Cardiovacular Diseases

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After a new medical expense system "DPC (Diagnosis Procedure Combination)" had been introduced in 2003, the change in the medical treatment fee was evaluated according to each cardiovascular surgical field. Application of the DPC is limited to hospitalization fee in the general ward by a fixed daily amount The former payment system remains for operation, anesthesia, and some invasive examinations such as cardiac catheterization, therefore, the influence of the DPC introduction on cardiovascular surgery was minimum...

Cardiovacular disease is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. However, there are no reliable data neither on the prevalence of cardiovacular disease nor its risk factors in Spain. The Morbidity and mortality Anemia Renal study (MAR) is a two-year multicenter, open-label, prospective cohorts study. Its main objective is to assess the general morbidity and mortality, particularly of a cardiovascular cause, and its relationship with the degree of anemia. Secondary objectives are: a/ the description of current clinical practices in anemia, dialysis, vascular access, and CV risk factor management; and b/ the description of hospitalization and mortality causes...

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is a frequent condition that may be associated with increased cardiovascular risk. There is current interest in determining the effect, if any, of substitutive therapy with l-thyroxine (L-T4) on cardiovascular risk factors in SH and, particularly, on those associated with emerging cardiovacular risk, such as apolipoprotein (apo) B, lipoprotein (Lp) (a), total homocysteine (t-Hcy), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the impact of euthyroidism restoration on these emerging risk factors in SH...

The largest cohort studies and a number of other epidemiological or clinical studies have found an increased risk of total, cardiovascular and stroke mortality in patients (both men and women of every age) with chronic non-rheumatic atrial fibrillation (AF) compared to heterogeneous individuals in normal sinus rhythm. These studies suggested that AF increases the probability of death without changing the mode of death. Many excess deaths due to non-rheumatic AF occur soon after the diagnosis of the arrhythmia...

The beneficial influence of calcium entry blockers in the treatment of ischemia, both in the heart and in other tissues, can be explained by many effects including 1) relaxation of venous smooth muscle cells, in particular those of the splanchnic veins; 2) a negative inotropic effect on the myocardial cells; 3) negative chronotropic effects on the heart; 4) inhibition of vasospastic episodes in coronary and other large arteries; 5) depression of myogenic activity and responsiveness to vasoconstrictor stimuli in precapillary resistance vessels; 6) inhibition of platelet aggregation; 7) possibly, increases in the deformability of hypoxic red blood cells; 8) protection of endothelial integrity and function; and 9) protection of body cells, in particular myocardial cells, from prolonged exposure to anoxia and from massive entry of Ca2+ during reperfusion...

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Following determination of ABO blood type at the sixth biennial examination, the Framingham Heart Study cohort was followed for the occurrence of cardiovascular events for a period of 10 years. A significant association was found between blood type and intermittent claudication, with blood group O showing the lowest rates. Slight but non-significant excesses for certain other CHD events were also found in non-O individuals. Serum cholesterol showed marginally significant but consistent elevations in non-O subjects but the increased risk in non-O individuals was found to occur independently of the known intermittent claudication risk factors...

Serum elastase inhibiting capacity was measured in three groups: 150 control subjects, 38 hospitalized children without cardiovacular diseases and 202 hospitalized patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases. The values obtained were 53% in control adult subjects and 79% (range 45--90%) in the hospitalized patient groups. The highest levels were recorded at the acute phase of myocardial infarction. The levels of alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha1-AT) and alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha2-M) were determined by radial immunodiffusion technique for various levels of inhibitory power...