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Objective: To describe the results of a Mexican telemedicine program for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: An observational retrospective study was conducted to analyze and describe the baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of patients who received medical video consultations for respiratory symptoms. Results: A total of 1,148 video consultations were given from March to September 2020 via Sofía's mobile app. A total of 580 patients sought medical consultation regarding respiratory symptoms. Of the patients, 51% were male and the mean age was 36 years (SD = 13). Of the patients, 35% had comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, and 1.2% were sent to the ED. Fifty-seven polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for COVID-19 were requested and we detected a 53% positivity rate with a mean follow-up of 4.6 consultations. Conclusion: Telemedicine has proven to be a safe and effective tool for triaging, testing, treating, and remote monitoring of patients with mild COVID-19. Patients triaged by Sofía had good overall outcomes and reduced the risks of in-person consultation in the pandemic.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted the health care system in various ways, one of which is the implementation of telemedicine as a part of the daily clinical practice for many physicians. Sofia is a Mexican health care and technology startup that implemented an app-based telemedicine program during this pandemic in Mexico. Materials and Methods: The telemedicine program included on-demand video consultations with internal medicine specialists from March to September 2020. In the following study, we present a descriptive analysis of all the patients in the telemedicine program, called Coronaid. Results: 2,585 video consultations were conducted for a total of 1,545 patients and 44.4% of these were associated with respiratory symptoms. Of all patients, 46% were female and the mean age was 34 years, 52.2% were overweight or obese, and 25% presented at least one comorbid condition. Aside from respiratory complaints, the most common chief complaints were associated with gastrointestinal, psychiatric, and genitourinary symptoms. Patient satisfaction after video consultation services was >80%. Discussion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, an application-based telemedicine program had a high patient satisfaction rate in a significant sample of young patients, which can be attributed to the accessibility of the medical services and widespread use of smartphones in this patient demographic. Conclusion: Telemedicine has proven to be a useful, safe, and effective tool to improve patients' health, which has been boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of mobile applications and video consultation services can encourage patients to improve their health and prevent complications in the short and long terms.

Metabolic syndrome represents a growing burden in the Mexican population with an increasing presence as evidenced by the most recent epidemiological data, showing a prevalence of 49.8 % in 2006. The cardiovascular hazard of metabolic syndrome has been proven in numerous occasions; these patients present an increased risk of cardiovascular dis- ease not only because of epicardial coronary occlusion but also from microvascular disease secondary to endothelial dysfunction. Myocardial perfusion imaging using both single-photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography can be effectively used for the evaluation of established coronary artery disease as well as in the assessment of high-risk asymptomatic pa- tients. In this review, we briefly discuss the role of myo- cardial perfusion imaging studies and its current and po- tential applications for patients with metabolic syndrome.