Journal of cardiology
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Journal of cardiology · Jul 2018
ReviewCovert atrial fibrillation and atrial high-rate episodes as a potential cause of embolic strokes of undetermined source: Their detection and possible management strategy.
Cryptogenic ischemic stroke, defined as stroke of undetermined etiology, accounts for 7-25% of all ischemic strokes. Stroke severity is reported to be less severe than cardioembolic stroke and similar to large-artery atherosclerosis. Because its etiology is believed to be mostly an embolic type, it is often called "embolic strokes of undetermined source" (ESUS). ⋯ Furthermore, indication of anticoagulation therapy for stroke prevention in patients with AHRE remains undetermined. In this review, we focus on the roles of covert AF and AHRE in the pathogenesis of cryptogenic ischemic stroke or ESUS. Detection of covert AF and AHRE, and possible management strategies are also discussed.
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Journal of cardiology · Jul 2018
The association between relevant co-morbidities and prevalent as well as incident heart failure in patients with atrial fibrillation.
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a serious complication in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). ⋯ In this clinical setting we found hypertension to be associated with a decreased risk of CHF among women; valvular heart disease and diabetes to be associated with an increased risk of CHF in both sexes; and cardiomyopathy to be associated with an increased risk of CHF among men.
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Journal of cardiology · Jun 2018
Meta AnalysisMidterm outcome of transcatheter versus surgical aortic valve replacement in low to intermediate risk patients: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Current guidelines recommend transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS) who are not suitable for conventional surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). In light of the recent trend in performing TAVR in patients with lower risk profile, we assessed the midterm outcome comparing TAVR and SAVR for the treatment of patients with severe AS at low to intermediate risk. ⋯ In patients at low to intermediate surgical risk, midterm clinical outcomes of TAVR were similar to SAVR in survival and stroke rate, superior in reducing life-threatening bleeding, acute kidney injury, and new-onset atrial fibrillation, but inferior in increasing permanent pacemaker implantation.
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Journal of cardiology · Apr 2018
Left atrial function in patients with light chain amyloidosis: A transthoracic 3D speckle tracking imaging study.
Systemic light chain amyloidosis (AL) is characterized by the extracellular deposition of amyloid fibrils. Transthoracic echocardiography is the modality of choice to assess cardiac function in patients with AL. Whereas left ventricular (LV) function has been well studied in this patient population, data regarding the value of left atrial (LA) function in AL patients are lacking. In this study, we aim to examine the impact of LA volumes and function on survival in AL patients as assessed by real-time 3D echocardiography. ⋯ Functional LA parameters are progressively altered in AL patients according to the MC stage. A decrease in 3D-PALS is associated with worse outcome, independently of LA volume.
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Journal of cardiology · Apr 2018
Does colchicine decrease the rate of recurrence of acute idiopathic pericarditis treated with glucocorticoids?
The traditional treatment of acute pericarditis includes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) or glucocorticoids. The addition of colchicine has been found to reduce the rate of recurrences. Glucocorticoids, however, may attenuate this effect, although the available data are limited. We examined the impact of colchicine on the rate of recurrence of acute idiopathic pericarditis pretreated with prednisone. ⋯ The addition of colchicine to prednisone in patients admitted for acute idiopathic pericarditis does not reduce the risk of recurrence. This finding suggests that prednisone blunts the salutary effects of colchicine.