UNEXPECTED SUDDEN DEATH IN A YOUNG MAN WITH MYOPERICARDITIS--A CASE REPORT.

A 31 years man was referred by general practitioner (GP) with chest pain preceded by sore throat a week ago. Electrocardiogram was suggestive of pericarditis and Troponin and inflammatory markers were elevated. Echocardiogram showed small pericardial effusion with normal biventricular size and function, and no regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMA).

[Coronary artery dissection in the postpartum period--a case study].

Spontaneous coronary dissection is a rare condition occurring more often in women, with a higher frequency during the peripartum period. No specific aetiology has been defined to this uncommon, but often fatal disease. We describe the case of a young woman admitted to our intensive care unit with ECG-findings of acute anterior myocardial infarction presented one week after delivery.

[Malignant vasovagal syncope].

The diagnosis of epilepsy is complicated by various conditions that can mimic an epileptic seizure. Many patients with abnormal seizure activity during loss of consciousness may have cardiovascular syncope with global cerebral hypoxia (convulsive syncope), which may be difficult to differentiate from epilepsy on clinical grounds. The differentiation is, however, important because they need quite different treatment modalities.

Clinical value of left atrial appendage flow for prediction of long-term sinus rhythm maintenance in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Objectives: This study evaluated the role of various clinical and echocardiographic parameters, including the left atrial appendage (LAA) anterograde flow velocity, for prediction of the long-term preservation of sinus rhythm (SR) in patients with successful cardioversion (CV) of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF).

Background: Echocardiographic parameters for assessing long-term SR maintenance after successful CV of nonvalvular AF are not accurately defined.

Methods: Clinical, transthoracic echocardiographic and transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) data--measured in AF lasting >48 h--of 186 consecutive patients (116 men, mean age: 65 +/- 9 years) with successful CV (electrical or pharmacologic) were analyzed for assessment of one-year maintenance of SR.