[Respiratory insufficiency and cardiac arrhythmia: the rationale of treatment].

It is well known that the incidence of cardiac arrhythmia is particularly high in patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency (CRI). This study examines the prevalence, incidence and prognostic clinical importance of arrhythmia occurring during the course of CRI on the basis of data taken from the literature and the authors' personal experience using dynamic electrocardiographic diagnosis (24-hour Holter monitoring). The majority of arrhythmias observed in these patients appeared to take the form of premature ventricular and/or supraventricular beats and less frequently of atrial fibrillation and/or attacks of supraventricular paroxysmal tachycardia.

[Fixed subvalvular aortic stenosis. Monodimensional echocardiographic findings].

19 patients affected by discrete subvalvular aortic stenosis were studied by M-mode echocardiography. The diagnosis was confirmed by cardiac catheterism and angiocardiography and by anatomic evidence in operative room. The most frequent echocardiographic pattern was the abnormal protosystolic movement of aortic valve leaflets, that was found in all the patients.

[The natural development of arteriosclerotic coronary disease. Coronarographic study in time intervals].

In 96 patients with coronary artery disease a coronary arteriography was performed twice at least with some months' interval, in order to establish the rate of progression of coronary atherosclerosis and the factors which could affect this progression. It was possible to select patients with progression of the coronary arteria lesions from patients with no increase of coronary stenosis. From the angiographic point of view, the progression of angina and the appearance of myocardial infarction are connected with a general progression of arterial lesions on all main coronary branches.

[Aortic valve disease and coronary atherosclerosis. Clinical and coronarographic study (author's transl)].

77 patients with aortic valve disease have undergone heart catheterization in prevision of valve replacement: in this group the incidence of angina pectoris and the incidence of coronary artery disease associated with the valvular disease have been evaluated. The most important data resulting from out study are: 1) High frequency of angina pectoris both aortic stenosis and in aortic regurgitation: respectively about 60% and 50%. 2) The frequency of coronary atherosclerosis associated with aortic valve disease is much higher in aortic stenosis than in aortic regurgitation: respectively 35% versus 15%.