Dear Editor, Cardiac troponin testing, which includes the measurement of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) or T (cTnT), is the mainstay of diagnosing acute coronary syndrome, especially in non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), in which elevated cTnI or cTnT is the only objective parameter. ( ) Ensuring quality throughout the testing process is essential for maintaining the diagnosis integrity. The receipt of underfilled samples is common in clinical laboratories, ( ) and this could impair the results of some immunoassays. ( ) […]

Dear Editor, We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the comments raised in the letter to the editor regarding our article “Post-vaccination incidence and side effects of COVID-19 in a cohort of Brazilian healthcare professionals: an internet-based survey.” ( ) We thank the authors for their interest in our study and for raising important points. […]

Dear Editor, The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has infected more than 623 million people globally, decimating over 6.55 million lives.() In Brazil, the cumulative cases exceeded 34.77 million with more than 687,500 deaths.() The high number of patients with severe acute respiratory coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection dramatically increased the rate of hospitalization and need for intensive care support, burdening health systems worldwide.() As this was an unknown disease, guidelines and recommendations were gradually being published by medical organizations to provide […]

Dear Editor, Radioscopy-guided antegrade percutaneous implantation of a double-J catheter may be an alternative to retrograde insertion via cystoscopy in cases of neoplastic obstruction of the bladder trigone or anatomical distortions of the lower urinary tract that prevent retrograde catheterization.(,) It is an alternative to nephrostomy, which can be performed simultaneously or afterwards, offering lower risks of infection, accidental loss of nephrostomy, and increased patient’s quality of life.(,) […]

Dear Editor, We would like to share our feedback on the publication “Post-vaccination incidence and side effects of COVID-19 in a cohort of Brazilian healthcare professionals: an internet-based survey”.( ) Ballestero et al. looked into the prevalence of vaccine adverse effects and COVID-19 among healthcare workers who had been vaccinated.( )According to Ballestero et al., 60% of Brazilian healthcare workers had side effects, with local swelling/pain, fatigue/weariness, fever, headache, and limb pain being the most prevalent ones.( ) It is […]

Dear Editor, Research indicates that in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic there was a decrease in number of tuberculosis diagnosis. This reduction has been suggested to have occurred due to social distancing and more constant hygiene routines, such as hand washing and sanitizing, as well as continued use of masks.(,) […]

Dear Editor, The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic boosted Telemedicine encounters around the world, with physicians having to face a variety of clinical adversities daily. The conditions with a low level of scientific evidence to guide treatment, such as hiccups, are even more challenging in remote care. Hiccups (diaphragmatic and intercostal muscle contraction followed by laryngeal closure) are usually self-limited and benign after peripheral phrenic irritation. However, this symptom may be a life-threatening situation or related to severe diseases.() Our […]

Dear Editor, The widespread use of face masks is an essential tool for slowing the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and its adoption is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).() During the pandemic, several computed tomography scans of patients wearing face masks showed prominent nasal deformation, such as nasal septal deviations and nasal airway narrowing, which were absent in examinations of the same patients performed before the pandemic (). Therefore, care should be taken when evaluating the […]

  Dear Editor, In the article recently published under the title “Brazilian Guidelines for Nutrition in Cystic Fibrosis”, due to our unfortunate omission, one of the collaborators of the “Working Group on Brazilian Guidelines for Nutrition in Cystic Fibrosis” was not included in the text and, therefore, her name was not included in the acknowledgments, like the other members of this group who participated in the elaboration of the technical content of this guideline. Thus, we would like to acknowledge […]

Dear Editor, In 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Surgical Safety Checklist as part of the Global Patient Safety Challenge to reduce surgical morbidity and mortality worldwide. The list comprises three stages: before induction of anesthesia (sign in), before skin incision (timeout), and before patient leaves operating room (sign out), which consider the regular flow of surgical procedures.() […]