International journal of cardiology
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Clinical Trial
Use of transthoracic echocardiography combined with venous ultrasonography in patients with pulmonary embolism.
The diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) remains difficult. Ultrasounds allow for the exploration of the venous system to great extent and for the detection of indirect signs of PE. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of acute cor pulmonale (ACP) and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) found by ultrasonographic techniques in a population of patients with PE. ⋯ A combined strategy using echocardiography with venous ultrasonography improves significantly the diagnostic value of venous ultrasonography in proximal and lobar PE and fails in distal PE.
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Cardiac hypertrophy has been demonstrated to decreases the ATP-sensitive potassium channels (K(ATP)), the major protective mechanism following the energy depletion, a common condition seen during the reperfusion after open heart surgery. In this study we have demonstrated the role of ischemic preconditioning (IP) in preventing the reperfusion injury of the hypertrophied heart by activation of the depleted K(ATP) channels. ⋯ The above results, therefore, suggest to us that IP by activation of K(ATP) channels can afford protection against the ischemia-reperfusion injury in the hypertrophied heart.