Unveiling the causes of pericardial effusion in a contemporary case series of pericardiocentesis in Latin America.

Pericardial effusions requiring pericardiocentesis have multiple causes that vary among geographical regions and health contexts. This procedure can be performed for diagnostic or therapeutic indications. The purpose of this study was to identify the principal causes of pericardial effusions and indications for pericardiocentesis, exploring differences among groups.

High frequency of coronary artery ectasia in obstructive sleep apnea.

Study Objectives: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have a greater risk of developing coronary artery disease. However, the frequency of specific coronary artery vascular phenotypes, such as coronary artery ectasia (CAE), which has a frequency of 5% in the general population, has not been studied in patients with OSA. This study aimed to estimate CAE frequency in patients with OSA who underwent coronary angiography.

MitraClip as bridging strategy for heart transplantation in Chagas cardiomyopathy: a case report.

Background: Patients with end-stage heart failure, suffering from severe pulmonary hypertension (PH) and elevated pulmonary vascular resistance, are not eligible for heart transplant due to high mortality risk and primary graft dysfunction. Severe PH may be favoured by functional severe mitral regurgitation, which is present in many cardiopathies like end-stage Chagasic cardiomyopathy.

Case Summary: We present a case of a young man with end-stage heart failure secondary to Chagas cardiomyopathy with severe functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) and severe PH.

Validation of Central and Peripheral Non-Invasive Hemodynamic Variables Using an Oscillometric Method.

Introduction: Peripheral and central blood pressures are parameters of arterial stiffness and important cardiovascular risk markers. Today, there are non-invasive methods that measure these pressures.

Aim: To validate the non-invasive oscillometric method, compared with invasive pressure measurements obtained by cardiac catheterization.

Statins and percutaneous coronary intervention: a complementary synergy.

The inclusion of statins and stents in coronary disease management during the 1980s has marked a dramatic change in the natural history of the disease. Separately, each of these therapies have progressed rapidly and have achieved a prime position in the current armamentarium. The simultaneous use of statins in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary revascularization procedures with stent implantation has shown a significant beneficial synergistic effect by reducing ischemia and necrosis, and improving coronary blood flow in patients with stable coronary disease, as well as in acute coronary syndromes.

Effects of the simultaneous use of drug-eluting stents and statins in an atherosclerotic animal model.

Introduction: The use of statins and medicated stents (MS) is the best available therapy for the treatment of severe coronary disease in selected cases. However, the vascular effects of the simultaneous use of both therapies are unknown.

Materials And Methods: An experimental study was carried out on 60 NZ rabbits with advanced atherosclerosis, distributed in four groups of 15 animals each.

Myocardial venous drainage: from anatomy to clinical use.

The heart's venous drainage system has been the object of observations and research for several centuries. Its anatomic and histological characteristics, as well as its distribution and architecture, make the cardiac venous system a uniquely organized structure within the organism. An understanding of its physiology helps in comprehending some of the mechanisms by which, under special conditions, the myocardium tolerates ischemia.