International journal of cardiology
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Regular physical activity is associated with a range of health benefits; however the influence of regular exercise training on exercise capacity and quality of life in adults with congenital heart disease [ACHD] has not been previously reported. ⋯ A simple physical activity intervention like regular walking is feasible, safe and significantly increases the exercise capacity of adult patients at all stages of congenital heart disease. It is also helpful in improving the quality of life by improving physical self-perception, satisfaction with life, physical activity levels and general health.
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Transient left ventricular ballooning also called tako-tsubo syndrome, is increasingly being recognized as cardiomyopathy mimicking the clinical scenario of an acute myocardial infarction. Generally, it is characterized by apical ballooning appearance of the left ventricle in the presence of normal coronary arteries on the angiogram. ⋯ This syndrome is more prevalent in postmenopausal woman and usually preceded by extreme emotional and/or physical stress. We describe a case never reported before of transient left ventricular ballooning occurring during the early postpartum period after ergonovine injection rapidly evolving from a 'typical apical' ballooning into a 'midventricular' myocardial dysfunction.
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Letter Case Reports
Post-PCI fatal bleeding in aspirin and clopidogrel hyper responder: shifting from antiplatelet resistance to bleeding risk assessment?
A 64 year old woman with previous history of coronary stenting five days before was admitted in our institution for intracranial bleeding while receiving aspirin and clopidogrel. At hospital discharge, platelet testing showed hyper response to antiplatelet therapy with very low post treatment platelet reactivity.
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In chronic heart failure (CHF) skeletal muscle insulin resistance occurs independently of etiology and contributes to impaired energy metabolism. GLUT4, the predominant glucose transporter in the skeletal muscle promotes the rate-limiting step of glucose utilization in skeletal muscle. The significance of skeletal muscle GLUT4 in patients with CHF has not been studied in detail. ⋯ In non-diabetic patients with CHF, skeletal muscle GLUT4 transport protein is reduced in parallel to disease severity, independently of body composition. Low skeletal muscle GLUT4 contributes to insulin resistance in CHF.
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Letter Case Reports
Relationship between pattern of Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy and age: from midventricular to apical ballooning syndrome.
Several patterns of Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) have been recently published. However, its physiopathology is still unclear. We report the case of a 63-year-old woman who had a previous history of transient midventricular ballooning and was admitted 11 years after the first TTC, for a recurrence of typical pattern of TTC. Our report suggests that age could affect the left ventricular pattern of TTC and should be taken into account for a correct diagnosis of TTC.