Secondary prevention in patients after hospitalisation due to coronary artery disease: what has changed since 2006?

Background: The evidence concerning the quality of secondary prevention of coronary artery disease (CAD) in Poland in recent years is scarce.

Aim: To compare the implementation of secondary prevention guidelines into everyday clinical practice between 2006-2007 and 2011-2012 in patients after hospitalisation due to CAD.

Methods: Five hospitals with departments of cardiology serving a city and its surrounding districts in the southern part of Poland participated in the study.

Comparison of aortic pulse wave velocity measured by three techniques: Complior, SphygmoCor and Arteriograph.

Background: New 2007 European Society of Hypertension guidelines recommend measuring arterial stiffness in patients with arterial hypertension, suggesting a carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity over 12 m/s as an estimate of subclinical organ damage. Considering this cutoff point, it is worth exploring whether or not there are significant differences in results obtained using various techniques for measuring aortic pulse wave velocity. The aim of the study was to compare aortic pulse wave velocity measurements using Complior, SphygmoCor, and Arteriograph devices, and to assess the effect of pulse wave transit time and traveled distance on pulse wave velocity values.

Pulsatile but not steady component of blood pressure predicts cardiovascular events in coronary patients.

Although the differences between central and peripheral blood pressure (BP) values have been known for decades, the consequences of decision making based on peripheral rather than central BP have only recently been recognized. There are only a few studies assessing the relationship between intraaortic BP and cardiovascular risk. In addition, the relationship between central BP and the risk of cardiovascular events in a large group of coronary patients has not yet been evaluated.

Gender does not influence event-free survival in patients with ischaemic heart disease undergoing non-emergency coronary angiography. A single centre analysis.

Background: Although gender-related differences in cardiovascular risk in patients with acute coronary syndromes have been investigated several times in Poland, there are few data on the effects of gender on management of patients with stable ischaemic heart disease (IHD). In addition, available data on the prognosis in this condition in men and women are also scarce.

Aim: To assess gender-related differences in treatment and event-free survival in patients with IHD undergoing non-emergency coronary angiography.

[Recurrent cardiac arrest due to electro-mechanical dissociation in a patient with variant angina -- a case report].

We present a case of a 44-year-old male with recurrent episodes of cardiac arrest in the course of Prinzmetal's angina. Episodes of variant angina can be life threatening due to episodes of advanced atrioventricular block, asystole, ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. It has been suggested to implant an ICD in all patients with variant angina after cardiac arrest.

Ascending aortic blood pressure-derived indices are not correlated with the extent of coronary artery disease in patients with impaired left ventricular function.

Background: Ascending aortic blood pressure-derived indices were shown to be related to coronary atherosclerosis. Unfortunately, most studies published so far included patients with preserved left ventricular function. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between ascending aortic blood pressure-derived indices and the extent of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with impaired left ventricular function.

Ascending aortic, but not brachial blood pressure-derived indices are related to coronary atherosclerosis.

Unlabelled: A recent study has demonstrated that pulse pressure (PP) measured in the ascending aorta is related to the extent of coronary artery disease in patients undergoing coronary angioplasty. However, no study so far has analyzed the relation between pulsatility of the ascending aorta and the extent of coronary artery disease in consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography. Therefore, we investigated the relation between ascending aorta pulsatility and the extent of coronary atherosclerosis in unselected patients with angiographically confirmed coronary artery disease.