ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Stroke is a major cause of mortality worldwide. Renal dysfunction is an important risk factor for stroke. Brazilian studies on stroke knowledge are generally population based. Studies stratifying stroke knowledge according to comorbidities are rare. Scientific data are essential to guide the awareness of stroke. OBJECTIVE: To assess stroke knowledge in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on hemodialysis. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional analytical study of patients with CKD on hemodialysis in north-eastern Brazil. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire survey on stroke awareness was administered to patients with CKD on hemodialysis between April and November 2022. The chi-square test and other descriptive statistics were used. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 197 patients were included in the analysis. The Brazilian acronym for stroke was used by 53.5% of the participants. Less than 10.0% of the sample showed optimal decision-making ability regarding stroke. Of the participants, 29.9% knew at least one risk factor and one symptom; however, this was considered as having below the minimum capacity because they did not know the emergency service call number. In the analysis adjusted for income and education, females (odds ratio [OR], 0.40%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.20-0.82), older patients (OR, 0.24%; 95% CI, 0.09-0.63) and having at most one comorbidity (OR, 0.48%; 95% CI, 0.23-0.98) were factors for lower levels of knowledge or ideal decision-making capacity against stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Patients on hemodialysis, especially women and older people, have little knowledge about stroke.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Stroke is one of the main causes of death worldwide. Educational interventions on stroke are potentially effective in reducing the period between the onset of symptoms and the initial emergency medical assistance. OBJECTIVES: To assess high school students’ knowledge of stroke. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study conducted in high schools in northeastern Brazil. METHODS: A self-structured questionnaire survey regarding stroke awareness was applied among high school students in northeastern Brazil. Data were collected between 2018 and 2019. The chi-square test and other descriptive statistics were used. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 1,788 students were analyzed. Eighty percent (n = 1430) of them did not have the minimum knowledge on how to act in a stroke situation. Only 10% (n = 179) presented the ideal knowledge on how to act. Males presented lower levels of knowledge on risk factors (odds ratio, OR: 0.62%; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.49-0.79) and signs and symptoms of stroke (OR: 0.63%; 95% CI: 0.52-0.77). Students with ≥ 10 years of schooling (OR: 1.64%; 95% CI: 1.30-2.07) demonstrated greater knowledge of signs and symptoms of stroke. Students aged 18 years (OR: 1.70%; 95% CI: 1.14-2.52) demonstrated greater knowledge than other ages regarding the telephone number of the emergency medical services. CONCLUSIONS: There was a knowledge deficit with regard to recognizing stroke and activating the emergency medical services. The findings apply to the sample investigated and suggest that there is a need for stroke educational interventions, starting in high school.

Resumo Objetivo: Avaliar taxas de sucesso e de complicações de biópsias renais guiadas por ultrassonografia em um hospital terciário. Materiais e Métodos: Análise retrospectiva de 97 biópsias renais realizadas entre 1º de março de 2017 e 31 de outubro de 2019, guiadas por ultrassonografia e executadas por um único médico radiologista. Resultados: Oitenta e sete biópsias apresentaram diagnóstico anatomopatológico definitivo. Cinco biópsias foram inconclusivas (5,4%) e precisaram de um segundo procedimento. Houve complicações em sete procedimentos (7,6%), todas devidamente solucionadas. Conclusão: A biópsia renal guiada por ultrassonografia demonstrou ser um método efetivo e seguro para o diagnóstico de nefropatias, com elevada taxa de sucesso em sua execução.

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the success and complication rates of ultrasound-guided renal biopsy at a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 97 ultrasound-guided renal biopsies, all performed by the same radiologist, between 1 March, 2017 and 31 October, 2019. Results: Of the 97 biopsies evaluated, 87 had a definitive pathological diagnosis. In five cases (5.4%), the biopsy results were inconclusive and a second procedure was required. In seven procedures (7.6%), there were complications, all of which were properly resolved. Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided renal biopsy has proven to be a safe, effective method for the diagnosis of nephropathies, with high success rates.

RESUMO Objetivo: avaliar as características demográficas e clínicas associadas ao desenvolvimento de pneumonia em pacientes após acidente vascular encefálico internados em um hospital terciário do Vale do São Francisco que atende os estados de Pernambuco e Bahia, Brasil. Métodos: trata-se de estudo unicêntrico, observacional, analítico e transversal realizado a partir dos prontuários de pacientes com diagnóstico de acidente vascular encefálico incluídos no Registro de Acidente Vascular Encefálico (Estudo RAVESS). A análise estatística foi composta pelos testes qui-quadrado, exato de Fisher e a análise de variância com pós-teste de Bonferroni com nível de P≤0,05. Resultados: foram coletados dados de 69 pacientes com AVE agudo com média±desvio padrão de idade de 63,2±16,8 anos, sendo 37 (53,6%) do sexo feminino, com prevalência de pneumonia durante o internamento estimada em 31,9% (Intervalo de Confiança de 95%: 21,2-44,2%). Na análise univariada para preditores de pneumonia após acidente vascular encefálico foram identificados: idade mais avançada (72,6±17,9 vs. 58,8±14,5; P=0,001), menor sinal de resposta a escala de coma de Glasgow durante a admissão (11,3±1,8 vs. 13,3±2,1; P=0,001) e maior frequência de disartria na admissão (61,9% vs. 27,9%; P=0,009). Conclusão: a pneumonia foi uma complicação prevalente em pacientes após acidente vascular encefálico de um hospital terciário brasileiro, tendo sido relacionada com idade avançada do paciente e a severidade do evento encefálico.

ABSTRACT Purpose: to assess the demographic and clinical characteristics associated with the development of pneumonia in post-stroke patients hospitalized in a tertiary hospital, located in the Vale do São Francisco, that covers the states of Pernambuco and Bahia, Brazil. Methods: a unicentric, observational, analytical, cross-sectional study, based on the medical records of patients diagnosed with stroke and included in the Stroke Registry (RAVESS study). The statistical analysis was made with the chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, and the analysis of variance, with the Bonferroni’s post-test, and P≤0.05. Results: data from 69 patients presented with acute stroke were collected, aged 63.2±16.8 years; 37 (53.6%) were females; the prevalence of pneumonia during hospital stay was estimated at 31.9% (95% confidence interval: 21.2-44.2%). In the univariate analysis of predictors for post-stroke pneumonia, the following were identified: older age (72.6±17.9 vs. 58.8±14.5; P = 0.001), lower response signal to the Glasgow Coma Scale at admission (11.3±1.8 vs. 13.3±2.1; P = 0.001), and higher frequency of dysarthria at admission (61.9% vs. 27.9%; P = 0.009). Conclusion: pneumonia was a prevalent complication in post-stroke patients at a Brazilian tertiary hospital. It was related to the patient’s older age and the severity of the cerebral event.

RESUMO Febre de origem indeterminada (FOI) é uma entidade desafiadora com presença marcante nos hospitais de todo o mundo. É definida como temperatura ≥37,8 ° C em várias ocasiões, com duração ≥3 semanas, na ausência de diagnóstico após três dias de investigação hospitalar ou três consultas ambulatoriais. As principais etiologias são de ordem infecciosa, neoplásica e doenças inflamatórias não infecciosas. O diagnóstico é baseado na história clínica e no exame físico minuciosos desses pacientes, com a finalidade de direcionar os exames complementares específicos a serem realizados em cada caso. A abordagem diagnóstica inicial do paciente com FOI deve incluir exames complementares inespecíficos. A terapia empírica não é recomendada (com poucas exceções) em pacientes com febre prolongada, uma vez que ela pode camuflar e retardar o diagnóstico e a conduta para tratar a etiologia específica. O prognóstico engloba uma mortalidade de 12-35%, variando de acordo com a etiologia de base.

SUMMARY Fever of undetermined origin (FUO) is a challenging entity with a striking presence in hospitals around the world. It is defined as temperature ≥ 37.8 ° C on several occasions, lasting ≥ three weeks, in the absence of diagnosis after three days of hospital investigation or 3 outpatient visits. The main etiologies are infectious, neoplastic, and non-infectious inflammatory diseases. The diagnosis is based on the detailed clinical history and physical examination of these patients, in order to direct the specific complementary tests to be performed in each case. The initial diagnostic approach of the FUO patient should include non-specific complementary exams. Empirical therapy is not recommended (with few exceptions) in patients with prolonged fever, as it may disguise and delay the diagnosis and conduct to treat the specific etiology. The prognosis encompasses mortality of 12-35%, varying according to the baseline etiology.

RESUMO Febre de origem indeterminada (FOI) é uma entidade desafiadora com presença marcante nos hospitais de todo o mundo, à qual uma miríade de diagnósticos diferenciais podem estar associados. É definida como temperatura axilar ≥37,8 0 C em várias ocasiões, com duração ≥ três semanas, na ausência de diagnóstico após três dias de investigação hospitalar ou três consultas ambulatoriais. As principais etiologias são de ordem infecciosa, neoplásica e reumatológica. O diagnóstico é baseado na história clínica e no exame físico minuciosos desses pacientes, com a finalidade de direcionar os exames complementares específicos a serem realizados em cada caso. A terapia empírica não é recomendada (com poucas exceções) em pacientes com febre prolongada, uma vez que ela pode camuflar e retardar o diagnóstico e a conduta para tratar a etiologia específica. O prognóstico engloba uma mortalidade de 12–35%, variando de acordo com a etiologia de base. O objetivo deste estudo é revisar os principais tópicos acerca da febre de origem indeterminada, trazendo aspectos históricos e científicos, nacionais e internacionais.

SUMMARY Fever of undetermined origin (FUO) is a challenging entity with a striking presence in hospitals around the world and can be associated with a myriad of differential diagnoses. It is defined as axillary temperature ≥ 37.8 ° C on several occasions, lasting ≥ three weeks, in the absence of diagnosis after three days of hospital investigation or three outpatient visits. The main etiologies are: infectious, neoplastic, and rheumatic. The diagnosis is based on the detailed clinical history and physical examination of these patients, in order to direct the specific complementary tests to be performed in each case. Empirical therapy is not recommended (with few exceptions) in patients with prolonged fever, as it may disguise and delay the diagnosis and conduct to treat the specific etiology. The prognosis encompasses mortality of 12% - 35%, varying according to the underlying etiology. In this sense, the objective of this study is to review the main topics about fever of undetermined origin, bringing historical and scientific aspects, national and international.