Colombia Medica

Atypical complication of western equine encephalitis: central hypoventilation syndrome.

2024-07-24T16:35:59-05:00

Case Description:
A 49-year-old male patient, a rural worker, presented with a two-day history of fever. Initial treatment for suspected community-acquired pneumonia was followed by the development of confusion and signs of meningeal irritation. Western Equine Encephalitis Virus infection was confirmed. The patient required prolonged intensive care due to central hypoventilation syndrome, a complication not previously described for this condition.

Clinical Findings:
The patient exhibited hypercapnia-related encephalopathy, with MRI revealing pontine lesions. Respiratory drive testing confirmed central hypoventilation. Peripheral muscular strength was preserved, ruling out muscular or peripheral neurological involvement. Persistent metabolic alkalosis secondary to failed ventilator weaning attempts was noted.

Treatment and Outcome:
Treatment included mechanical ventilation, nocturnal invasive ventilation, and acetazolamide to address post-hypercapnic metabolic alkalosis. Gradual improvement led to successful decannulation after 46 days. At the 30-day followup, the patient reported full independence and returned to work, maintaining stable respiratory function and acid-base balance.

Clinical Relevance:
This case highlights central hypoventilation syndrome as a rare but significant complication of Western Equine Encephalitis Virus infection. The administration of acetazolamide proved effective in managing metabolic alkalosis, supporting its potential role in similar cases. Further investigation is needed to better understand this complication and to establish evidence-based management strategies.

The Contribution of Advanced Nursing Practice to Quaternary Prevention and Universal Health Coverage.

2024-12-13T23:36:25-05:00

Advanced Nursing Practice (ANP) is a key strategy for achieving universal health coverage as it focuses on the individual. Additionally, it is evidence-based, which improves health outcomes. This strategy contributes to achieving “Health for All,” an initiative led by the United Nations within the Sustainable Development Goals, by reducing costs and expanding care in underserved areas. Since its inception in the United States, ANP has taken on roles in diagnosis, prescription, and treatment coordination, becoming established in primary care and other clinical settings.

In this century, ANP has strengthened quaternary prevention by protecting individuals from overmedicalization through ethical and personalized care, enhancing quality of life, and optimizing health system efficiency.

This paper will focus on the role of ANP in achieving “One Health,” promoted by the World Health Organization, and on how it will contribute to improving coverage and transforming the health system according to the population's needs, while maintaining a preventive and holistic

Evaristo García Piedrahíta 1845-1921

2025-02-28T10:10:57-05:00

Physician, public health expert, researcher, academic, social, and political leader

This brief review highlights the extraordinary personality and achievements of Evaristo García Piedrahíta, a distinguished physician from Valle del Cauca who lived in the 19th century but remains largely unknown to the general public and even to many healthcare professionals. It also seeks to emphasize that in 1942, the Departmental Assembly of Valle del Cauca ordered that the hospital under construction be named after him and that his effigy be placed at the entrance of what is now called the Hospital Universitario del Valle Evaristo García1 (Figure 1).

A few years after the founding of the School of Medicine, the San Juan de Dios Hospital was insufficient for the ambitious medical education reform plans promoted by Gabriel Velásquez, Alfonso Ocampo, and other leaders of the nascent School of Medicine of the Universidad del Valle. That is why they set out to finish the hospital that had been under construction for many years. Its inauguration took place in 1956 in the so-called Carlos Manzano Auditorium in the presence of city and department authorities. Since then, Hospital Universitario del Valle "Evaristo García" has been the flagship hospital of the Universidad del Valle. Distinguished professors and students have passed through it, and research of significant national and international importance has been carried out there.