An easy method for monitoring patients with pulmonary Hypertension: P-wave dispersion.

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a haemodynamic and pathophysiological condition with restricted flow through the pulmonary arterial circulation. In pulmonary hypertension, right ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction can lead to an increase in atrial strain, fibrosis and dilation, which cause inhomogeneous atrial conduction. Interlead variation in P-wave duration is called P-wave dispersion (PwD), which is an electrocardiographic parameter that can be used to predict atrial arrhythmias.

Blood pressure control in anticoagulated hypertensive patients.

Objective: To compare the methods of office blood pressure (BP) measurement and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) to ensure optimal BP control in hypertensive anticoagulated patients.

Patients And Methods: Seventy-eight patients who were receiving antihypertensive drugs and warfarin in a dose-adjusted approach to achieve therapeutic international normalized ratio because of the association of atrial fibrillation were enrolled in the study. Twenty-four hour ABPM was applied to all patients.

Baseline SYNTAX score and long-term outcome in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Objectives: The SYNTAX score (SXscore) has emerged as a reproducible angiographic tool to quantify the extent of coronary artery disease based on the location and complexity of each lesion. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the SXscore is an independent predictor of long-term cardiovascular outcomes in patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Methods: A total of 2993 patients with acute STEMI who underwent primary PCI were stratified into the 4 groups according to the SXscore quartiles; quartile 1(Q1, SXscore ≤ 9, n = 819), Q2 (9 < SXscore < 16, n = 715), Q3 (16 ≤ SXscore < 20, n = 710), and Q4 (SXscore ≥ 20, n = 749).

Measurement of the coronary flow velocity reserve in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background/aims: Endothelial dysfunction is an early and reversible feature in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Coronary flow velocity reserve is a noninvasive test showing endothelial function of epicardial coronary arteries and coronary microcirculatory function. This study was designed to evaluate the carotid intima-media thickness and myocardial microvascular circulation in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

[Reshaping the left Judkins catheter for a right coronary angiogram in the anomalous aortic origin of the right coronary: killing two birds with one left Judkins].

Objectives: Selective cannulation of the right coronary artery (RCA) in the anomalous aortic origin of the RCA is technically difficult and challenging. In this study, we tested the success of RCA cannulation with a reshaped left Judkins catheter in cases of difficult selective cannulation.

Study Design: The study population consisted of 837 consecutive patients (456 male, 381 female) that were admitted to our hospital with stable angina pectoris and acute coronary syndrome between October 1 and December 31, 2011.

Endothelial dysfunction in hemodialysis patients with failed renal transplants.

Background: Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is a common precursor and denominator of cardiovascular events including development of atherosclerosis. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to investigate ED, measured by coronary flow reserve (CFR) in hemodialysis (nHD) patients who were never transplanted and patients with failed renal transplants restarting hemodialysis (fTx-HD).

Methods: Forty nHD (24 males, mean age 39 ± 9 yr) and 43 fTx-HD patients (27 males, mean age 36 ± 9 yr) were included in the study.

Reduced coronary flow reserve and early diastolic filling abnormalities in patients with nephrotic syndrome.

Background: Increased cardiovascular disease risk is very well known in nephrotic syndrome. Coronary flow reserve measurement by trans-thoracic echocardiography reflects coronary microvascular and endothelial function. However, diastolic filling abnormalities by echocardiography may indicate diastolic dysfunction.

Coronary flow reserve after L-thyroxine therapy in Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients with subclinical and overt hypothyroidism.

Background/aims: Overt and subclinical hypothyroidism are reported to be associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. We have used coronary flow reserve (CFR) measurement by trans-thoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE) to determine coronary microvascular function in Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients with overt and subclinical hypothyroidism and to evaluate effects of L-thyroxine replacement on coronary endothelial function.

Methods: In total, 10 overt hypothyroid patients, 10 subclinical hypothyroid patients, and 10 controls were enrolled.

Coronary flow reserve is impaired in patients with adult growth hormone (GH) deficiency.

Objective: Relationship between adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) and increased cardiovascular disease risk is very well known in hypopituitary patients treated with conventional hormone replacement therapy other than growth hormone (GH) administration. Endothelial dysfunction, an early and reversible event in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, is associated with increased vascular smooth muscle tone, arterial stiffening and intima-media thickness (IMT). Coronary flow reserve (CFR) measurement by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE) reflects coronary microvascular and endothelial functions, as a cheaper and an easy screening test.