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Biomedical subjects

A Gavazzi

Publications and source records attributed to A Gavazzi.

106 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Angiographic demonstration of different pathogenetic mechanisms in patients with spontaneous and exertional angina associated with S-T segment depression.

Three patients complained of spontaneous and exertional chest pain, both associated with S-T segment depression in anterior electrocardiographic leads. In each, coronary spasm was demonstrated on coronary arteriography during a spontaneous attack of pain. Coronary arteriograms taken during exercise-induced angina did not show evidence of spastic obstruction; this suggests that exercise-induced chest pain and S-T segment depression were secondary to the increase in oxygen requirements rather than to a sudden decrease in coronary blood flow. Thus, two pathogenetic mechanisms coexisting in the same patient may cause chest pain associated with subendocardial ischemia.

Angina Pectoris↗

[Positive exercise test in the absence of pain. Characteristic of a high-risk population?].

157 consecutive patients (pts) with suspected coronary artery disease and an ischemic ecg response during exercise test (ET) were studied. During ET 61 of them (group I) had neither chest pain nor anginal equivalent, while 96 (group II) experienced angina. There were no significant differences between the two groups in regard to age, sex, prior myocardial infarction, history of angina or hypertension. During ET pts of group I tolerated a higher work load (group I 3467 Kpm, group II 2594 Kpm, P less than 0,05) and had a higher maximal heart rate (group I 128,3 b/min, group II 120,4 b/min, P less than 0,05) with a more marked ST segment depression (group I 2,4 mm, group II 1,8 mm, P less than 0,01) and with a more elevated incidence of arrhythmias (group I 18%, group II 7%, P less than 0,05). The coronary angiography showed significant obstruction (greater than or equal to 75%) in 91,7% of group I and in 91,6% of group II (prevalence of single vessel disease in group I and multiple vessel disease in group II). No significant difference was found between group I and II in regard to left ventricular ejection fraction (group I 51%, group II 53%), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (group I 12,9 mmHg group II 13,6 mmHg) and left ventricular end-diastolic volume (group I 102,3 ml/m2, group II 104,2 ml/m2). We conclude that ST segment depression during ET in asymptomatic pts at risk for cardiovascular disease is predictive of coronary artery disease as in symptomatics. These subjects have, compared with symptomatics, a higher work load tolerance but with more marked ecg ischemic changes and more frequent arrhythmias during ET, thus representing a group of coronary population at potentially higher risk.

Adult↗

[Clinical and angiographic study and pathogenic mechanism of Prinzmetal's angina. Apropos of 31 cases].

31 patients presenting with Prinzmetal variant angina were divided into three groups according to their angiographic appearances. Group I comprised 9 patients with normal or coronary arteries with lesions less than 50% narrowing. Group II comprised 12 patients with single vessel disease. Group III comprised the other 10 patients with significant lesions on two or all three principal arteries. No clinical or electrocardiographical differences were found between the groups as to age, sex or the clinicapresentation of the chest pain. Most patients with normal or nearly normal coronary arteries had normal electrol cardiogrammes between attacjs (8 out of 9) and electrical changes mainly over the inferior wall (8 out of 9). Exercise electrocardiography reproduced ST elevation in 4 of the 9 patients but, in contrast to the patients in the other two groups, never ST depression. However, these features are not specific for patients in Group I as they were observed in 4 patients in the other two groups. Spontaneous or induced coronary spasm were observed in 27 patients, confirming its role as the mechanism of Prinzmetal angina, whatever the anatomical appearance of the coronary tree.

Adult↗

[Liberation of inorganic phosphates in the coronary sinus as an indicator of human myocardial ischemia].

The effects of atrial pacing (A.P.) on the myocardial balance of inorganic phosphate (Pi) were studied in 11 patients with coronary atherosclerosis and pacing-induced angina (Group C) and in 5 normal subjects (Group N). During A.P. in group C 64% of patients had myocardial loss of Pi, statistically significant (p less than 0,025) always with concomitant reduced myocardial extraction or production of lactate, but only 70% of patients with reduced myocardial extraction or production of lactate had myocardial loss of Pi. In only 1 p. of group N myocardial loss of Pi with normal lactate extraction was observed. These data show that during pacing-induced ischemia there is a negative myocardial balance of Pi, that can be used as a metabolic indicator of ischemia, but less reliable than lactate reduced extraction or production.

Cardiac Pacing, Artificial↗

[Reproducibility of the clinical, electrocardiographic and coronarographic aspects of spontaneous coronary spasm with the use of ergonovine maleate].

Five patients affected by angina pectoris showed a spontaneous attack of myocardial ischemia in the course of coronary arteriography examination. During the ischemic episode it was shown a severe coronary arterial spasm promptly relieved by nitroglycerin. In these patients the administration of ergonovine maleate induced the same clinical, electrocardiographic and coronariographic patterns of spontaneous ischemic episodes. These data support the hypotesis that the ergonovine maleate administration is a suitable test for detection of the vasospastic pathogenesis in acute myocardial ischemia.

Adult↗

[Clinical, electrocardiographic and coronarographic findings in 31 patients with left coronary artery stenosis (author's transl)].

The clinical, electrocardiographic, coronarographic and hemodynamic findings in thirty-one patients with left coronary artery stenosis were compared with those noted in patients with critical stenoses in all the three branches only. It was not possible to distinguish between the two groups of patients by comparing these results, and coronary arteriography is still the only valid diagnostic procedure.

Constriction, Pathologic↗

Predictors of prognosis in patients awaiting heart transplantation.

Patients enrolled in a clinical heart transplantation program were evaluated to identify the predictors of prognosis in patients with advanced heart disease and to optimize timing of heart transplantation. Three hundred eighty-eight subjects were consecutively evaluated from 1985 through 1989. One hundred eighty-four patients (47.5%) had dilated cardiomyopathy; 164 patients (42.2%) had ischemic heart disease; 34 patients (8.8%) had valvular heart disease, and six patients (1.5%) had miscellaneous disorders. In each patient, 45 different parameters were considered. During follow-up (mean, 8.4 months) 166 patients underwent heart transplantation; 99 patients died (heart failure, 66 patients; sudden death, 26 patients; thromboembolism, two patients; noncardiac causes, five patients). The actuarial survival was 83% at 3 months, 77% at 6 months, 73% at 9 months, 70% at 1 year, and 59% at 2 years. The median survival time was 28 months. Analysis by Cox proportional hazard regression model revealed seven independent and significant prognostic factors: etiology (p < 0.05), NYHA class (p < 0.05), third heart sound (p < 0.05), diastolic pulmonary artery pressure (p < 0.05), pulmonary wedge pressure (p < 0.01), mean systemic blood pressure (p < 0.05), and cardiac output (p < 0.05). Cox's analysis allows the computation of patient-specific curves for predictions of residual survival time at any moment during follow-up. Moreover it can be used to calculate a simple prognostic index, which enables stratification of the patient population into three risk classes: patients at high (n = 105), intermediate (n = 160) and low (n = 123) risk of early death. Pairwise comparisons of survival between the classes were significant at 1% level.

Adolescent↗