International heart journal
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Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Inflammatory processes associated with OSAS may contribute to cardiovascular morbidity in these patients. C-reactive protein (CRP) is an important serum marker of inflammation. ⋯ Serum CRP levels were significantly elevated in the OSAS + CVD group compared to the two other groups (P < 0.05). When we evaluated the association between the serum CRP level and severity of OSAS, CRP levels were positively correlated with AHI in OSAS patients (r = 0.61, P < 0.001) OSAS, as a marker of inflammation and cardiovascular risk, is associated with elevated levels of CRP. According to these results, the link between cardiovascular morbidity and OSAS may be explained by the coexistence of other cardiovascular risk factors such as circulating CRP levels.
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Ventricular tachycardia (VT), which causes hemodynamic instability, and ventricular fibrillation (VF) sometimes occur in patients with severe underlying cardiovascular disease such as myocardial ischemia or infarction, and are associated with high mortality. This report presents the efficacy of nifekalant hydrochloride (nifekalant), a pure class III antiarrhythmic agent, in treating life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia in such patients. From June 2000, when nifekalant became commercially available in Japan, to May 2003, 30 ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients with VT/VF resistant to direct-current (DC) countershock received nifekalant in our hospital. ⋯ The rates of survival until hospital discharge were significantly higher in the nifekalant group (57%, 17/30) than in the control group (30%, 10/33; P < 0.03). Multivariate analysis of all 63 patients revealed nifekalant administration was the factor that significantly improved the mortality (odds ratio for cardiac death, 0.26; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.07 to 0.95; P = 0.041). Nifekalant improves the prognosis for life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia in IHD patients.
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Cardiovascular beriberi is caused by thiamine deficiency and usually arises for one of two reasons: alcoholism or diet. Shoshin beriberi is a fulminant form of cardiac beriberi. ⋯ Interstitial fibrosis and a variation in size of the myocardial fibers were the main findings in the sample from these patients after thiamine treatment. These findings are persistent histopathological features in the myocardium of patients with Shoshin beriberi after thiamine treatment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Myocardium utilizes more oxygen and glucose during tepid blood cardioplegic infusion in arrested heart.
The aims of this study were to evaluate myocardial metabolic activity during tepid blood cardioplegic infusion in the arrested heart in comparison with cold blood cardioplegia and to assess the early clinical outcomes of these patients. Thirty patients undergoing first elective coronary artery bypass grafting surgery were included and randomized to two groups (T for tepid and C for cold), 15 patients in each. Myocardial protection was similar in both groups except for the reinfusion of blood cardioplegia, which was 6 degrees C in group C and 28 degrees C in group T (same temperature as the body perfusion). ⋯ The clinical outcome was similar in both groups. The results of this study indicate that globally ischemic myocardium is able to utilize more oxygen and glucose during cardioplegic re-infusions at a tepid temperature in comparison to cold. In addition, the data showed evidence of less myocardial injury and better left ventricular function throughout the critical period of recovery from global ischemia for the heart protected by tepid cardioplegia.