The change in high-sensitivity troponin-T as a risk factor for significant coronary stenosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Background/aims: High-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-TnT) assays detect very low levels of cardiac troponin. This study examined the interval change between initial and subsequent hs-TnT levels and evaluated its ability to predict significant coronary stenosis.

Methods: The study analyzed 163 patients who presented with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and underwent coronary angiography (CAG) between April 2014 and May 2018.

Clinical impact of echocardiography-defined pulmonary hypertension on the clinical outcome in patients with multiple myeloma.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a complication of multiple myeloma (MM); however, the clinical outcomes and prognosis are relatively not well known. We aimed to investigate the risk factors of transthoracic echocardiography-defined PH and its impact on the clinical outcome in patients with MM.A retrospective study was performed using data from the Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital database for patients who underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) within 1 month of the MM diagnosis between January 2007 and December 2017.

Large-Area Nonfullerene Organic Solar Cell Modules Fabricated by a Temperature-Independent Printing Method.

Despite recent breakthroughs in the fabrication of spin-coated small-area devices (≤0.1 cm) with power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of more than 17%, printed large-area organic solar cells (OSCs) are significantly less efficient because of the intrinsic differences between the coating dynamics of the two types of OSCs. The PCEs of printed large-area (∼100 cm) OSCs have typically been decreased compared with those of small-area spin-coated devices.

Left atrial enlargement and its association with left atrial strain in university athletes participated in 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade.

Aims: Intensive and repetitive athletic training may result in cardiac geometric changes, but the determinants of left atrial (LA) enlargement (LAE) has been poorly studied. We investigated incidence and determinants of LAE and its association with LA strains in highly trained university athletes.

Methods And Results: A total of 1073 athletes (451 females, 22.

Very late unusual thrombosis of the remnant pulmonary vasculatures after lung resection complicated by embolic events.

Background: Primary thrombosis of the pulmonary vasculatures without extra-pulmonary sources of embolism are uncommon. Here, we report 2 cases of thrombosis of the stump of the remnant pulmonary vasculatures after lung resection complicated by embolic events with review of the literature.

Case Presentation: A 75-year-old female was consulted to evaluate cardiac source of embolism for acute cerebral infarction.

Impact of Anticoagulation Intensity in Korean Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: Is It Different from Western Population?

Background And Objectives: Although anticoagulation with warfarin is recommended as an international normalized ratio (INR) of prothrombin time between 2.0 and 3.0 and mean time in the therapeutic range (TTR) ≥70%, little has been proven that universal criteria might be suitable in Korean atrial fibrillation (AF) patients.

Multimodality cardiovascular imaging in pulmonary embolism.

Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality. To select appropriate therapeutic strategy and/or to minimize the mortality and morbidity, rapid and correct identification of life-threatening APE is very important. Also, right ventricular (RV) failure usually precedes acute hemodynamic compromise or death, and thus the identification of RV failure is another important step in risk stratification or treatment of APE.

Clinical Utility of Quantitative CT Analysis for Fissure Completeness in Bronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction: Comparison between CT and Chartis™.

Objective: The absence of collateral ventilation (CV) is crucial for effective bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) with an endobronchial valve. Here, we assessed whether CT can predict the Chartis™ results.

Materials And Methods: This study included 69 patients (mean age: 70.

Incidence of cardiac death and recurrent stent thrombosis after treatment for angiographically confirmed stent thrombosis.

Background: Although many studies showed the predictive factors of stent thrombosis (ST) occurrence, there are few data about clinical outcomes and recurrent ST after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST. Furthermore, it is uncertain which factors can cause adverse clinical events including recurrent ST.

Methods: This study examined the clinical outcomes after treatment for definite ST.

Benefit of Early Statin Initiation within 48 Hours after Admission in Statin-Naïve Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background And Objectives: Although current guidelines recommend early initiation of statin in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), there is no consensus for optimal timing of statin initiation.

Methods: A total of 3,921 statin-naïve patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention were analyzed, and divided into 3 groups according to statin initiation time: group 1 (statin initiation <24 hours after admission), group 2 (24-48 hours) and group 3 (≥48 hours). We also made 3 stratified models to reduce bias: model 1 (<24 hours vs.

Prevalence of Fabry Disease in Korean Men with Left Ventricular Hypertrophy.

Background: Fabry disease is an X-linked recessive disorder caused by deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme α-galactosidase A (α-Gal A). Previous studies identified many cases of Fabry disease among men with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). The purpose of this study was to define the frequency of Fabry disease among Korean men with LVH.

Real World Comparison of Rivaroxaban and Warfarin in Korean Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: Propensity Matching Cohort Analysis.

Rivaroxaban has emerged as a potential alternative to warfarin for the prevention of thromboembolism in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, there has been concern for the risk of major bleeding, especially in Asian patients. We investigated the efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban compared to warfarin in Korean real world practice.

Impacts of non-recovery of trastuzumab-induced cardiomyopathy on clinical outcomes in patients with breast cancer.

Objectives: The impacts of non-recovery of trastuzumab-induced left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) on clinical outcomes in breast cancer have been poorly studied. We investigated the predictors of LV-functional non-recovery and its impacts on clinical outcomes in breast cancer patients with trastuzumab-induced LVD.

Methods And Results: A total of 243 patients with trastuzumab-induced LVD were divided into the recovered LVD group (n = 195) and non-recovered LVD group (n = 48).

D-dimer/troponin ratio in the differential diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism from non-ST elevation myocardial infarction.

Background/aims: The aim of this study was to investigate useful cardiac biomarkers in the differential diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism (APE) with troponin elevation from acute non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).

Methods: A total of 771 consecutive NSTEMI patients with D-dimer measurements and 90 patients with troponin-I (TnI) elevation out of 233 APE patients were enrolled, and cardiac biomarkers were compared.

Results: D-dimer elevation was noted in 382 patients with NSTEMI (49.

University athletes and changes in cardiac geometry: insight from the 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade.

Aims: There is a paucity of data regarding the changes of cardiac geometry in highly trained international and multiracial university athletes. We aimed to investigate the incidence of structural cardiac abnormalities and changes of cardiac geometry in highly trained university athletes.

Methods And Results: Comprehensive echocardiographic studies were performed in 1185 university athletes through the Check-up Your Heart Program during the 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade.

Predictors of Clinical Outcome in Patients with Angiographically Intermediate Lesions with Minimum Lumen Area Less than 4 mm Using Intravascular Ultrasound in Non-Proximal Epicardial Coronary Artery.

We investigated predictors of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) with two years after medical treatment for lesions with angiographically intermediate lesions with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) minimum lumen area (MLA) <4 mm in non-proximal epicardial coronary artery. We retrospectively enrolled 104 patients (57 males, 62±10 years) with angiographically intermediate lesions (diameter stenosis 30-70%) with IVUS MLA <4 mm in the non-proximal epicardial coronary artery with a reference lumen diameter between 2.25 and 3.

Complete atrioventricular block as an initial manifestation of recurred oral cavity cancer: a case report.

Background: Intracardiac invasion of head and neck cancer is extremely rare. Here, we report a case of recurred oral cavity cancer presenting with complete atrioventricular (AV) block caused by cardiac metastasis.

Case Presentation: A 70-year-old male presented with dizziness for 2 days.

Effect of the Metabolic Syndrome on Outcomes in Patients Aged <50 Years Versus >50 Years With Acute Myocardial Infarction.

The presence of metabolic syndrome (MS) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Moreover, data are lacking on the association of MS with clinical outcomes in young adults with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study was a retrospective analysis of 2,082 patients with AMI who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention.

Impacts of Predischarge Diastolic Functional Recovery on Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Hypertensive Heart Failure.

Background: Diastolic function is an independent predictor of death in heart failure (HF), but the effect of a change in diastolic function during hospitalization on clinical outcomes in patients with hypertensive HF (HHF) has been poorly studied. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of predischarge diastolic functional recovery (DFR) on future clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with a first diagnosis of HHF.

Methods and results: A total of 175 hospitalized patients with HHF were divided into 2 groups according to the change in diastolic function on predischarge echocardiography in comparison with baseline echocardiography: DFR group (n=74, 54.

Pre-discharge anemia as a predictor of adverse clinical outcomes in patients with acute decompensated heart failure.

Background/aims: The impact of the timing of anemia during hospitalization on future clinical outcomes after surviving discharge from an index heart failure (HF) has been poorly studied in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF).

Methods: A total of 384 surviving patients with acute ADHF were divided into two groups: an anemia group (n = 270, 199 anemia at admission and 71 pre-discharge anemia) and a no anemia group (n = 114). All-cause mortality and HF re-hospitalization were compared between groups.

Impact of Complete Revascularization on Six-Year Clinical Outcomes and Incidence of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction and Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease.

It remains unclear whether complete revascularization (CR) reduces the incidences of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and adverse cardiac outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel coronary artery disease (MVD). A total of 453 hemodynamically stable patients with STEMI and MVD were retrospectively evaluated; the patients were divided into 2 groups according to interventional strategy: CR (n = 240) and incomplete revascularization (IR) (n = 213). We analyzed the incidences of ADHF and major adverse cardiac events (MACE; a composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, and any revascularization) over a long follow-up period (median 6.

Tpeak-Tend interval during therapeutic hypothermia can predict upcoming ventricular fibrillation in subjects with aborted arrhythmic sudden cardiac death: 3-years follow-up results.

Aims: Prolonged Tpeak-Tend interval has been shown to be markers of arrhythmogenesis in various cardiac disorders. However, its dynamicity is one of the obstacles to predict fatal ventricular arrhythmia. This study investigated whether Tpeak-Tend interval during therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is associated with ventricular fibrillation (VF) inducibility and clinical arrhythmia in subjects with aborted arrhythmic sudden cardiac death (SCD).