Coronary artery disease
-
Coronary artery disease · Jun 2007
Brain natriuretic peptide concentration in pericardial fluid is independently associated with atrial fibrillation after off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.
Postoperative atrial fibrillation is associated with the increased incidence of morbidities and mortality. Predisposing determinants of atrial fibrillation development after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting remain unclear. We hypothesized that pericardial fluid natriuretic peptide concentrations have a predictive value for developing postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients who have undergone off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. ⋯ Our results suggested that pericardial fluid brain natriuretic peptide concentration is independently associated with the development of atrial fibrillation after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.
-
Coronary artery disease · Jun 2007
Reproducibility of transthoracic echocardiography in small animals using clinical equipment.
Transthoracic echocardiography has been employed to assess left ventricular dimensions and function in small animals. The aim of this study was to identify the limits of transthoracic echocardiography in a commonly used Wistar rat model by assessing intraobserver variability, interobserver variability, and day-to-day variability of examinations implying registrations and measurements. ⋯ M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiography in large rats by clinically common high-end ultrasound systems can be assessed reliably. Parameters of global left ventricular performance like stroke volume and cardiac output could not be assessed with similar reliability.