Objective: To determine the impact that implementing a combination of a computer-based clinical decision support system and a program of training seminars has on the use of appropriate prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in two phases (prior to and after the implementation of the new VTE prophylaxis protocol) in order to evaluate the impact that the combined strategy had on the use of appropriate VTE prophylaxis. The study was conducted at Nossa Senhora da ConceiþÒo Hospital, a general hospital in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. We included clinical and surgical patients over 18 years of age who were hospitalized for ≥ 48 h. The pre-implementation and post-implementation phase samples comprised 262 and 261 patients, respectively. Results: The baseline characteristics of the two samples were similar, including the distribution of patients by risk level. Comparing the pre-implementation and post-implementation periods, we found that the overall use of appropriate VTE prophylaxis increased from 46.2% to 57.9% (p = 0.01). Looking at specific patient populations, we observed that the use of appropriate VTE prophylaxis increased more dramatically among cancer patients (from 18.1% to 44.1%; p = 0.002) and among patients with three or more risk factors (from 25.0% to 42.9%; p = 0.008), two populations that benefit most from prophylaxis. Conclusions: It is possible to increase the use of appropriate VTE prophylaxis in economically constrained settings through the use of a computerized protocol adhered to by trained professionals. The underutilization of prophylaxis continues to be a major problem, indicative of the need for ongoing improvement in the quality of inpatient care.

Keywords: Venous thrombosis/prevention & control; Venous thromboembolism/prevention & control; Heparin/therapeutic use.

Objective: To evaluate the use of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in a general hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional cohort study at the Hospital Nossa Senhora da Conceição, located in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil, involving a random sample of patients admitted between October of 2008 and February of 2009. We included patients over 18 years of age and hospitalized for more than 48 h. The exclusion criteria were anticoagulant use, pregnancy, puerperium, and a history of thromboembolic disease. The adequacy of prophylaxis was evaluated in accordance with a protocol created by the Hospital and principally based on the American College of Chest Physicians guidelines, eighth edition. Results: We included 262 patients. The mean age was 59.1 ± 16.6 years. The most common risk factors were immobilization (in 70.6%), infection (in 44.3%), cancer (in 27.5%), obesity (in 23.3%), and major surgery (in 14.1%). The risk of VTE was classified as high and moderate in 143 (54.6%) and 117 (44.7%) of the patients, respectively. Overall, 46.2% of the patients received adequate prophylaxis, 25% of those with ≥ three risk factors for VTE and 18% of those with cancer, the differences between these last two groups and their counterparts (patients with < three risk factors and those without cancer) being statistically significant (p < 0.001 for both). Conclusions: Our data reveal that nearly all patients at our hospital were at risk for VTE, and that less than half received adequate VTE prophylaxis, which is in agreement with the literature. It is surprising that inadequate prophylaxis is more common in high-risk patients.

Keywords: Venous thromboembolism/prevention and control; Venous thrombosis/prevention and control; Heparin.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the adequacy of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis prescription after a protocol implementation. Methods: This was a before‑and‑after study conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. Medical and surgical inpatients aged 18 years or older were assessed for VTE risk and subsequently for thromboprophylaxis adequacy, according to their risk. The evaluations occurred before and after the protocol strategy implementation; it consisted of an online platform to access the protocol, a public posting of the protocol diagram, clinical alerts on the medical staff TV, e-mail alerts, and pop-up alerts on the computerized physician order entry system. The main outcome measure was the adequacy of VTE prophylaxis prescription according to the protocol. Results: A total of 429 patients were evaluated for thromboprophylaxis adequacy (213 before and 216 after). The prevalence of adequacy increased from 54% to 63% (pre and post‑intervention, respectively), and after adjustment for patient type and phase of the study, the prevalence ratio reached (PR)=1.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.42. Conclusion: The results showed that the overall appropriateness of thromboprophylaxis prescription was weakly improved. Despite these results, this study provides evidence to date a bunch of strategies for protocol implementations in private institutions in middle‑income countries with an open medical staff, as there are few studies investigating these simple and pragmatic interventions.

Keywords: Venous thromboembolism; Guideline adherence; Prevention; Thromboprophylaxis.

Objectives: To identify the frequency of risk factors, classification of degree of risk and the practice of prophylaxis to venous thromboembolism (VTE) in a general hospital. Methods: Randomly selected cases were included. Patients were excluded if they were on anticoagulant treatment. Determination of risk factors and classification of degree of risk were done according to international consensus. Results: Most patients (96%) had at least one recognized risk factor, 81% of them fulfilled the criteria to be classified as moderate/high risk. Prophylactic measures were prescribed to 221 (63%) patients. There was a significant association between the higher risk level for VTE and increased use of heparin (p < 0.001). Contraindications to the use of heparin were noticed in 7% of the cases. Conclusion: Risk factors for VTE are usually seen and prophylaxis is unsatisfactory. Contraindications to the use of heparin are uncommon; prophylaxis should be considered for a higher number of patients.

Keywords: Pulmonary embolism. Deep venous thrombosis. Prevention.

Objectives: To identify the degree of risk and the practice of prophylaxis to venous thromboembolism (VTE) in an intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: The subjects were patients admitted to the ICU between December 1997 and February 1998. Patients were excluded if they were in anticoagulant therapy or presented contra-indication to heparin. Determination of risk factors and classification of the degree of risk for VTE were done according to international consensus. The ICU medical staff did not know about the study. Results: The authors evaluated one hundred and eighty patients with a mean age of 58 years (±16.5). Risk factors more frequently found were: age ³ 40 years (85.0%), surgery (47.8%), thoracic or abdominal infection (22.8%). Two or more risk factors were present in 146 (81%) cases. In the evaluation of VTE risk, 142 (79%) patients were classified as moderate/high risk. Prophylactic measures were prescribed to 102 patients (57%), and heparin was used in 60% of moderate/high risk cases. There was a significant association between risk level and the number of risk factors with the use of prophylaxis (p < 0.05). Conclusion: VTE risk factors were frequent in the sample analyzed. However, 40% of patients considered moderate/high risk did not receive pharmacological prophylaxis for VTE.

Keywords: thromboembolism, prevention & control

Objectives: To evaluate the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who underwent diagnostic tests for suspected VTE, and to correlate the IMPROVE-DD score with the incidence of VTE in this cohort. Methods: This retrospective study included consecutive patients with COVID-19 and suspected VTE, admitted between March 2020 and September 2021 at a private hospital in Salvador (BA), Brazil, who underwent lower or upper limb venous Doppler ultrasound or chest angiotomography. Descriptive analyses and comparisons using the chi-square test were performed to identify factors potentially associated with the risk of VTE. Results: A total of 517 patients were included, with an in-hospital VTE incidence of 18.6% (96 events). Risk factors significantly associated with VTE included obesity, ICU admission, central venous catheter use, longer hospital stays, greater lung tomographic involvement/severity, the need for mechanical ventilation, D-dimer levels at least twice the upper limit of normal (2xULN), and the IMPROVE-DD score. The mean IMPROVE-DD score among patients with VTE was 4.7 (±3) versus 3.3 (±2.4) in those without VTE (p < 0.0001). D-dimer 2xULN was sensitive in identifying 94% of the 96 patients with VTE (p < 0.0001). The in-hospital mortality rate was 14.1%, with higher rates observed in patients with VTE (24%) compared to those without VTE (11.9%) (p = 0.003). Conclusions: The incidence of VTE in hospitalized COVID-19 patients was high and correlated with increased mortality. The IMPROVE-DD score effectively identified patients at risk for in-hospital VTE, suggesting it could help to identify a high-risk subgroup that may benefit from extended thromboprophylaxis.

Keywords: Venous thromboembolism, COVID-19, IMPROVE-DD.

Objective: To identify and classify risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in hospitalized patients, as well as to evaluate medical practices regarding prophylaxis for the disease. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study, carried out between January and March of 2006, involving inpatients at three hospitals in the city of Manaus, Brazil. Risk stratification for VTE was based on the criteria established by the Brazilian Society of Angiology and Vascular Surgery and by the International Union of Angiology. Clinical, surgical and medication-related risk factors were analyzed. The statistical analysis of the data obtained was conducted, adopting an alpha error of 5% and 95% CI. Qualitative data were analyzed using the chi-square test, whereas quantitative data were analyzed using Student's t-test. Results: Of the 1,036 patients included (total number of admissions, 1,051), 515 (49.7%) were male, and 521 (50.3%) were female. A total of 23 risk factors for VTE were identified (total number of occurrences, 2,319). The stratified risk for VTE was 50.6%, 16.6% and 30.8% among the admissions of high-, moderate- and low-risk cases, respectively. In 73.3% of the admissions, nonpharmacological prophylaxis was not employed at any point during the study period. In 74% of those classified as high- or moderate-risk cases, no prophylactic medications were administered. Conclusions: This study showed that, in the population studied, risk factors were common and that prophylactic measures were not employed in patients prone to developing VTE and its complications.

Keywords: Venous thromboembolism; Risk factors; Venous thrombosis/prevention & control.

Objective: To analyze the clinical, etiological, and epidemiological aspects of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in hospitalized individuals. Methods: We prospectively studied 66 patients (> 14 years of age) with CAP admitted to the Hospital Estadual Sumaré, located in the Sumaré microregion of Brazil, between October of 2005 and September of 2007. We collected data related to clinical history, physical examination, pneumonia severity index (PSI) scores, and laboratory tests (blood culture; sputum smear microscopy and culture; serology for Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Legionella pneumophila; and detection of Legionella sp. and Streptococcus pneumoniae antigens in urine). Results: The mean age of patients was 53 years. Most had a low level of education, and 55.7% presented with at least one comorbidity at the time of hospitalization. The proportion of elderly people vaccinated against influenza was significantly lower among the inpatients than in the general population of the Sumaré microregion (52.6% vs. > 70%). Fever was less common among the elderly patients (p < 0.05). The clinical evolution was associated with the PSI scores but not with age. The etiology was confirmed in 31 cases (50.8%) and was attributed to S. pneumoniae, principally detected by the urinary antigen test, in 21 (34.4%), followed by C. pneumoniae, in 5 (8.2%). The mortality rate was 4.9%, and 80.3% of the patients were classified as cured at discharge. Conclusions: The knowledge of the etiologic profile of CAP at the regional level favors the appropriate choice of empirical treatment, which is particularly relevant in elderly patients and in those with comorbidities. The lack of influenza vaccination in elderly patients is a risk factor for hospitalization due to CAP.

Keywords: Chlamydophila pneumoniae; Community-acquired infections; Pneumonia; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Influenza vaccines.

Background: Tuberculosis become important challenge to health care settings. Brazil has high prevalence of the disease and Rio de Janeiro has high incidence rates with 30% of cases notified at hospitals. Objective: To evaluate prevalence of initial and acquired drug resistance at a general hospital, reference for aids treatment in Rio de Janeiro and to identify associated factors. Methods: Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains from 165 patients were analyzed, between August 1996 and February 1998. Results: Twenty per cent (33/165) were resistant to at least one drug; 13% (12/165) to isoniazid; 3.64% (6/ 165) to rifampin and 3.64% (6/165) to both. Among HIV seropositive subjects (52/165); 28.85% (15/52) were resistant to at least one drug. Acquired resistance occurred in 15.79% of 19 patients that mentioned previous antiTB treatment. Association statistically significant was found with non cavitation on X-ray in bivariate analyses ( P=0.05). Eighty four patients refereed no previous treatment (NPT). Resistance to 1 or more drugs was found in 28.57% (24/84) of NPT patients. Association statistically significant with initial resistance was found with health care workers (P=0.004), unemployment (P=0.03), and diarrhea (P=0.01) in bivariate analyses. On multivariate analyses, health care workers ( P=0.002) remained significantly associated with initial resistance. Conclusions: High resistance rates was found. It corroborates that hospitals needs attention for TB control especially which concerns to health care works infection.

Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Drug resistance. Disease transmission, patient to professional. Hospitals.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to establish the prevalence of pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) in autopsies and its rate of antemortem suspicion at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA). Design: Cohort study with historical data. Setting: School hospital with 728 beds. Patients and methods: The adult autopsy reports were studied from 1985 to 1995 as well as the records of patients whose autopsies diagnosed PTE. Antemortem suspicion of PTE was considered from explicit notes on patients records, from requests of lung scan, or from full anticoagulation. Results: In the period mentioned, 9,607 deaths occurred, and 767 (7.98%) autopsies were performed. Significant PTE (> 1 pulmonary subsegment) in 30 (3.9%) patients. In 3 (10%) patients, PTE was considered the effective cause of death. Clinic suspicion was present in 5 (16.6%) patients; in 25 (83.4%) patients, there were only postmortem findings. Conclusion: PTE rates in autopsies were similar to those found in international literature. The rates of clinical suspicion were half of the ones mentioned in school hospitals in the United States and Europe. PTE was subsuspected in life in patients hospitalized at HCPA.

Keywords: Venous thromboembolism. Deep venous thrombosis. Pulmonary artery. Pulmonary infarction.

Objective: To determine the diagnostic sensitivity of bacteriological analyses in induced sputum (IS) for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and to identify the clinical characteristics associated with the confirmed diagnosis, as well as to determine the diagnostic yield of bronchoscopy carried out when IS tests negative for AFB in smear microscopy. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study of patients suspected of having active pulmonary TB and referred to our clinic for sputum induction. We consecutively reviewed the laboratory data of all patients submitted to sputum induction between June of 2003 and January of 2006, as well as their electronic medical records. In addition, the results of the bacteriological analysis of bronchoscopic specimens collected from the patients whose AFB tests were negative in IS were reviewed. Results: Of the 417 patients included in the study, 83 (19.9%) presented IS samples that tested positive for TB (smear microscopy or culture). In the logistic regression analysis, radiological findings of cavitation (OR = 3.8; 95% CI: 1.9-7.6) and of miliary infiltrate (OR = 3.7; 95% CI: 1.6-8.6) showed the strongest association with the diagnosis of pulmonary TB. In 134 patients, bronchoscopy was carried out after negative AFB results in IS and added 25 (64.1%) confirmed diagnoses of pulmonary TB. Conclusions: In our clinical practice, the frequency of confirmed diagnosis of pulmonary TB using IS (19.9%) was lower than that previously reported in controlled trials. Cavitation and miliary infiltrate increase the diagnostic probability of pulmonary TB using IS. The use of bronchoscopy when IS tests negative for AFB significantly increases sensitivity in the diagnosis of pulmonary TB.

Keywords: Tuberculosis, pulmonary; Diagnosis; Sputum.

Objective: To describe the reasons smokers give for seeking smoking cessation treatment, correlating those reasons with sociodemographic characteristics, clinical data, stage of readiness to change, and severity of nicotine dependence. Methods: Between February of 2008 and February of 2009, we evaluated 53 smokers who were naive to smoking cessation treatment and sought such treatment at the psychoactive substance abuse outpatient clinic of a university general hospital. The instruments used in the study were as follows: a form for the collection of sociodemographic and clinical data; the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence; the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment scale; and a questionnaire on the smoking habit. Results: The sample comprised 34 women and 19 men, with a mean age of 48.1 years. Most of the participants had less than 8 years of schooling, had tobacco-related diseases, started smoking during adolescence, had smoked for more than 20 years, and had high nicotine dependence. The decision to quit smoking was mainly influenced by advice from family members, and the decision to seek specialized smoking cessation treatment was influenced by physicians. Most of the men were in the contemplation stage of change, whereas the women tended to have a more balanced distribution of the stages (p = 0.007). The women had attempted to quit smoking more often than had the men (p = 0.017) and also had a higher level of nicotine dependence (p = 0.053). Conclusions: The findings of this study highlight the role of health professionals in the approach to smoking cessation and suggest the importance of interventions that are more targeted, in view of the differences between men and women.

Keywords: Smoking; Smoking cessation; Motivation; Tobacco use disorder.

Objective: To describe the epidemiological monitoring of exposure to tuberculosis in a hospital environment and to analyze the profile of the disease in a general teaching hospital. Methods: A descriptive and retrospective study of tuberculosis cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2006, with the determination of indicators of morbidity and mortality, which were compared with the general population of patients treated at the hospital and with the hospital employees who developed active tuberculosis. Results: There were 763 patients who were treated for active tuberculosis (mean, 109 patients/year), 481 (63.1%) of whom were male. Most of the patients were in the 30-59 year age bracket. Tuberculosis that was exclusively pulmonary or extrapulmonary predominated. However, among the hospitalized patients, the combination of pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis, as well as exclusively noninfectious tuberculosis, predominated. Comorbidities were more prevalent among the hospitalized patients and among those who evolved to death. Only 52.8% of the cases treated at the hospital were reported. The overall hospital indicators showed longer length of hospital stay and greater mortality among the patients with tuberculosis. The incidence and prevalence show that there was a high risk of exposure to tuberculosis in the hospital during the period studied. Conclusions: The proposed indicators can potentially help standardize epidemiological monitoring procedures for nosocomial tuberculosis, and the epidemiological profile described in this study can contribute to a better understanding of the situation of tuberculosis in Brazil.

Keywords: Tuberculosis/epidemiology; Cross infection/prevention & control; Epidemiologic surveillance/statistics & numerical data; Risk management.

Objective: To determine the frequency of smoking among hospitalized patients in a general hospital, and to evaluate their profile. Methods: A random representative sample of 111 patients, classified as nonsmokers, former smokers or smokers, was evaluated. The smokers were submitted to the Fagerström test and measurement of expired carbon monoxide. Expired carbon monoxide higher than 6 ppm was considered a significant indicator of recent smoking. Results: Of the 111 patients in the sample, 60 (54%) were female. The mean age was 70 years. Of the 111 patients, 56 (51%) had never smoked, 36 (32%) were former smokers, and 19 (17%) were smokers. All of the smokers were male. The smokers were younger (58 ± 17 years) than the nonsmokers (68 ± 12 years) and the former smokers (73 ± 14 years)-ANOVA: F = 6.57 (p = 0.002). Among the smokers, the mean tobacco intake was 43 pack-years and the mean Fagerström score was 5.0. Of the 19 smokers, 11 (58%) had respiratory symptoms and 3 had withdrawal symptoms. The mean expired carbon monoxide in the smokers was 5.0 ppm. Expired carbon monoxide levels were higher than 6 ppm in 8 (42%) of the smokers. There was a higher prevalence of smokers in some wards: 70% of all smokers were hospitalized on only five wards. Conclusions: In a large tertiary hospital, 17% of the hospitalized patients were smokers, and 7% had smoked within the last 8 h. The smokers were younger men, hospitalized on specific wards.

Keywords: Smoking; Hospitalization; Carbon monoxide/diagnostic use.

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics, laboratory data, and clinical outcomes of patients with and without sepsis admitted to the ICU of a private hospital in the city of Salvador, Brazil, and to identify clinical variables related to a worse prognosis in those with sepsis. Methods: This was a longitudinal study including all patients admitted to the general ICU of the Hospital Português, in the city of Salvador, Brazil, between June of 2008 and March of 2009. At ICU admission, two groups of patients were identified: with sepsis and without sepsis. Epidemiological, clinical and laboratory data were collected, and the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score was calculated. Results: Of the 144 patients in the study, 29 (20.1%) had sepsis. Among the patients with sepsis, males accounted for 55.2%, the mean age was 73.1 ± 14.6 years, and the mean APACHE II score was 23.8 ± 9.1, compared with 36.3%, 68.7 ± 17.7 years, and 18.4 ± 9.5, respectively, among those without sepsis. There were significant associations between a diagnosis of sepsis and the following variables: APACHE II score; in-hospital mortality; ICU mortality; HR; mean arterial pressure; hematocrit level; white blood cell count; and antibiotic use. The use of life support measures and lower hematocrit levels were associated with a worse prognosis in the patients with sepsis. Conclusions: The patients diagnosed with sepsis presented worse clinical outcomes, probably due to their greater severity. Hematocrit level was the only variable that was a predictor of mortality risk in the patients with sepsis.

Keywords: Sepsis/epidemiology; Sepsis/mortality; Intensive care units.

Objective: To compare clinical, radiological, and laboratory characteristics of individuals with pulmonary tuberculosis co-infected or not with HIV. Methods: A cross-sectional study, in which signs and symptoms were assessed by anamnesis and physical examination in patients hospitalized with pulmonary tuberculosis. The results of sputum smear microscopy and culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as well as hemoglobin levels and CD4+ T-cell counts, were obtained from medical records, and chest X-ray reports were consulted. Results: We included 50 pulmonary tuberculosis patients, who were divided into two groups (HIV-positive and HIV-negative; n = 25 per group). The mean age of the participants was 38.4 ± 10.5 years; 46 (92%) were males; and 27 (54%) were White. Expectoration was presented by 21 (84%) and 13 (52%) of the patients in the HIV-negative and HIV-positive groups, respectively (p = 0.016). Radiological findings of cavitation were present in 10 (43%) and 2 (10%) of the patients in the HIV-negative and HIV-positive groups, respectively (p = 0.016), whereas an interstitial pattern was observed in 18 (78%) and 8 (40%), respectively (p = 0.012). The mean hemoglobin level was 11.1 ± 2.9 g/dL and 9.3 ± 2.2 g/dL in the HIV-negative and HIV-positive groups, respectively (p = 0.015). Conclusions: In our sample of tuberculosis patients, expectoration was less prevalent, hemoglobin levels were lower, and cavitation was less common, as was an interstitial pattern, among those co-infected with HIV than among those without HIV co-infection.

Keywords: HIV; Tuberculosis; Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

In 2005 and 2006, 8,121 clinical specimens submitted to the Mycobacteriology Laboratory of the Clementino Fraga Filho University Hospital/Thoracic Diseases Institute, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were inoculated on Löwenstein-Jensen medium containing glycerol and pyruvate. There were 79 mycobacteria isolates that presented growth only on pyruvate-containing medium, and those isolates were selected for the presumptive identification of Mycobacterium bovis. The selected isolates were screened with biochemical tests, PCR amplification (with the specific primers Rv0577 and Rv1510), and pyrazinamide susceptibility tests. All of the strains isolated showed specific phenotypical and genotypical patterns characteristic of M. tuberculosis, and no M. bovis strains were detected.

Keywords: Tuberculosis; Mycobacterium bovis; Polymerase chain reaction.

Objective: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is an important complication of major orthopedic surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and factors influencing the development of VTE in patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery in a university hospital. Methods: Patients who underwent major orthopedic surgery (hip arthroplasty, knee arthroplasty, or femur fracture repair) between February of 2006 and June of 2012 were retrospectively included in the study. The incidences of PE and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) were evaluated, as were the factors influencing their development, such as type of operation, age, and comorbidities. Results: We reviewed the medical records of 1,306 patients. The proportions of knee arthroplasty, hip arthroplasty, and femur fracture repair were 63.4%, 29.9%, and 6.7%, respectively. The cumulative incidence of PE and DVT in patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery was 1.99% and 2.22%, respectively. Most of the patients presented with PE and DVT (61.5% and 72.4%, respectively) within the first 72 h after surgery. Patients undergoing femur fracture repair, those aged ≥ 65 years, and bedridden patients were at a higher risk for developing VTE. Conclusions: Our results show that VTE was a significant complication of major orthopedic surgery, despite the use of thromboprophylaxis. Clinicians should be aware of VTE, especially during the perioperative period and in bedridden, elderly patients (≥ 65 years of age).

Keywords: Orthopedics; Pulmonary embolism; Venous thrombosis.