa; Fonseca, Cândida; Ferreira, João Pedro; Marques, Irene; Andrade, Aurora; Baptista, Rui; Brito, Dulce; Cernadas, Rui; Santos, Jonathan dos; Leite-Moreira, Adelino; Gonçalves, Lino; Ferreira, Jorge; Aguiar, Carlos; Fonseca, Manuela; Fontes-Carvalho, Ricardo; Franco, Fátima; Lourenço, Carolina; Martins, Elisabete; Pereira, Hélder; Santos, Mário; Pimenta, JoanaHeart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) affects more than 50% of HF patients worldwide, and more than 70% of HF patients aged over 65. This is a complex syndrome with a clinically heterogeneous presentation and a multifactorial pathophysiology, both of which make its diagnosis and treatment challenging. A Portuguese HF expert panel convened to address HFpEF pathophysiology and therapy, as well as appropriate management within the Portuguese context. This initiative resulted in two position papers that examine the most recently published literature in the field. The present Part I includes a review of the HFpEF literature covering pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment, including pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies. Part II, the second paper, addresses the development of a holistic and integrated HFPEF clinical care system within the Portuguese context that is capable of reducing morbidity and mortality and improving patients’ functional capacity and quality of life.
- A Portuguese expert panel position paper on the management of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction - part II: unmet needs and organization of care in PortugalPublication . Silva-Cardoso, José; Moreira, Emília; Melo, Rachel Tavares de; Moraes-Sarmento, Pedro; Cardim, Nuno; Oliveira, Mário; Gavina, Cristina; Moura, Brenda; Araújo, Inês; Santos, Paulo; Peres, Marisa; Fonseca, Cândida; Ferreira, João Pedro; Marques, Irene; Andrade, Aurora; Baptista, Rui; Brito, Dulce; Cernadas, Rui; Santos, Jonathan dos; Leite-Moreira, Adelino; Gonçalves, Lino; Ferreira, Jorge; Aguiar, Carlos; Fonseca, Manuela; Fontes-Carvalho, Ricardo; Franco, Fátima; Lourenço, Carolina; Martins, Elisabete; Pereira, Hélder; Santos, Mário; Pimenta, JoanaIn Portugal, a 15.2% prevalence of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) was recently identified among those aged ≥50 years. HFpEF represents 90% of Portuguese heart failure patients. HFpEF management in Portugal is challenging due to patient heterogeneity, diagnostic and therapeutic complexity, and organizational constraints on the healthcare system. Considering the above, a panel of Portuguese experts convened to address HFpEF management within the national context. This was done in a two-paper set. This, the second paper, identifies unmet needs and suggests a set of measures to improve the current organization of HFpEF management in Portugal. Our purpose is to create a multidisciplinary integrated care system, ensuring a seamless connection between hospitals and primary care. Additionally, we propose a practical approach to the management of HFpEF, including a roadmap for screening, diagnosis, referral and treatment. The aim is to help clinicians improve HFpEF management throughout the disease trajectory.
- Quantitative assessment of myocardial fibrosis by digital image analysis: an adjunctive tool for pathologist “ground truth”Publication . Abecasis, João; Cortez-Dias, Nuno; Pinto, Daniel Gomes; Lopes, Pedro; Madeira, Márcio; Ramos, Sancia; Gil, Victor; Cardim, Nuno; Félix, AnaAIMS: Myocardial fibrosis (MF) is a common pathological process in a wide range of cardiovascular diseases. Its quantity has diagnostic and prognostic relevance. We aimed to assess if the complementary use of an automated artificial intelligence software might improve the precision of the pathologist´s quantification of MF on endomyocardial biopsies (EMB). Methods and results: Intraoperative EMB samples from 30 patients with severe aortic stenosis submitted to surgical aortic valve replacement were analysed. Tissue sections were stained with Masson´s trichrome for collagen/fibrosis and whole slide images (WSI) from the experimental glass slides were obtained at a resolution of 0.5 μm using a digital microscopic scanner. Three experienced pathologists made a first quantification of MF excluding the subendocardium. After two weeks, an algorithm for Masson´s trichrome brightfield WSI (at QuPath software) was applied and the automatic quantification was revealed to the pathologists, who were asked to reassess MF, blinded to their first evaluation. The impact of the automatic algorithm on the inter-observer agreement was evaluated using Bland-Altman type methodology. Median values of MF on EMB were 8.33% [IQR 5.00-12.08%] and 13.60% [IQR 7.32-21.2%], respectively for the first pathologist´s and automatic algorithm quantification, being highly correlated (R2: 0.79; p < 0.001). Interobserver discordance was relevant, particularly for higher percentages of MF. The knowledge of the automatic quantification significantly improved the overall pathologist´s agreement, which became unaffected by the degree of MF severity. Conclusions: The use of an automated artificial intelligence software for MF quantification on EMB samples improves the reproducibility of measurements by experienced pathologists. By improving the reliability of the quantification of myocardial tissue components, this adjunctive tool may facilitate the implementation of imaging-pathology correlation studies.
- World Heart Federation cholesterol roadmap: the Portuguese casePublication . Abreu, Ana; Dores, Hélder; Gonçalves, Lino; Franco, Fátima; Silveira, Conceição; Proença, Gonçalo; Timóteo, Ana Teresa; Cardim, Nuno; Pedro, Mónica; Fiuza, Manuela; Ferreira, Daniel; Bento, Luísa; Patrício, Lino; Caldeira, Daniel; Baptista, Sérgio Bravo; Santos, José; Rocha, Evangelista; Raimundo, Anabela; Catarino, Carlos; Carrageta, Manuel; Mexia, Ricardo; Araújo, Francisco; Pereira, Hélder; Santos, Raul; Pinto, Fausto J.Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains the major cause of premature death and disability; effective cardiovascular (CV) risk prevention is fundamental. The World Heart Federation (WHF) Cholesterol Roadmap provides a framework for national policy development and aims to achieve ASCVD prevention. At the invitation of the WHF, a group of experts from the Portuguese Society of Cardiology (SPC), addressed the cholesterol burden at nationally and discussed possible strategies to include in a Portuguese cholesterol roadmap. The literature review showed that the cholesterol burden in Portugal is high and especially uncontrolled in those with the highest CV risk. An infographic scorecard was built to include in the WHF collection, for a clear idea about CV risk and cholesterol burden in Portugal, which would also be useful for health policy advocacy. The expert discussion and preventive strategies proposal followed the five pillars of the WHF document: awareness improvement; population-based approaches for CV risk and cholesterol; risk assessment/population screening; system-level approaches; surveillance of cholesterol and ASCVD outcomes. These strategies were debated by all the expert participants, with the goal of creating a national cholesterol roadmap to be used for advocacy and as a guide for CV prevention. Several key recommendations were outlined: include all stakeholders in a multidisciplinary national program; create a structured activities plan to increase awareness in the population; improve the quality of continuous CV health education; increase the interaction between different health professionals and non-health professionals; increment the referral of patients to cardiac rehabilitation; screen cholesterol levels in the general population, especially high-risk groups; promote patient self-care, engage with patients’ associations; use specific social networks to spread information widely; create a national database of cholesterol levels with systematic registry of CV events; redefine strategies based on the evaluation of results; create and involve more patients’ associations – invert the pyramid order. In conclusion, ASCVD and the cholesterol burden remain a strong global issue in Portugal, requiring the involvement of multiple stakeholders in prevention. The Portuguese cholesterol roadmap can provide some solutions to help urgently mitigate the problem. Population-based approaches to improve awareness and CV risk assessment and surveillance of cholesterol and ASCVD outcomes are key factors in this change. A call to action is clearly needed to fight hypercholesterolemia and ASCVD burden.