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Background: Endothelial dysfunction (ED) suspicion will allow to prevent accelerated atherosclerosis and premature death., Objective: To establish the usefulness of thermography for endothelial function screening in adults with cardiovascular risk factors., Material and Methods: Cross-sectional, analytical diagnostic test. A brachial arterial diameter (BAD) increase < 11% at one-minute post-ischemia meant probable ED and was confirmed if BAD was ≥ 11% post-sublingual nitroglycerin. Thermographic photographs of the palmar region were obtained at one minute. Descriptive statistics, ROC curve, Mann-Whitney's U-test, chi-square test, or Fisher's exact test were used., Results: Thirty-eight subjects with a median age of 50 years, and with 624 thermographic measurements were included. Nine had ED (flow-mediated vasodilation [FMV]: 2.5%). The best cutoff point for normal endothelial function in subjects with cardiovascular risk factors was ≥ 36 °C at one minute of ischemia, with 85% sensitivity, 70% specificity, positive and negative predictive values of 78 and 77%, area under the curve of 0.796, LR+ 2.82, LR- 0.22., Conclusion: An infrared thermography-measured temperature in the palmar region greater than or equal to 36 °C after one minute of ischemia is practical, non-invasive, and inexpensive for normal endothelial function screening in adults with cardiovascular risk factors., (Copyright: © 2024 Permanyer.)

Aims: To identify commonly used intravenous drugs that may produce endothelial damage., Methods: An experimental research study was performed using a sample of 62 intravenous drugs commonly used in emergency care, pH and osmolarity were measured. Subsequently, based on these values, the theoretical capacity to cause irritation or endovascular damage was determined and classified as high, moderate, and low., Results: Samples from 19 drugs for fluid therapy, 21 antibiotics and 22 drugs for intravenous use were studied. Glucose solutions, sodium bicarbonate 1M and mannitol 10% showed a high capacity to cause venous irritation. Vancomycin, ciprofloxacin, amiodarone, haloperidol, and labetalol solution presented a high capacity for irritation based on their acidic pH. The antibiotics, dexketoprofen, diazepam, digoxin, etomidate, phenytoin, levetiracetam and metamizole also showed high osmotic values in their reconstituted or undiluted presentations. Moreover, osmolarity of diazepam, digoxin and phenytoin remained high despite being diluted in 100 ml of saline., Conclusions: Knowing the pH and osmolarity of intravenous drugs allows their capacity to cause endothelial damage to be assessed. The use of comprehensive tables based on the chemical properties of the drugs can be a useful tool to help prevent chemically-induced phlebitis., (Copyright © 2021 Sociedad Española de Enfermería Intensiva y Unidades Coronarias (SEEIUC). Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is the leading cause of outpatient hypercalcemia associated with increased cardiovascular risk. The flow-mediated vasodilation (FMV) has been proposed as a non-invasive method for assessing endothelial function., Objective: To compare the endothelial dysfunction measured by FMV and diastolic dysfunction in patients with PHPT before and after parathyroidectomy., Method: We performed a quasi-experimental (before-after) study to evaluate diastolic function and FMV in patients with PHPT before and six months after parathyroidectomy., Results: Fifteen patients completed study: 12 women and 3 men; 73% presented lithiasis, 27% osteoporosis and 53% metabolic syndrome; 73% presented diastolic dysfunction before the surgery and 60% after the surgery (p = 0.09). Post-isquemia brachial diameter improved from 41 mm (before surgery) to 46 mm (after surgery; p = 0.020). After surgery, we also observed an increase in the brachial diameter pre vs. post-ischemia from 41 to 46 mm (p = 0.005). Before surgery, the change in the delta of brachial diameter pre and post-ischemia was 1 mm and up to 4 mm after surgery (p = 0.03)., Conclusions: There is a minor endothelial dysfunction measured by FMV in patients who underwent surgery for PHPT at 6 months after surgery, as well as a trend towards improvement in diastolic dysfunction. Echocardiography can be useful in the preoperative evaluation in patients with asymptomatic PHPT., (Copyright: © 2019 Permanyer.)