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Introduction: Hemostasis tests are traditionally requested for all patients requiring any surgical act or invasive diagnostic-therapeutic procedure to prevent hemorrhagic complications. The aim of this study is to assess the necessity of requesting standard pre-procedure hemostasis tests., Methodology: A narrative literature review was conducted using the PubMed data-base. Search terms included «Hemostasis» or «Blood coagulation» in combination with «Preoperative care», «Preoperative period», or «Preoperative procedure». Additionally, a targeted search was performed to find recommendations from international societies related to the topic., Results: A total of 233 articles were found, 17 were pre-selected, and after full-text evaluation, 14 relevant articles were identified. The targeted search yielded an additional 12 articles. The request for tests should be individualized according to the clinical history. Standardized screening questionnaires for hemostasis disorders are useful and complement the aforementioned approach. Factors such as age, ASA classification, bleeding potential-complexity of the procedure, and anesthetic technique may influence their request., Discussion: The incidence of hemostasis disorders in the general population is very low, and these can mostly be detected through clinical history. Thus, it is the clinical history that should guide the need for laboratory test requests., Conclusions: Preoperative hemostasis tests should not be indiscriminately requested for all patients needing an intervention or invasive diagnostic-therapeutic procedure, but rather when there are doubts about their hemostatic competence or as advised by the nature of the procedure they are undergoing., (Copyright © 2024 Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background & Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with poorer glycemic control and a higher risk of type-2 diabetes (T2D) complications, extrahepatic and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Our study aim was to evaluate the association between NAFLD, T2D complications, and the development of overall clinical events (OCE) (CV, liver-related, and mortality) in patients with T2D., Methods: Prospective single-center study comprising T2D subjects with no history of CVD and non-T2D matched controls. Patients were selected from the Outpatient Diabetes Clinic of Vall d'Hebron Hospital and related primary care centers., Results: 186 diabetics and 57 controls were included. Amongst T2D, 124/186 subjects had NAFLD (66.6%). T2D-NAFLD subjects showed a heavier metabolic burden and higher median liver stiffness (5.6kPa [4.5-7.3] vs 4.8 [4.2-5.8]; p=0.004) compared to non-NAFLD diabetics. During a median follow-up of 5.6 years, 33 (17.7%) T2D patients developed OCE vs 4 (7.0%) controls (p=0.049). No differences were found for OCE between NAFLD and non-NAFLD diabetics (16.9% vs 19.4%; p=0.68). CV was the most reported outcome and only one liver event occurred. NAFLD diabetics showed more often chronic kidney disease (CKD), whereas T2D complications and subclinical CVD rates were similar. A higher liver stiffness, older age, and male gender were independently associated with OCE amongst the entire T2D population and NAFLD diabetics., Conclusions: NAFLD and liver stiffness were associated with CKD and clinical outcomes in diabetics, respectively. A hepatic evaluation is recommended to identify high-risk T2D patients that would benefit from early referral to specialized care., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Fluid administration is the cornerstone in hypovolemic patient's reanimation. Clinical guidelines restrict colloid administration favouring crystalloids. Currently, we don't know exactly which is the daily clinical practice during the perioperative period. The objective of this study is to describe perioperative use of colloids analysing possible reasons aiming to use them., Material and Methods: Prospective, cross-section, national, multicentre observational study. Fluid Day sub-study. We enrolled all patient's older than 18 years old who underwent surgery during the 24 h of the 2-days study (February, 2019, 18th and 20th). We registered demographic data, comorbidities, anaesthetic and surgical procedure data, fluids administered, perioperative bleeding and monitoring type used during the perioperative period., Results: A total of 5928 cases were analysed and 542 patients (9.1%) received any type of colloids, being hydroxiethyl-starch the most frequently used (5.1%). Patients receiving colloids suffered more longing surgery (150 [90-255] vs. 75 [45-120] min), were urgently operated (13.7 vs. 7.5%) and were more frequent classified as high risk (22 vs. 4.8%). Their recovery was mostly in critical care units (45.1 vs.15.8%). Patients with bleeding less than 500 ml received colloids in a percentage of 5.9 versus 45.9% when this figure was overcome. Patients who received colloids were anaemic more frequently: 29.4 vs. 16.3%. Colloids administration had a higher risk for transfusion (OR 15.7). Advanced monitoring also increased the risk for receiving colloids (OR 9.43)., Conclusions: In our environment with routine clinical practice, colloids administration is limited and close linked to perioperative bleeding., (Copyright © 2022 Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor. All rights reserved.)

Advanced therapy drugs have emerged in recent years as new pharmacotherapeutic strategies. In this context, hospital pharmacy services have had to adapt to the new challenges posed by the  inclusion of advanced therapies in their roster of services against the  background of the complex pharmacotherapeutic process patients typically go through.All the activities carried out in the hospital pharmacy services must abide by  the rules established in the Spanish legislation and ensure both the quality of  the different drugs they manage and the safety of every single patient.Advanced therapy drugs are associated certain peculiarities, including the need  to select and evaluate potential candidates to receive them; recourse to  financing mechanisms based on risk sharing; and their extreme fragility, which  means that the personnel in charge of handling them must be properly trained  to maintain their viability and that special storage conditions, involving  temperatures below 180 ºC in the case of chimeric antigen receptor T cell  therapies, must be maintained. In addition, use of advanced therapy  medications in the clinical setting has made it necessary for scientific societies  to produce consensus documents recognizing the pivotal role of hospital  pharmacists as indispensable members of the multidisciplinary healthcare team  and ensuring the same traceability, conservation, custody and  pharmacotherapeutical monitoring standards imposed on other drugs to  provide for adequate pharmaceutical care. Scientific societies have also  highlighted the importance of intensifying clinical research, an essential  requirement for the safe incorporation of new therapeutic targets. The present  document is intended to describe the challenges pharmacists may face when  using advanced therapy drugs at the different stages or processes in the  patient's clinical journey., (Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.)

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAAS) system and its effects on blood pressure and the regulation of water and electrolyte balance have been studied focusing on the cardiovascular and renal system. The activation of RAAS in other organs has local and systemic repercussions by modeling the macro- and microvasculture of peripheral organs. The brain RAAS influence on systemic blood pressure through the sympathetic nervous system. The angiotensin converting enzyme/angiotensin II/angiotensin 1 receptor axis (ACE/AngII/AT1), classical pathway, and angiotensin converting enzyme type 2/angiotensin (1-7)/Mas receptor (ACE2/Ang (1-7)/MasR), non-classical pathway, are involved in the modulation of the sympathetic response. The imbalance of these two axes with subsequently Ang II accumulation promote neurogenic hypertension and other vascular pathologies. The aminopeptidase/angiotensin IV/angiotensin 4 receptor (AMN/Ang IV/AT4) axis, which is exclusive of the brain, acts on cerebral microvasculature and participates in cognition, memory, and learning. The aim of this review is to decipher the major central RAAS mechanisms involved in blood pressure regulation. In addition, paracrine functions of brain RAAS and its role in neuroprotection and cognition are also described in this review., (Copyright © 2020 SEH-LELHA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

The development and commercialization of cell therapy drugs with  chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) represent a new challenge for  Spain's hospital pharmacy. The aim of this article is to review the key  aspects of these medicines and to describe the oncohematological  pharmacist's role within the multidisciplinary clinical team. This includes  the different phases in the transversal process that involves a therapy  with CAR-T medicines, ranging from indication to short and long term  follow-up of patients treated with this type of therapy, and emphasizing  on the management of its main adverse effects. CAR-T therapy offers  the hospital pharmacist the opportunity to work closely with the rest of  the clinical professionals involved in the process, allowing their  contribution to the development of procedures, clinical practice  guidelines of global approach, and establishing starting points when  facing future therapies of similar complexity -and even improving previously established basic processes-., (Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To learn about the baseline of Oncohematological Pharmacy Units in Spanish hospitals in order to identify areas for  improvement., Method: A survey in line with the objectives set in GEDEFO 2020  Strategic Plan of Pharmaceutical Care for oncohematological patients  was designed. The survey was hosted on GEDEFO's website during  March and April 2017. Activity data for 2016 was collected. Results: A total of 95 hospitals responded to the survey. Out of which, 76% had an integrated information system of  pharmacotherapeutic process management, where a variability in  technological and organizational processes were found. The  oncohematological pharmacist led the implementation of the principles  of medicine, based on evidence and results obtained in routine clinical  practice. It was shown that 88% of hospitals had standardized  protocols. As for safety practices, in 83% of hospitals,  oncohematological pharmacists actively participated in the development  and maintenance of risk management program, implemented to prevent  errors. Preparation was centralized in 89% of hospitals. Variability was observed in pharmaceutical care depending on  where the patient was attended. In 92% of hospitals, pharmacists  served as reference for Oncohematology, although with different levels  of training. Major deficiencies were observed in training programs and  teaching. Of all oncohematological pharmacists, 53% had been a  researcher over the past three years., Conclusions: These results mark the starting point for Spanish  Oncohematological Pharmacy Units to develop strategies for improving  the quality of pharmaceutical care offered to oncohematological patients  and led by GEDEFO, heads of service, and oncohematological  patients themselves., (Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.)

Haemorrhagic shock is one of the main causes of mortality in severe polytrauma patients. To increase the survival rates, a combined strategy of treatment known as Damage Control has been developed. The aims of this article are to analyse the actual concept of Damage Control Resuscitation and its three treatment levels, describe the best transfusion strategy, and approach the acute coagulopathy of the traumatic patient as an entity. The potential changes of this therapeutic strategy over the coming years are also described., (Copyright © 2019 Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a key role in the regulation of cardiovascular and renal function. Thus, RAS blockade with an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and/or angiotensin receptor blocker decreases blood pressure, cardiovascular events, and delays the progression of kidney disease. The discovery of ACE2, a homologue of ACE, capable of degrading angiotensin II to angiotensin 1-7, may offer new insights into the RAS. In this review we discuss the possible protective role of ACE2 in different organs, namely heart, lungs and kidneys. The role of this enzyme is inferred from recent studies performed using genetically manipulated mice that lack the ACE2 gene and also mice treated with pharmacological ACE2 inhibitors. These results suggest that ACE2 might be a new therapeutic target within the RAS.

Objective: In this work we evaluated the difficulties in understanding rapid speech (normal, fast and very fast rates) in elderly listeners with and without hearing loss (presbycusis and moderate hearing loss). Rapid speech is common in daily communication, yet few studies have been conducted to assess this problem in Spanish-speaking listeners, as has been done for English speakers., Material and Method: We compared the recognition of sentences presented at normal, fast, and very fast speech rates in 3 groups of listeners. Recognition scores were correlated to their audiological measures and the score obtained on a Communication Difficulties Questionnaire., Results: Compressed sentences were more poorly perceived in the 2 groups of listeners with hearing loss, compared to the normal group. Moreover, we obtained significant correlations among the 3 measures: recognition of rapid speech, the audiological measures, and the score in the Questionnaire., Conclusions: Our results suggest that rapid-speech recognition skills deteriorate in the presence of hearing loss, whether due to presbycusis or other moderate hearing loss in all frequency ranges.

Background: Tuberculosis in immigrants is an emerging disease in industrialized countries., Method: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of culture-positive tuberculosis cases in the immigrant and native populations., Results: One hundred and five cases of tuberculosis were observed; 22 cases (21%) were in immigrants. The 2002 incidence was 64.3 cases per 100,000 immigrants. Mean age of the affected immigrants was 28.5 years lower than that of the affected native population (p < 0.001). The rate of HIV coinfection was 9.1%. In 81.8% (18) of immigrants, presentation was exclusively pulmonary, a higher percentage than in the native population (59.2%) (p = 0.05). Loss to follow-up was more common among immigrants (35%) than among the native population (9.2%) (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Tuberculosis in the immigrant population generally involves the lungs, appears in younger subjects and is a public heath problem because of the high rate of losses to follow-up.