Publications by authors named "Alex Zaphiriou"
Article Synopsis
- There has been a significant rise in transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CA) diagnoses, prompting the launch of the Midlands Amyloidosis Service to improve patient access to timely diagnoses and treatments.
- A descriptive study evaluated a hub-and-spoke model that connected patients from the Midlands region to a specialized multidisciplinary clinic, where ATTR-CA diagnoses were confirmed through validated criteria or imaging evidence.
- The study involved 173 patients referred between 2019 and 2021, with 68 diagnosed with ATTR-CA; the median time to diagnosis was 43 days, and the model helped reduce travel by saving patients an average of 187 miles.
Article Synopsis
- The study looked at patients with high levels of NT-proBNP to see if it helps in diagnosing heart problems, especially heart failure (HF).
- Out of 654 patients, many were found to have valve disease, atrial fibrillation (AF), or heart failure, but not everyone with high NT-proBNP had heart failure.
- The results suggest that while NT-proBNP is good for spotting heart issues in general, it isn't very effective at telling apart heart failure from other heart diseases like valve problems or AF.
Introduction: Coronary artery perforation (CP) is a rare but life-threatening complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This study aimed to assess the incidence, management and outcomes of CP over time.
Methods: A single-centre retrospective cohort study of all PCIs performed between January 2010 and December 2020.
Background: Excimer laser coronary atherectomy (ELCA) can be used as an adjunctive percutaneous coronary intervention treatment for challenging, heavily calcified lesions. Although previous studies have documented high rates of complication and restenosis, these predate the introduction of the smaller 0.9 mm laser catheter.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeavily calcified and densely fibrotic coronary lesions continue to represent a challenge for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), as they are difficult to dilate, and it is difficult to deliver and implant drug-eluting stents (DES) properly. Poor stent deployment is associated with high rates of periprocedural complications and suboptimal long-term clinical outcomes. Thanks to the introduction of several adjunctive PCI tools, like cutting and scoring balloons, atherectomy devices, and to the novel intravascular lithotripsy technology, the treatment of such lesions has become increasingly feasible, predictable and safe.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Mixed pulmonary hypertension (PH) in heart failure (HF) is defined by transpulmonary gradient ≥ 12 and/or pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) ≥ 240 dyne/s/cm(-5), but diastolic pressure gradient (DPG) ≥ 7 mmHg has been proposed more recently. We evaluated the acute hemodynamic response to sodium nitroprusside (SNP) specifically in relation to the proposed DPG criterion ≥7 mmHg and the prognostic significance of response to SNP in patients with mixed PH and advanced HF.
Methods: Ninety-eight consecutive patients with advanced HF and mixed PH underwent cardiac catheterization and acute SNP infusion.
Aims: The Impella is a percutaneous ventricular assist device. The majority of published data describes the 2.5L and 5.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the measurement of plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-BNP (NTproBNP) in patients referred by their general practitioners (GPs) with symptoms suggestive of heart failure. Additionally, to compare the diagnostic accuracy of the resting 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) with that of the peptides.
Design: A diagnostic accuracy study.