Combined Modality Therapy

ABC

Editorial

A Collaboration to Stop Smoking

The association between smoking and physical inactivity is an essential expression of morbidity and mortality in wide age groups.

The present study enhances the recognized risks of smoking, correlating it to the quality of sleep, and autonomic dysfunctions with levels of physical activity. Parameters considered as risk factors for cardiovascular pathologies. It is worth mentioning the accurate methodology contributing to the legitimacy of this study. In the most active group (p> 50), higher values of skeletal muscle mass were observed, related to better performance and influencing the reflex metabolite. Statistical treatment demonstrated significant correlations between smoking, sleep quality, and autonomic dysfunction. We believe that a higher number of candidates for the study can obtain stronger associations. We suggest, as a continuation of this study, to evaluate the recovery of heart rate in the first minute of post-exercise recovery, an indicator of parasympathetic autonomic adaptation of prognostic value in cardiovascular diseases. Also, a better quantification of physical activity that characterizes active or non-active behavior is also valid. The current bibliography deserves mention, with about 16% of authors from our country.

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ABC

Review Article

Atrial Fibrillation (Part 1): Pathophysiology, Risk Factors, and Therapeutic Basis

Fatima Dumas Cintra et al. Marcio Jansen de Oliveira Figueiredo

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia in clinical practice, with a preference for older age groups. Considering population ageing, the projections for the next decades are alarming. In addition to its epidemiological importance, atrial fibrillation is evidenced by its clinical repercussions, including thromboembolic phenomena, hospitalizations, and a higher mortality rate. Its pathophysiological mechanism is complex and involves an association of hemodynamic, structural, electrophysiological, and autonomic factors. Since the 1990s, the Framingham study of multivariate analyses has demonstrated that hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, and valvular disease are independent predictors of this rhythm abnormality along with age. However, various other risk factors have been recently implicated in an increase of atrial fibrillation cases, such as sedentary behavior, obesity, sleep disorders, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol use. Moreover, changes in quality of life indicate a reduction in atrial fibrillation recurrence, thus representing a new strategy for excellence in the treatment of this cardiac arrhythmia. Therapeutic management involves a broad knowledge of the patient’s health state and habits, comprehending 4 main pillars: lifestyle changes and rigorous treatment of risk factors; prevention of thromboembolic events; rate control; and rhythm control. Due to the dimension of factors involved in the care of patients with atrial fibrillation, integrated actions performed by interprofessional teams are associated with the best clinical results.

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A Collaboration to Stop Smoking

Atrial Fibrillation (Part 1): Pathophysiology, Risk Factors, and Therapeutic Basis

Abstract

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Electronic Document Format (Vancouver)

Electronic Document Format (ABNT)

Electronic Document Format (APA)

Electronic Document Format (ISO)