Heart : official journal of the British Cardiac Society
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Comparative Study
Left atrial minimum volume and reservoir function as correlates of left ventricular diastolic function: impact of left ventricular systolic function.
Left atrial (LA) maximum volume (LAV(max)) is an indicator of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function. However, LAV(max) is also influenced by systolic events, whereas the LA minimum volume (LAV(min)) is directly exposed to LV pressure. The authors hypothesised that LAV(min) may be a better correlate of LV diastolic function than LAV(max). ⋯ LAV(min) is a better correlate of LV diastolic function than LAV(max). The impact of LV longitudinal systolic function on LA reservoir function might explain the weaker relation between LAV(max) and LV diastolic function.
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Comparative Study
Perioperative myocardial necrosis in patients at high cardiovascular risk undergoing elective non-cardiac surgery.
Cardiovascular complications are important causes of morbidity and mortality in elective non-cardiac surgery. Although difficult to diagnose, perioperative myocardial infarction (MI) remains prognostically important. High-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT) assays allow detection of very minor damage to cardiac muscle. These assays are yet to be fully evaluated in the perioperative setting. Our aim was to determine the incidence and predictors of myocardial necrosis in patients at high cardiovascular risk undergoing elective non-cardiac surgery using hs-TnT. ⋯ Perioperative myocardial damage occurs frequently in patients undergoing elective non-cardiac surgery, although the majority of events are clinically undetected. Age and intraoperative hypotension are independent predictors of myocardial necrosis in this setting.
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Patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention require dual antiplatelet therapy. Proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy is recommended for the prevention of upper GI complications. No study has determined the rate and type of GI bleeding events in such patients in routine clinical practice. ⋯ Among patients on dual antiplatelet therapy and PPI co-therapy, gastrointestinal bleeding episodes are more frequent in the lower GI tract. This changing pattern of bleeding may reflect the success of gastroprotection and focuses attention on research to address lower GI bleeding in this population.