Classification of systemic therapies for potential stabilization of the vulnerable plaque to prevent acute myocardial infarction.

In this editorial, a classification of systemic therapies for potential plaque stabilization of vulnerable plaque to prevent acute myocardial infarction is proposed based on both biologic plausibility (a potential mechanism to explain the effect) and clinical evidence (i.e., whether the agent reduced acute myocardial infarction in well-designed clinical trials).

Premature coronary artery disease in systemic lupus erythematosus with extensive reocclusion following coronary artery bypass surgery.

A 21-year-old woman with a history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presented to the emergency room with a chief complaint of substernal chest pain and palpitations. She had undergone a four-vessel coronary artery bypass graft operation with separate saphenous vein grafts to the left anterior descending (LAD), obtuse marginal (OM) 1 and 2, and distal right coronary arteries (RCA) 8 months prior to admission. The patient underwent angiography of the coronary vessels, which showed severe diffuse disease with a long, 90% narrowing of the vein graft to the LAD and closed vein grafts to OM1 and OM2.

Coronary vasospasm-induced ventricular tachyarrhythmias.

Coronary artery spasm has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of not only variant angina but also various arrhythmias. We present a case report of coronary vasospasm-induced arrhythmia and review the prevalence, mechanism, prognosis and management of this problem.

A study of carotid sinus massage and head-up tilt table testing in patients with syncope and near-syncope.

Patients with syncope of unknown origin are commonly evaluated using several diagnostic tools. It has been suggested that there is a significant overlap between the results of head-up tilt table testing (HUT) and carotid sinus massage (CSM). We retrospectively studied the association between tilt table test results and CSM outcome in 136 patients with syncope or near-syncope who underwent both tests.

Doppler echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular filling pressures in elderly patients with moderate/severe aortic stenosis.

Doppler-derived mitral inflow indices reflect left ventricular (LV) filling pressures but often vary with age. Diastolic filling is impaired in LV pressure overload states. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of age on the relationship between mitral inflow indices and LV filling pressures in patients with aortic stenosis.

Age-related decline in postextrasystolic potentiation in patients with aortic stenosis.

In aortic stenosis (AS), postextrasystolic potentiation (PESP), a measure of contractile reserve, has been demonstrated by an increased aortic valve gradient (AVG) after a ventricular extrasystole (VE). We studied age-related changes in PESP in 20 consecutive patients (age, 65-89 years) with significant AS (aortic area View Article and Find Full Text PDF