European heart journal
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European heart journal · Jun 1993
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialThe incidence and mechanism of hypotension following thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction with streptokinase-containing agents--lack of relationship to pretreatment streptokinase resistance.
The incidence, amplitude, mechanism and relationship to prior exposure to streptococcal antigen of blood pressure changes to streptokinase-containing thrombolytic agents were investigated in 125 patients treated with either 1.5 x 10(6) IU streptokinase over 60 min or 30 U anistreplase over 5 min, within 6 h of onset of acute myocardial infarction. Twenty-one of 52 patients with anterior and 34 of 73 with inferior myocardial infarction had a hypotensive response. There were no significant differences in the incidence, duration or amplitude of hypotension between the two treatment groups. ⋯ Hypotension was not related to pretreatment streptokinase resistance titre, or anti-SK IgG concentration, to changes in plasma fibrinogen, B-beta 15-42 peptide, D-dimer--as indices of thrombin activation and fibrin (-ogen) breakdown--to plasma viscosity. The blood pressure changes following treatment with streptokinase-containing thrombolytic agents in acute myocardial infarction are frequent but well tolerated. The mechanism of hypotension remains unclear, but is not related to prior exposure to streptococcal antigen.
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European heart journal · May 1993
Effective pulmonary capillary pressure in experimental myocardial ischaemia.
Effective pulmonary capillary pressure and extravascular lung water were investigated in dogs (n = 9) with normal heart function and after development of acute myocardial ischaemia. During control, no impairment of cardiopulmonary performance was observed. Extravascular lung water was in the normal range (8.1 +/- 2.8 ml.kg-1) and the effective pulmonary capillary pressure accounted for 1.36 +/- 0.53 kPa (10.2 +/- 4 mmHg). ⋯ There was a significant correlation between both parameters (r2 = 0.528, P < or = 0.05). Longitudinal distribution of pulmonary vascular resistance was altered, and RPA decreased to 60 +/- 13% (P < or = 0.05), while RPV increased to 40 +/- 8% (P < or = 0.05). It is concluded that development of lung oedema is related to elevated effective pulmonary capillary pressure in dogs with acute myocardial ischaemia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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European heart journal · Apr 1993
Diagnosis of prosthetic heart valve thrombosis. The respective values of transthoracic and transoesophageal Doppler echocardiography.
Early diagnosis of acute prosthetic thrombosis remains a challenge. In 20 patients with 23 thrombosed cardiac valves, we evaluated the respective value of transthoracic (TTE) and transoesophageal (TEE) Doppler echocardiography. According to the presence or absence of prosthetic obstruction by continuous-wave Doppler, prostheses were separated into two groups. ⋯ The 11 remaining patients with isolated partial mitral (n = 10) or aortic (n = 1) thrombosis. Clinical presentation was fever, cerebral embolism, or mild dyspnoea, but no heart failure. TTE was normal in all.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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European heart journal · Feb 1993
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe influence of intravenous magnesium sulphate on the occurrence of atrial fibrillation after coronary artery by-pass operation.
To examine the influence of magnesium (Mg) on hypomagnesaemia and atrial fibrillation (AF) following coronary artery by-pass surgery, 140 consecutive patients were randomized to receive 70 mmol of magnesium sulphate intravenously (n = 69) or placebo (n = 71). Serum magnesium concentrations fell to 0.77 +/- 0.10 mmol.l-1 in the control group but rose to 1.09 +/- 0.17 mmol.l-1 in the Mg group (P < 0.001). The incidence of AF was 29% in the Mg group and 26% in the placebo group (NS). ⋯ In the Mg group, serum Mg and SR were the only independent predictors of AF. In conclusion, the incidence of post-operative AF is not decreased with magnesium. High Mg levels are likely to provoke AF probably by mechanisms that modify SR.
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European heart journal · Feb 1993
Pericardial clot after open heart surgery: its specific localization and haemodynamics.
Transoesophageal echocardiography disclosed a localized pericardial blood clot compressing the right atrium (RA) and/or right ventricle (RV) in 15 patients suffering from low cardiac output failure soon after open-heart surgery. The left ventricular end-diastolic diameter was small (38.4 +/- 10.1 mm) and its fractional shortening normal (34.9 +/- 10.2%). These findings suggested cardiac tamponade as a result of pericardial clot. ⋯ This implies therefore that the pathophysiology of cardiac tamponade by pericardial clot differs from that of tamponade by fluid. Emergency open-chest removal of the pericardial clot was performed in seven patients, with good results. Pericardial clot produces low cardiac output soon after open-heart surgery, but its location is specific and its haemodynamics are not characteristic of cardiac tamponade.