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Biomedical subjects

L Piérard

Publications and source records attributed to L Piérard.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

[Cardiovascular rehabilitation].

In industrialized countries, coronary artery disease is the leading cause of mortality. Cardiovascular rehabilitation is one of the most important components of secondary prevention and is mainly prescribed after acute myocardial infarction or coronary artery revascularization. The aims of rehabilitation are not only the improvement of functional capacity but also the correction of risk factors and assistance to social and professional reintegration. There are numerous indications, including not only patients with coronary artery disease but also patients with heart failure and those who underwent cardiac surgery or heart transplantation. Cardiac rehabilitation consists in 3 successive stages. The first is performed during hospital stay. The two others take place in an approved center of multidisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation. The intensity of exercise is determined for each individual patient from the results of stress testing. The beneficial effects are well established: reduction in morbidity and mortality, improvement of quality of life and of pulmonary, cardiac, muscular and metabolic parameters. Its efficacy is only maximal when patients continue performing exercise regularly.

Coronary Disease↗
PubMed2001

[Echocardiography in athletes].

Sporting activities and athletic training induce not only physiologic, but also morphologic changes. Dynamic training is associated with an enlarged left ventricle and a small increase in wall thickness. Athletes who perform predominantly static or isometric exercise have increased wall thickness with normal left ventricular internal diameter. Systolic and diastolic function are normal. Echocardiography is the method of choice to identify and follow the athlete's heart and to distinguish between physiologic and pathologic hypertrophy.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Stenosis of a mechanical mitral prosthetic valve in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.

A young woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) developed progressive heart failure several years after mitral valve replacement with a Björk-Shiley prosthesis for treating mitral stenosis due to Libman-Sacks endocarditis. She was admitted to the hospital with pulmonary oedema. Transoesophageal echocardiography revealed stenosis of the mitral prosthesis, which was covered by fibrous tissue. Replacement of the prosthesis was done but the patient died from cerebral haemorrhage three days later. Although three cases of prosthetic valve dysfunction in SLE have been documented so far, this is to our knowledge the first report of a SLE recurrence on a tilting disc mechanical valve.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

[How I investigate ... thoracic artery dissection].

Thoracic aortic dissection constitutes an acute pathology that requires a rapid, accurate and reliable diagnosis. The authors describe and illustrate the advantages and limitations of imaging modalities used in this pathology.

Aortic Dissection↗
PubMed2000

[Diagnosis and treatment of heart failure].

The incidence of heart failure is consistently progressing among our population; it now represents a major problem of public health and is extremely costly for our health system. Over recent years, several well controlled studies have been devoted to heart failure. They allow to propose guidelines which fulfill all the requirements of Evidence-Based Medicine. These recommendations, however, are not always easy to apply in the individual patient. Guidelines for the sometimes difficult diagnosis of heart failure will be reviewed. On the basis of the results of large controlled clinical trials, we shall envisage the comprehensive treatment of a heart failure patient taking into account the functional class as well as some individual characteristics (age, presence of hypertension, atrial fibrillation, renal insufficiency). The different pharmacologic agents which have demonstrated efficacy will be reviewed and the strategies to avoid the potential pitfalls of their simultaneous use will be indicated. The key role of the general practitioner in the surveillance and titration of heart failure therapy will be emphasized.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1999

NC100100, a new echo contrast agent for the assessment of myocardial perfusion--safety and comparison with technetium-99m sestamibi single-photon emission computed tomography in a randomized multicenter study.

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Myocardial contrast echocardiography using second-generation agents has been proposed to study myocardial perfusion. A placebo-controlled, multicenter trial was conducted to evaluate the safety, optimal dose, and imaging mode for NC100100, a novel intravenous second-generation echo contrast agent, and to compare this technique with technetium-99m sestamibi (MIBI) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). METHODS: In a placebo-controlled, multicenter trial, 203 patients with myocardial infarction > 5 days and < 1 year previously underwent rest SPECT and MCE. Fundamental and harmonic imaging modes combined with continuous and electrocardiogram-- (ECG) triggered intermittent imaging were used. Six dose groups (0.030, 0.100, and 0.300 microliter particles/kg body weight for fundamental imaging; and 0.006, 0.030, and 0.150 microliter particles/kg body weight for harmonic imaging) were tested. A saline group was also included. Safety was followed for 72 h after contrast injection. Myocardial perfusion by MCE was compared with myocardial rest perfusion imaging using MIBI as a tracer. RESULTS: NC100100 was well tolerated. No serious adverse events or deaths occurred. No clinically relevant changes in vital signs, laboratory parameters, and ECG recordings were noted. There was no significant difference between adverse events in the NC100100 (25.7%) and in the placebo group (17.9%, p = 0.3). Intermittent harmonic imaging using the intermediate dose was superior to all other modalities, allowing the assessment of perfusion in 76% of all segments. Eighty segments (96%) with normal perfusion by SPECT imaging also showed myocardial perfusion with MCE. However, a substantial percentage of segments (61-80%) with perfusion defects by SPECT imaging also showed opacification by MCE. This resulted in an overall agreement of 66-81% and a high specificity (80-96%), but in low sensitivity (20-39%) of MCE for the detection of perfusion defects. CONCLUSION: NC100100 is safe in patients with myocardial infarction. Intermittent harmonic imaging with a dose of 0.03 microliter particles/kg body weight can be proposed as the best imaging protocol. Myocardial contrast echocardiography with NC 100100 provides perfusion information in approximately 76% of segments and results in myocardial opacification in the vast majority of segments with normal perfusion as assessed by SPECT. Although the discrepancies between MCE and SPECT with regard to the definition of perfusion defects requires further investigation, MCE with NC 100100 is a promising technique for the noninvasive assessment of myocardial perfusion.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Cardiac risk assessment before vascular surgery: a prospective study comparing clinical evaluation, dobutamine stress echocardiography, and dobutamine Tc-99m sestamibi tomoscintigraphy.

Preoperative evaluation for cardiac risk assessment before peripheral vascular surgery remains controversial. Between January and June 1994, a prospective open study was carried out in 156 patients scheduled for elective vascular procedures (63 carotid endarterectomies, 34 abdominal aortic aneurysms, 29 aortoiliac and 30 infrainguinal reconstructions) to compare the ability of clinical data, dobutamine stress echocardiography, and dobutamine Tc-99m sestamibi tomoscintigraphy to predict postoperative cardiac events. Pharmacological stress testing consisted of incremental dobutamine infusion (+/-1 mg atropine to achieve 85% of age-predicted maximal heart rate, with continuous echocardiographic monitoring, and injection of Tc-99m sestamibi after dobutamine infusion). Dobutamine echocardiography was abnormal in 36 patients (worsening resting wall motion abnormality in 11; new induced wall motion abnormality in 25). Dobutamine Tc-99m sestamibi tomoscintigraphy revealed a reversible perfusion defect in 34 patients, indicating the presence of myocardial ischaemia. As a result, eight patients underwent myocardial revascularization (n = 5) or the proposed operation was cancelled (n = 3). In the remaining 142 vascular procedures, there were eight (5.6%) adverse cardiac events: three myocardial infarctions (two fatal), three prolonged myocardial ischaemia, one acute congestive heart failure and one sustained ventricular arrhythmia in the post operative period. Univariate analysis selected unstable angina (relative risk (RR) 11.6), previous congestive heart failure (RR 6.4), Detsky's score of > or = 15 (RR 3.0), positive dobutamine stress echocardiography (RR 3.7), and positive dobutamine tomoscintigraphy (RR 7.4) as significant predictors of postoperative cardiac events. In patients without clinical markers of coronary artery disease (n = 66), non-invasive cardiac testing did not predict cardiac complications (n = 2; one prolonged myocardial ischaemia; one infarction). In the subset of 76 patients with definite clinical or electrocardiographic evidence of ischaemic heart disease, dobutamine stress testing provided additional information, and optimized risk stratification: five of six patients who suffered a cardiac complication had a pathologic dobutamine stress test. Furthermore, a negative dobutamine stress test was characterized by a high negative predictive value (0.96 for echocardiography; 0.97 for tomoscintigraphy). The study further demonstrated that the cardiac response (ischaemic versus non-ischaemic) to dobutamine stress was concordantly classified by echocardiographic and tomoscintigraphic techniques in 96% of cases. It is concluded that complementary non-invasive cardiac stress testing by dobutamine is indicated only in patients with clinically apparent coronary artery disease.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

[Detection of myocardial viability: role of stress echocardiography].

Identification of myocardial viability is of great clinical importance in patients with acute coronary events or chronic coronary artery disease. Stress echocardiography has emerged as a new accurate and cost-effective imaging modality to detect contractile reserve. Numerous studies have recently been published in this field. This article summarizes the main findings of these investigations and presents practical aspects of the method.

Dipyridamole↗