International journal of cardiology
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This study evaluated predictors for aortic dilation (AD) in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF) using magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). ⋯ AD is common in rTOF at the SoV and AsAo. Transthoracic echocardiography, which does not always image the AsAo as well as MRA, may not image AD in rTOF in cases in which the AsAo is dilated. Although several risk factors correlate with AD in rTOF, the rate of aortic growth is slow, suggesting that rTOF patients may not require frequent aortic imaging.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Self-reported depressive symptoms, diagnosed clinical depression and cardiac morbidity and mortality after myocardial infarction.
Self-reported depressive symptoms and clinical depression after myocardial infarction (MI) are both associated with poor cardiac prognosis. It is important to distinguish between the two when assessing cardiac prognosis, but few studies have done so. The present article evaluates the independent prognostic impact of self-reported depressive symptoms and clinical depression on cardiac outcomes after MI. ⋯ After MI, self-reported depressive symptoms are a more accurate predictor of cardiac morbidity and mortality than clinical depression. This association is confounded largely by cardiac disease severity.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
"Polarizing" microplegia improves cardiac cycle efficiency after CABG for unstable angina.
Myocardial protection during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for unstable angina (UA) still represents a major challenge, ought to the risk for further ischemia/reperfusion injury. Few studies investigate the biochemical, hemodynamic and echocardiographic results of microplegia (Mic) in UA. ⋯ Microplegia attenuates myocardial damage in UA, reduces transfusions, improves postoperative systo-diastolic function, and shortens hospitalization.
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Multicenter Study
Pattern of atrial fibrillation and risk of outcomes: the Loire Valley Atrial Fibrillation Project.
Risk of stroke and thromboembolism (TE) in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is categorised in stroke risk stratification scores. The role of pattern of NVAF in risk prediction is unclear in contemporary 'real world' cohorts. ⋯ In this large 'real world' NVAF cohort, rates of stroke, TE, death and bleeding differed significantly by patterns of NVAF. However, only previous stroke, age, heart failure and vascular disease (not pattern of NVAF) independently increased risk of adverse outcomes in multivariate analyses. Thus, stroke risk is similar across all patterns of NVAF and antithrombotic therapy should be based on clinical risk factors, not on arrhythmia pattern.