Impact of Hyperkalemia in Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction: A Retrospective Study.

(1) Background: Hyperkalemia is a common finding in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), though its prognostic significance is controversial. There is no consensus on optimal potassium levels in these patients. The primary endpoint of this study was to determine the 5-year incidence of hyperkalemia in a cohort of patients with HFrEF.

Usefulness of carotid ultrasonography in the assessment of coronary artery disease extension in patients undergoing exercise echocardiography.

Objectives: To evaluate whether carotid disease is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) extension in patients undergoing treadmill exercise stress echocardiography (EE).

Methods: We retrospectively studied 156 patients without previous vascular disease who underwent EE, carotid ultrasonography, and coronary angiography between 2002 and 2013. Low-, intermediate-, and high-risk EE were defined as negative, localized ischemia, and multivessel/extensive ischemia EE respectively; carotid disease according to Mannheim and American Society of Echocardiography Consensus and CAD extension from zero to three vessel disease as stenosis ≥50% by visual assessment.

"Giant R wave" electrocardiogram pattern during exercise treadmill test: A case report.

Introduction: The exercise treadmill test is widely used in the evaluation of patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease. The typical ischemic response used to be ST-segment depression.

Case Presentation: We describe a case of a 51-year-old Caucasian man with an unusual ischemic response during the exercise treadmill test: a "giant R wave" electrocardiogram pattern as a manifestation of hyperacute ischemia that resolved with sublingual nitroglycerin.

Giant left atrial myxoma mimicking severe mitral valve stenosis.

We report a case of giant left atrial myxoma in a young patient with clinical manifestation as congestive heart failure attributable to severe mitral valve stenosis. An early clinical and echocardiographic diagnosis was performed and the patient had an optimal outcome with surgery treatment.

[Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm as a cause of acute myocardial infarction].

Aneurysmal dilatation of one or more of the sinuses of Valsalva (SVA) is a rare cause of coronary insufficiency. We describe one case of unruptured and partially thrombosed right sinus of Valsalva aneurysm of which the first sign was acute inferior myocardial infarction in a 40-year-old man while reviewing the literature, we found 44 reported cases of sinus of Valsalva aneurysm, complicated by myocardial ischemia or infarction. In 28 cases the left coronary sinus was involved, in 12 cases the right one, and in 4 cases both of them.