PCI of CTOs: hope or hype?

Compared with successful PCI, failed PCI of CTOs is associated with higher rates of in-hospital death, MI, CABG, perforation, and cardiac tamponade, but the absolute risk difference is small. Since 1991, the overall rates of in-hospital complications are declining, due to significant improvements in CTO technology and operator expertise. Outcomes after CTO-PCI may be enhanced by proper patient selection (resistant angina; large areas of ischemia; and anatomic suitability for antegrade, retrograde, and/or subintimal recanalization) and by reliance on expert operators using a flexible incremental approach to recanalization.

Coronary artery aneurysms: case report and review of transcatheter management strategies.

There is no consensus on the best management of coronary artery aneurysms (CAA) in adults. We describe two patients with CAA and review transcatheter approaches to exclude them from the circulation.

SELDI-TOF-MS Serum Profiling Reveals Predictors of Cardiac MRI Changes in Marathon Runners.

Purpose. To utilize proteomics to discover proteins associated with significant cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes in marathon runners. Methods.

Phidippides cardiomyopathy: a review and case illustration.

Phidippides was a Greek messenger who experienced sudden death after running more than 175 miles in two days. In today's world, marathon running and other endurance sports are becoming more popular and raising concern about sudden deaths at these events. Once etiologies such has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, anomalous coronary arteries, and coronary atherosclerosis have been excluded, there is now an additional consideration termed Phidippides cardiomyopathy.

Changes in renal markers and acute kidney injury after marathon running.

Background: The impact of marathon running on kidney function has not been previously described.

Methods: From 425 marathon runners, 13 women and 12 men were randomly selected and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and blood/urine biomarkers were performed 4 weeks before (baseline), immediately after (peak), and 24 h after the race (recovery).

Results: Participants were 38.

Acute cardiac effects of marathon running.

We sought to clarify the significance of cardiac dysfunction and to assess its relationship with elevated biomarkers by using cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in healthy, middle-aged subjects immediately after they ran 26.2 miles. Cardiac dysfunction and elevated blood markers of myocardial injury have been reported after prolonged strenuous exercise.

New insights in preventive cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation.

Purpose Of Review: To summarize changing paradigms and perceptions in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Recent Findings: Recent studies have shown that arterial inflammation probably plays a key role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis, that acute myocardial infarctions often evolve from mild-to-moderate coronary artery stenoses, that patients who experience a fatal coronary event invariably had antecedent exposure to one or more major coronary risk factors, that angiographic findings may vastly underestimate underlying atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, and that many elective coronary revascularization procedures may be unnecessary. Moreover, cardiorespiratory fitness appears to be one of the strongest prognostic markers in persons with and without heart disease.

Reduction in predicted coronary heart disease risk after substantial weight reduction after bariatric surgery.

In recent years, bariatric surgery has become an increasingly used therapeutic option for morbid obesity. The effect of weight loss after bariatric surgery on the predicted risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) has not previously been studied. We evaluated baseline (preoperative) and follow-up (postoperative) body mass index, CHD risk factors, and Framingham risk scores (FRSs) for 109 consecutive patients with morbid obesity who lost weight after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

Cardiorespiratory fitness and short-term complications after bariatric surgery.

Background: Morbid obesity is associated with reduced functional capacity, multiple comorbidities, and higher overall mortality. The relationship between complications after bariatric surgery and preoperative cardiorespiratory fitness has not been previously studied.

Methods: We evaluated cardiorespiratory fitness in 109 patients with morbid obesity prior to laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.