Aneurysmal 'pepper-pot' atrial septal defect in an older gentleman with multiple cerebrovascular attacks.

Our patient presented to a large university teaching hospital with a history of light-headedness, falls and multiple cerebrovascular ischaemic events. This caused a right sided hemiplegia and the patient experienced significant functional limitation. Extensive investigations were carried out to exclude any causative factors such as carotid artery disease and the patient had all identifiable cardiovascular risk factors identified and modified.

Long Term Outcomes in Stress Echocardiography: Ten Year Follow up of a Cohort in a Single Centre.

Backgroud: The high service burden for acute admissions and referrals via rapid access chest pain clinics for evaluation of possible coronary artery disease means that many patients are now undergoing an investigation such as stress echocardiography as part of their evaluation. We aimed to see if the reassurance provided by negative stress echocardiography correlates with long-term event free survival.

Methods: A cohort of all patients who were referred at a single centre for stress echocardiography for diagnosis of coronary artery disease between January 1st 1999 and December 31st 2000 were followed up at least 10 years following theirs stress echocardiogram for further major cardiovascular events and mortality.