International heart journal
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Comparative Study
Can we obtain a noninvasive and continuous estimation of cardiac output? Comparison between three noninvasive methods.
Cardiac output (CO) is often desirable for assessing the hemodynamic condition of a patient, especially in critically ill cardiac patients. Various noninvasive methods are available for this purpose. Inert gas rebreathing (IGR) and 2D-Doppler echocardiography methods have been validated. ⋯ The intraclass correlation coefficient was poor whatever the methods. However, esCCO had a satisfactory reproducibility and accuracy compared rather well with the other 2. This method could be suitable for patient screening and monitoring.
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Case Reports
Eosinophilic myocarditis due to Churg-Strauss syndrome with markedly elevated eosinophil cationic protein.
A 67-year-old woman with asthma visited our hospital with increasing dyspnea and new-onset paresthesia and purpura in her legs. Physical examination showed a wheeze, pretibial edema, and surrounding purpura. Chest X-rays showed cardiac decompensation and an electrocardiogram revealed a new ST-T change. ⋯ We experienced a rare case of eosinophilic myocarditis due to Churg-Strauss syndrome. Markedly elevated ECP played an important role in the early diagnosis and subsequent reduction in ECP served as a marker of monitoring. In an asthmatic patient with dyspnea, hypereosinophilia, and vasculitis, Churg-Strauss syndrome with eosinophilic myocarditis should be considered.
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There is no reliable method of screening for pregnant women at high risk of developing severe myocardial disorders. In this study, we used vector-projected 187 channel electrocardiography (DREAM-ECG) and serum biochemical markers to evaluate peripartum myocardial burden in pregnant women. Forty-one pregnant women were examined at 36-37 weeks gestation (GW36), 7 days postpartum (PPD7), and 1 month postpartum (PPM1). ⋯ Troponin T was in the normal range during the whole period (< 0.003 ng/mL). In conclusion, these results indicate that the peripartum myocardial burden in pregnant women does not return to normal nonpregnant levels by PPM1. We propose that both repolarization indexes such as RTc dispersion by DREAM-ECG and serum biochemical markers may identify pregnant women at high risk of developing severe myocardial damage in the peripartum period.