Usefulness of Oximetry Paradoxus to Diagnose Cardiac Tamponade.

Although echocardiography is usually diagnostic of cardiac tamponade, it may not be readily available at the point-of-care. We sought to develop and validate a measurement of respirophasic variation in the amplitude of pulse oximetry plethysmographic waveforms as a diagnostic tool for cardiac tamponade. Pulse oximetry plethysmographic waveforms were recorded, and the ratio of maximum-to-minimum measured amplitude of these waveforms from one respiratory cycle was calculated by blinded observers.

Reassessing Risk Factors for High Defibrillation Threshold: The EF-SAGA Risk Score and Implications for Device Testing.

Objectives: To reevaluate risk factors for high defibrillation threshold (DFT) and propose a risk assessment tool.

Background: Controversy exists over routine DFT testing during implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) placement.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 1,642 consecutive patients who received an ICD and underwent DFT testing.

A simple validated clinical tool to predict the absence of coronary artery disease in patients with systolic heart failure of unclear etiology.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major cause of systolic heart failure (HF). Identifying CAD as a cause of systolic HF has prognostic and treatment implications. Whether all patients with systolic HF of unclear etiology should undergo coronary angiography has been controversial.

Medicolegal characteristics of aortic stenosis litigation: a review of the LexisNexis Academic database.

Background And Aim Of The Study: Currently, few studies have been conducted to assess the outcome patterns of medicolegal cases involving patients with cardiovascular disease. Thus, the literature was reviewed for patterns of liability and medical outcomes in patients involved in aortic stenosis (AS) litigation.

Methods: Legal case opinions were obtained from LexisNexis Academic; case characteristics, litigation outcomes, and medical outcomes were identified.

Innate immune collectin surfactant protein D enhances the clearance of DNA by macrophages and minimizes anti-DNA antibody generation.

Dying microbes and necrotic cells release highly viscous DNA that induces inflammation and septic shock, and apoptotic cells display DNA, a potential autoantigen, on their surfaces. However, innate immune proteins that mediate the clearance of free DNA and surface DNA-containing cells are not clearly established. Pulmonary surfactant proteins (SP-) A and D are innate immune pattern recognition collectins that contain fibrillar collagen-like regions and globular carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs).

Nucleic acid is a novel ligand for innate, immune pattern recognition collectins surfactant proteins A and D and mannose-binding lectin.

Collectins are a family of innate immune proteins that contain fibrillar collagen-like regions and globular carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs). The CRDs of these proteins recognize various microbial surface-specific carbohydrate patterns, particularly hexoses. We hypothesized that collectins, such as pulmonary surfactant proteins (SPs) SP-A and SP-D and serum protein mannose-binding lectin, could recognize nucleic acids, pentose-based anionic phosphate polymers.