Safety of once- or twice-daily dosing of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation: A NOAC-TR study.

Once-daily dosing of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) may increase patient adherence to treatment but may also be associated with a higher risk of bleeding. In this study, we investigated the adherence to once- or twice-daily dosing of NOACs and the risk of bleeding in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients. This multicenter cross-sectional study, conducted between 1 September 2015 and 28 February 2016, included 2214 patients receiving NOACs for at least 3 months, due to NVAF.

Clinical and microbiological findings of infective endocarditis.

Introduction: Infective endocarditis (IE) is an infection that develops on the endothelial surface of the heart. Endocarditis is a major problem for the clinicians despite of the developments in diagnostic, surgical, and medical treatment methods. In this study, we aimed to evaluate symptoms, laboratory findings, treatment options, and clinical endpoint of the patients who were diagnosed with IE in a tertiary healthcare organization according to the literature data.

Non-dipper hypertension is associated with slow coronary flow among hypertensives with normal coronary angiogram.

Aim: A person with a drop of more than 10% in nocturnal arterial blood pressure during the circadian rhythm is referred to as a dipper and one with a smaller decrease is referred to as a non-dipper. In our study, we aimed to compare the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame count in non-dipper and dipper hypertensive patient groups who had normal coronary artery angiography.

Methods: Patients with normal coronary arteries and with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring follow ups were retrospectively investigated and 60 patients (35%, female) were included in our study.

Diagnostic value of combining heart rate recovery and P-wave changes with exercise-induced changes in the ST segments for prediction of myocardial ischaemia.

Background: In patients admitted to outpatient clinics with chest pain, changes in the ST-segments of electrocardiogram (ECG) readings are the most widely used criteria during treadmill ECG tests to determine myocardial ischaemia, despite its poor accuracy. In this study, we evaluated the benefit of combining elongation of P-wave duration (Pdur) and abnormal heart rate recovery (HRR) parameters in addition to changes in the ST-segments for the detection of myocardial ischaemia with treadmill ECG testing.

Methods: Patients (n = 369) with chest pain who underwent both a treadmill ECG test and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) were enrolled.

Effects of Gender on Electrocardiography in Subjects with Shortened Ventricular Depolarization (QRS).

Background: Distinctions between electrocardiograms of female and male subjects have been recognized for many years. Due to these differences, arrhythmias in each gender have a tendency to differ. In our study, we aimed to compare electrocardiography intervals between men and women with short QRS durations.

The value of aortic pulse wave velocity in predicting coronary artery disease diagnosis and severity.

Objective: Aortic pulse wave velocity (AoPWV), one of the parameters showing arterial stiffness, has been investigated in different patient groups as a predictor of cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of our study is to investigate the correlation between AoPWV and coronary artery disease (CAD) and its severity.

Methods And Results: One hundred and three patients who were not diagnosed with CAD but who were scheduled to have coronary angiography (CAG) with CAD suspicion were included in the study.

Development of ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction and Atrial Fibrillation after an Electrical Injury.

Electrical energy is a type of energy that is commonly used in daily life. Ventricular premature beats, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, atrial tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, bundle branch blocks, and AV block are arrhythmic complications that are encountered in case of electric shocks. Myocardial infarction is one of the rarely seen complications of electric shocks yet it has fatal outcomes.

Parameters of heart rate variability can predict prolonged asystole before head-up tilt table test.

Background: We aimed to evaluate whether heart rate variability (HRV) could predict prolonged asystole before head-up tilt table test (HUTT) by comparing time domain HRV parameters of patients with type 2B vasovagal syncope (VVS) and patients with other types of VVS.

Methods: Ninety-eight patients who examined with 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram monitoring before HUTT and diagnosed with VVS were enrolled. Patients were divided into two groups in accordance with their VVS type as group 1 (n = 43) consisting of patients with type 2B VVS and group 2 (n = 57) consisting of patients with other types of VVS.

Central venous obstruction and clinical predictors in patients with permanent pacemaker.

Objective: This study investigated the proportion of silent venous obstruction in patients who underwent pacemaker or lead reimplantation for various reasons. We also investigated independent predictors or risk factor of venous obstruction in this patient population.

Methods: Seventy-three patients who underwent pacemaker pulse generator and/or lead reimplantation in our institution between 2007 and 2010 were enrolled for this retrospective case-control study.