International journal of cardiology
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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.
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Letter Case Reports
Hypersensitivity to proton pump inhibitors: lansoprazole-induced Kounis syndrome.
Proton pump inhibitors are commonly used in clinical practice for the treatment of peptic ulcer and gastroesophageal reflux and are well tolerated by the patients. Their use is rarely associated with hypersensitivity and anaphylactic reactions. ⋯ We report a patient who developed Kounis syndrome after taking 30 mg of lansoprazole. This is the first report of Kounis syndrome associated with lansoprazole administration in the world literature.
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Letter Comparative Study
Assessment of medications in patients with tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy.
Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy has been gradually recognized worldwide. However, medications for the prevention remain not to be investigated in part because the precise mechanism is unclear. We sought to examine medications before the onset of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy, and to prove the limitation of these medications for the prevention. ⋯ Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy can occur despite treatment with calcium channel blockers, nitrates or beta-blockers, suggesting limitation of these medications to prevent tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy.
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Letter Case Reports
Diagnosis of the left circumflex coronary artery fistula drainage into the left ventricle by echocardiographic color Doppler flow imaging.
Congenital coronary fistula is consisted of a communication between a coronary artery and a cardiac chamber or pulmonary vessel. Congenital left coronary artery-left ventricle fistula is uncommon. A 41-year-old female patient admitted to our institution for evaluation of heart murmur etiology. ⋯ Echocardiography showed a large fistula draining into the left ventricle apex. Coronary angiography revealed fistula from left circumflex coronary artery to left ventricular cavity. Since the patient was asymptomatic and no concomitant cardiac pathology was detected, we advised endocarditis prophylaxis and medical follow-up.