Sustained improvement in primary pulmonary hypertension during six years of treatment with sublingual isoproterenol.
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Administration, Oral↗
Biomedical subjects
A F Parisi
Publications and source records attributed to A F Parisi.
Randomized, placebo-controlled evaluation of lidoflazine in patients receiving beta-blocker therapy with propranolol: improvement in anginal symptoms and exercise tolerance with combined drug therapy.
Twenty-nine patients symptomatic despite beta-blocker therapy were entered into a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of lidoflazine added to propranolol. After clinically documented beta blockade was achieved, patients were randomized to either propranolol plus placebo (P) or propranolol plus lidoflazine (L). Patients initially receiving lidoflazine (group with treatment sequence LP) showed improvement in exercise tolerance from propranolol alone (7.2 to 9.3 minutes, p less than 0.05). Those randomized initially to propranolol plus placebo (group with treatment sequence PL) had unchanged exercise tolerance (7.3 minutes). After 4 months, patients were crossed over to the alternative form of therapy. Patients (group PL) now receiving lidoflazine in addition to propranolol increased their exercise duration (7.8 minutes), but not, significantly. However, patients switched to propranolol plus placebo (group LP) continued to sustain their improved exercise capacity, showing a "carryover" effect. Symptomatic improvement was manifested by a statistically significant reduction in both anginal attack rate and nitroglycerin consumption. The therapeutic efficacy of combined therapy was associated with further blunting of the heart rate response to exercise achieved by beta blockade alone. The combination of agents was well tolerated.
Angina Pectoris↗
Characteristics and outcome of medical nonadherers in the Veterans Administration Cooperative Study of Coronary Artery Surgery.
During a 7-year follow-up period in the Veterans Administration Study of Bypass Surgery, 75 (24%) of 311 medically assigned patients without left main disease "crossed over" to surgical treatment. Nineteen baseline, clinical, electrocardiographic and angiographic characteristics of the 75 crossover patients were compared with those of the 236 patients who adhered to medical treatment. At entry into the study, the crossover group contained more patients with severe angina than did the medical adherers group (p less than 0.05) and fewer patients with electrocardiographic evidence of previous myocardial infarction (p less than 0.05). Other entry characteristics were similar in distribution among those in the medical-adherer and crossover groups. The 2 major reasons for crossover were persistence or progression of angina, which occurred in 43 and 37% of the 75 crossover patients, respectively. There was no relation between progression of symptoms and angiographic progression of coronary narrowing. Thus, crossover was not determined by more severe coronary narrowing, but was associated with more severe symptoms and a lower incidence of infarction. The medically randomized patients who later underwent surgery (medical "nonadherers") experienced the same relief of angina 1 year after surgery as did the surgically randomized patients who initially received surgery (surgical "adherers"); however, their overall 7-year survival was lower (77% for medical nonadherers vs 83% for surgical adherers; difference not significant).
Clinical Trials as Topic↗
Brachial artery catheterization employing a side arm sheath.
A major complication of left heart catheterization via the brachial artery is occlusion at the cutdown site. This is particularly a problem when patients with severe atherosclerosis are catheterized in laboratories where the brachial approach is not routinely used. A method of brachial artery catheterization is described which employs a continuously flushed side arm sheath in order to minimize local trauma to the artery from catheter exchange and manipulation. In 15 consecutive atherosclerotic patients catheterized by this method there were no complications, and all arteriotomies were closed easily with immediate restoration of a good radial pulse. This contrasts with the preceding 33 consecutive brachial catheterizations employing standard technique in similar patients in whom four patients required surgical repair, and an additional six patients required more than one closure attempt and/or catheter thrombectomy to restore a good pulse. In our laboratory the brachial sheath technique has facilitated arterial repair and reduced local complications.
Arteriosclerosis↗
Multiple intracardiac masses complicating peritoneo-venous (LeVeen) shunt.
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Echocardiography↗
Vulnerability to ventricular fibrillation in patients with clinically manifest ventricular tachycardia.
Ventricular vulnerability may be assessed by measuring the threshold current for the induction of ventricular fibrillation (VF). This technique has been widely utilized in animal experimentation and has been safely applied in a small number of clinical studies. We measured the VF threshold (VFT), using the single stimulus technique in 10 patients with coronary artery disease just prior to the institution of cardiopulmonary bypass. There were no adverse effects of VFT measurement. Three patients had nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) on 24-hour ambulatory monitoring and had VFTs of 10, 14, and 16 mA. In this group VF was induced without any preceding repetitive ventricular responses. Seven patients had no repetitive forms on ambulatory monitoring. Their VFTs ranged from 30 to greater than 40 mA (mean greater than 37). Repetitive extrasystoles were regularly observed in this group at current intensities which ranged from 53% to 80% of the VFT. Thus patients with manifest VT appear to have an enhanced vulnerability to VF. Single or multiple responses were not observed in these patients but appeared to be present in patients with coronary disease and no demonstrable rhythm disorder.
Aged↗
Is peripheral arterial pressure a satisfactory substitute for ascending aortic pressure when measuring aortic valve gradients?
Substitution of peripheral arterial pressure for ascending aortic pressure is a common but poorly validated practice in the assessment of aortic valve gradients by catheterization. The accuracy of this practice was assessed by comparing the left ventricular-ascending aortic mean gradient in 26 cases of aortic stenosis with the left ventricular-femoral artery gradient, both with and without compensation for temporal delay in femoral artery pressure. Aligned left ventricular-femoral artery gradients (matching upstrokes to compensate for peripheral time delay) underestimated the left ventricular-ascending aortic gradient by 10 mm Hg (range 0 to -17). Unaltered simultaneous left ventricular-femoral artery gradients overestimated the left ventricular-ascending aortic gradient by an average of 9 mm Hg (range +1 to +18). For both peripheral techniques, the error was relatively constant throughout the range of aortic valve gradients. The most accurate estimate of both aortic valve gradient and area was obtained by averaging the gradients and areas derived from aligned and unaltered left ventricular-peripheral arterial simultaneous tracings. Although only occasionally critical for clinical decision-making, these errors may be overwhelming in certain types of research applications, such as comparisons of valve prosthesis gradients and serial evaluations of aortic stenosis. An additional source of error is a coexistent peripheral arterial gradient that was present in 21% of otherwise technically suitable patients in the screened study group.
Aorta↗
Are noninvasive tests sufficient for preoperative evaluation of aortic stenosis?
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Aortic Valve Stenosis↗
Quantitative two-dimensional echocardiographic analysis of regional wall motion in patients with perioperative myocardial infarction.
Regional left ventricular wall motion was evaluated by two-dimensional echocardiographic techniques with fixed- and floating-axis analytical algorithms in three groups of subjects: normal subjects (n = 15), patients undergoing uncomplicated coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) (n = 10), and patients suffering perioperative myocardial infarction (n = 27). In patients undergoing uncomplicated CABG, fixed-axis analysis in the apical four-chamber view produced septal hypokinesis indistinguishable from the septal hypokinesis seen in patients with anterior myocardial infarction. In addition, fixed-axis analysis enhanced lateral wall motion so that patients with lateral myocardial infarction were classified as normal. Floating-axis analysis corrected these limitations by (1) producing regional left ventricular wall motion in the patients undergoing uncomplicated CABG, which was identical to that in normal subjects, and (2) producing regional left ventricular wall motion in patients with myocardial infarction that was hypokinetic in segments corresponding to the electrocardiographic area of involvement. In patients with new Q waves, fixed-axis analysis detected abnormalities of regional left ventricular wall motion in 24 of 34 (71%) electrocardiographically involved regions but also classified 44 of 100 segments in uncomplicated patients as abnormal. Floating-axis analysis detected regional left ventricular wall motion abnormalities in 30 of 34 patients (88%; p less than .05 vs fixed-axis analysis) and only 15 of 100 segments in patients undergoing uncomplicated CABG were classified as abnormal (p less than .001 vs fixed-axis analysis). We conclude that floating-axis analysis is a more accurate and clinically relevant method of evaluating regional left ventricular wall motion in patients undergoing CABG who suffer myocardial infarction as a perioperative complication.
Coronary Artery Bypass↗
Hydrogen peroxide contrast echocardiography: quantification in vivo of myocardial risk area during coronary occlusion and of the necrotic area remaining after myocardial reperfusion.
During sustained coronary occlusion in canine preparations, the extent of regions that fail to show contrast enhancement when imaged by supra-aortic hydrogen peroxide contrast echocardiography (SHPCE) has been shown to correlate well for single cross sections with the extent of malperfused myocardium "at risk" of infarction. In the present study, SHPCE was investigated as a means of determining the fraction of total left ventricular mass at risk during occlusion. Since necrotic tissue has low blood flow even when reperfused, we also investigated the potential of quantitating the extent of infarcted myocardium by measuring the extent of contrast defects seen with SHPCE performed during reperfusion. In 20 dogs the fraction of the left ventricle showing a contrast defect during coronary occlusion correlated well with the fraction of the left ventricular mass "at risk" by an autoradiographic technique (autoradiography = 0.83 echocardiography + 8.6%; r = .89, SEE = 4.5%). SHPCE was also performed after 3 hr of reperfusion following occlusions varying in duration from 60 to 150 min. The fraction of the ventricle showing a contrast defect during reperfusion predicted the infarcted portion of the left ventricle as shown by triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining (% left ventricle infarcted = 0.81 echocardiography + 3.3%; r = .84, SEE = 5.3%). Observer variability for the fraction of the ventricle showing a contrast defect was excellent during both occlusion and reperfusion. The ratio of the left ventricular extent of contrast-negative regions during reperfusion and occlusion was used to calculate a necrosis-to-risk index in vivo that correlated relatively well with the myocardial necrosis-to-risk ratio determined morphologically (r = .77, SEE = 16%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Animals↗
Another confusing click. A prosthetic fourth heart sound.
A combined phonocardiographic and echocardiographic evaluation is presented of a patient with a mechanical prosthetic mitral valve. An intermittent sound equivalent to a prosthetic fourth sound is demonstrated and shown to be created by abrupt motion of the disc of the prosthesis with atrial systole.
Echocardiography↗
Platelet factor 4 (PF4) and heparin-released platelet factor 4 (HR-PF4) in patients with cardiovascular disorders.
The recent introduction of the determinations of platelet factor 4 (PF4) and beta-thromboglobulin (beta TG) by radioimmunoassay provided a new tool to obtain knowledge of in vivo platelet activation. We evaluated the plasma level of PF4 and beta TG in 14 normal subjects (mean PF4 7.7 ng/ml; beta TG 28.8 ng/ml), in 29 patients with chronic stable cardiovascular disorders (mean PF4 9.8 ng/ml; beta TG 32.6 ng/ml) and in 15 diabetics with vascular disease (mean PF4 14.5 ng/ml; beta TG 41.8 ng/ml). The great majority had normal values and no statistical differences were noted among the three groups (p greater than 0.05). Fifteen days of treatment with 150 mg daily of dipyridamole produced a significant reduction in the levels of both proteins (p less than 0.01), in contrast of the daily administration of 650 mg of aspirin, which failed to produce any significant change (p greater than 0.5). The patients and the normal subjects were also administered 3,000 USP units intravenously of porcine heparin. The values of the heparin released-platelet factor 4 (HR-PF4), evaluated 5 minutes after the injection, showed a good correlation between platelet concentration and HR-PF4 levels (z = 2.37, p less than 0.02) in the patients. The determination of standard residual following linear regression analysis of HR-PF4 indicated the presence of two distinct patient populations. One group, including the vast majority of patients, did not differ from the control (patients mean HR-PF4 111.1 ng/ml; controls: mean HF-PF4 136 ng/ml). The other group, with severe cardiovascular disease, but with normal levels of PF4 and beta TG in almost all patients and similar platelet concentrations, showed a significantly higher HR-PF4 (219 ng/ml). Neither aspirin nor dipyridamole had any effect on the level of HR-PF4. This HR-PF4 could represent a possible marker of the interaction of platelets with a seriously damaged atherosclerotic vessel wall.
Adult↗
Quantitative detection of regional left ventricular contraction abnormalities by 2-dimensional echocardiography. Comparison of myocardial thickening and thinning and endocardial motion in a canine model.
Myocardial infarction (MI) was produced in 27 dogs by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Two-dimensional (2-D) echocardiograms were performed through the closed chest before and serially after coronary ligation, in both the acute and healing stages of MI. Two-dimensional echocardiographic studies performed before the animals were killed were analyzed for left ventricular (LV) contraction defects by 2 algorithms--1 involving systolic myocardial thickening and thinning and the other by determining the extent of endocardial motion to derive cavity area shrinkage. Using the thickening algorithm, myocardial dysfunction was detected in 93% of the animals with MI; with the area shrinkage method, contraction abnormalities were detected in 96% of the animals with MI. When the heart was divided from base to apex into 3 short-axis sections, the thickening algorithm showed a trend toward better identification of normal regions than the area shrinkage algorithm. However, in predicting the circumferential extent of MI, the thickening-thinning method of analysis showed no advantage over the endocardial motion method (r = 0.77, standard error of the estimate = 0.16 versus r = 0.76, standard error of the estimate [SEE] = 0.16; p = not significant [NS]). These observations support the concept that either algorithm can be used effectively to detect the presence and quantify the circumferential extent of MI.
Acute Disease↗
Anomalous right coronary artery: a surgically correctable cause of angina pectoris.
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Aged↗
Programmed electrical stimulation of the heart in coronary artery disease.
The induction of ventricular arrhythmia in patients with a history of malignant ventricular arrhythmia by programmed electrical stimulation (PES) is associated with a poor prognosis. However, the incidence and significance of inducible arrhythmia in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) who do not have a history of serious arrhythmia are unknown. We studied 32 such patients (31 men, mean age 55 years) with PES at the time of cardiac catheterization. Fourteen patients (Group I) manifested greater than or equal to 3 extraventricular responses when challenged with 1 to 3 propagated right ventricular extrastimuli during ventricular pacing. Twelve (86%) of these 14 had evidence of left ventricular dysfunction (LVD), defined by a global ejection fraction of less than 50% or regional wall motion abnormalities. The remaining 18 patients (Group II) manifested less than or equal to 2 responses to extrastimulation. Only 4 (22%) of these 18 had LVD. Proximal 3-vessel CAD was more frequent in Group I patients (10 of 14, 71%) than in Group II (7 of 18, 39%). Only 5 patients (4 from Group I and 1 from Group II) demonstrated complex arrhythmia during exercise testing or ambulatory monitoring. The induction of extraventricular responses during PES may serve as an independent marker of electrical instability in the coronary population and is a much more common finding in those with LVD.
Aged↗
Hydrogen peroxide contrast--enhanced two-dimensional echocardiography: real-time in vivo delineation of regional myocardial perfusion.
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Animals↗
Quantitative two-dimensional echocardiographic analysis of motion and thickening of the interventricular septum after cardiac surgery.
Septal and lateral wall motion and septal thickening were evaluated with quantitative two-dimensional echocardiography in 20 patients who underwent cardiac surgery without complications. Postoperative mean ejection fraction (48 +/- 10%) measured by radionuclide ventriculography was unchanged from the preoperative value (45 +/- 8%). Mean postoperative systolic thickening of the septum (33 +/- 15%) was also unchanged from the preoperative value (26 +/- 10%). However, septal endocardial motion as measured by an external frame-of-reference (fixed-axis) system fell from a 22 +/- 10% mean percent shortening (MPS) of septal radii to a postoperative value of -8 +/- 15% (p less than .001). Fixed-axis analysis also led to an increase in MPS of lateral radii: preoperative 16 +/- 5%; postoperative 28 +/- 9% (p less than .001). With an internal frame-of-reference (floating-axis) system, which compensates for the effects of translation and rotation on wall motion, postoperative MPS of septal radii (22 +/- 10%) was unchanged from preoperative MPS (25 +/- 8%; p = NS). Similarly, MPS of lateral wall radii was unchanged (preoperative, 15 +/- 5%; postoperative, 12 +/- 5%; p = NS). Thus systolic translation of the ventricle accounts for abnormal postoperative septal motion seen in a fixed-axis system and can be corrected by a floating-axis system. These data have important implications for the noninvasive evaluation of regional wall motion after cardiac surgery. Systems using a fixed external frame of reference such as radionuclide ventriculography are prone to systematic error. A combination of systolic thickening analysis by two-dimensional echocardiography and analysis of endocardial motion by the floating-axis system is a more appropriate method for evaluating the effects of cardiac surgery on regional left ventricular function.
Adult↗
The effect of antiplatelet therapy on saphenous vein coronary artery bypass graft patency.
To develop a way to prevent the occlusion of the aortocoronary saphenous vein bypass grafts, we conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blind trial in 176 patients, some of whom received aspirin alone (975 mg/day) and some of whom took a combination of aspirin and dipyridamole (225 mg/day), and compared them with a parallel control group. Therapy was started 3 to 5 days after surgery. Follow-up angiography was performed in 142 patients (80%) at 1 year. Graft patency in the aspirin group (78%) was not significantly different from that in the aspirin-dipyridamole group (83%) or the control group (80%). Even in the patients at high risk for graft occlusion, i.e., those who had small recipient coronary arteries and poor graft flows, patency rates were not improved by the antiplatelet agents. When administered 3 to 5 days after surgery, aspirin alone or in combination with dipyridamole does not improve graft patency.
Adult↗