A rapid echocardiographic screening protocol for rheumatic heart disease in Samoa: a high prevalence of advanced disease.

Background: Echocardiography has been proposed as a method to screen children for rheumatic heart disease. The World Heart Federation has established guidelines for echocardiographic screening. In this study, we describe a rapid echocardiogram screening protocol according to the World Heart Federation guidelines in Samoa, endemic for rheumatic heart disease.

Rheumatic fever in Samoa: education as prevention.

The incidence of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and its sequela rheumatic heart disease (RHO) is disproportionately high among the children of Western Samoa. Basic symptoms of ARF include fever, joint pain, and a sore throat. The condition of strep throat, if left untreated, may initiate an immune response which can damage the heart and become RHD.

Cardiac magnetic resonance versus transthoracic echocardiography for the assessment of cardiac volumes and regional function after myocardial infarction: an intrasubject comparison using simultaneous intrasubject recordings.

Background: Although echocardiography is commonly used to evaluate cardiac function after MI, CMR may provide more accurate functional assessment but has not been adequately compared with echo. The primary study objective was to compare metrics of left ventricular volumes and global and regional function determined by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and echocardiography (echo) in patients (pts) with recent myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods: To compare CMR with echo, 47 consecutive patients (pts 70% male; mean age = 66 +/- 11 years) with MI >6 wks previously and scheduled for imaging evaluation were studied by both echo and CMR within 60 min of each other.

Valvular regurgitation and surgery associated with fenfluramine use: an analysis of 5743 individuals.

Background: Use of fenfluramines for weight loss has been associated with the development of characteristic plaques on cardiac valves causing regurgitation. However, previously published studies of exposure to fenfluramines have been limited by relatively small sample size, short duration of follow-up, and the lack of any estimate of the frequency of subsequent valvular surgery. We performed an observational study of 5743 users of fenfluramines examined by echocardiography between July 1997 and February 2004 in a single large cardiology clinic.