Herz
-
Oral contraceptives represent the most commonly employed means of contraception in the Federal Republic; they are used in 25% of all women in child-bearing age. The risk of myocardial infarction or cardiovascular death while taking oral contraceptives is determined primarily by three factors: the age of the user, the type and concentrations of estrogen and gestagen administered as well as the concomitant risk factors for coronary artery disease. With currently-used low-dose hormonal contraceptives, in young women (less than 30 years of age) who do not smoke and do not have other risk factors for coronary artery disease, there is no clear increase in the normally low risk of developing coronary artery disease or myocardial infarction. ⋯ The relevance of the duration of oral contraceptive use on the risk of infarction remains controversial. The number of young women with myocardial infarction and no or single-vessel coronary artery disease is significantly higher at 60% in women who have used oral contraceptives than in women of comparable age without oral contraceptive use (30%). The pathophysiological mechanism primarily responsible for myocardial infarction in oral contraceptive users and smokers appears to be thrombosis.
-
With regard to Starling's equation, two factors are important for fluid regulation in pulmonary tissue: colloid osmotic pressure (COP) and hydrostatic pressure (PCP). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the relationship between COP, COP-PCP-gradient and extravascular lung water (EVLW) immediately after extracorporeal circulation (ECC). 39 consenting patients undergoing elective aorto-coronary bypass surgery received 1000 ml washed erythrocytes (w.e.; cell saver) +400 ml fresh frozen plasma (FFP) after ECC. Additionally, group I (n = 15) received 300 ml albumin 20%, group II (n = 13) 500 ml plasmaexpander (3% HES 200/0.5) and group III (n = 11) no more volume. ⋯ No correlation between EVLW and COP-PCP-gradient could be observed. In spite of a significant elevation of COP by using 20% albumin solution, EVLW increased with subsequent deterioration of pulmonary gas exchange. The presented data demonstrate no advantage of albumin 20%; if volume substitution is necessary after ECC, low concentrated plasmaexpanders (up to 10 ml/kg b.w.) may be preferred for several reasons.
-
The treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy is primarily concerned with that of congestive heart failure. Digitalis is widely use in dilated cardiomyopathy but an improvement in the prognosis has not yet been demonstrated. Furthermore, the effects of digitalis in patients with sinus rhythm are debatable. ⋯ Unlike other substances, ACE inhibitors have been demonstrated to improve prognosis of patients with congestive heart failure. At present, combined diuretic therapy and angiotensin conversion enzyme inhibition would seem the most reasonable treatment for patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and sinus rhythm. If atrial fibrillation and tachyarrhythmia develop, additional digitalis therapy is effective.
-
The natural history of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy is characterized, in particular, in younger patients by sudden cardiac death, in the majority of patients by progressive congestive heart failure [14, 26, 27, 33-36]. With the aid of beta-adrenergic receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers and antiarrhythmic agents the clinical outlook for most of the patients can be improved [17, 19, 23, 28]. Patients who do not respond to medical treatment can be regarded as possible candidates for surgical revision of the left ventricular outflow tract. ⋯ An overview of the variety of surgical approaches and procedures employed for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy is provided by Table 1. From initial attempts to eliminate the outflow tract obstruction by myotomy, the subvalvular myectomy was developed in which an about 1 cm wide section of muscle is resected; this procedure can be carried out from a transaortic, transatrial or transventricular approach [4, 9, 21, 22, 24, 38, 39, 47]. Under the assumption that the anterior motion of the anterior mitral valve leaflet contributes to systolic obstruction, some authors recommended reconstructive procedures or replacement of the mitral valve.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
-
Noninvasive and invasive diagnostic procedures permit a differentiated insight into the hypertrophic cardiomyopathies. For a better understanding of the disease, classification according to morphologic and functional criteria was introduced. It has proven useful to subdivide hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy into two types: idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis and midventricular obstruction; hypertrophic nonobstructive cardiomyopathies can be subdivided into two forms designated as asymmetrical septal hypertrophy and apical hypertrophy. ⋯ Experience has shown that two-dimensional echocardiography, in particular, has assumed an especially important role, the value of which approaches that of cardiac catheterization. In this overview, emphasis is placed on the diagnostic peculiarities of idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis as well as the findings in midventricular obstruction and apical hypertrophy. In the past, only relatively little attention has been focused on the latter subgroups even though they can be diagnosed with a high degree of accuracy with noninvasive as well as invasive procedures.