Bmc Cardiovasc Disor
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Bmc Cardiovasc Disor · Jan 2014
Case ReportsPercutaneous closure of large VSD using a home-made fenestrated atrial septal occluder in 18-year-old with pulmonary hypertension.
Hemodynamically significant muscular ventricular septal defects in children after the infantile period are a rare occurrence and ideal for transcatheter closure. In cases of severe concomitant pulmonary hypertension, it may be necessary to fenestrate the device. In this report, we present an 18-year old patient with a large mid-trabecular ventricular septal defect and severe pulmonary hypertension that underwent percutaneous closure of the defect with a home-made fenestrated atrial septal occluder. ⋯ In patients with large ventricular septal defects, large atrial septal occluders may be used. In cases with risk of pulmonary vascular disease, a safer option would be to close the defect using a manually fenestrated device.
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Bmc Cardiovasc Disor · Jan 2014
Case ReportsPartial anomalous pulmonary venous connection to superior vena cava that overrides across the intact atrial septum and has bi-atrial connection in a 75-year-old female presenting with pulmonary hypertension.
Partial anomalous venous connection (PAPVC) is a rare congenital heart disease where the blood flow from one or more pulmonary veins (but not all) returns to the right atrium or systemic venous circulation and is often associated with a sinus venosus atrial defect (SVD). Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) can provide limited information for this anomaly and the diagnosis of this congenital defect has been a clinical challenge. ⋯ This case indicates the need to exclude a PAPVC and SVD in unexplained pulmonary hypertension, and MCTA is a reliable non-invasive imaging technique with high resolution and wide anatomic coverage. The case also demonstrates that the coexisting SVD with PAPVC is an anomalous venous connection instead of atrial septal defect (ASD) and its key feature is the overriding of SVC or IVC across the intact atrial septum.
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Bmc Cardiovasc Disor · Jan 2014
Assessment of left ventricular preload by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging predicts exercise capacity in adult operated tetralogy of Fallot: a retrospective study.
The optimal timing of pulmonary homograft valve replacement (PVR) is uncertain. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) are often used to guide the clinical decision for PVR in operated tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) patients with significant pulmonary regurgitation (PR). We aim to study the relationship between exercise capacity and CMR in these patients. ⋯ TOF subjects have near normal exercise capacity but significantly lower Mets, VO2max and peak oygen pulse achieved compared to controls. Increased PR fraction in TOF subjects was associated with lower anaerobic threshold. Higher indexed effective RV stroke volume, a measure of LV preload, was associated with higher VO2max and Mets achieved, and may potentially be used as a predictor of exercise capacity.
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Bmc Cardiovasc Disor · Jan 2014
Cigarette smoke increases cardiomyocyte ceramide accumulation and inhibits mitochondrial respiration.
Cigarette smoking is a common and lethal worldwide habit, with considerable mortality stemming from its deleterious effects on heart function. While current theories posit altered blood lipids and fibrinogen metabolism as likely mediators, none have explored the role of the sphingolipid ceramide in exacerbating heart function with smoke exposure. Ceramide production is a consequence of cigarette smoke in the lung, and considering ceramide's harmful effects on mitochondrial function, we sought to elucidate the role of ceramide in mediating smoke-induced altered heart mitochondrial respiration. ⋯ These results suggest ceramide to be an important mediator of altered myocardial mitochondrial function with cigarette smoke exposure. Thus, anti-ceramide therapies might be considered in the future to protect heart mitochondrial function with smoke exposure.
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Bmc Cardiovasc Disor · Jan 2014
Speckle tracking echocardiography in the diagnosis of early left ventricular systolic dysfunction in type II diabetic mice.
The leptin receptor-deficient db/db mouse is a well-established type II diabetes animal model used to investigate diabetic cardiomyopathy. Previous reports have documented diabetic cardiomyopathy is accompanied by cardiac structural and functional abnormalities. To better elucidate early or subtle changes in cardiac performance in db/db mice, we used speckle tracking echocardiography to assess systolic myocardial strain in vivo with diabetic db/db mice in order to study early changes of left ventricle contractile function in type II diabetes model. ⋯ The present study shows that speckle tracking echocardiography can be used to evaluate cardiac functional alterations in mouse models of cardiovascular disease. Radial and circumferential strain are more sensitive and can be used for detection of early left ventricular contractile dysfunction in db/db type II diabetic mice.