Subacute effusive-constrictive pericarditis: diagnosis by serial echocardiography.

We report the case of a 30-year-old man with acute pericarditis in whom effusive-constrictive physiology developed rapidly in less than 2 weeks. Serial echocardiography demonstrated a dramatic change in the appearance of the pericardial effusion and the pericardial space. The patient underwent pericardiectomy with symptom relief.

Addition of a left ventricular lead to conventional pacing systems in patients with congestive heart failure: feasibility, safety, and early results in 60 consecutive patients.

Left bundle branch block worsens congestive heart failure (CHF) in patients with LV dysfunction. Asynchronous LV activation produced by RV apical pacing leads to paradoxical septal motion and inefficient ventricular contraction. Recent studies show improvement in LV function and patient symptoms with biventricular pacing in patients with CHF.

Cardiac resynchronization in patients with congestive heart failure and chronic atrial fibrillation: effect of upgrading to biventricular pacing after chronic right ventricular pacing.

Objectives: This study assessed the effects of biventricular pacing (BVP) on ventricular function, functional status, quality of life and hospitalization in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), prior atrioventricular (AV) junction ablation and right ventricular (RV) pacing performed for chronic atrial fibrillation (AF).

Background: Although the benefit of BVP in CHF should theoretically extend to the patient with chronic RV pacing and AF, to our knowledge, no study has determined the effects of BVP on symptoms and ventricular function in these patients. This patient population allows for the evaluation of ventricular resynchronization independent of any BVP-induced changes on the AV interval.