Publications by authors named "Kjell Nikus"

Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess the impact of an adenosine bolus compared to saline during the initial cardioplegia on patient outcomes in aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgeries.
  • During the trial, 45 patients were randomized to receive either adenosine or saline, with various cardiac function metrics measured over time.
  • The results indicated no significant differences in cardiac index or other secondary outcomes between the two groups, although the left ventricular stroke work index was lower in the adenosine group.
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A 79-year-old male with a history of coronary artery disease presented to the Emergency Department with chest pain. ECG showed RBBB with mild ST elevation and positive T waves in I, aVL and V2. In patients with RBBB lack of ST depression and T wave inversion in the anterior leads could signify ischemia secondary to left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion.

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Background: Conventional measures of heart rate variability (HRV) have shown only modest associations with sudden cardiac death (SCD). Detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), with novel methodological developments to evaluate the short-term scaling exponent, is a potentially superior method compared to conventional HRV tools.

Objectives: In this study, the authors studied the analysis of the association between DFA and SCD.

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Congenital short QT syndrome is a very low prevalence inherited primary arrhythmia syndrome first reported in 2000 by Gussak et al., who described two families with a short QT interval, syncope, and sudden cardiac death. In 2004, Ramon Brugada et al.

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Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), often also leading to sudden cardiac death (SCD), is a common complication in coronary artery disease. Despite the effort there is a lack of applicable prediction tools to identify those at high risk. We tested the association between the validated GRACE score and the incidence of SCA after myocardial infarction.

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Article Synopsis
  • X-chromosomal genetic variants can provide important information about differences in human traits and diseases between sexes.
  • A large-scale study analyzed kidney-related traits in nearly 909,000 individuals, finding 23 genetic loci linked to uric acid levels and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), including four new genes that may play a role in kidney function.
  • The research also discovered five novel sex-specific interactions, with variations showing different effects in males and females, and highlighted genes that are responsive to androgens (male hormones), indicating a complex relationship between sex and kidney-related genetics.
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Background: ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Simple electrocardiogram (ECG) tools, including ST-segment resolution (STR) have been developed to identify high-risk STEMI patients after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Subjects And Methods: We evaluated the prognostic impact of STR in the ECG lead with maximal baseline ST-segment elevation (STE) 30-60 minutes after primary PCI in 7,654 STEMI patients included in the TOTAL trial.

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Article Synopsis
  • * New evidence suggests that critical proximal stenosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery is the main cause of LSFB.
  • * LSFB is characterized by its transient nature, often seen in acute or chronic ischemic conditions, and is considered clinically important, akin to "Wellens syndrome" and the "de Winter pattern" in acute coronary situations.
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Article Synopsis
  • This study examines the relationship between resting heart rate and cardiovascular diseases, identifying 493 genetic variants linked to this trait through a large-scale analysis of 835,465 individuals.
  • It highlights the significance of higher genetically predicted resting heart rates, which are associated with an increased risk of dilated cardiomyopathy but lower risk for conditions like atrial fibrillation and ischemic strokes.
  • The study also challenges previous findings on resting heart rate and all-cause mortality, suggesting earlier results may have been influenced by biases, ultimately enhancing our understanding of the biological implications of resting heart rate in cardiovascular health.
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Background: Breast radiotherapy (RT) induces diffuse myocardial changes, which may increase the incidence of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. This study aimed to evaluate the early signs of diffuse fibrosis after RT and their evolution during a six-year follow-up.

Methods: Thirty patients with early-stage left-sided breast cancer were studied with echocardiography and electrocardiography (ECG) at baseline, after RT, and at three-year and six-year follow-up visits.

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Background: The prognostic significance of Q waves and T-wave inversions (TWI) combined and separately in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI has not been well established in previous studies.

Methods: We included 7,831 patients from the TOTAL trial and divided the patients into categories based on Q waves and TWIs in the presenting ECG. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, recurrent myocardial infarction (MI), cardiogenic shock or new or worsening NYHA class IV heart failure within one year.

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Aims: Initial proof suggests that a non-specific intraventricular conduction delay (NIVCD) is a risk factor for mortality. We explored the prognosis of intraventricular conduction delays (IVCD)-right bundle branch block (RBBB), left bundle branch block (LBBB), and the lesser-known NIVCD-in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods And Results: This is a retrospective registry analysis of 9749 consecutive ACS patients undergoing coronary angiography and with an electrocardiographic (ECG) recording available for analysis (2007-18).

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We present a patient with left bundle branch (LBB) electronic ventricular pacing with chest pain. ECG showed ventricular pacing and ST elevation in the inferolateral leads. At first it was felt that the Sgarbossa criteria for STEMI in electronic ventricular pacing are not met.

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Background: Genetic variants within nearly 1000 loci are known to contribute to modulation of blood lipid levels. However, the biological pathways underlying these associations are frequently unknown, limiting understanding of these findings and hindering downstream translational efforts such as drug target discovery.

Results: To expand our understanding of the underlying biological pathways and mechanisms controlling blood lipid levels, we leverage a large multi-ancestry meta-analysis (N = 1,654,960) of blood lipids to prioritize putative causal genes for 2286 lipid associations using six gene prediction approaches.

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Background: In patients with some cardiovascular disease conditions, slightly elevated body mass index (BMI) is associated with a lower mortality risk (termed "obesity paradox"). It is uncertain, however, if this obesity paradox exists in patients who have had invasive cardiology procedures. We evaluated the association between BMI and mortality in patients who underwent coronary angiography.

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We describe two patient cases with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and broad QRS in the acute phase electrocardiogram (ECG). The patients' ECG findings resembled left bundle branch block (LBBB), but with atypical features. Broad QRS not fulfilling the criteria for LBBB or right bundle branch block (RBBB) is diagnosed as non-specific intraventricular conduction delay (NSIVCD).

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The typical ECG changes in tetralogy of Fallot are right axis deviation, large R waves in the anterior precordial leads and large S waves in the lateral precordial leads. We present a patient with extreme deviation of the frontal QRS axis between -90° and ± 180°. The child underwent open heart surgery twice before one year of age and a third time at nine years of age.

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Article Synopsis
  • The QT interval is a key measure in electrocardiograms that indicates the timing of heart muscle contractions and recoveries; abnormalities can lead to serious heart conditions.
  • A study involving over 250,000 individuals identified many genetic loci linked to various heart rhythm measures, revealing important genetic factors associated with QT, JT, and QRS intervals.
  • The findings suggest that certain gene variations could inform new treatments for arrhythmias and highlight genetic pathways involved in heart function and energy metabolism.
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Background And Objective: In this clinical trial, we evaluated if a short-acting nucleoside, adenosine, as a high-dose bolus injection with blood cardioplegia induces faster arrest and provides better myocardial performance in patients after bypass surgery for coronary artery disease.

Methods: Forty-three patients scheduled for elective or urgent coronary artery bypass grafting were prospectively recruited in two-arm 1:1 randomized parallel groups to either receive 20 mg of adenosine (in 21 patients) or saline (in 22 patients) into the aortic root during the first potassium-enriched blood cardioplegia infusion. The main outcomes of the study were ventricular myocardial performance measured with cardiac index, right ventricular stroke work index, and left ventricular stroke work index at predefined time points and time to asystole after a single bolus injection of adenosine.

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