International journal of cardiology
-
Letter Case Reports
Profound myocardial ischemia associated to occlusion of the right coronary artery.
A 75-year-old man with hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and history of coronary artery disease was admitted to the hospital because of sudden loss of consciousness. The patient suffered an acute myocardial infarction seven years before this admission, which was treated with percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and stent implantation in the right coronary artery. The initial electrocardiogram showed a complete atrioventricular block, with narrow ventricular complexes at a rate of 40 bpm. ⋯ Thrombus aspiration and balloon angioplasty were successfully performed without residual stenosis. The ST-elevation alternans is a rare phenomenon which was initially described in the setting of coronary artery spasm. It is believed to be associated to profound myocardial ischemia, particularly in relation with occlusions of the left anterior descending coronary artery, and to the occurrence of malignant ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death.
-
Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a rare but significant cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Identification of silent forms of ventricular dysfunction associated with the peripartum period is challenging, yet necessary to establish specific counseling and therapeutic measures to prevent progression to overt heart failure. Our aims were to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction in puerperium and compare its progression with that of cases of peripartum cardiomyopathy occurring in the same study period. ⋯ Asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction in puerperal women shows a high prevalence and a pattern of long term echocardiographic changes similar to those found in overt peripartum cardiomyopathy.
-
Amiodarone is currently the most effective antiarrhythmic drug for sinus rhythm maintenance. However, due to serious extracardiac adverse effects, prophylactic amiodarone therapy is only appropriate for patients at high risk for postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF). We hypothesized that epicardial application of an amiodarone-releasing hydrogel would produce therapeutic myocardial drug concentrations, while systemic levels would remain low. ⋯ Epicardial application of an amiodarone-releasing hydrogel reduces atrial vulnerability to tachyarrhythmias up to 3weeks, while extracardiac drug levels remain low. Therefore, amiodarone-releasing hydrogel could be applied during cardiac surgery to prevent postoperative AF at minimal risk for extracardiac adverse side effects.
-
Case Reports
Two vascular arteriovenous malformations with left-to-right shunting and right-heart failure in a single patient.
Arteriovenous malformations may lead to right-heart failure in cases of hemodynamically significant left-to-right shunting. Here, we report the case of a 37-year-old female who presented with congestive heart failure related to an isolated anomalous connection of the left pulmonary vein to the left brachiocephalic vein (partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection). ⋯ Target embolization led to right-ventricular remodeling, and persistent clinical improvement. To our knowledge, this is the first report of two rare AV-malformations with left-to-right shunting and progressive right-heart failure in a single individual.