Blood pressure and heart rate during an episode of unstable angina as predictors of in-hospital outcome.

Purpose: Risk stratification in patients with unstable angina remains a challenging task. Troponins, electrocardiographic changes and clinical characteristics are the most widely employed parameters. Blood pressure and heart rate are proven predictors of short-term outcome; no study, however, has investigated the dynamics of these variables.

Procalcitonin in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Acute myocardial infarction induces an inflammatory reaction. We related conventional inflammatory parameters including C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, white blood cell count and axillary temperature to plasma concentrations of procalcitonin in patients with acute myocardial infarction. In a prospective-descriptive study, we evaluated 54 patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Cerebral and coronary gas embolism from the inhalation of pressurized helium.

Objective: Inhalation of helium, which produces a change in the voice, is frequently used among young rock singers to improve their performance.

Design: A case report.

Settings: Adult medical intensive care unit in a university hospital.