Cardiology Research and Practice

Image registration has been used for a wide variety of tasks within cardiovascular imaging. This study aims to provide an overview of the existing image registration methods to assist researchers and impart valuable resource for studying the existing methods or developing new methods and evaluation strategies for cardiac image registration. For the cardiac diagnosis and treatment strategy, image registration and fusion can provide complementary information to the physician by using the integrated image from these two modalities...

Background: In-stent restenosis (ISR) remains a common problem following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, the best treatment strategy remains uncertain. There is some controversy over the efficacy of drug-eluting balloons (DEBs) and second-generation drug-eluting stents (DESs) for treating ISR. Methods: A meta-analysis was used to compare the efficacy of the DEB and second-generation DES in the treatment of ISR. The primary endpoint is the incidence of target lesion revascularization (TLR)...

Introduction: Electrical cardioversion (ECV) is a short but painful procedure for treating cardiac dysrhythmias. There is a wide variation regarding the medication strategy to facilitate this procedure. Many different sedative techniques for ECV are described. Currently, the optimal medication strategy to prevent pain in ECV has yet to be established. The role for additional analgesic agents to prevent pain during the procedure remains controversial, and evidence is limited. Methods: We conducted a prospective multicenter study to determine the incidence of painful recall in ECV with propofol as a sole agent for sedation, in order to assess the indication for additional opioids...

Background: Routine ambulatory echocardiographic estimates of left ventricular (LV) filling pressures are not cost-effective and are occasionally fraught with anatomic, physiologic as well as logistical limitations. The use of implantable hemodynamic devices such as CardioMEMS Heart Failure (HF) System has been shown to reduce HF-related readmission rates by remote monitoring of LV filling pressures. Little is known about the correlation between CardioMEMS and echocardiography-derived estimates of central hemodynamics...

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2016/4013843.].

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) describes any condition characterized by myocardial ischaemia and reduction in blood flow. The physiopathological process of ACS is the atherosclerosis where MIF operates as a major regulator of inflammation. The aim of this study was to assess the mRNA expression of MIF gene and its serum levels in the clinical manifestations of ACS and unrelated individuals age- and sex-matched with patients as the control group (CG). All samples were run using the conditions indicated in TaqMan Gene Expression Assay protocol...

Background: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most common complication among patients undergoing cardiac surgery. However, data on the economic burden and resource utilization associated with POAF in Asian population are limited. The present study aimed at estimating medical costs attributable to POAF after cardiac surgery in Thai population. Methods: We analysed data from claims database of patients who underwent valve replacement, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), or a combination of both procedures at a tertiary-care, academic hospital in Thailand...

Introduction: Soluble ST2 (sST2) is increased during acute myocardial infarction. The point of care test (POCT) for sST2 is currently available. The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of the sST2 POCT measurement for predicting adverse cardiac events during acute care of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Patients and Methods: This research used a cohort study design. Consecutive patients with STEMI were enrolled. Soluble ST2 level was measured from peripheral blood taken on admission with POCT...

Purpose: The purposes of this study are to assess the acute effects of iodixanol, an iso-osmolar contrast media, on pulmonary functions and to evaluate the body composition in order to find out its role in causing this deterioration. Methods: 35 male and 25 female patients undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography (CA) were enrolled in the study. Before CA, all patients' body compositions were evaluated by measuring their body mass indexes (BMIs) and waist-to-hip ratios (WHRs)...

Objective: Herein, we investigated the balance of thiol/disulfide, with the hypothesis that the balance between disulfides and thiols, which are natural antioxidants, might be disrupted in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia, which eventually leads to endothelial damage. Methods: In this study, we evaluated 51 patients diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia and 81 healthy subjects. Blood samples were taken from the patients after a minimum of 12 hours of fasting; samples were immediately centrifuged, stored in Eppendorf tubes, and preserved at -80°C...

Background: Sudden cardiac arrest is a major public health problem in the world. Immediate initiation of high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) significantly increased patient survival rate. Therefore, it is very important to train young people and increase public awareness of CPR for the long-term benefit of the community. Objective: We aimed at estimating the level of knowledge and attitude towards cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) among the university students in the northern region of Saudi Arabia...

Background: Australian guidelines advocate primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) as the reperfusion strategy of choice for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in patients in whom it can be performed within 90 minutes of first medical contact; otherwise, fibrinolytic therapy is preferred. In a large health district, the reperfusion strategy is often chosen in the prehospital setting. We sought to identify a distance from a PCI centre, which made it unlikely first medical contact to balloon time (FMCTB) of less than 90 minutes could be achieved in the Hunter New England health district and to identify causes of delay in patients who were triaged to a PPCI strategy...

Aim: This study sought to compare short- and long-term outcomes of drug-eluting stents (DESs) versus bare-metal stents (BMSs) implantation in patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis (ESRD-HD) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: Adult patients with ESRD-HD who underwent PCI at all nonfederal hospitals in Massachusetts between July 1, 2003, and September 30, 2007, were stratified based on the stent type placed at index hospitalization: DES or BMS...

Syncope is difficult to definitively diagnose, even with tilt-table testing and beat-to-beat blood pressure measurements, the gold-standard. Both are qualitative, subjective assessments. There are subtypes of syncope associated with autonomic conditions for which tilt-table testing is not useful. Heart rate variability analyses also include too much ambiguity. Three subtypes of syncope are differentiated: vasovagal syncope (VVS) due to parasympathetic excess (VVS-PE), VVS with abnormal heart rate response (VVS-HR), and VVS without PE (VVS-PN)...

Aims: Cardiovascular diseases are the primary cause of premature morbidity and mortality in early breast cancer patients after treatment with cardiotoxic chemotherapeutic agents. Arterial stiffness is an independent risk factor for future cardiovascular diseases and can be used as a predictive marker of subclinical cardiac damage. The aim of this study is to analyze the arterial stiffness in breast cancer patients who are in the follow-up period after receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens with trastuzumab...

Objective: Donepezil, a widely used cholinesterase inhibitor for treating Alzheimer's disease, has been reported to induce bradyarrhythmias and torsade de pointes. In this study, we aimed at determining electrocardiogram changes of donepezil administration in elderly patients with ischemic heart disease, who tend to suffer from cognitive disorders. Methods: Sixty patients with ischemic heart disease and mild cognitive impairment were treated with donepezil (5 mg/day) and followed up for at least four weeks...

Background: Indexed left atrial volume (LAVi) is a robust predictor of adverse cardiovascular events. A minority of patients with moderate-to-severe left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction maintain normal LAVi. We followed clinical and echocardiographic parameters for at least 6 months to understand how this population is different from patients with similar systolic dysfunction and dilated left atria. Methods and Results: We searched our electronic medical records for "normal" ( n =817) and "severely dilated" ( n =1094) LA size and LV ejection fraction (EF) ≤ 35% on echocardiogram reports from 2009 to 2015...

Radiological interventions play an increasingly relevant role in cardiology. Due to the inherent risks of ionizing radiation, proper care must be taken with monitoring and optimizing the dose delivered in angiograms to pose as low risk as possible to staff and patients. Dose optimization is particularly pertinent in teaching hospitals, where longer procedure times are at times necessary to accommodate the teaching needs of junior staff, and thus impart a more significant radiation dose. This study aims to analyze the effects of different protocol settings in routine coronary angiograms, from the perspective of a large tertiary center implementing a rapid dose reduction program...

Aim: Aortic valve replacement (AVR) in patients with prior cardiac surgery might be challenging. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) offers a promising alternative in such patients. We therefore aimed at comparing the outcomes of patients with aortic valve diseases undergoing TAVR versus those undergoing surgical AVR (SAVR) after previous cardiac surgery. Methods and Results: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register were searched. Seven relevant studies were identified, published between 01/2011 and 12/2015, enrolling a total of 1148 patients with prior cardiac surgery (97...

We have analysed the database of 1,595 consecutive patients visiting our department of cardiology and internal medicine clinic in 2005-2014. The analysis included 13,990 visit records, and the average number of visits per patient was 8.5 ± 7.0. Our goals were to evaluate the effectivity of hypertension treatment as for drug choice, decrease of sBP and dBP associated with a certain drug, a drug combination, and therapeutic inertia in patients with metabolic syndrome and/or diabetes mellitus. The final number of patients for analysis who fulfilled the inclusion criteria for interpenetration of both diagnostic circles was 570...