Translation, adaptation and validation of the Coronary Revascularization Outcome Questionnaire into Greek.

Background And Aims: Evaluating the impact of coronary revascularization on patients' health related quality of life with a patient-based and disease-specific tool is important for drawing conclusions about treatment and outcomes. This study reports on the translation, adaptation and psychometric evaluation of a Greek version of the Coronary Revascularization Outcome Questionnaire (CROQ-Gr).

Methods: A total of 609 (81.

Anemia and early mortality in patients with decompensation of chronic heart failure.

Objectives: The possible independent effect of mild-to-moderate anemia (hemoglobin value not <9 g/dl) on the short-term mortality of patients with decompensation of NYHA class III/IV chronic heart failure has not been investigated yet.

Methods: A total of 725 consecutive hospitalized patients were studied. All-cause mortalities during hospitalization and by day 31 were the prespecified study end points.

The impact of treatment with omeprazole on the effectiveness of clopidogrel drug therapy during the first year after successful coronary stenting.

Background: Because clopidogrel is converted to its active metabolite by P450 isoenzymes, which are also involved in the metabolism of omeprazole, there is concern regarding whether the action of clopidogrel would be reduced in patients also taking omeprazole.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of omeprazole administration on the effectiveness of clopidogrel drug therapy during the first year following successful coronary stenting (CS).

Methods: A total of 588 consecutive patients who underwent successful CS for stable or unstable coronary artery disease were studied.

The impact of right ventricular involvement on the postdischarge long-term mortality in patients with acute inferior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Objectives: To investigate the long-term impact of right ventricular myocardial involvement (RVI) after acute inferior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Methods: A total of 1208 consecutive patients, who survived to discharge after hospitalization for acute inferior STEMI, were studied. Patients were divided into those with (n = 459) or without (n = 749) of RVI involvement, defined as ST-segment elevation > or =1 mm in V4R.

The impact of oral antiplatelet responsiveness on the long-term prognosis after coronary stenting.

Background: Decreased responsiveness to oral antiplatelet drug therapy has been associated with an adverse outcome after coronary stenting (CS), but more studies are needed. The purpose of the present study was to prospectively evaluate this issue.

Methods: A total of 612 consecutive patients with stable or unstable coronary artery disease who underwent CS after at least 12 hours of aspirin and clopidogrel loading were studied.

C-reactive protein and rapidly progressive coronary artery disease--is there any relation?

Background: High plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) levels have been associated with an unfavorable outcome in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), and a direct participation of CRP in the atherosclerotic process has been postulated.

Hypothesis: The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible relationship of high plasma CRP levels with the rapid progression of coronary atherosclerosis (RPCAD).

Methods: In all, 194 patients who were readmitted and underwent repeat coronary angiography because of recurrence of symptoms following successful percutaneous coronary intervention were studied.

The impact of plasma levels of C-reactive protein, lipoprotein (a) and homocysteine on the long-term prognosis after successful coronary stenting: The Global Evaluation of New Events and Restenosis After Stent Implantation Study.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of high plasma levels of either C-reactive protein (CRP), lipoprotein (a) (Lp[a]) or total homocysteine (tHCY) with the long-term prognosis after successful coronary stenting (CS).

Background: High plasma levels of either CRP, Lp(a) or tHCY may have an impact in coronary artery disease. However, long-term prospective data after coronary stenting (CS) are limited.

Antiplatelet is superior to anticoagulant treatment after coronary stenting: fewer coronary and other events within 30 days after stenting.

Stent prosthesis is a high efficacious method with low complication rates. However, the ideal adjunctive therapy following stent implantation remains controversial. The authors compared the effectiveness and complication rates of aspirin-ticlopidine antiplatelet therapy vs.

Dissection During Restenotic Lesion Balloon Angioplasty: Comparison with Initial Angioplasty.

The aim of this study was to assess the frequency and severity of dissection during repeat angioplasty for restenosis, to correlate the occurrence of this event with the lesion characteristics and the procedure-related factors and to examine if dissection during initial angioplasty predisposes to dissection during the repeat procedure. Sixty-nine significant lesions in native coronary arteries were treated with balloon angioplasty (A«PTCA) and retreated for restenosis with balloon angioplasty (B«PTCA). Dissection was detected less frequently during B«PTCA (7/69 vs.

Clinical characteristics and follow-up of patients with chest pain and normal coronary arteries.

The authors identified 160 men and women from all 3,700 patients with anginal pain between 1990 and 1994 who were subsequently found to have normal coronary arteries at diagnostic cardiac catheterization with follow-up to the present (mean follow-up 2.5 years). The group comprised 50 women and 110 men.

The natural history of aneurysmal coronary artery disease.

Objective: To assess the contribution of coronary artery ectasia, either isolated or in association with obstructive coronary artery disease, to morbidity and mortality from ischaemic heart disease.

Design: A retrospective study of patients undergoing coronary arteriography at a tertiary cardiac centre.

Patients And Methods: The epidemiological, clinical, arteriographic, and follow up characteristics of three groups of patients were examined: group A, 172 patients with coronary artery ectasia and coexisting significant coronary artery disease; group B, 31 patients with coronary artery ectasia only; group C, 165 patients with significant coronary artery disease but without ectasia, matched for sex and age with group A.

Hyperventilation test in syndrome X.

The hyperventilation (HV) test has been extensively used in different forms of coronary artery disease. The purpose of this work was to investigate the response to HV in patients with syndrome X and compare HV with exercise (EX) test. The authors studied 20 patients with syndrome X (angina, a positive EX test, and normal coronary angiogram) and 20 healthy subjects who underwent HV and EX tests.

Systolic segmental disappearance of internal mammary artery graft. Correlation with prolonged spasm of the graft.

Vasospasm of the saphenous vein and internal mammary grafts may develop spontaneously under several conditions. We present for the first time spasm of a left internal mammary artery bypass graft during coronary arteriography. A patient who underwent coronary artery bypass operation 4 years ago was recatheterized because he developed chest pain.

Percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy as a therapeutic alternative for cardiac tamponade and recurrent pericardial effusion.

A terminally ill patient with cardiac tamponade secondary to metastatic breast cancer was successfully treated by percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy. The procedure was performed through subxiphoid approach under local anaesthesia and its beneficial effect was maintained until the patient's death from her primary disease. A second, 86-year-old, debilitated patient and a third 52-year-old patient were managed likewise and both left hospital relieved from recurrent severe pericardial effusions.

[Single coronary artery].

A single coronary artery is a rare abnormality of the coronary circulation (0.09% in the authors' experience), a fortuitous finding on coronary angiography. The authors report three new cases of this abnormality, including one with a ventricular septal defect and another with ischaemic heart disease.

Intracoronary Palmaz-Schatz stent placement after complicated angioplasty: medium term follow-up.

Acute or impending coronary artery occlusion during percutaneous coronary balloon angioplasty represents a serious and potentially life-threatening complication. We studied the clinical and angiographic outcome in 21 patients who underwent emergent intracoronary Palmaz-Schatz stent implantation (11 due to persistent residual stenosis and 10 due to flow-limiting dissection) during complicated balloon angioplasty and who were followed for a mean period of 7.9 +/- 5.

Effect of successful coronary angioplasty on the signal-averaged electrocardiogram.

The effect of successful coronary artery angioplasty on the signal-averaged electrocardiogram (SAECG) was examined in 50 patients (41 men, 9 women, aged 55 +/- 8 years) with stable (26 patients) or unstable angina (24 patients) and good overall left ventricular function (ejection fraction = 55% +/- 8%). The SAECG was recorded before and within 24-48 hours after the angioplasty and was filtered at 40-250 Hz, with 250 beats averaged. The noise level averaged 0.