American heart journal
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American heart journal · Aug 2000
Carotid Doppler high-intensity transient signals in dilated cardiomyopathy.
Thromboembolism is an infrequent but serious complication in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and the role of primary preventive antithrombotic or anticoagulation therapy is undetermined. High-intensity transient signals (HITS) by Doppler ultrasound representing microemboli have been described in various clinical settings associated with increased risk of stroke. This study assessed the feasibility, reproducibility, and prevalence of HITS in patients with DCM. ⋯ The prevalence of CCA HITS in patients with clinically stable heart failure who are not receiving anticoagulation/antithrombotic therapy and are not in atrial fibrillation is low and not significantly different from normal patients. These data suggest that HITS monitoring is not a viable surrogate marker for increased thromboembolic risk in such patients with DCM.
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American heart journal · Aug 2000
Effect of sex, hemodynamics, body size, and other clinical variables on the corrected thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame count used as an assessment of coronary blood flow.
Compared with the conventional Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade system, the corrected TIMI frame count (CTFC) quantifies coronary blood flow in a more reproducible fashion. The purpose of this study was to determine if the CTFC is affected by sex, body size, hemodynamics, or other selected clinical variables. ⋯ CTFC provides a quantitative assessment of coronary blood flow that varies only a small amount in association with body size, systemic arterial pressure, age, and sex.
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American heart journal · Aug 2000
Left ventricular diastolic filling pattern predicts cardiopulmonary determinants of functional capacity in patients with congestive heart failure.
Abnormalities of diastolic function are an important determinant of exercise intolerance in patients with heart failure. However, the relation between left ventricular filling pattern and cardiopulmonary exercise performance has not been adequately studied. ⋯ In patients with heart failure, abnormalities of diastolic function are the most important determinant of exercise intolerance. A restrictive transmitral flow pattern by Doppler echocardiography is a marker of diminished cardiopulmonary exercise performance in these patients.