Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography : official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Jul 2001
Clinical TrialMilrinone echocardiographic viability test: a pilot study.
We assessed the utility of milrinone to predict recovery of function after surgical myocardial revascularization in patients with severe baseline left ventricular systolic dysfunction caused by coronary artery disease (CAD). Prediction of viable myocardial segments that will regain function after revascularization may help in the selection of patients who will benefit from coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) as well as aid in the choice of target sites for coronary revascularization. We investigated 20 consecutive patients with CAD and left ventricular ejection fraction < or = 40% who had evidence of myocardial viability by either thallium scan or dobutamine viability test and were candidates for elective CABG. ⋯ Seventy-three segments were akinetic or dyskinetic at baseline; 46 (63.0%) of these improved with milrinone. Improvement in regional wall motion after revascularization was detected in 84.8% of the segments that improved with milrinone versus only 3.7% of the segments that did not improve with milrinone. In patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, improvement in left ventricular function (segmental wall motion and global ejection fraction) during milrinone infusion is highly predictive of improvement after CABG.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Apr 2001
Case ReportsSevere intermittent intraprosthetic regurgitation after mitral valve replacement with subvalvular preservation.
Preservation of the subvalvular apparatus during mitral valve replacement preserves left ventricular function and improves long-term survival. Complications of subvalvular preservation include left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and prosthesis impingement. ⋯ Postoperative transesophageal echocardiography showed neither abnormal mitral regurgitation nor residual mass. The use of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography could enable the detection of this rare complication.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Mar 2001
Atrial and ventricular electromechanical function in 1-ventricle hearts: influence of atrial flutter and Fontan procedure.
Echocardiography was used to study electromechanical atrial and ventricular function in adult patients with a 1-ventricle heart who were in sinus rhythm to better understand the recurrence of atrial flutter in these conditions. Patients who had recent atrial flutter, with and without the Fontan procedure, were compared with those who had no arrhythmia. ⋯ In 1-ventricle hearts, significant atrioventricular valve regurgitation is commonly associated with atrial flutter in patients who did not undergo the Fontan procedure, and with electromechanical disturbances in those who did. Recognition of disturbances in ventricular long-axis function may thus assist in the identification of patients with a 1-ventricle heart who are prone to atrial flutter.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Mar 2001
Case ReportsAn unusual case of vegetative aortitis diagnosed by transesophageal echocardiography.
We report a case of Staphylococcus aureus aortitis in a 42-year-old man who had a fever, an embolus to the left upper arm, and positive blood cultures. Transesophageal echocardiography re-vealed a 3 x 1-centimeter polypoid mass attached to the intima of the medial wall of the aorta, just distal to the origin of the left subclavian artery. The clinical presentation and the transesophageal echocardiography findings led to the diagnosis of vegetative aortitis. Antibiotic therapy was begun, and 5 days later the mass was surgically excised to prevent the possible formation of an infective aortic aneurysm and embolization to the vital organs.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Mar 2001
Does acute-phase beta blockade reduce left atrial appendage function in patients with chronic nonvalvular atrial fibrillation?
To investigate whether acute-phase beta-blocker therapy has a harmful effect on left atrial appendage (LAA) function in patients with chronic nonvalvular atrial fibrillation by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), we evaluated 21 patients with normal left ventricular systolic function and a poorly controlled ventricular rate, despite the use of digoxin. Baseline parameters that were obtained included heart rate, blood pressure, LAA emptying velocities, and left atrial spontaneous echo contrast intensity. Then, each patient was given a bolus dose of 5 mg metoprolol. ⋯ After a bolus of metoprolol, spontaneous echo contrast intensity did not change in any patients, but 1 week later, it increased in 1 patient. In 2 patients who had not been found to have an LAA thrombus at baseline TEE study, the second TEE examination demonstrated new thrombi in the LAA. In conclusion, our findings suggest that in patients with chronic nonvalvular atrial fibrillation who have normal left ventricular systolic function and a poorly controlled ventricular rate despite the use of digoxin, acute-phase beta blockade may have a harmful effect on LAA function.