[Expert Consensus document on angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in cardiovascular disease].
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Ali Oto.
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BACKGROUND: Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is associated with poor prognosis. Previous studies have shown good correlation between P-wave dispersion (Pd) and occurrence of PAF. However, Pd in patients with HCM for predicting PAF has not been studied. HYPOTHESIS: The aim of the study was to determine whether Pd could identify patients with HCM who are likely to suffer from PAF. METHODS: Twenty-two patients with HCM with a history of PAF (Group 1) and 26 patients with HCM without a history of PAF (Group 2) were studied. Maximum (Pmax) and minimum (Pmin) P-wave durations, as well as P-wave dispersion (Pd = Pmax - Pmin) were calculated from 12-lead surface electrocardiograms (ECG). RESULTS: P-wave dispersion was significantly different between the groups (Group 1: 55 +/- 6 ms vs. Group 2: 37 +/- 8 ms; p<0.001), while Pmax (Group 1: 134 +/- 11 ms vs. Group 2: 128 +/- 13 ms; p = 0.06) and Pmin (Group 1: 78 +/- 9 ms vs. Group 2: 81 +/- 7 ms; p = 0.07) was not significantly different. Patients with a history of PAF had higher left atrial diameter than the patients without PAF (Group 1: 52 +/- 8 mm vs. Group 2: 48 +/- 10 mm; p = 0.02). A cut-off value of 46 ms for Pd had a sensitivity of 76% and a specificity of 82% in discriminating between patients with and without PAF. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that P-wave dispersion could identify patients with HCM who are likely to develop PAF.
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BACKGROUND: Revascularization rates vary substantially between countries in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The impact of early revascularization on clinical outcomes in such patients remains uncertain. The ASSENT-2 fibrinolytic trial provides the opportunity to compare revascularization rates following STEMI in patients across 29 countries, and to explore the relationship between revascularization and clinical outcome. METHODS: Countries participating in ASSENT-2 were grouped into tertiles according to their in-hospital revascularization rates (<15%, 15-39%, >39%). Baseline characteristics, medication and procedure use, and clinical outcomes of the 16949 patients enrolled were compared. Multiple Cox regressions were used to assess the relationship between the tertiles and 30-day mortality, the primary endpoint of the ASSENT-2 trial. Multilevel logistic regression models were developed to validate and further extend the findings from the single-level analyses. RESULTS: Patients in highest tertile countries were younger, heavier, and more often diabetic or hypertensive. They were more likely to have had a previous myocardial infarction or revascularization procedure. Time to treatment and hospital length of stay were shorter in the highest tertile, and beta-blocker use was more frequent. Stroke rates were low and similar across tertiles, with no statistically significant difference in rates of intracranial haemorrhage. Recurrent ischaemia and reinfarction were less common in the highest tertile. Mortality rates at 30 days were lower for countries with the highest revascularization rates (5.1% vs 6.9% vs 6.5% for the lower two tertiles, P<0.001). At 1 year, mortality remained significantly lower in the highest tertile countries (8.4% vs 10.6% vs 9.9%, P=0.001). Following adjustment for baseline patient characteristics, Cox regression analysis confirmed an excess of 30-day and 1-year mortality in the lowest and intermediate tertiles compared to the highest tertile. The multilevel analyses validated these findings, and demonstrated that a country's life expectancy and the hospital volume were inversely related to both 30-day and 1-year mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The highest rate of in-hospital revascularization following fibrinolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction in this international study was associated with a reduction in recurrent ischaemia, reinfarction, and improved survival at both 30 days and at 1 year. The optimal rates of revascularization in this setting remain to be determined.
This study is designed to assess the value of heart rate turbulence (HRT) in the acute phase of MI for prediction of long-term mortality risk. The study included 128 consecutive acute MI patients with 24-hour Holter recordings to evaluate HRT (turbulence onset and slope), SDNN, mean RR interval, and ventricular premature beat frequency. LVEF was evaluated by two-dimensional echocardiography. Data from 117 patients (mean age 58 +/- 11 years) were available for further analysis. Twelve patients died during follow-up (mean 312 +/- 78 days). Although SDNN < 70 ms was the most powerful predictor of mortality among all presumed risk factors (hazard ratio 20 [95% CI 2.6-158]; P = 0.004) in univariate Cox regression analysis, in multivariate analysis LVEF < or = 0.40 and turbulence slope < or = 2.5 ms/RR interval were the only independent predictors of mortality (hazard ratio 6.9 [95% CI 1.8-26]; P = 0.006, hazard ratio 7.3 [95% CI 1.4-37]; P = 0.016, respectively). Addition of HRT parameters for LVEF increased remarkably the positive predictive value (60%) without any decrease in the negative predictive value (92%). Blunted HRT reaction within the first 24 hours of acute MI is an independent predictor of long-term mortality. Furthermore, its predictive power is comparable and also additive to that of LVEF.
BACKGROUND: There are few data related to the seasonal influences on the QT dispersion. METHODS: We analyzed the effects of seasons on QT dispersion in a large group of healthy young males. We studied the seasonal variability of QT dispersion in 523 healthy male subjects aged 22 +/- 4 years (ranging from 20 to 26). Four seasonal 12-lead resting electrocardiograms (ECGs) recorded at double amplitude were performed at 25 mm/s at intervals of 3 months. Subsequent ECGs were recorded within 1 hour of the reference winter recording. QT dispersion was defined as the difference between the longest and the shortest mean QT intervals. RESULTS: There was a significant seasonal variation in QT dispersion (P = 0.001), with the largest QT dispersion in winter (71 +/- 18 ms) and the smallest one in spring (43 +/- 19). CONCLUSION: There exists a significant seasonal variation in QT dispersion of healthy subjects and such variability should be taken into consideration in the evaluation process of QT dispersion.
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Cardiac repolarization primarily results from activation of outward currents carried by potassium ions which are heterogeneously distributed throughout the myocardial layers which can lead to changes in various phases of cardiac cycle. QT interval is a reflector of cardiac repolarization and can be influenced by heart rate, autonomic nervous system, gender and time of the day. T wave alternans (TWA), specifically the discordant pattern is a feature of abnormal cardiac repolarization that can be used as a predictor of ventricular arrhythmias.
Lead extraction may be complicated by lead fracture and embolization of the lead fragments into the pulmonary circulation or other vasculature causing various signs and symptoms. We present a very unusual case demonstrating embolization of a pacemaker electrode fragment into the superolateral vein in the spinal canal causing root compression. The electrode fragment was removed by spinal surgery, and the patient's symptoms gradually resolved.
Aims The P-wave duration (PWD) has been shown to prolong in conditions associated with elevated left ventricular end-diastolic and left atrial pressures, which also increase during transient coronary artery occlusions such as angioplasty. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of angioplasty-induced myocardial ischaemia on signal averaged PWD in patients undergoing coronary angioplasty. Methods Eighty-four consecutive adult patients with single-vessel coronary artery disease undergoing elective coronary angioplasty were included. Duration of the P wave before and during coronary angioplasty were evaluated using signal averaged P-wave analysis. Patients were classified in groups according to the artery occluded, as left anterior descending (LAD) Group, right coronary artery (RCA) Group or Others Group (which included obtuse marginal, circumflex or diagonal). Results Patients included in the LAD, RCA and Others groups were similar with respect to clinical characteristics. The mean PWD at baseline was similar in all lesions (P>0.05), whereas mean PWD at inflation was significantly longer in LAD Group compared with RCA (126.1 +/- 9.5 ms vs 118.7 +/- 10.4 ms, P=0.007) and Others (126.1 +/- 9.5 ms vs 116.3 +/- 8.6 ms, P<0.001). The PWD during balloon inflation was significantly prolonged in all groups compared with baseline levels (LAD Group 126.1 +/- 9.6 ms vs 109.7 +/- 8.0 ms; RCA Group 118.7 +/- 10.4 ms vs 108.3 +/- 8.4 ms and Others Group 116.3 +/- 8.6 ms vs 109.7 +/- 6.0 ms, all P values <0.001). Conclusion Signal-averaged PWD significantly increases during single-vessel coronary angioplasty. This increase is more pronounced for LAD lesions. However, the clinical implications of P-wave prolongation during balloon angioplasty and the value of PWD as a measure of ischaemia remains to be clarified.
We studied the seasonal variability of P dispersion in 523 healthy male patients, aged 22 +/- 4 years (range, 20-26). Four seasonal 12-lead resting electrocardiograms were recorded at 2 mV/cm standardization and at 50 mm/s paper speed at intervals of three months. Electrocardiograms were recorded between the hours 10 to 12 AM. The difference between the maximum P-wave duration and minimum P-wave duration was calculated and defined as "P dispersion." There was a significant seasonal variation in the maximum P-wave duration (P = .001) and P dispersion (P = .001), with the longest maximum P-wave duration (121 +/- 16 ms) and P dispersion (41 +/- 7 ms) observed in winter and the shortest maximum P-wave duration (106 +/- 15 ms) and P dispersion (24 +/- 8 ms) observed in summer. The minimum P-wave duration did not show any significant seasonal variation. In conclusion, there exists a significant seasonal variation in the maximum P-wave duration and P dispersion in healthy patients. Seasonal variation of P dispersion resulted from the significant variation of maximum P-wave duration.
In this report, clinical, echocardiographic, and pathologic findings of a patient with multiple masses caused by tuberculosis both in the left and right side of the heart are presented. After antituberculosis treatment some of the masses disappeared and some became smaller. Although an intracardiac mass caused by tuberculosis is very rare, it should be considered in the list of masses detected by echocardiography.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of menstrual cycle on cardiac autonomic function parameters in young healthy women by means of heart rate variability (HRV). METHODS: Forty-three nonobese regularly cycling women (age 29 +/- 6, range 20-38) were enrolled. Recordings for HRV analysis were obtained during the two phases of the menstrual cycle when the estrogen and progesterone levels peaked (follicular phase 11 +/- 1 days and luteal phase 21 +/- 1 days from the start of bleeding). Power spectral analysis of HRV was performed to calculate the low frequency peak (LF, 0.04-0.15 Hz), high frequency peak (HF, 0.15-0.40 Hz), LF in normalized unit (LF nU), HF in normalized unit (HF nU), and LF/HF ratio during the two phases of menstrual cycle. RESULTS: The heart rates, LF and HF, were similar in both phases (P > 0.05). A significant increase was noted in the LF NU in the luteal phase compared to follicular phase of the menstrual cycle (P = 0.014), whereas a tendency for increased HF NU was observed in the follicular phase (P = 0.053). Furthermore, LF/HF ratio was significantly higher in the luteal phase compared to follicular phase (2.1 +/- 1.5 vs 1.6 +/- 0.9, P = 0.002), suggesting increased sympathetic activity in the luteal phase. CONCLUSION: We concluded that regulation of autonomic tone is modified during menstrual cycle. The alteration in the balance of ovarian hormones might be responsible for these changes in the cardiac autonomic innervation.
In order to investigate the effect of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on plasma homocysteine and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels 46 healthy postmenopausal women were prospectively enrolled. HRT, which was either 0.625 mg/day conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) plus 2.5 mg/day medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) or 0.625 mg/day CEE alone were administered. After 6 months, estrogen alone significantly increased serum CRP concentrations (p = 0.039), however, estrogen plus progesterone therapy did not significantly alter serum CRP levels. Both regimens significantly decreased plasma homocysteine levels (CEE group p = 0.034, CEE+MPA group p = 0.007). It was concluded that the reduction in plasma homocysteine levels with both regimens might contribute to the cardiovascular benefit of HRT and the CRP raising effect of estrogen might be partially prevented by the addition of progesterone.
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A case of primary hyperaldosteronism due to an adrenal adenoma with near syncope and torsade de pointes is described. A woman patient had a history of high blood pressure and severe hypokalemia that was the cause of her ventricular arrhythmia, which was controlled by administering potassium supplementation but no antiarrhythmic medication. Adrenal adenoma was identified on axial computerized tomography. This case report suggests that there may be a chance of complete cure from torsade de pointes if the underlying cause of QT prolongation can be identified.