Variations in current clinical practice of postoperative pericardial effusion: a questionnaire study.

Objective: Postoperative pericardial effusion (PPE) occurs frequently after cardiac surgery, potentially leading to life-threatening cardiac tamponade. Specific treatment guidelines are currently lacking, possibly leading to variations in clinical practice. Our goal was to assess clinical PPE management and evaluate variation between centres and clinicians.

Neuroinflammation in cognitive decline post-cardiac surgery (the FOCUS study): an observational study protocol.

Introduction: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction occurs frequently after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood, but neuroinflammation might play a pivotal role. We hypothesise that systemic inflammation induced by the surgical trauma could activate the innate immune (glial) cells of the brain.

Cardiac Troponin Composition Characterization after Non ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Relation with Culprit Artery, Ischemic Time Window, and Severity of Injury.

Background: Troponin composition characterization has been implicated as a next step to differentiate among non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) patients and improve distinction from other conditions with troponin release. We therefore studied coronary and peripheral troponin compositions in relation to clinical variables of NSTEMI patients.

Methods: Samples were obtained from the great cardiac vein (GCV), coronary sinus (CS), and peripheral circulation of 45 patients with NSTEMI.

Exercise and myocardial injury in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Objective: Troponin and high signal intensity on T2-weighted (HighT2) cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMRi) are both markers of myocardial injury in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The interplay between exercise and disease development remains uncertain in HCM. We sought to assess the occurrence of postexercise troponin rises and its determinants.

Association between Lifelong Physical Activity and Disease Characteristics in HCM.

Purpose: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is characterized by inappropriate left ventricular (LV) wall thickness. Adaptations to exercise can occasionally mimic certain HCM characteristics. However, it is unclear whether physical activity affects HCM genotype expression and disease characteristics.

Prediction of Extensive Myocardial Fibrosis in Nonhigh Risk Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

In nonhigh risk patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC), the presence of extensive late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) at cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has been proposed as a risk modifier in the decision process for implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation. With a pretest risk of about 10%, a strategy that alters the likelihood of LGE could markedly affect efficacious CMR imaging. Our aim was to study the potential of clinical variables and biomarkers to predict LGE.

High T2-weighted signal intensity for risk prediction of sudden cardiac death in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

In search of improved risk stratification in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), CMR imaging has been implicated as a potential tool for prediction of sudden cardiac death (SCD). In follow-up of the promising results with extensive late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), high signal-intensity on T2-weighted imaging (HighT2) has become subject of interest given its association with markers of adverse disease progression, such as LGE, elevated troponin and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia. In lack of follow-up cohorts, we initiated an exploratory study on the association between HighT2 and the internationally defined risk categories of SCD.

High T2-weighted signal intensity is associated with elevated troponin T in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Objective: Areas of high signal intensity (HighT2) on T2-weighted cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging have been demonstrated in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). It has been hypothesised that HighT2 may indicate active tissue injury in HCM. In this context, we studied HighT2 in relation to cardiac troponin.

Audiometric Characteristics of a Dutch DFNA10 Family With Mid-Frequency Hearing Impairment.

Objectives: Mutations in EYA4 can cause nonsyndromic autosomal dominant sensorineural hearing impairment (DFNA10) or a syndromic variant with hearing impairment and dilated cardiomyopathy. A mutation in EYA4 was found in a Dutch family, causing DFNA10. This study is focused on characterizing the hearing impairment in this family.

Effect of metformin pretreatment on myocardial injury during coronary artery bypass surgery in patients without diabetes (MetCAB): a double-blind, randomised controlled trial.

Background: During coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, ischaemia and reperfusion damage myocardial tissue, and increased postoperative plasma troponin concentration is associated with a worse outcome. We investigated whether metformin pretreatment limits cardiac injury, assessed by troponin concentrations, during CABG surgery in patients without diabetes.

Methods: We did a placebo-controlled, double-blind, single-centre study in an academic hospital in Nijmegen (Netherlands) in adult patients without diabetes undergoing an elective on-pump CABG procedure.

Pre-hospital triage for primary angioplasty: direct referral to the intervention center versus interhospital transport.

Objectives: We sought to study the impact of direct referral to an intervention center after pre-hospital diagnosis of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) on treatment intervals and outcome.

Background: Primary angioplasty has become the preferred reperfusion strategy in STEMI. Ambulance diagnosis and direct referral to an intervention center is an attractive treatment option that has not been studied extensively.

Sustained coronary patency after fibrinolytic therapy as independent predictor of 10-year cardiac survival Observations from the Antithrombotics in the Prevention of Reocclusion in COronary Thrombolysis (APRICOT) trial.

Background: Whether late coronary patency after myocardial infarction has prognostic impact independent of left ventricular function remains a matter of debate. Reocclusion rates in the first year after fibrinolysis vary between 20% and 30%. Of all reocclusions, about 30% present as clinical reinfarction, associated with a 2-fold-increased risk of mortality.

Reperfusion therapy in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: current insights.

Although early care in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has been improved over the past decades, survival remains poor and neurological performance after survival is often impaired. Consequently, new therapies are needed to improve outcome. As thrombotic processes such as acute myocardial infarction or pulmonary embolism are frequent causes of cardiac arrest, therapies like fibrinolysis or percutaneous coronary intervention are of interest.

Antiplatelet therapy and progression of coronary artery disease: a placebo-controlled trial with angiographic and clinical follow-up after myocardial infarction.

Introduction: In patients after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), antiplatelet therapy reduces subsequent cardiac events, which are often attributed to recurrent thrombosis with (sub)total occlusion in the infarct-related artery. Whether antiplatelet therapy influences the often subclinical process of coronary disease progression in noninfarct arteries has not been reported.

Methods: Quantitative coronary angiography of noninfarct arteries was performed on paired cine-angiograms of 149 patients from fibrinolytic trials who had a patent infarct-related artery 3 to 4 weeks following STEMI and who were randomized to either continue the daily combination of 50-mg aspirin and 400-mg dipyridamole or to matching placebo.

Transport for abciximab facilitated primary angioplasty versus on-site thrombolysis with a liberal rescue policy: the randomised Holland Infarction Study (HIS).

Aims: As of to date, the only large transportation trial comparing on-site fibrin-specific thrombolysis with transfer for primary angioplasty in patients presenting in a referral centre is the DANAMI-2 trial, with only 3% rescue angioplasty. The Holland Infarction Study (HIS) compared abciximab facilitated primary angioplasty (FP) with on-site fibrin-specific thrombolytic therapy (TT) with a liberal protocol-driven rescue angioplasty (transport to intervention centre in case < 50% ST resolution at 60 min).

Methods And Results: Patients in a referral centre without shock and < 4.