Cardiopulmonary exercise testing identifies low risk patients with heart failure and severely impaired exercise capacity considered for heart transplantation.

Objectives: The 3-year survival rates of 500 patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) referred for heart transplantation were assessed to evaluate the clinical and exercise variables most useful for estimating prognostic risk.

Background: Detailed prognostic risk stratification of patients with a peak exercise oxygen consumption (VO2) < or = 14 ml/min per kg to identify lower risk patient subsets has been limited in earlier series by relatively small sample size.

Methods: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing was performed in 500 patients with CHF referred for heart transplantation; 154 (31%) had a peak exercise VO2 < or = 14 ml/min per kg.

Effect of red wine on endothelium-dependent relaxation in rabbits.

1. Published data on the effects of red wine, ethanol and flavonoids on endothelium-dependent relaxation are equivocal. The present study was undertaken to determine the effects of red wine, ethanol and selected flavonoids present in red wine on endothelium-dependent relaxation.

Cardiac aspergillosis presenting as myocardial infarction.

Immunosuppression can allow organisms which are not usually pathogenetic to cause disease. Invasive fungal disease is becoming increasingly prevalent because of the growing numbers of patients who are immunosuppressed. Aspergillus species frequently form large masses of fungal elements, thrombin, and fibrin, within the vasculature.

Intracoronary Doppler flow to monitor the results of selective saphenous vein graft thrombolytic therapy.

Selective intracoronary thrombolytic therapy has recently been advocated as a technique to recanalize occluded coronary bypass grafts. We report a novel approach for monitoring the results of this treatment utilizing a coronary artery doppler flow guidewire. This approach may optimize the duration of thrombolytic treatment in these patients.

Balloon catheter retrieval of dislodged coronary artery stents: a novel technique.

Potential complications of intracoronary stenting include stent dislodgement and embolization. We describe a patient in whom a stent was dislodged from a coronary balloon catheter to the iliac artery. A peripheral angioplasty balloon was used to withdraw the stent into the arterial sheath and thereby remove it from the patient.