Current cardiology reviews
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Cardioembolic cerebral infarction (CI) is the most severe subtype of ischaemic stroke but some clinical aspects of this condition are still unclear. This article provides the reader with an overview and up-date of relevant aspects related to clinical features, specific cardiac disorders and prognosis of CI. CI accounts for 14-30% of ischemic strokes; patients with CI are prone to early and long-term stroke recurrence, although recurrences may be preventable by appropriate treatment during the acute phase and strict control at follow-up. ⋯ All significant structural defects, such as atrial septal defects, vegetations on valve or severe aortic disease should be treated. Aspirin is recommended in stroke patients with a patent foramen ovale and indications of closure should be individualized. CI is an important topic in the frontier between cardiology and vascular neurology, occurs frequently in daily practice, has a high impact for patients, and health care systems and merits an update review of current clinical issues, advances and controversies.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Synergy between direct coronary stenting technique and use of the novel thin strut cobalt chromium Skylor™ stent: the MACE in follow up patients treated with Skylor stent [MILES Study].
Despite significant improvements in stent platform, currently available bare-metal stents (BMS) are still associated with restenosis. Thin-strut design cobalt-chromium alloys hold the promise of improving results of BMS, especially when implanted with direct technique. We performed an observational study to appraise outcomes of the novel Skylor™ stent, stratifying outcomes according to stenting technique. ⋯ This observational study suggests the presence of a beneficial synergy between direct coronary stenting technique and use of the novel thin-strut cobalt-chromium Skylor™ stent in real-world patients undergoing PCI.
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Photoplethysmography (PPG) is used to estimate the skin blood flow using infrared light. Researchers from different domains of science have become increasingly interested in PPG because of its advantages as non-invasive, inexpensive, and convenient diagnostic tool. ⋯ Recent studies emphasise the potential information embedded in the PPG waveform signal and it deserves further attention for its possible applications beyond pulse oximetry and heart-rate calculation. Therefore, this overview discusses different types of artifact added to PPG signal, characteristic features of PPG waveform, and existing indexes to evaluate for diagnoses.