The American journal of cardiology
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Letter Biography Historical Article
Eisenhower's billion-dollar heart attack.
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B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is activated with mitral regurgitation (MR), but it is unclear whether BNP activation is uniform in organic and functional MR and whether it merely reflects symptoms or is a biomarker of left ventricular (LV) geometric and functional alterations. Comprehensive Doppler echocardiography and hormonal measurements were performed prospectively in 99 patients, 50 with organic MR, 28 with functional MR (with similar LV enlargement 130 +/- 21 vs 141 +/- 40, p = 0.18, and age 64 +/- 13 vs 66 +/- 12 years, p = 0.56) and 21 controls subjects of similar age. Compared with the controls, the patients with MR displayed LV remodeling and BNP activation. ⋯ With BNP >90 pg/ml, the odds ratio of an end-systolic volume index value of >/=60 ml/m(2) was 16 (95% confidence interval 5.5 to 45). In conclusion, BNP activation with MR is more pronounced in those with functional than those with organic MR, even after stratification for functional class, and independently reflects the severity of the LV alteration. Pronounced BNP activation is linked to a higher end-systolic volume index, for which it is a biomarker, irrespective of MR etiology and symptoms.
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Electrocardiography is commonly performed as part of preoperative cardiovascular risk assessment in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery. However, the prognostic value of such electrocardiography is still not clear. This study retrospectively studied 23,036 patients who underwent 28,457 surgical procedures at Erasmus Medical Center from 1991 to 2000. ⋯ However, in patients who underwent low-risk or low- to intermediate-risk surgery, the absolute difference in the incidence of cardiovascular death between those with and without ECG abnormalities was only 0.5%. In conclusion, preoperative electrocardiography provides prognostic information in addition to clinical characteristics and the type of surgery. However, the usefulness of its routine use in lower risk surgery is questionable.
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The renin-angiotensin system is a key regulatory system that is activated in many forms of cardiovascular disease. It is well established that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are important therapeutic agents in the treatment of hypertension, myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure. ⋯ The possible role of renin-angiotensin system activation in arrhythmogenesis suggests that ACE inhibitors and ARBs may be important therapeutic agents in the prevention and treatment of arrhythmias. This review summarizes the current evidence for the use of ARBs in the treatment of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias.
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Analyses of aortic specimens obtained from patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) revealed elastic fiber fragmentation. This study sought to determine the prevalence of aortic root dilation and aortic regurgitation (AR) in children after TOF repair and tested the hypothesis that aortic elastic properties are altered and related to aortic root dilation in these patients. Aortic dimensions, adjusted for body surface area and expressed as z scores, and AR were assessed echocardiographically in 67 children 8.3 +/- 5.6 years after TOF repair. ⋯ Aortic stiffness was correlated positively, whereas aortic strain and distensibility were correlated negatively, with the aortic root z scores at all levels. In conclusion, this study shows a high prevalence of aortic root dilation in children after the repair of TOF. Aortic stiffening occurred in these patients and may play a role in progressive aortic root dilation.