Background: In patients with mechanical prostheses (MP), thromboembolism is one of the most serious complications. The study aim was to assess the incidence of sources of thromboembolism in patients with correctly functioning MP with and without a history of thromboembolism.
Methods: Two hundred ninety-seven patients with correctly functioning MP were enrolled in this single-center, transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE), retrospective, observational study.
The paper presents the results of large randomized clinical trials conducted in recent years, evaluating the efficacy and safety of drugs used to treat hypertension. The results show that angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and/or angiotensin receptor antagonists for use as monotherapy and especially in combination with calcium antagonists are effective in controlling blood pressure and in preventing and reducing complications of drugs compared with beta-adrenolytics used as monotherapy or in combination with diuretics. Antihypertensive therapy in the elderly reduces morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular causes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Ischemia modified albumin (IMA) was registered by the United States Food and Drug Administration as a marker of myocardial ischemia.
Aim: To assess the usefulness of IMA measurement for differentiating patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with no ST elevation and patients with unstable angina pectoris.
Methods: The study group consisted of 121 patients (mean age 63 +/- 12 years, 84 males), who were admitted to our department with retrosternal chest pain occurring at rest and lasting more than 20 minutes.
Background: Arterial hypertension has been documented as one the cardiovascular risk factors. The issue whether hypertension worsens the clinical course and short-term prognosis of patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has been addressed by several studies, however, the results were not uniform.
Aim: To compare the clinical course and short-term prognosis in STEMI patients with or without hypertension.
Introduction: The aim of the study was to assess the influence of co-existing atrial fibrillation (AF) on inflammatory condition factors, left ventricular function, clinical course and the efficacy of statin treatment of congestive heart failure in the course of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).
Material And Methods: In a prospective, randomized, open-label study, 69 patients with DCM and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < or =40% were divided into two groups, with and without AF, who were treated according to the recommended standards. 68% of patients from the group with AF and 59% of patients from the group without AF were administered atorvastatin 40 mg daily for 8 weeks and 10 mg for next 4 months.