International journal of cardiology
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Diagnostic performance and cost effectiveness of measurements of plasma N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide in patients presenting with acute dyspnea or peripheral edema.
The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic power of a newly available assay for amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) to identify patients with acute heart failure. In addition, the influence of initial NT-proBNP measurements on economic consequences, diagnostic procedures and staff involvement was evaluated. ⋯ Measurement of NT-proBNP leads to multiple saving amounts and optimizes diagnostic pathways and resource allocation.
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Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) can itself contribute to increased rates of cardiovascular events. We sought to determine the impact of LVH on in-hospital and long-term mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). ⋯ Patients with LVH showed similar in-hospital mortality when compared with patients without LVH. However, LVH was a detrimental risk factor for late mortality, especially after the third postoperative year. These data suggest the need for a more frequent long-term follow-up among patients with LVH undergoing CABG.
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Multicenter Study
The association between pre-infarction angina and care-seeking behaviors and its effects on early reperfusion rates for acute myocardial infarction.
To examine the association between pre-infarction angina (PA) and care-seeking behaviors and its effects on early reperfusion rates for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). ⋯ Presence of PA was associated with longer pre-hospital delay, significantly decreased use of ambulance, and lower early reperfusion rates among patients with STEMI.
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Letter Case Reports
Transient mid-ventricular ballooning syndrome complicated by syncope: a variant of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy.
Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy, also called transient left ventricular apical ballooning, is a clinical entity first described in Japan. This syndrome is triggered by emotional or physical stress and mimics an acute coronary syndrome, although the coronary arteries are essentially normal. ⋯ We describe a case herein of an 87-year-old woman who presented a variant form of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy complicated by syncope. Our findings may contribute to an elucidation of the mechanism underlying tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy.
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The spatial and temporal changes of weather factors depend on geographical location, seasons and the time of the day. Our study examines the relationships of meteorological factors and the incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). A retrospective analysis of patients diagnosed with AMI between 2000 and 2004 in Hungary (n = 81,956 patients) was carried out. ⋯ A positive correlation was shown between front movements and the number of events per season (r = 0.053). Average barometric pressure changes, the number of front movements and the number of AMI events also showed a nearly similar seasonal deviation. Our findings show that certain meteorological factors may be related to the onset of AMI, however other factors also play an important role.