Student survey after ten years of continuous blended teaching of echocardiography.

Objective: To analyse the impact of 10 years of blended echocardiography teaching.

Methods And Results: A questionnaire was emailed to all medical doctors who graduated from the blended learning diploma in echocardiography developed by the University of Chile and taught by a team from Chile and Spain. One hundred and forty of the 210 students who graduated from the program between 2011 and 2020 completed the questionnaire: 53.

Influence of Treadmill Design on Gait: Does Treadmill Size Affect Muscle Activation Amplitude? A Musculoskeletal Calculation With Individualized Input Parameters of Gait Analysis.

With increasing age, gait changes often occur, leading to mobility problems and thus a higher risk of falling. Interest in training at home or at retirement homes has led to the development of "mobile treadmills." A difference in treadmill surface length may influence walking parameters (i.

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.

Serum osteoprotegerin in prevalent hemodialysis patients: associations with mortality, atherosclerosis and cardiac function.

Background: To assess whether serum osteoprotegerin (OPG) and/or fetuin-A predict mortality and cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis patients.

Methods: Multicenter, observational, prospective study that included 220 hemodialysis patients followed up for up to 6 years. Serum OPG and fetuin-A levels were measured at baseline and their possible association with clinical characteristics, CV risk biomarkers, carotid ultrasonographic findings, as well as their association with overall and CV mortality and CV events were assessed.

A rare cause of severe mitral stenosis and reversible pulmonary hypertension.

Myxoma is a rare cause of severe mitral stenosis. We describe a challenging case of severe mitral stenosis and reversible pulmonary hypertension produced by a giant left atrial myxoma. The greatest risk is a diagnostic delay due to focus on discarding a pulmonary etiology of dyspnea.

[Cognitive-perceptive approaches in the treatment of chronic pain].

In the treatment of difficult chronic pain conditions, cognitive-perceptive approaches offer an alternative to conventional therapies. Especially phantom limb pain and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) are frequently treated with these promising modalities. This article provides an overview of the most important cognitive-perceptive therapies and the research results concerning their clinical efficacy.

Characterizing the spectrum of right ventricular remodelling in response to chronic training.

The significance and spectrum of reduced right ventricular (RV) deformation, reported in endurance athletes, is unclear. To comprehensively analyze the cardiac performance at rest of athletes, especially focusing on integrating RV size and deformation to unravel the underlying triggers of this ventricular remodelling. Hundred professional male athletes and 50 sedentary healthy males of similar age were prospectively studied.

Minimally Invasive Transradial Percutaneous Closure of Aortic Paravalvular Leaks: Following the Steps of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Two patients with severe aortic paravalvular leaks (PVLs) in a mechanical prosthesis were percutaneously treated. Procedures were performed with mild sedation, angiographic guidance, and a 6-French right radial artery approach with good final results. Percutaneous PVL treatment is routinely performed with general anaesthesia, transesophageal echocardiographic guidance, and femoral access.

Risk factors for pericardial effusion in native valve infective endocarditis and its influence on outcome.

Data on the incidence, associated factors, and prognosis of pericardial effusion (PE) in patients with infective endocarditis (IE) are scarce. Patients with native valve IE were prospectively followed in our center from 1990 to 2007. A logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent variables associated with PE and mortality.

Nocturnal, every-other-day, online haemodiafiltration: an effective therapeutic alternative.

Background: Longer and more frequent dialysis sessions have demonstrated excellent survival and clinical advantages, while online haemodiafiltration (OL-HDF) provides the most efficient form of dialysis treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the beneficial effects of a longer (nocturnal) and more frequent (every-other-day) dialysis schedule with OL-HDF at the same or the highest convective volume.

Methods: This prospective, in-centre crossover study was carried out in 26 patients, 18 males and 8 females, 49.

Role of echocardiogram in decision making for surgery in endocarditis.

Infective endocarditis is a serious disease that carries significant morbidity and mortality. Adequate treatment is based on a high degree of clinical suspicion, accurate microbiologic diagnosis, and high-quality imaging. Echocardiography has been shown to be a fundamental tool for diagnosis and management.

Usefulness of transoesophageal echocardiography before circumferential pulmonary vein ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation: is it really mandatory?

Aims: Transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is recommended prior to circumferential pulmonary vein ablation (CPVA) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) to identify left atrial (LA) or left atrial appendage (LAA) wall thrombi. It is not clear whether all patients undergoing CPVA should receive pre-procedural TEE. We wanted to assess the incidence of LA thrombus in these patients and to identify factors associated with its presence.

Chagas cardiomyopathy: the potential of diastolic dysfunction and brain natriuretic peptide in the early identification of cardiac damage.

Introduction: Chagas disease remains a major cause of mortality in several countries of Latin America and has become a potential public health problem in non-endemic countries as a result of migration flows. Cardiac involvement represents the main cause of mortality, but its diagnosis is still based on nonspecific criteria with poor sensitivity. Early identification of patients with cardiac involvement is desirable, since early treatment may improve prognosis.

[Prevalence of cardiovascular disease in uraemia and relevance of cardiovascular risk factors].

Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its association with cardiovascular risk factors, as well as their control in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients under maintenance hemodialysis (HD).

Patients And Methods: A total of 265 patients with ESRD on maintenance HD from a University Hospital and 4 dialysis units were included in this multicenter and cross-sectional study that analyzed the prevalence of CVD and the possible association with classic and new cardiovascular risk factors. Usual biochemical and haemathological parameters were analyzed, as well as plasma levels of homocysteine, troponin-I, BNP, lipoprotein(a), C reactive protein, IL-6, fibrinogen, asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), malondialdehyde, adiponectin, osteoprotegerin, and fetuin.

Relation of plasma brain natriuretic peptide levels on admission for ST-elevation myocardial infarction to left ventricular end-diastolic volume six months later measured by both echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the relation between brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels within the first 96 hours after ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) and the development of left ventricular (LV) dilatation at 6-month follow-up. Eighty-two patients with first STEMIs, reperfused within 12 hours of symptom onset, were prospectively included. Plasma BNP was determined on admission and at 1- and 6-month follow-up.

Long-term effect of cardiac resynchronization therapy on functional mitral valve regurgitation.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been shown to reduce functional mitral regurgitation (MR). The aims of this study were to analyze the underlying mechanisms leading to this reduction and to identify the best candidates with functional MR for this therapy. Changes in mitral geometry, left ventricular (LV) remodeling, and LV synchrony were studied in patients who underwent CRT acutely and at 6- and 12-month follow-up.

Quantification of left ventricular asynchrony throughout the whole cardiac cycle with a computed algorithm: application for optimizing resynchronization therapy.

Introduction: Measurement of left ventricular (LV) asynchrony is usually determined on single time points from spectral tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) scans that are frequently difficult to identify or not representative of the whole cardiac cycle. Our aim was to validate a new asynchrony index that evaluates the motion of the LV walls throughout the whole cardiac cycle.

Methods And Results: Ten healthy volunteers and 50 patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) were studied with TDI.

Assessment of left ventricular dyssynchrony by real-time three-dimensional echocardiography.

Introduction And Objectives: A number of different imaging methods have been proposed as possible tools for assessing left ventricular (LV) mechanical dyssynchrony. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) for studying LV mechanical dyssynchrony.

Methods: In total, 60 individuals underwent RT3DE, including 10 healthy volunteers, 23 patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and 27 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Fate of left atrial function as determined by real-time three-dimensional echocardiography study after radiofrequency catheter ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.

Radiofrequency catheter ablation has been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation. However, its impact on left atrial (LA) function has not been widely studied. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of radiofrequency catheter ablation on LA function in patients with atrial fibrillation.

[Influence of cardiopathy etiology on responses to cardiac resynchronization therapy].

Introduction And Objectives: Little is known about how responses to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) are affected by the nature of the underlying cardiopathy. The aim of this study was to investigate how cardiopathy etiology influences the effect of CRT on reverse left ventricular remodeling.

Methods: The study included 106 patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and left bundle branch block (LBBB) who were receiving CRT.

Clinical implications of late mitral valve regurgitation appearance in the follow-up of heart transplantation.

Background: Tricuspid regurgitation is frequently observed after orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT), in association with severe pulmonary hypertension. However, the incidence of left-sided valvular disease has not been addressed.

Aim: We analyzed the incidence and prognostic implications of left-sided valve disease in 141 patients after OHT.

Optimizing the programation of cardiac resynchronization therapy devices in patients with heart failure and left bundle branch block.

This study was conducted to investigate the clinical impact of cardiac resynchronization device optimization. A series of 100 consecutive patients received cardiac resynchronization therapy. In the first 49 patients, an empirical atrioventricular delay of 120 ms was set, with simultaneous biventricular stimulation (interventricular [VV] interval=0 ms).

Usefulness of ventricular dyssynchrony measured using M-mode echocardiography to predict response to resynchronization therapy.

There are discordant data about the utility of septal-to-posterior wall motion delay (SPWMD) assessed using M-mode echocardiography to predict an improvement with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Baseline SPWMD was measured using M-mode in a parasternal short-axis view in a series of 67 patients undergoing CRT and followed up after 6 months. Heart failure was caused by coronary artery disease in 27 patients.