International journal of cardiology
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Comparative Study
Relation of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and infarct size as assessed by contrast-enhanced MRI.
Plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) measured in acute coronary syndromes independently predicts mortality, myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure. ⋯ NT-pro-BNP, a surrogate biomarker for prognosis after STEMI, is closely associated with myocardial damage as assessed by contrast-enhanced CMR.
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Letter Case Reports
Free-floating biatrial thrombi with concomitant saddle pulmonary embolism.
Free-floating intracardiac thrombi represent a severe yet uncommon condition and mostly coexist with thromboembolism. Notably, mobile right heart thrombus can occur in patients with massive pulmonary embolism. Early diagnosis and management can be life-saving. ⋯ We describe here an unusual case of free-floating biatrial thrombi with concomitant saddle pulmonary embolism in a patient with idiopathic restrictive cardiomyopathy and sinus rhythm who had lower extremity deep vein thrombosis following the left knee arthroplasty. In the absence of treatment, mortality from pulmonary embolism remains high. Nevertheless, in our patient, blood stasis with dilated atria, resulting from restrictive hemodynamics, and deep venous thrombosis were the most likely causes for the formation of biatrial thrombi and concomitant pulmonary embolism.
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Letter Case Reports
Revelation of Brugada electrocardiographic pattern during a febrile state associated with acute myocardial infarction.
The prevalence of the Brugada-type ECG and its natural history are still unclear. The Brugada syndrome is usually identified by a characteristic Brugada-type ECG that consists of ST elevation of a coved type in the precordial leads V1 to V3 and ventricular fibrillation that can lead to sudden cardiac death, although affected individuals may have a normal ECG. Mutations in the cardiac sodium channel gene SCN5A, which encodes the alpha-subunit of the human cardiac voltage-dependent Na+ channel (Na(v)1.5), are identified in 15-30% of patients with Brugada syndrome. ⋯ It has been also reported chest pain and ST elevation Brugada pattern during febrile states. We present a case of revelation of Brugada pattern in a 69-year-old Italian man during a febrile state associated with acute myocardial infarction. Also this report confirms that Brugada pattern should be considered as one of differential diagnoses when we examine the patients during a febrile state.