Browsing by Autor "Emi Okamoto"

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    Biomarkers and Mortality in Severe Chagas Cardiomyopathy
    (Elsevier BV, 2015) Jacqueline E. Sherbuk; Emi Okamoto; Morgan A. Marks; Enzo Fortuny; Eva H. Clark; Gerson Galdos‐Cardenas; Angel Vasquez-Villar; Antonio B. Fernández; Thomas Crawford; Q. Rose
    Severe Chagas cardiomyopathy is associated with high short-term mortality. BNP, NT-proBNP, CK-MB, and MMP-2 have added predictive value for mortality, even in the presence of decreased ejection fraction and other clinical signs of congestive heart failure.
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    Hyperendemic Chagas Disease and the Unmet Need for Pacemakers in the Bolivian Chaco
    (Public Library of Science, 2014) Eva H. Clark; Jacqueline E. Sherbuk; Emi Okamoto; Malasa Jois; Gerson Galdos‐Cardenas; Julio Vela-Guerra; Gilberto Silvio Menacho-Mendez; Ricardo W. Bozo-Gutierrez; Antonio B. Fernández; Thomas Crawford
    Morbidity and mortality from Chagas cardiomyopathy have declined over the last three decades because of disruption of domestic vector-borne transmission, improved Trypanosoma cruzi infection treatment programs, and increasing availability of advanced cardiac care. However, the Gran Chaco, an ecological zone that includes parts of Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay, continues to struggle with extremely high rates of vector infestation and T. cruzi infection. In addition, this region is one of the poorest in the world, with most individuals living on less than US$2 per day. We estimate that thousands of patients are in need of pacemakers secondary to advanced Chagas cardiomyopathy. However, the vast majority of these individuals lack the resources to obtain these life-saving devices. A collaborative effort must be made by pacemaker donation programs, local implantation hospitals, and the governments of countries affected by Chagas disease to address this unmet need. With the necessary cooperation and infrastructure, pacemaker reuse programs have the potential to offer thousands of low-cost devices to impoverished patients with advancing Chagas cardiomyopathy.