Clinical cardiology
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Clinical cardiology · Nov 2009
Case ReportsVentilation-perfusion mismatch resulting from iatrogenic pulmonary vein stenosis after radiofrequency ablation: a case report.
A lobar ventilation-perfusion mismatch is reported in a patient with right superior pulmonary vein stenosis, developing after radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation. Radionuclide lung perfusion tomography was performed to assist with clinical management. Serial planar lung scintigraphy demonstrated no improvement in the perfusion abnormality despite interventional stenting. Iatrogenic pulmonary vein stenosis may potentially mimic pulmonary embolic disease.
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Clinical cardiology · Nov 2009
Usefulness of brain natriuretic peptide level at implant in predicting mortality in patients with advanced but stable heart failure receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy.
Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level has emerged as a predictor of death and hospital readmission in patients with heart failure (HF). The value of baseline BNP assessment in advanced HF patients receiving cardiac resynchronization defibrillator therapy (CRT-D) has not been firmly established. ⋯ Baseline BNP independently predicted mortality and HF hospitalization in a predominantly older white male population of advanced HF patients receiving CRT-D. Elevated BNP levels may identify a vulnerable HF population with a particularly poor prognosis despite CRT-D.