Hellenic journal of cardiology : HJC = Hellēnikē kardiologikē epitheōrēsē
-
The normative values of exercise capacity used for the interpretation of exercise testing results are influenced by a variety of internal and external factors specific to certain populations. Therefore, in clinical practice it is recommended that population-specific reference values be employed. Cardiorespiratory fitness norms have not yet been established for a healthy Lithuanian population over a wide age span. The purpose of the present study was to determine the main cardiorespiratory fitness parameters for healthy adults living in Lithuania and to compare these parameters with the reference values established for different foreign populations. ⋯ Cardiorespiratory fitness parameters estimated for healthy adults living in Lithuania appeared to be lower compared to different foreign populations, despite the relatively similar general trends in the age-related decline in exercise capacity. Exercise testing laboratories and rehabilitation clinics in Lithuania may use these results in clinical practice when evaluating patients' exercise capacity, or as a promotional tool for physical activity in the general public.
-
Both admission hyperglycemia (AH) and diabetes mellitus adversely affect the prognosis in acute coronary syndromes. We prospectively assessed the predictive role of AH in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). ⋯ AH in non-diabetic STEMI patients is accompanied by a worse long-term prognosis compared to diabetics (with or without AH) or normoglycemic patients and constitutes a potent predictor of an adverse outcome.
-
A 72-year-old patient was admitted to the Department of Cardiology of Emory University Hospital with the diagnosis of infective endocarditis. Two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) showed a vegetation attached to the posterior mitral valve leaflet that led to severe mitral regurgitation. ⋯ Real time 3D TEE, and especially the large sector-focused data, allow for detailed identification of the mitral valve leaflets from both the atrial and the ventricular side. Those characteristics of real-time 3D TEE confer incremental value in assessing infective endocarditis lesions and complications.
-
This review covers the important publications in adult cardiac surgery in the last few years, including the current evidence base for surgical revascularisation and the use of off-pump surgery, bilateral internal mammary arteries and endoscopic vein harvesting. The changes in conventional aortic valve surgery are described alongside the outcomes of clinical trials and registries for transcatheter aortic valve implantation, and the introduction of less invasive and novel approaches to conventional aortic valve replacement surgery. Surgery for mitral valve disease is also considered, with particular reference to surgery for asymptomatic degenerative mitral regurgitation.