Background and aim: After two years of pandemic, planning and budgeting for use of healthcare resources and services is very important. Inpatient COVID-19 hospitalizations costs, regardless of ICD-10 procedure codes, in a Covid-19 support military hospital were analyzed. Methods: The national protocol for the treatment of Covid-19 infection was applied. The costs for laboratory tests, drugs, protection equipment and radiological investigations (imaging techniques such as computed-tomography or radiography), hospitalization days and food were assessed. Results: In our hospital, from August 2020 through June 2021, 241 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19: mean age 59.92±7.8 years, 46% men, 26% military personnel, 11.57±3 days of hospitalization; two third of patients had moderate and severe forms of COVID-19. The main manifestations were: 69% respiratory (18% with severe pneumonia), 3.3% cardiac (2.9% with pulmonary embolism, diagnosed by computed tomography angiography), 28% digestive and 33% psychiatric (most commonly anxiety). The average estimated costs were about 3000€/patient, without significant differences based on disease severity. Equipment costs were 2 times higher than for drugs and 3 times than for laboratory tests. Conclusions: In a Covid-19 support military hospital that cared for patients with predominantly moderate forms of COVID-19, the costs for equipment were much higher than those for treatment. New criteria for hospitalization of these forms of COVID-19 deserve to be analyzed in order to avoid useless costs.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological-psychiatric state caused by exposure to stressful, traumatic events that manifests as a vivid reminiscence of them by flashbacks, nightmares, reccurent memories, emotional and physical manifestations. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are of interest in patients suffering from PTSD because there is an increasing body of evidence that these pathologies are linked. Hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and other cardiovascular risk factors are common in patients with PTSD and all of them increase the incidence of coronary syndromes, both chronic and acute. Posttraumatic stress disorder has a major impact on the lifestyle and health of subjects exposed to trauma or stress. Cardiovascular diseases tend to appear sooner in PTSD diagnosed patients due to a variety of reasons: poor habits, low addressability to health care systems, chronic inflammation status, changes at molecular levels, etc. Otherwise, PTSD tends to be induced by CVD, thus inclining the balance towards whis association. According with data published until now, there is a strong pathophysiologic relatonship between PTSD and some CVD; there is also outlining a vice versa relationship, from some CVD to PTSD.
Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome describes the complex, bidirectional interplay among cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic dysfunctions, where impairment in one system accelerates decline in the others. This interconnected pathophysiology significantly elevates the risk and progression of heart disease, particularly heart failure, through mechanisms involving insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, neurohormonal activation, and endothelial dysfunction. In this context, therapeutic strategies targeting heart disease must address the multifaceted drivers of CKM. Recent advances highlight the need for an integrated, patient-centered approach that combines lifestyle interventions with pharmacological treatments tailored to individual cardiovascular risk. While foundational therapies such as RAAS inhibitors and statins remain essential, novel agents now offer additional prognostic and quality-of-life benefits. SGLT2 inhibitors have emerged as a cornerstone therapy, improving outcomes in heart failure with both preserved and reduced ejection fraction, independent of glycemic control. GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual GLP-1/GIP agonists like tirzepatide demonstrate cardiometabolic and renal protection, while finerenone shows promise in diabetic kidney disease and several heart failure phenotypes. These therapies not only target glycemic control but also reduce cardiovascular mortality, hospitalizations, and renal decline. Optimizing cardiovascular outcomes in CKM syndrome requires early, multifactorial therapeutic intervention, informed by evolving evidence and a deeper understanding of the heart–kidney–metabolism axis.
