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The Chilean Society of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery (SOCHICAR) is a scientific society whose mission is to improve the nation's cardiovascular health. Its primary goals include discussing issues affecting the specialty and engaging in various activities that support its advancement. To achieve these goals, numerous educational initiatives are undertaken for health professionals, including physicians in cardiology training programs. Training specialists in Chile is the responsibility of the universities, which design the curriculum and plan the program according to the graduate profile. SOCHICAR seeks to integrate these new generations of cardiologists, setting up tasks that contribute to their training. It seemed relevant to us to state our position as a Scientific Society in importants aspects related to this process: the graduate profile of the clinical cardiologist, the necessary competencies for their performance nationally, the identification of deficient areas in their training period, and the Society's contributions to this university-dependent process. A total of 15 cardiologists from SOCHICAR, at different stages of professional development, various geographic areas, and areas of performance and functions, were invited to participate in three working groups. This SOCHICAR position statement may be useful and an important source of information to be considered by authorities, accrediting entities, training centers, and the Chilean Society of Cardiology.

Background: Patients with a cardiovascular (CV) history may be at greater risk of becoming ill and die due to SARS-CoV-2., Aim: To assess the incidence of CV complications in COVID-19 patients, the type of complication, and their association with CV history., Material and Methods: The clinical course of 1,314 patients with COVID-19 admitted consecutively to critical care units of 10 Chilean hospitals was registered between April and August of 2020., Results: The median age of patients was 59 years and 66% were men. One hundred-four (8%) had a CV history, namely heart failure (HF) in 53 (4.1%), coronary heart disease in 50 (3.8 %), and atrial fibrillation in 36 (2.7 %). There were CV complications in 359 patients (27.3%). The most common were venous thrombosis in 10.7% and arrhythmias in 10.5%, HF in 7.2%, type 2 acute myocardial infarction in 4.2%, arterial thrombosis in 2.0% and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in 1.6%. When adjusted by age, sex and risk factors, only HF (Odds ratio (OR) = 7.16; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 3.96-12.92) and ACS (OR = 5.44; 95% CI, 1.50-19.82) were significantly associated with CV history. There was no association with arrhythmias, type 2 acute myocardial infarction, arterial or venous thrombosis., Conclusions: Patients with a history of CV disease are at greater risk of suffering HF and ACS when hospitalized due to COVID-19. Arrhythmias, type 2 AMI, and arterial or venous thrombosis occur with the same frequency in patients with or without CV history, suggesting that these complications depend on inflammatory phenomena related to the infection.

Isolated cardiac involvement of COVID-19 is an infrequent presentation, and myocardial infarction is even less common. We report a 30-year-old man presenting with retrosternal pain of insidious onset whose intensity increases suddenly. On admission, the patient had tachycardia and an EKG showed a 1 mm ST-elevation and diffuse PQ segment depression. Troponin was 26.9 ng/ml (normal value [NV] < 0.03), inflammatory parameters were elevated, and SARS-CoV 2 PCR was positive. He was hospitalized with the diagnosis of myopericarditis secondary to SARS-CoV 2. He progressed favorably without pain during the hospital stay and with decreasing troponin values. A Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was compatible with an infero-lateral transmural infarction. A coronary angiography showed a distal occlusion of the circumflex artery. Consequently, anticoagulation and double platelet anti-aggregation were started. The patient evolved favorably, with a decreasing troponin curve (last at discharge 0.49 ng/ml) and a control EKG with pathological Q in DIII and AvF, and symmetrically inverted T in DII, DIII, AvF, V4, V5, and V6.

Background: Chronic inflammation and infections are involved in the development and progression of atherosclerotic vascular disease., Aim: To evaluate the association between periodontitis and early atherosclerosis., Material and Methods: Fifty-three subjects who received periodontal treatment and regular maintenance for at least 10 years, and 55 subjects with periodontitis but without a history of periodontal treatment were studied. Carotid artery intima-media wall thickness (CIMT) was measured with high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography. A blood sample was obtained to measure high sensitivity C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, lipoprotein cholesterol, leukocyte count and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Covariates included age, gender, smoking, level of education, body mass index and physical activity. The benzoyl-DL-arginine-naphthylamide (BANA) test was used to determine the number of periodontal sites with periodontal pathogens., Results: CIMT value was significantly higher in subjects with periodontitis than those without it (0.775 ± 0.268 and 0.683 ± 0.131 mm respectively, p = 0.027). C-reactive protein, leukocyte count and percentage of sites with periodontal pathogens were also significantly higher in subjects with periodontitis. Regression analysis identified age, periodontitis, and smoking as independent predictors of CIMT., Conclusions: These results suggest that untreated periodontitis is associated with early atherosclerotic carotid lesions and higher levels of inflammatory markers.

Background: Studies investigating effects of periodontal treatment (PT) on markers of inflammation in healthy subjects show conflicting results. Few studies have investigated the effects of PT among subjects with coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors., Aim: To report the results of a pilot prospective study on the effects of periodontal treatment on markers of inflammation among subjects with CHD risk factors., Material and Methods: Seventy three patients aged 53+/-6 years (25% males) with chronic periodontitis, dyslipidemia and other CHD risk factors were subjected to PT consisting on root planning and oral metronidazol and amoxicillin for 7 days. Periodontal clinical parameters, serum C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were assessed before and at 6 weeks after PT. Polymorphisms at the ILlA-889 and IL1B+3954 genes were also genotyped., Results: After the treatment period, CRP levels significantly increased from 3.6+/-3.7 mg/ L to 5.4+/-5.7 mg/L (p =0.001). No significant changes were observed in fibrinogen levels and ESR. Higher post-treatment CRP levels were significantly associated with the composite polymorphic genotype at the ILlA-889 and IL1B+3954 genes (p =0.0001), and extensive periodontitis (p =0.005). Moderate alcohol consumption appeared as a protective factor for CRP elevation (p =0.029)., Conclusions: The increase of the CRP levels after PT in patients with CVD risk factors appeared associated with IL-1 gene polymorphisms and extensive periodontitis.

Background: In pulmonary embolism, the computed tomography (CT) images can be used as a prognostic index measuring the embolic load, according to the location and size of thrombus and the right/left ventricular diameter ratio., Aim: To assess the predictive value of embolic load and right/left ventricular diameter ratio for early and late mortality in acute pulmonary embolism (PTE)., Material and Methods: The pulmonary CT of 418 patients with suspected PTE was reviewed. Embolic load was assessed by three independent evaluators and the right/left ventricular diameter ratio was measured in those exams that were positive for PTE. A logistic regression analysis was done between these parameters and mortality. Reproducibility was calculated using Bland and Altman analysis., Results: There was a high concordance between raters to calculate embolic load (r =0,95, p <0,001). Only the right/left ventricular diameter ratio and the presence were predictive of global mortality. The predictive value for embolic load was below the significance level, No parameter was predictive of early mortality., Conclusions: The concordance between raters for the assessment of embolic load was high in this study. However no imaging parameter had a predictive value for early mortality. The right/left ventricular diameter ratio had a predictive value for global mortality at three months.

Most cases of atrial fibrillation are converted with antiarrhythmic medications or external electric defibrillation. However, in some refractory patients, an internal transcatheter defibrillation must be attempted. We report a 50 years old male with an atrial fibrillation of one year duration that was refractory to pharmacological treatment and in whom external cardioversion was unsuccessful. After the application of a bifasic shock of 10 joules between a catheter in the right atrium and another one located at the coronary sinus, the patient was converted to sinus rhythm. At two months of follow up, the patient continues in sinus rhythm.