Carotid sinus syncope is a temporary, exaggerated circulatory response to carotid massage, characterized by marked drop in arterial pressure, and varying degree of bradycardia, or even asystole lasting for several seconds, resulting in short lasting loss of consciousness. A related reflex mediated disorder is a fainting precipitated by a parapharyngeal space-occupying lesion, manifests in prolonged episodes of hemodynamic instability. We report a case, where the hemodynamic features of the syncope are well documented.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Increased muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) indicates an adverse outcome in heart failure. Decreased baroreflex modulation of MSNA is a well-known feature of the disease. The determinability of cardiovagal baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) in heart failure is low, however, the determinability of sympathetic BRS is not known.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: While sympathetic overactivity in heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF; EF < 40%) is well-documented, it is ill-defined in patients with mildly reduced EF (HFmrEF; EF 40-49%). Furthermore, the significance of ischaemic versus non-ischaemic aetiology in sympathetic activation is also unclear and has yet to be studied in HF. Our goal was to compare muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in HFmrEF and HFrEF patients and in healthy subjects, as well as to elucidate the influence of the underlying disease.
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