Arterial stiffness and arterial wave reflections are associated with systolic and diastolic function in patients with normal ejection fraction.

Background: Increased arterial stiffness and early wave reflections have been observed in patients with heart failure and normal ejection fraction (HFNEF). We investigated, whether impaired arterial function is associated with impaired systolic and diastolic function and symptomatic status.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 336 patients (mean age 63.

Ability of neuron-specific enolase to predict survival to hospital discharge after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Background: Accurate prediction of survival to hospital discharge in patients who achieve return of spontaneous circulation after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has significant ethical and socioeconomic implications. We investigated the prognostic performance of serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE), a biochemical marker of ischemic brain injury, after successful CPR.

Methods: In-hospital or out-of-hospital patients with nontraumatic normothermic cardiac arrest who achieved return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) following at least 5 minutes of CPR were eligible.

Intracoronary air embolism in open heart surgery--an uncommon source of myocardial ischaemia.

We report a case of air embolism detected by transesophageal echocardiography in a patient undergoing open heart surgery for acute mitral regurgitation. Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography revealed an increased brightness of the apical wall and a severely compromised left ventricular myocardium with severe diffuse hypokinesis after removal of the aortic cross clamps and spontaneous resolution in the control echocardiography.

Transient left ventricular apical ballooning mimicking acute coronary syndrome in four patients from central Europe.

The syndrome of "apical ballooning" consists of an acute onset of transient extensive akinesia of the apical portion of the left ventricle, without significant stenosis on the coronary angiogram. The syndrome is accompanied by chest symptoms, electocardiographic changes, and limited release of cardiac markers disproportionate to the extent of akinesia. So far, the vast majority of cases with this syndrome have been reported among Japanese population and only a few cases among Caucasian population.

Left ventricular apical ballooning--a novel cardiac disease mimicking acute coronary syndrome: a case report in a Caucasian patient.

The syndrome of "apical ballooning" consists of an acute onset of transient extensive akinesia of the apical portion of the left ventricle, without significant stenosis on the coronary angiogram, accompanied by chest symptoms, ECG changes, and a limited release of cardiac markers disproportionate to the extent of akinesia. So far, the vast majority of cases with this syndrome have been reported from Japanese patients and only a few cases of Caucasian patients have been described. Emotional or physical stress or other preceding triggering factors might play a key role in this cardiomyopathy, but the precise etiology remains unknown.

Clinical and angiographic outcome after cutting balloon angioplasty.

The cutting balloon is a new device for coronary angioplasty, that, by the combination of incision and dilatation of the plaque, is believed to be promising for treatment of in-stent restenosis. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CBA. We reviewed the immediate and 6-month follow-up angiographic and clinical outcome of 147 patients (109 men and 38 women) with a mean age of 67.

[Angiographic results of "atypical" chest pain].

Background And Aims: Coronary angiography permits evaluation of coronary artery morphology and coronary pathology. It represents an accurate method of defining stenotic coronary lesions. Chest pain may be caused by coronary artery disease as well as by other cardiac and noncardiac disorders.

Multiple complex coronary plaques in a patient with acute myocardial infarction.

This report describes the case of a patient who developed acute myocardial infarction with ST segment elevation in anterior and inferior leads, simultaneously. After treatment with systemic thrombolysis, and after an initial short-lasting symptomatic improvement, chest pain and ST segment elevation recurred. Coronary angiography revealed severe complex stenotic lesions at both the right coronary artery and the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery.