OBJECTIVE: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an independent risk factor for chronic kidney and cardiovascular diseases. However, few studies have examined the combined effects of MetS and renal insufficiency after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We examined the effect of MetS on clinical outcomes in patients with AMI in the presence or ...

OBJECTIVE: The pre-procedural neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (N/L) is associated with adverse outcomes among patients with coronary artery disease but its prognostic value in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has not been fully investigated. This study evaluated the relations between pre-procedural N/L ratio and the in-hospital and long-term outcomes in ...

BACKGROUND: HIGH SENSITIVITY C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (HSCRP) HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A PREDICTOR OF ADVERSE CARDIOVASCULAR OUTCOMES. WHETHER HSCRP IS A USEFUL BIOMARKER FOR RISK STRATIFICATION IN CONTEMPORARY PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION REMAINS UNKNOWN.METHODS AND RESULTS: WE CONDUCTED A PROSPECTIVE STUDY AMONG 513 PATIENTS UNDERGOING NON-EMERGENCY PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION AND EXAMINED THE ...

BACKGROUND: -Acute cardiogenic shock (CS) following myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with high in-hospital mortality due to persisting low cardiac output. The Impella-EUROSHOCK-registry evaluates the safety and efficacy of the Impella-2.5 percutaneous left ventricular assist device (pLVAD) in patients with CS following AMI. METHODS AND RESULTS: -This multicenter registry retrospectively ...

BACKGROUND: Sudden cardiac death is the leading cause of death among firefighters in the United States. Fire departments commonly maintain physical examination protocols, often with exercise stress testing, to detect risk of coronary heart disease. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether coronary calcium detected by electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) ...

We present the case of a 24 year-old patient that developed massive hemolysis shortly after percutaneous left ventricular assist device, Impella 2.5, was placed. The hemolysis occurred without device alarm while the device was in the correct position. Further investigation of the device revealed fiber wrapped around the tip of ...

The aim of the study was to describe the relationship of clinical outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stenting and genetic polymorphisms (GP) which are known to relate to the incidence of in-stent restenosis and late thrombotic complications. The study included 190 patients with standardized clinical follow-up over 5 ...

Background: Historical data report fatal myocardial infarction occurring when mildly-stenotic coronary plaques rupture; however, recent data suggest haemodynamically-significant coronary stenoses with fractional flow reserve (FFR) ≤ 0.8 and vessels with high plaque burden and minimum luminal area (MLA) < 4 mm(2) by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) may be prognostically important. Therefore, ...

Studies examining coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) have demonstrated increased mortality related to coronary artery disease (CAD) severity but are limited to relatively nondiverse ethnic populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of CAD on CCTA according to ethnicity for patients without previous CAD in ...

Using 49 capacitive-coupled electrodes, mattress-type harness was developed to obtain posterior body surface potential map (P-BSPM) in dressed individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate how valuable information P-BSPM could provide, especially in discrimination of old myocardial infarction (OMI). P-BSPM of 59 individuals were analyzed; 23 normal control, ...

This study assessed if invasive coronary angiogram (CA) could be replaced by multislice (64- or 256-row) computed tomography (MSCT) to systematically rule out coronary allograft vasculopathy in heart transplant patients. Electrocardiogram-gated contrast-enhanced MSCT (64-row for the first 25 patients and 256-row for the others) was compared with CA. MSCT parameters, ...

Several lines of evidence suggest the involvement of infectious agents in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Furthermore, a correlation between infection-driven inflammatory burden and acute manifestation of coronary artery disease has been hypothesized. The aim of this work was to assess whether human herpesvirus (HHV)-6 and HHV-8, two DNA viruses with ...

BACKGROUND:: The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines for ST-elevation myocardial infarction state that an electrocardiogram (ECG) should be performed on patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome upon presentation to the emergency department (ED) within 10 minutes. OBJECTIVE:: To determine how previously published clinical criteria for obtaining an ECG ...

Objective: To determine the association of the pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) plasma levels with twodimensional echocardiographic determination of left ventricular dimensions and ejection fraction (EF) in acute dyspneic patients. Study Design: An observational cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Tabba Heart Institute, Karachi, from January to June 2010. Methodology: ...

It is known that patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) more frequently develop a wide range of left ventricular (LV) structural and functional abnormalities. The aim of our study is to evaluate the left ventricular regional function using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) in ESRD patients with preserved left ventricular ...

We assessed midterm outcomes, predictors of mortality, and residual defects after repair of post-infarction ventricular septal defect in 10 patients (mean age, 65.3 years; range, 50-78 years) who were operated on between 2000 and 2008. Mean time from onset of symptoms of myocardial infarction to diagnosis of ventricular septal defect ...

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation is a well known risk factor leading to an increased rates of stroke, cardiovascular death and myocardial infarction. Anyway there are few data on very-long term outcome (more than 1 year follow up) of PAD after ...

CK-MB levels exceeding 3 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), defining periprocedural myocardial infarction (PMI), are associated with worse outcomes. This study assessed the incidence and mechanisms of PMI and their impact on in-hospital stay. Over a 12-year period (1996-2007), 272 cases of PMI ...

Very few data have been published for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) caused by unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) and very little is known about the results in this subgroup of patients in a hospital with high-volume catheterization laboratories (cath labs) without on-site cardiosurgery. From January 2004 to December 2009, ...

This study sought to establish an accurate and reproducible T(2)-mapping cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) methodology at 3 T and to evaluate it in healthy volunteers and patients with myocardial infarct. Myocardial edema affects the T(2) relaxation time on CMR. Therefore, T(2)-mapping has been established to characterize edema at 1.5 T. ...

AbstractPositron emission tomography (PET) for in vivo monitoring of phosphatidylserine externalization and glucose metabolism can potentially provide early predictors of outcome of cardioprotective therapies after myocardial infarction. We performed serial [68Ga]annexin A5 PET (annexin-PET) and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose PET (FDG-PET) after myocardial infarction to determine the time of peak phosphatidylserine externalization in ...

Various peripheral vascular complications may be observed after cardiac catheterization. However, no data are available about femoral pseudoaneurysm (FPA) after urgent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We sought to determine the in-hospital incidence, clinical course and predictors of FPA in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary PCI. ...

The objective of this study was to evaluate and correlate inspiratory muscle strength using maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and sniff nasal inspiratory pressure (Pnsn) in patients with coronary artery disease in pre- and postoperative of myocardial revascularization surgery. Thirty-eight men were studied, divided into a control group (CG) comprised of ...

BACKGROUND:: The latest American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines recommend primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients within 90 minutes from presentation to the emergency room. For interhospital transfers, the most recent PCI guidelines recommend first medical contact-to-device times ≤120 minutes. Although PCI-capable hospitals ...

OBJECTIVE: Study designed to identify characteristics of patients related to increased hospital mortality after valve replacement, assumed as risk factors. METHODS: Retrospective study including 808 patients submitted to the implant of St. Jude Biocor porcine bioprosthesis between 1994 and 2009 at Instituto de Cardiologia do Rio Grande do Sul. Primary ...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with poor outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We sought to compare different coronary stents used during primary PCI in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and CKD. We selected 2408 consecutive STEMI patients with CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) undergoing ...

Coronary artery disease represents the most important cause of mortality and morbidity in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Despite continuous improvements in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), CKD is still associated with more adverse events after PCI. We performed a retrospective study to compare bare metal stents (BMS) versus drug eluting stents ...

Among patients with advanced multivessel coronary disease, left ventricular (LV) function is widely variable, and clinical and angiographic correlates of ventricular dysfunction remain to be defined. Among 73 339 patients undergoing diagnostic cardiac catheterization at a single center in China, patients with left ventriculographic assessment were identified with three-vessel coronary ...

The strategy of prehospital activation by the emergency medical system (EMS) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has been poorly adopted among the US hospitals that currently offer 24/7 primary percutaneous coronary intervention. In this study, we report a single center experience after the implementation of this strategy. From ...

To determine the impact of remoteness on Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal myocardial infarction incidence rates in men and women of different ages. Descriptive study. Western Australia. Incident cases of myocardial infarction in Western Australia from 2000-2004 identified from person-linked files of hospital and mortality records. Analysis was undertaken for Aboriginal and ...

The 20%-60% rate of acute anterior myocardial infarction (AAMI) patients with concomitant left ventricular thrombus (LVT) formation dropped to 10-20% when thrombolysis and primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) were introduced. To test our hypothesis that prolonged anticoagulation post-PPCI will lower the LVT incidence even further. Included in this study were ...

No data exist on the functional relevance of collateral vessels in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Also, the subtle effects of improved collateral flow on right ventricular (RV) function are difficult to assess. However, novel echocardiographic approaches like tissue-Doppler imaging (TDI) and two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2DSTE) can quantify RV ...

This study sought to examine the relationship between the aspirin dose prescribed at hospital discharge and long-term outcomes after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction who undergo primary PCI are prescribed maintenance aspirin doses that vary between ...

This study sought to evaluate the impact of new conduction defects after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) on the evolution of left ventricular (LV) function during 1-year follow-up. New left bundle branch block (LBBB) or need for permanent pacing due to atrioventricular (AV) block are frequent after TAVI. A total ...

BACKGROUND: In the EP lab, orthodromic atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia (ORT) can be distinguished from atrial tachycardia and atrioventricular node (AVN) reentry tachycardia by identifying orthodromic and antidromic wavefront fusion during ventricular overdrive pacing (VOP). Previous work has shown that basal VOP near the accessory pathway (AP) increases the likelihood of ...

BACKGROUND: Although studies have demonstrated a high diagnostic accuracy of multi-detector Coronary CT (MDCT) in the detection of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), data on the prognostic value of this method are limited. OBJECTIVE: Determine the value of MDCT in predicting adverse clinical outcomes in patients with suspected CAD. METHODS: We ...

OPINION STATEMENT: Fibrinolysis had long been the reference treatment in patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). It was associated with a large reduction in mortality as compared with delayed or no reperfusion in patients managed early, within the first 2 hours from the onset of symptoms. Fibrinolysis also had well-known potential ...

AIMS: The mechanism responsible for premature ventricular complex (PVC)-mediated left ventricular (LV) dysfunction remains unclear. We sought to determine the electrocardiographic and electrophysiological characteristics of PVC-mediated LV dysfunction.METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-seven patients who underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for frequent PVCs (PVCs burden ≥10%/24 h) and had ...

BACKGROUND: Cardiomyopathy of obesity occurs in humans, but the gross and cellular myocardial response to obesity in dogs is not well defined. OBJECTIVES: To characterize in vivo myocardial morphology and function in normotensive obese dogs, and quantitate collagen, triglyceride and myocyte cross-sectional area (CSA) in postmortem tissues from obese dogs. ...

BACKGROUND: A number of studies have shown associations between chronic exposure to particulate air pollution and increased mortality, particularly from cardiovascular disease, but fewer studies have examined the association between long term exposure to fine particulate air pollution and specific cardiovascular events, such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI). OBJECTIVE: To ...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Myocardial ischemia can be assessed with cardiac magnetic resonance perfusion imaging (MRPI). This study aimed to analyze the clinical utility of MRPI in the diagnosis of significant coronary artery disease. METHODS: Fifty-five patients were examined with a 1.5 T MR scanner (Siemens Symphony), with a first pass ...

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular patients are likely to have an impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) due to functional and psycho-social limitations. The main objective of this study was to assess the distribution of HRQoL scores in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients across 22 European countries and to identify factors associated with ...

BACKGROUND: In addition to the diagnostic performance, coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) can give important data regarding the prognosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). In this study we aimed to evaluate the prognostic role of coronary CTA in patients with suspected CAD and mild-moderate coronary stenosis. METHODS: A total of ...

Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) may be performed during the same session as diagnostic catheterization (ad hoc PCI) or at a later session (delayed PCI). Randomized trials comparing these strategies have not been performed; cohort studies have not identified consistent differences in safety or efficacy between the two strategies. Ad hoc ...

ObjectiveA subgroup of patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) experiences anxiety after device implantation. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether anxiety is predictive of ventricular arrhythmias and all-cause mortality 1 year post ICD implantation.MethodsA total of 1012 patients completed the state version of the State-Trait ...

OBJECTIVE: There are no data regarding the long-term prognostic value of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in obese patients. The aim of this study was to examine the value of stress (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin MPI findings for the prediction of very long-term outcome in obese patients. METHODS: The ...

BACKGROUND: Less invasive treatment and poorer outcomes have been shown among patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) on weekends compared to weekdays. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the 'weekend-effect' on mortality in patients with AMI. METHODS: Using nationwide registers we identified 92,164 patients aged 30-90years who were admitted to a Danish ...

There is evidence that atherosclerosis begins in childhood. There is also evidence that inflammatory markers measured in middle and old age predict risks of cardiovascular disease. In this report, we test whether an inflammatory marker measured in young adult men is associated with risk of myocardial infarction in middle age. ...

BACKGROUND: -The influence of atrioventricular (AV) interaction on mitral valve closure (MVC) and left ventricular (LV) isovolumic contraction is not fully clarified. We investigated the relationship between AV delay, MVC and LV isovolumic contraction using a horse model because of the low heart rate and physiologically long AV delay. METHODS ...

BACKGROUND: -Peak atrial longitudinal strain (PALS) during the reservoir phase has been proposed as a measure of LA function in a range of cardiac conditions with the potential for added pathophysiological insight and prognostic value. However, no studies have assessed the interrelation of PALS and LV longitudinal strain (GLS) in ...