Bmc Cardiovasc Disor
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Bmc Cardiovasc Disor · Jan 2010
Relation of tricuspid annular displacement and tissue Doppler imaging velocities with duration of weaning in mechanically ventilated patients with acute pulmonary edema.
Liberation from the ventilator is a difficult task, whereas early echocardiographic indices of weaning readiness are still lacking. The aim of this study was to test whether tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and right ventricular (RV) systolic (Sm) and diastolic (Em & Am) tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) velocities are related with duration of weaning in mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory failure due to acute pulmonary edema (APE). ⋯ We suggest that in mechanically ventilated patients with APE, low TAPSE and RV TDI velocities upon admission are associated with delayed liberation from mechanical ventilation, probably due to more severe LV heart failure.
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Bmc Cardiovasc Disor · Jan 2010
Meta Analysis Comparative StudyHemodynamics in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH): do they explain long-term clinical outcomes with PAH-specific therapy?
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has witnessed dramatic treatment advances over the past decade. However, with the exception of epoprostenol, data from short-term randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have not shown a benefit of these drugs on survival. There remains a need to differentiate between available therapies and current endpoint responses which in turn, could be used to guide treatment selection and provide long-term prognostic information for patients. ⋯ When applied to the NIH Registry equation, hemodynamic changes from baseline appear to underestimate the survival benefits observed with long-term PAH therapy.
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Bmc Cardiovasc Disor · Jan 2010
Comparative StudyOutcome and quality of life after aorto-bifemoral bypass surgery.
Aorto-bifemoral bypass (AFB) is commonly performed to treat aorto-iliac disease and a durable long-term outcome is achieved. Most studies documenting beneficial outcomes after AFB have been limited to mortality and morbidity rates, costs and length of hospital stay (LOS). Few studies have examined the dependency of patients and how their perception of their own health changes after surgery. The aim of the present study was to evaluate outcome after AFB and to study its determinants. ⋯ This study shows that congestive heart disease and APACHE II were risk factors for mortality after AFB surgery. Survivors who have undergone AFB perceive an improved quality of life although they are more dependent in ADL tasks and have worse scores in almost all SF-36 than the population to which they belong.
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Bmc Cardiovasc Disor · Dec 2009
Visualization of anomalous origin and course of coronary arteries in 748 consecutive symptomatic patients by 64-slice computed tomography angiography.
Coronary artery anomalies (CAAs) are currently undergoing profound changes in understanding potentially pathophysiological mechanisms of disease. Aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of anomalous origin and course of coronary arteries in consecutive symptomatic patients, who underwent cardiac 64-slice multidetector-row computed tomography angiography (MDCTA). ⋯ Prevalence of CAA of origin and further vessel course in a symptomatic consecutive patient population was similar to large angiographic series, although these patients do not reflect general population. However, our study supports the use of 64-slice MDCTA for the identification and definition of CAA.
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Bmc Cardiovasc Disor · Oct 2009
Multicenter Study Controlled Clinical TrialVariation in the human soluble epoxide hydrolase gene and risk of restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention.
Restenosis represents the major limiting factor for the long-term efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Several genetic factors involved in the regulation of the vascular system have been described to play a role in the pathogenesis of restenosis. We investigated whether the EPHX2 K55R polymorphism, previously linked to significantly higher risk for coronary heart disease (CHD), was associated with the occurrence of restenosis after PCI. The association with incident CHD should have been confirmed and a potential correlation of the EPHX2 K55R variant to an increased risk of hypertension was analysed. ⋯ The results of the present study indicate that the EPHX2 K55R polymorphism is not associated with restenosis after PCI, with incidence of CHD, or with an increased risk of hypertension and therefore, can not serve as a predictor for risk of CHD or restenosis after PCI.