Kardiol Pol
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Cardiovascular (CV) diseases are a major cause of death in elderly women. Aerobic training improves component CV risk factors. Long-term, higher-intensity, group-based and home-based exercise training has been shown to improve exer-cise performance. However, it is not clear if short-term, group-based or home-based training with an educational programme permanently improves cardiometabolic parameters in elderly women. ⋯ Organised, group-based exercise followed by home-based training and self-guided physical activities constantly improves cardiometabolic parameters and reduces CV risk.
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Patients suffering from cardiogenic shock, with no response to conventional therapy, may significantly improve when put on support devices such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which maintains systemic and pulmonary circulation, and decongests the heart. This publication presents authors' own experience in qualifying and treating patients with cardiogenic shock, with the use of veno-arterial (VA) ECMO modality. ⋯ VA ECMO is an acceptable therapy for patients in a severe state of cardiogenic shock. In-hospital mortality rate was 59%, and 41% patients (12 subjects) were successfully treated with VA ECMO in course of cardiogenic shock.
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Mean platelet volume to platelet count (MPV/Plt) ratio has been demonstrated to be a good indicator of long-term mortality in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). However, the prognostic value of MPV/Plt in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is not reported. ⋯ While the MPV/Plt ratio was demonstrated to be associated with one-year non-fatal re-infarction, it was not related to in-hospital, one-month, and one-year CV mortality in patients with STEMI, who underwent primary PCI.
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Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is strongly associated with aortopathy. Previous studies have suggested that various types of bicuspid aortic valve morphology may differently affect the aortic dilatation. ⋯ Type I BAV cusp fusion morphology is more commonly associated with dilatation of the aorta than type II, especially at the level of the sinus of Valsalva and the ascending aorta.