Myocardial revascularization in a patient with situs inversus totalis.

We report the case of a patient with dextrocardia and situs inversus totalis associated with obstructive coronariopathy in the anterior and posterior descending arteries, right coronary artery, first diagonal branch and left marginal branch. The patient underwent coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. This surgery has been rarely reported in literature and we found only one similar case in the national medical literature.

[Exercise stress test: prognostic value for elderly patients with stable coronary atherosclerosis].

Objective: To study the prognostic value of exercise stress test variables in elderly patients with coronary atherosclerosis and exercise-induced ischemia.

Methods: Sixty-four elderly patients (61 men, 73 +/- 5 years old) with coronary atherosclerosis, verified by cardiac catheterization, that were clinically stable, had a left ventricle ejection fraction greater than or equal to 0.40 and developed myocardial ischemia during the exercise stress test were studied.

Hypertension and depression.

Despite the high prevalence of depression and hypertension, the relationship between the two diseases has received little attention. This paper reviews the epidemiological, pathophysiological, and prognostic aspects of this association, as well as its implications for treatment. A Medline search was conducted using the following key words: depression, blood pressure, blood pressure variability, physical morbidity, hypertension, mood, stress, hypertension, antidepressive agents, and genetics, from 1980 to 2004.

Strategy for identifying an efficient dosage of beta-blocker for elderly patients with myocardial ischemia and preserved left ventricular function.

Objective: To assess the strategy of titration for prescribing an efficient dosage of propranolol to reduce myocardial ischemia in the elderly.

Methods: The study comprised 14 elderly men (73.6 +/- 5.

Long-term prognostic value of triiodothyronine concentration in elderly patients with heart failure.

In this study the authors sought to determine the prevalence and long-term prognostic value of low triiodothyronine levels in elderly patients with heart failure and no thyroid disease. Lower levels of triiodothyronine are more prevalent in patients with advanced heart failure without thyroid disease, and this may have prognostic implications. However, this hormonal milieu has not been investigated in elderly patients.

Relation between the behaviors of P-wave and QT dispersions in elderly patients with heart failure.

Objective: To assess the relation between P-wave and QT dispersions in elderly patients with heart failure.

Methods: Forty-seven elderly patients (75.6+/-6 years) with stable heart failure in NYHA functional classes II or III and with ejection fractions of 37+/-6% underwent body surface mapping to analyze P-wave and QT dispersions.