Texas Heart Institute journal
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Comment Letter Historical Article
History of streptokinase use in acute myocardial infarction.
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Review Meta Analysis
Does minimal-access aortic valve replacement reduce the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation?
As the most common sequela of cardiac valvular surgery, atrial fibrillation (AF) has an important impact on postoperative morbidity. Minimal-access aortic valve replacement (AVR), with purported benefits on operative outcomes, has emerged as an alternative to conventional AVR. We used meta-analysis to determine whether minimal access influences the incidence of postoperative AF after AVR. ⋯ Sensitivity analysis that included only high-quality studies similarly showed no significant difference in the incidence of AF and further showed several intraoperative variables as potential sources of heterogeneity between studies. Therefore, minimal access may not have a significant effect on postoperative AF. Future randomized studies must take into account the potential sources of heterogeneity identified here to better demonstrate any differences between the 2 approaches in the onset of AF.
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Diagnostic accuracy of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide in the evaluation of postoperative left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.
We compared the diagnostic accuracy of N-terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with that of echocardiography in the evaluation of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction after coronary artery bypass grafting. Thirty patients were studied prospectively. Patients who had recent myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris, or low ejection fraction with systolic dysfunction were excluded. ⋯ The NT-proBNP had 87.5% sensitivity and 55% specificity, whereas E/Ea had 87.5% sensitivity and 86.4% specificity. Plasma NT-proBNP levels are significantly related to mitral E/Ea ratio, which is a predictor of diastolic stage. Therefore, elevated NT-proBNP levels may indicate the time for a Doppler echocardiographic evaluation and identify a subgroup of patients at high risk who need closer monitoring during the early postoperative period.
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Case Reports
Dilated cardiomyopathy and myocardial infarction secondary to congenital generalized lipodystrophy.
Congenital generalized lipodystrophy, also known as Berardinelli-Seip syndrome, is a very rare hereditary syndrome that is characterized by an almost complete absence of adipose tissue from birth. Cardiac involvement seems to have substantial influence in the long-term prognosis. Herein, we report an apparently unique case of congenital generalized lipodystrophy with cardiac sequelae. ⋯ She was discharged from the hospital in stable condition after 3 days of medical treatment. To our knowledge, this is the 1st reported case of congenital generalized lipodystrophy with dilated cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, severe mitral regurgitation, and inferior myocardial infarction as cardiac sequelae of this syndrome--but without evidence of coronary artery disease or cardiac hypertrophy. In addition to discussing this patient's case, we present diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to Berardinelli-Seip syndrome.