Major advances have been made in the treatment of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in outpatients. In contrast, little is known about outcomes in STEMI that occur in patients hospitalized for a noncardiac condition. This was a retrospective, single-center study of inpatient STEMIs from January 1, 2007, to July 31, 2011. ...

BACKGROUND: Combined treatment (CT) with statins and polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) resulted in a reduction of death and major cardiovascular events when administered after a myocardial infarction (MI). However, recent data suggests that CT may be ineffective because patients are currently treated aggressively and the risk may not be ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Homocysteine levels predict heart failure incidence in prospective epidemiological studies and correlate with severity of heart failure in cross-sectional surveys. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether a selective homocysteine lowering intervention beneficially affects cardiac remodelling and cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI) in a ...

Background Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (N/L) ratio has been associated with adverse outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndromes and increased risk for long-term mortality in patients with acute decompensated heart failure. We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio on response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Material and Methods Seventy ...

Cardiovascular diseases are the major causes of mortality worldwide and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the leading cause of mortality among cardiovascular diseases. Thrombolytic therapies, especially during the first few hours after the disease onset, can significantly reduce AMI-related mortality. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence and causes ...

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the preferred treatment method for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, the required equipments are not available in all hospitals. Thus, due to shortage of time, some patients receive thrombolysis therapy first. Patients with chest pain and/or persistent ST segment elevation will then undergo ...

To determine the completeness and diagnostic validity of myocardial infarction recording across four national health record sources in primary care, hospital care, a disease registry, and mortality register. Cohort study. 21 482 patients with acute myocardial infarction in England between January 2003 and March 2009, identified in four prospectively collected, ...

The aim of this study was to examine the association between left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and incidence of depression following the myocardial infarction (MI). In a prospective study, 176 patients aged 32-84 years with the mean age of 56 years (SD = 10.05) with a definitive diagnosis of myocardial ...

BACKGROUND: Transient ischemic attack has been redefined as a tissue-based diagnosis and MRI recommended as the preferred imaging modality. We aimed to investigate whether an increased use of MRI leads to a decrease in the proportion of TIA as compared to cerebral infarction. We also sought to see whether DWI-positive ...

Objectives: To determine sex bias in the selection of strategies to evaluate patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and determine if the choice of strategy influences survival. Background: Controversy exists regarding the role of female sex in the use of invasive evaluation for AMI and its possible effect on adverse ...

Background: Dual anti-platelet therapy including clopidogrel or prasugrel is standard of care for patients receiving stents. Prasugrel has quicker onset so it can be loaded later than clopidogrel with greater efficacy. However, prasugrel is much more expensive than clopidogrel. Objectives: To describe the incidence of 30-day death from cardiovascular causes, ...

BACKGROUND: -Twelve lead electrocardiograms (ECG's) have limited value in precisely identifying atrial and ventricular activation during arrhythmias, including accessory atrio-ventricular (AV) conduction activation. The aim of this study was to report a single center's clinical experience validating a novel, noninvasive, whole heart, beat-by-beat, 3D mapping technology with invasive electrophysiological studies ...

Background: It is controversial whether angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI)/angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) provide significant survival benefits in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) but without myocardial infarction (MI). This study investigated whether the association of ACEI/ARB therapy with clinical outcome in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was affected by history ...

Rotational atherectomy (RA) has been advocated in the bare metal stent (BMS) era but is underused now due to technique demands and nonsuperior outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the procedural and clinical outcomes of patients with very complex, severely calcified coronary lesions treated by RA and ...

Smoking marijuana has been reported to increase risk of myocardial infarction (MI) immediately after use, but less is known about the long-term impact of marijuana use among patients with established coronary disease. The Determinants of MI Onset Study is a multicenter inception cohort study of myocardial infarction (MI) patients enrolled ...

Background: Little is known about the prognostic significance of elevated serum heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) in post-acute myocardial infarction (post-AMI) patients. Methods and Results: A total of 1,283 post-AMI patients with available serum samples collected in the convalescent stage were studied. During a median follow-up period of 1,785 days, 176 patients ...

OBJECTIVES: The myocardial bridge (MB) is an anatomical structure consisting of myocardium covering a part of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). The extent and spatial distribution of atherosclerosis in the LAD with an MB is influenced by the anatomical properties of the MB. In this study, the relationship ...

This study aimed to investigate the correlations between the detection rate of mural coronary artery (MCA) by 128-slice CT and the MCA compression extent in systole with myocardial bridge (MB) length and thickness. A retrospective analysis was conducted for 580 patients receiving multislicespiral CT coronary angiography (MSCTCA). In addition, the ...

BACKGROUND: -Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation for prevention of sudden cardiac death is typically deferred for 90 days after coronary revascularization, but mortality may be highest early after cardiac procedures in patients with ventricular dysfunction. We determined mortality risk in post-revascularization patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤35% and ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) T1 mapping has been used to characterize myocardial diffuse fibrosis. The aim of this study is to determine the reproducibility and sample size of CMR fibrosis measurements that would be applicable in clinical trials. METHODS: A modified Look-Locker with inversion recovery (MOLLI) sequence was ...

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is able to determine a significant improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The variations of LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) have not been yet investigated in TAVI patients with reduced LVEF. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of TAVI on ...

The atrial sites associated with fractionated activity and/or high-frequency signals are commonly considered as targets of ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF); however, their temporal stability has not been established. A total of 21 patients with paroxysmal AF were studied. Left atrial (LA) ganglionated plexi (GP) were identified by high-frequency stimulation, ...

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory process, and inflammatory biomarkers have been identified as useful predictors of clinical outcomes. The prognostic value of leukocyte count in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions who undergo primary percutaneous coronary intervention is not clearly defined. In 325 patients with STEMIs treated with primary percutaneous coronary ...

Evidence regarding therapy with drug-eluting stents in the left main coronary artery (LM) is based mostly on trials performed with first-generation drug-eluting stents. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term clinical outcomes after treatment for unprotected LM disease with paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) and everolimus-eluting stents (EES). The ESTROFA-LM ...

Background: Plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is used as a diagnostic marker of cardiovascular diseases. BNP is secreted mainly from the myocardium and has been detected by immunoreactivity in brain and cerebral arteries. The aim of our study was to investigate plasma BNP in patients with acute cerebral infarction according ...

Myocardial damage in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) has lethal outcomes, making early detection of myocardial changes in patients with DMD vital, because early treatment can help prevent the development of myocardial fibrosis. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to test the hypothesis that transmural strain profile (TMSP) analysis ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Genetically manipulated animals like mice or rabbits play an important role in the exploration of human cardiovascular diseases. It is therefore important to identify animal models that closely mimic physiological and pathological human cardiac function. METHODS: In-vivo phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure regional three-directional ...

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the influence of intracoronary enalaprilat on coronary microvascular function and peri-procedural outcome measures in patients with stable angina undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). BACKGROUND: Intracoronary angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors have been shown to relieve myocardial ischemia in stable patients and to improve epicardial flow in patients with ...

Identifying reperfusion and predicting post procedure risk is important following Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI). An Angiographic Perfusion Score (APS) combining TIMI flow (TFG) and myocardial perfusion (TMPG) grades before and after PCI can accurately measure both epicardial and myocardial perfusion and predict Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE). APS was calculated ...

CONTEXT: Ticagrelor showed significant reductions in myocardial infarctions (MIs) compared to clopidogrel in the Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes (PLATO) trial. However, there was no explanation as to whether there was an equal distribution of benefit throughout acute coronary syndrome (ACS) types. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the safety and efficacy of ...

OBJECTIVE: The best way to prove the protective role of myocardial bridges in the development of atherosclerotic changes in portions of the coronary beneath the bridge is to compare the morphological changes of the walls of the coronaries with and without a myocardial bridge, in those who have a so ...

AIMS: We studied whether a reduced coronary flow reserve (CFR) in healthy young men independently predicts the presence of coronary artery disease as assessed by coronary artery calcification after 11 years of follow-up. METHODS AND RESULTS: Coronary microvascular dysfunction in early stages of coronary artery disease can be detected as ...

Ablation has substantial evidence base in the management of ventricular arrhythmia (VA). It can be a 'lifesaving' procedure in the acute setting of VA storm. Current reports on ablation in VA storm are in the form of small series and have relative small representation in a large observational series. The purpose ...

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the relationship between red cell distribution width (RDW) value and coronary collateral circulation (CCC) in patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Methods: The study population consisted of 322 consecutive patients with NSTEMI. The patients were classified into impaired CCC (group 1, Rentrop grades 0-1) ...

We considered a mathematical model to investigate changes in geometric and hemodynamic indices of left ventricular function in response to changes in myofiber contractility and myocardial tissue stiffness during rotary blood pump support. Left ventricular assistance with a rotary blood pump was simulated based on a previously published biventricular model ...

The introduction of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) for the treatment of patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions has resulted in a significant decrease in the prevalence of diagnosed left ventricular (LV) thrombus. However, reported rates are still as high as 10% to 20% in patients when followed up ...

Percutaneous coronary intervention within bypass grafts accounts for a significant percentage of total interventions. Bypass graft interventions are associated with an increased risk for stent thrombosis (ST), a condition that leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Despite this, the procedural characteristics and long-term outcomes of patients with bypass-graft ST have ...

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate bearing wear during clinical use of the HeartMate II (HMII) left ventricular assist device. Bearings obtained from HMII pumps explanted after clinical use in the Destination Therapy and Bridge to Transplantation clinical trials were analyzed for wear using surface profilometry. Geometric ...

The clinical features and prognosis of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and no significant coronary artery disease (CAD) have not been well studied. We examined the outcomes of patients with STEMI in the Harmonizing Outcomes with Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction (HORIZONS-AMI) trial according to the ...

The prognostic relevance of direct contrast toxicity in patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention remains unclear, owing to the confounding hemodynamic effect of acute left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) impairment on kidney function estimation. In the present study, 644 consecutive patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous ...

BACKGROUND: -Percutaneous left ventricular assist devices (pLVADs) are increasingly being utilized to facilitate ablation of unstable ventricular tachycardia (VT), but the safety profile and hemodynamic benefits of these devices have not been described in a systematic, prospective manner. METHODS AND RESULTS: -Twenty patients with scar-VT underwent ablation with a pLVAD. ...

INTRODUCTION: Entrainment criteria for the diagnosis of reentrant atrial tachycardia can be difficult to apply and cannot detect double-loop reentry. We sought to develop and clinically test a new criterion for the diagnosis of single- and double-loop reentry. METHODS AND RESULTS: (1) Proposed criterion: after sequential overdrive pacing at 2 ...

OBJECTIVES: to investigate the predictive value of arterial stiffness (AS) estimation for long-term recurrences in patients with type 2 diabetes (DM2) following acute coronary event. PATIENTS AND METHODS: prospective observational study involving 119 DM2 patients without history of coronary heart disease admitted with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Medical history, ...

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of data assessing racial disparities in outcomes after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. This may be due to the relatively low percentage of African American (AA) patients at a given center. Given the high proportion of AAs in our patient population, we sought to ...

Endurance athletes have an increased risk of atrial fibrillation. We performed a longitudinal study on elite runners of the 2010 Jungfrau Marathon, a Swiss mountain marathon, to determine acute effects of long-distance running on the atrial myocardium. Ten healthy male athletes were included and examined 9 to 1 week prior ...

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) is activated in right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH), causing an increase in glycolysis relative to glucose oxidation that impairs right ventricular function. The stimulus for PDK upregulation, its isoform specificity, and the long-term effects of PDK inhibition are unknown. We hypothesize that FOXO1-mediated PDK4 upregulation causes bioenergetic ...

AIMS: Acceleration and deceleration capacity (AC and DC) for beat-to-beat short-term heart rate dynamics are powerful predictors of mortality after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We examined if AC and DC for minute-order long-term heart rate dynamics also have independent predictive value.METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 24-hr Holter electrcardiograms in 708 ...

AimsThe association between alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and mortality was reported in several subgroups of patients. But, the role of ALP in overall coronary artery disease (CAD) patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the prognostic value of the ALP level in ...

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine use and describe outcomes of radial access for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). BACKGROUND: Transradial PCI (TRI) is associated with reduced risk of bleeding and vascular complications, as compared with femoral access PCI (FPCI). ...

In vivo and in vitro systems were employed to investigate the biocompatibility of two forms of calcined mesoporous silica microparticles, MCM41-cal and SBA15-cal, with ventricular myocytes. These particles have potential clinical use in delivering bioactive compounds to the heart. Ventricular myocytes were isolated from 6 to 8 week male Wistar ...