[RIGHT VENTRICULAR ARRHYTMOGENIC CARDIOMYOPATHY – HAVE WE AVOIDED A FAMILY TRAGEDY BY APPLYING CONTEMPORARY DIAGNOSTIC AND TREATMENT APPROACH?].

Arrhytmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is an inherited cardiomyopathy characterized by fibrofatty replacement, dominantly in the right, but often also in the left ventricle. It is a significant cause of sudden death in children and adolescents. A thorough family history and contemporary diagnostic and treatment approach are prerequisites for the prevention of the sudden death syndrome.

[MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION AS A CONSEQUENCE OF CHILDHOOD POLYARTERITIS NODOSA – CASE REPORT].

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a systemic vasculitis histologically characterized by necrotic lesions of small and medium- sized arteries occurring mostly in their bifurcations. PAN is a multi-organ disorder that affects numerous visceral arteries and leads to inflammation and necrosis, which may result in ischemia of vital organs. The etiology of the disease is unknown.

Cardiac arrest in a patient with Ebstein's anomaly without accessory pathways.

We describe a case report of a patient with cardiac arrest and Ebstein's anomaly. This case report shows us necessity for arrhythmia evaluation and sudden death risk stratification even in asymptomatic patients. Prophylactic ICD implantation in this patient population is limited to observational studies and the selection of patients is impeded by the absence of randomized trials and weak predictors.

[Permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia (PJRT) and dilated cardiomyopathy].

We present 14-year-old girl with permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia which was refractory to medicamentous therapy, who also had dilated cardiomyopathy. She underwent successful radiofrequent catheter ablation of accessory pathway after wich the histologic changes in the myocardium were observed in the form of compensatory hypertrophy of cardiac muscle (cardiac remodelling). The question of cause and consequence appeared: whether the arrhythmia is a consequence of dilated cardiomyopathy, or it is tachycardia- induced cardiomyopathy.

[Present status of cardiac pacing in Croatia].

The number of implanted cardiac pacemakers in Croatia has considerably increased in the recent years. However, we still have not reached the level of the developed European countries. This particularly applies to the number of implanted cardioverter-defibrillators, and less so to the proportion of simple and sophisticated cardiac pacemakers.

[Current management of patients with ventricular tachycardia].

Ventricular arrhythmia has for decades been considered as a premonitory sign and risk marker of sudden death. Novel theories about arrhythmogenesis and conditions for the occurrence of sudden death, as well as evidence about proarrhythmic effect of antiarrhythmic drugs, have changed the views on the treatment of ventricular arrhythmia. Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is most often associated with structural heart disease: ischemic heart disease and previous myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy (dilated and hypertrophic), arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, valvular heart disease (mitral valve prolapse), heart failure, condition after surgical correction of a congenital heart disease.

Clinical value of biochemical markers in the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction.

Current strategy for the use of biochemical markers in the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction is not yet uniform. New markers of myocardial damage have significantly altered the former viewpoints. The study included 41 patients with confirmed acute myocardial infarction (25 males and 16 females, age range 42-85 years).

[Atrio-biventricular electrostimulation in the treatment of congestive heart failure. Case report].

Over the past few years, indications for permanent cardiac pacing have been broadened. Accordingly, American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology included dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy and pacing for prevention of atrial fibrillation into indications for permanent cardiac pacing. Studies have described favourable effect of dual chamber cardiac pacing in congestive heart failure in dilated cardiomyopathy, regardless of etiology.

Left ventricular hypertrophy in obese hypertensives: is it really eccentric? (An echocardiographic study).

In order to study left ventricular hypertrophy patterns in obese hypertensives, we examined 132 patients with essential hypertension by 2D, M-mode and Doppler echocardiography. The patients were classified in four comparable groups, corresponding to the values of Quetelet's body mass index (BMI) and grades of obesity. More obese hypertensives had on average larger left ventricles with thicker walls and larger left atria than less obese, or lean ones.

[Risk factors for the onset of ventricular tachycardia in patients with mitral valve prolapse].

Non-invasive diagnostic methods (history, ECG, phonocardiography, exercise testing, Holter monitoring and Doppler echocardiography) were done in 48 persons with mitral valve prolapse (MVP). The aim was to establish possible risk factors for occurrence of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in persons with MVP and to find a possible difference between these risk factors. The possible risk factors for VT are: syncope, negative T wave in the inferolateral ECG leads, longer duration of QT interval, ST devalvation and duration of the ST devalvation, reduction of oxygen consumption evaluated by exercise testing, left ventricular function impairment, polymorphic premature ventricular contractions (PVC's), paired PVC's, larger dimensions of left cardiac chambers, larger surface and thickness of anterior mitral leaflet, extent of mitral regurgitation and higher mitral valve prolapse score.

[Detection of changes in the microvasculature in systemic connective tissue diseases--report on methods].

The aim of the paper is to draw attention to the possibility of an early detection of microvascular changes in systemic connective tissue diseases by the serial application of capillaroscopy, dermothermometry and digital photophlethysmography. A detailed review of diagnostic methods as well as the description of own protocol of their application is presented.