Acute heart failure and iron deficiency: a prospective, multicentre, observational study.

Aims: The prevalence and the natural course of iron deficiency (ID) in acute heart failure (AHF) are still unclear. We investigated the prevalence of ID in unselected patients admitted with AHF on admission, at discharge and up to 3 months thereafter.

Methods And Results: In this prospective, multicentre, observational study, 742 patients admitted with AHF were enrolled.

Does the use of locking plates or mesh and wires influence the risk of symptomatic non-union of the sternal osteotomy after modified Ravitch?

Background: Patients with pectus excavatum which is unsuitable for minimally invasive repair are usually treated by modified Ravitch procedure. For fixation of the sternal osteotomy, mesh and wires are mostly used. To decrease non-union risk, we introduced a technique with double locking plate fixation of the osteotomy and compared this to fixation using mesh and wires.

Safety of in-hospital insertable cardiac monitor procedures performed outside the traditional settings: results from the Reveal LINQ in-office 2 international study.

Background: Historically, the majority of insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) procedures were performed in the cardiac catheterization (cath) lab, electrophysiology (EP) lab, or operating room (OR). The miniaturization of ICMs allows the procedure to be relocated within the hospital without compromising patient safety. We sought to estimate the rate of untoward events associated with procedures performed within the hospital but outside the traditional settings and to characterize resource utilization, procedure time intervals, and physician experience.

Intermediate and nonclassical monocytes show heterogeneity in patients with different types of acute coronary syndrome.

This study was performed to gain further insight in the heterogeneity of monocytes in the different categories of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), especially between patients with unstable angina pectoris, ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). For this purpose, blood samples were collected in the acute phase from patients presenting with an ACS. These samples were examined with multiparameter flow cytometry to identify the different monocyte subsets and to analyze the expression of monocyte-associated molecules.

Factor XIa and Thrombin Generation Are Elevated in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome and Predict Recurrent Cardiovascular Events.

Objective: In acute coronary syndrome (ACS) cardiac cell damage is preceded by thrombosis. Therefore, plasma coagulation markers may have additional diagnostic relevance in ACS. By using novel coagulation assays this study aims to gain more insight into the relationship between the coagulation system and ACS.

The pro- and anticoagulant role of blood-borne phagocytes in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

This study was performed to gain further insight in pro- and anticoagulant characteristics of leukocytes in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). For this purpose, patients presenting on the emergency department (ED) with anginal chest pain were included in this study. In peripheral blood, procoagulant tissue factor (TF) expression was measured in the different blood-borne phagocytes, i.

Patients originally diagnosed with idiopathic atrial fibrillation more often suffer from insidious coronary artery disease compared to healthy sinus rhythm controls.

Background: Idiopathic atrial fibrillation (AF) refers to a clinically lacking cardiovascular or pulmonary disease generating the pathophysiologic substrate for the arrhythmia. However, because idiopathic AF is associated with an increased event rate, it could be a harbinger of as-yet undetected underlying heart disease.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients diagnosed with idiopathic paroxysmal AF.

Nifedipine Gastrointestinal Therapeutic System (GITS) in the treatment of coronary heart disease and hypertension.

Since the 1960s, calcium antagonists have been available for the treatment of angina pectoris and hypertension. The first of this class, nifedipine, was introduced and readily accepted as the third treatment option for angina, alongside beta-blockers and nitrates. However, the short-acting formulations of nifedipine had pharmacokinetic properties that were far from ideal and in 1995, several studies involving various dosing regimens reported possible dangerous effects in secondary prevention.

Anaemia and renal dysfunction are independently associated with BNP and NT-proBNP levels in patients with heart failure.

Background: Anaemia may affect B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) levels, but this has not been well described in heart failure (HF) patients without the exclusion of patients with renal dysfunction.

Aims: To study the influence of both anaemia and renal function on BNP and NT-proBNP levels in a large group of hospitalised HF patients.

Methods And Results: We studied 541 patients hospitalised for HF (mean age 71+/-11 years, 62% male, and left ventricular ejection fraction 0.

Effect of long-acting nifedipine on mortality and cardiovascular morbidity in patients with stable angina requiring treatment (ACTION trial): randomised controlled trial.

Background: Calcium antagonists are widely prescribed for angina pectoris but their effect on clinical outcome is controversial. We aimed to investigate the effect of the calcium antagonist nifedipine on long-term outcome in patients with stable angina pectoris.

Methods: We randomly assigned 3825 patients with treated stable symptomatic coronary disease to double-blind addition of nifedipine GITS (gastrointestinal therapeutic system) 60 mg once daily and 3840 to placebo.