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This study aimed to analyze aspects related to choice of type of delivery in two maternity hospitals, one public and the other private, in São Luís, Maranhão State, Brazil. This cross-sectional study compared 163 primiparous women in a public maternity hospital and 89 in a private hospital, with mean ages of 21.63 +/- 5.24 and 28.8 +/- 5.41 years, respectively. In the public hospital, 79.1% of the women reported preferring vaginal deliveries, while in the private hospital 67.4% of the women preferred cesareans (p < 0.0001). Cesareans were performed in 46% of the women in the public maternity hospital and 97.8% of those in the private hospital (p < 0.0001). Patient satisfaction was high for both modes of delivery, but the desire to repeat the same mode was reported more frequently by women with vaginal deliveries (71.6% vs. 41.3% in the public maternity hospital and 100% vs. 65.5% in the private). In the public maternity hospital, the cesarean subgroup included more white and higher-income women. The cesarean rate was thus high in both maternity hospitals and was significantly higher in the private hospital; the study also showed a preference for vaginal delivery in the public hospital and cesareans in the private.

Background: Measuring health-related quality of life (QOL) helps evaluating the efficiency of a treatment and identifies problems with major impact on the patient's QOL. However, these measures are safer if assessed by generic and specific instruments together, where it is necessary to check for compatibility between these and avoid repetitions and contradictions between the domains.

Background: In Brazil, there are few studies of the metabolic syndrome in the general population, and even fewer studies that establish a correlation between metabolic syndrome and climacteric.

SummaryBackground: Little is known about the prevalence of arterial hypertension (AH) and its risk factors in the less developed regions of Brazil.

Objective: To describe the clinical, radiological and endoscopic characteristics of foreign body aspiration among individuals under the age of 15 treated at a referral center in the city of São Luís, Brazil. Methods: This was a descriptive study using data from the medical charts of patients treated for foreign body aspiration at the Hospital Universitário Materno Infantil between 1995 and 2005. We investigated 72 confirmed cases of foreign body aspiration, evaluating the place of residence, as well as biological, clinical, radiological and endoscopic variables. We used the chi-square test to identify statistically significant differences in frequency among the variables studied. Results: The majority of the patients were from outlying areas (55.6%). The following variables presented the highest frequencies: 0-3 year age bracket (81.9%); male gender (63.9%); evolution > 24 h (66.7%); hypotransparency on chest X-ray (57.7%); foreign body in the right lung (41.2%) or in the larynx (20.5%); organic nature of the foreign body (83.3%); complication in the form of localized inflammation (59.4%); glottal edema as an endoscopic complication (47.6%); and seeds (46.6%), fish bone (28.3%) or plastics (25.5%) as the type of foreign body. There were no deaths. Conclusions: Preventive care should be a priority for male children under the age of 3 living in outlying areas. Such children should not be given access to substances that can be aspirated, including certain foodstuffs. Simple and easily accessible radiological tests have been underused, which jeopardizes the quality of the initial treatment.Keywords: Foreign bodies; Inhalation; Bronchoscopy. ResumoObjetivo: Descrever as características clínicas, radiológicas e endoscópicas da aspiração de corpo estranho por menores de 15 anos em um centro de referência em São Luís, MA. Métodos: Estudo descritivo realizado a partir de dados de prontuários dos pacientes atendidos no Hospital Universitário Materno Infantil devido à aspiração de corpo estranho entre 1995 e 2005. Avaliamos 72 casos confirmados de aspiração de corpo estranho em relação à procedência, variáveis biológicas, clínico-radiológicas e endoscópicas. Para verificar se as frequências observadas das variáveis em estudo foram estatisticamente significantes, utilizamos o teste do qui-quadrado. Resultados: A maioria do pacientes era procedente das cidades do interior (55,6%). As maiores frequências das diferentes variá-veis estudadas foram as seguintes: faixa etária de 0-3 anos (81,9%); sexo masculino (63,9%); tempo de evolução > 24 h (66,7%); hipotransparência na radiografia de tórax (57,7%); localização do corpo estranho no pulmão direito (41,2%) ou na laringe (20.5%); natureza orgânica do corpo estranho (83,3%); complicação como processo inflamatório localizado (59,4%); edema de glote como complicação do exame endoscópico (47,6%); e sementes (46,6%), espinha de peixe (28,3%) e plásticos (25,5%) como tipos mais frequentes de corpos estranhos aspirados. Não houve óbitos. Conclusões: Cuidados preventivos devem p...

ARF was a frequent and severe postoperative complication associated with higher mortality and longer ICU stay, which presented as risk factors: longer CPB and cross-clamp times, mechanical ventilation > 24h and hemodynamic instability.