Background and Purpose: Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in western countries. Improving attention to stroke demands better public information about the illness. The aim of the present study was to determine the current knowledge of stroke among the Spanish population. Methods: We conducted a population-based telephone interview in Spain. A total of 3,000 respondents were selected at random following a systematic procedure aimed at filling the sex/age community quotas. Results: A total of 16,016 telephone calls were made. Three thousand respondents were eligible and 2,884 completed the telephone interview. Only 4.5% of respondents knew the term stroke, 1,719 (59.6%) participants were able to mention at least one stroke risk factor, and only 940 (32.6%) could mention at least one stroke sign without prompting. Most respondents considered stroke to be a severe and dangerous illness that can be treated, but less than half of the respondents went immediately to a hospital when faced with a stroke event. Suitable stroke knowledge was only achieved by 302 (10.5%) respondents. Those who had home-based occupations and no previous stroke experience were less likely to have suitable stroke knowledge. Conclusions: This study confirms that our community is still unfamiliar with stroke. Wide population-based educational programs are needed to increase public knowledge of stroke. Our results indicate that people with home-based occupations should be the main target of our education campaigns.

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MI cumulative incidence and mortality rates are low compared with other industrialized countries but, vary considerably among regions in a Mediterranean country like Spain.

Introduction and objective. Although some in-hospital studies have described the management of acute myocardial infarction (MI) patients in Spain, none has been able to guarantee the exhaustiveness of patient registry. This study sought to determine the clinical characteristics and in-hospital management of patients with MI in eight Spanish population registries.Methods. The IBERICA study is a population-based MI registry carried out in the 25 to 74 year-old population, in eight Spanish regions in 1997. A standardized methodology was used to register and investigate all MI arriving alive to a hospital. Clinical characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors prevalence, pharmacological treatment, invasive and non-invasive procedures performed and complications at 28 days of evolution were recorded. A descriptive analysis was performed and the variation coefficient (VC) was calculated.Results. In 1997, 4,041 MI patients were registered, 79.9% were men with a mean age of 61.1 years. Although 10.9% (95% CI: 9.9-11.9%) were not admitted to the coronary care unit, a large variability existed among different areas (VC = 53%). There was a high variability in the utilization and performance of non-invasive and invasive procedures among regions, as well as in the use of pharmacological treatment. Only the use of antiaggregants (91.5%) and thrombolytic therapy (41.8%) showed a low variability (VC < 10%). Twenty-eight day mortality was 16.2% (95% CI: 15.1-17.4%) with a high variability being observed among the different regions (VC = 20.6%).Conclusion. Patient characteristics vary among the different Spanish regions. The differences in management and prognosis suggest a lack of equality in the health care provided to MI patients in the different regions in Spain.

Background: The benefits of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) as primary intervention in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) are still a matter in debate. Our objective was to compare HFNC therapy versus conventional oxygen therapy (COT) in the prevention of endotracheal intubation in this group of patients. Methods: An open-label, controlled and single-centre clinical trial was conducted in patients with severe AHRF, defined by a PaO2/FIO2 ratio ⩽200, to compare HFNC with a control group (CG) treated by COT delivered through a face mask, with the need to perform intubation as the primary outcome. The secondary outcomes included tolerance of the HFNC device and to look for the predictive factors for intubation in these patients. Results: A total of 46 patients were included (22 in the COT group and 24 in the HFNC group) 48% of whom needed intubation: 63% in the COT group and 33% in the HFNC group, with significant differences both in intention to treat [χ2 = 4.2; p = 0.04, relative risk (RR) = 0.5; confidence interval (CI) 95%: 0.3–1.0] and also in treatment analysis (χ2 = 4.7; p = 0.03; RR = 0.5; IC 95%: 0.3–0.9) We obtained a number needed to treat (NNT) = 3 patients treated to avoid an intubation. Intubation occurred significantly later in the HFNC group. Estimated PaO2/FIO2, respiratory rate and dyspnea were significantly better in the HFNC group. Patients treated with HFNC who required intubation presented significant worsening after the first 8 h, as compared with non-intubated HFNC group patients. Mortality was 22% with no differences. The HFNC group patients were hospitalized for almost half of the time in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in the ward, with significantly less hospital length of stay. A total of 14 patients in the HFNC group (58%) complained of excessive heat and 17% of noise; 3 patients did not tolerate HFNC. Conclusion: Patients with severe acute hypoxemic respiratory failure who tolerate HFNC present a significantly lower need for endotracheal intubation compared with conventional oxygen therapy. Clinical Trial Register EUDRA CT number: 2012-001671-36 The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

Background Smoking is a risk factor for coronary heart disease, but it has been associated with better short-term prognosis in hospitalized patients with acute myocardial infarction. The aims of this study were to determine the association between smoking and myocardial infarction 28-day case-fatality in hospitalized patients and at the population level; and, whether smokers presenting with fatal myocardial infarction are more likely to die before reaching a hospital. Design and methods Population-based myocardial infarction registry, carried out in 1997-1998 in seven regions of Spain, used standardized methods to find and analyze suspected myocardial infarction patients (10 654 patients; 7796 hospitalized). Four categories of smoking status were defined: never-smokers, former smokers for more than 1 year, former smokers for less than 1 year, and current smokers. Results The main end-point was 28-day case-fatality, found to be 20.1, 17.1, 15.6, and 8.9%, in the four smoking status categories, respectively, for hospitalized patients; and 37.4, 33.0, 24.5, and 23.2%, respectively, at population level. Hospitalized current smokers had lower age, sex, and comorbidity-adjusted 28-day case-fatality than never-smokers (odds ratio = 0.71; 95% confidence interval: 0.56-0.90). This association held at population level (odds ratio = 0.68; 95% confidence interval: 0.60-0.76), in which former smoking was also associated with lower case-fatality. In fatal cases, recent former smokers presented a lower risk of out-of-hospital death than never-smokers (odds ratio = 0.47; 95% confidence interval: 0.29-0.77), whereas current smoking was marginally associated with out-of-hospital death (odds ratio = 1.22; 95% confidence interval: 0.99-1.50). Conclusions Current smoking is associated with lower 28-day case-fatality in hospitalized myocardial infarction patients. This association held at population level. Among fatal cases, smoking is associated with higher and recent former smoking with lower risk of dying out-of-hospital. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil 14:561-567 AAS, aspirine; MI, myocardial infarction; Non-Q, absence of Q wave in the electrocardiogram; PTCA, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. a Mean (standard deviation). b Occurrence of ventricular fibrillation or sustained ventricular tachycardia requiring immediate medical treatment.Smoking and MI case-fatality Elosua et al. 563

Long-lasting, continuous and simultaneous EEG and ICP recordings from TBI and SAH patients provide highly rich and useful information, which has allowed for uncovering a strong relationship between both signals. The use of this relationship could lead to developing a medical device to measure ICP in a non-invasive way.

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