Clinical cardiology
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Clinical cardiology · Oct 2014
ReviewCardiac platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome: an often unrecognized malady.
Platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome (POS) is a rare but clinically important form of dyspnea. The syndrome is characterized by dyspnea and arterial oxygen desaturation that occurs in the upright position and improves with recumbency. ⋯ Diagnosis is made through pulse oximetry to confirm orthodeoxia and through transesophageal echocardiography with bubble study to visualize the shunt. Although data are limited for this rare syndrome, percutaneous closure has thus far proven safe and effective.
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Clinical cardiology · Sep 2014
Controlled Clinical TrialRosuvastatin reduces ischemia-reperfusion injury in patients with acute coronary syndrome treated with percutaneous coronary intervention.
Statins reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but no clinical studies have investigated the role of statins in ischemia-reperfusion injury after PCI. ⋯ Rosuvastatin before PCI reduced ischemia-reperfusion injury in patients with acute coronary syndrome, which suggests the importance of application of rosuvastatin before PCI for early intervention.
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Clinical cardiology · Sep 2014
Impact of clinical and therapeutic factors on incident cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in a population-based cohort of HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected adults.
Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular (CVD) events/diseases are a common cause of non-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related mortality in the aging human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected population. The incidence rate and clinical correlates of CVD in people living with HIV/AIDS compared to the general population warrants further investigation. ⋯ After adjusting for traditional risk factors and sociodemographic differences, there is higher risk of incident cardiovascular events among HIV-infected individuals exposed to combined antiretroviral medications compared to the general population.
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Clinical cardiology · Aug 2014
Hyperglycemia in patients referred for cardiac catheterization is associated with preexisting diabetes rather than a stress-related phenomenon: a prospective cross-sectional study.
An increased serum glucose level in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is associated with adverse clinical outcome. This hyperglycemia has been attributed, at least in part, to acute stress reaction. Our objective was to determine whether hyperglycemia is a stress-related phenomenon or whether it represents a more sustained and possibly significant background dysglycemia. ⋯ Hyperglycemia in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization is a strong predictor of adverse outcome. It is mainly related to background dysglycemia and to a lesser extent to the acute stress accompanying ACS.
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Clinical cardiology · Aug 2014
Does low vitamin D amplify the association of COPD with total and cardiovascular disease mortality?
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been shown to be associated with lower levels of vitamin D, and the latter has been associated with total and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. ⋯ Lower levels of vitamin D may be associated with further increases in total and CVD mortality associated with COPD; however, age and cardiovascular risk factors appear to explain much of this association.