Metabolic syndrome, a "cluster" of metabolic disorders including hypertension, increases the cardiovascular risk, and insulin resistance plays a key role in its pathogenesis. In this syndrome antihypertensive treatment with beta-blockers is underused because of their adverse metabolic effects. The aim was to review the evidences supporting the reasons for underusing beta-blockers in hypertensive patients with metabolic syndrome. A review of Literature has been carried out via PubMed from 1998 to 2008: most of beta-blockers have adverse effects on insulin sensitivity, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and are not recommended in metabolic syndrome. However, some recent large studies have shown a better metabolic profile with newer third generation vasodilating beta-blockers, such as Carvedilol and Nebivolol. Vasodilating action of Carvedilol and Nebivolol, due respectively to alpha1-blocking effect and release of nitric oxide, explains the lack of adverse metabolic effects of these beta-blockers that could also be used in hypertensive patients with metabolic syndrome.

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Controlled trials demonstrated efficacy and safety of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in treatment of acute respiratory failure, initially in Intensive Care Units, then in other care settings (semi-intensive care units, emergency departments, and also in the wards, more often pneumological ones). Few studies have been published about NIV in Italian wards of Internal Medicine with full self-management of NIV by internists in a normal ward setting. We performed a prospective real-life study about the use of NIV in Internal Medicine ward devoid of a critical area of semi-intensive therapy, with the aim of confirming, in this setting, the effectiveness of NIV. During a period of 13 months, 42 patients with hypercapnic respiratory failure of different etiology and acidosis (pH<7.35) were treated by NIV. NIV was successful in 81% of patients. In-hospital mortality was 9.5%. Safety of NIV is demonstrated by the absence of serious complications: only 7 patients showed poor compliance and 2 patients had facial pressure ulcer due to the mask. There were not statistical differences in success rate of NIV according to severity of acidosis at admission (pH<7.25 vs pH>7.25), neither according to the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score and the national early warning score, but the modified early warning score only showed statistically significant difference with lower values in the success group: 2.82±1.57 vs 4.13±1.46 (P<0.05). NIV has proven to be effective and safe in Internal Medicine ward.

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