Effect of obstructive sleep apnea on mitral valve tenting.

Obstructive apneas produce high negative intrathoracic pressure that imposes an afterload burden on the left ventricle. Such episodes might produce structural changes in the left ventricle over time. Doppler echocardiograms were obtained within 2 months of attended polysomnography.

Saddle pulmonary embolism: is it as bad as it looks? A community hospital experience.

Background: Saddle pulmonary embolism represents a large clot and a risk for sudden hemodynamic collapse. However, the clinical presentation and outcomes vary widely. On the basis of the findings of right heart dysfunction on echocardiograms, computed tomography angiography, or cardiac enzyme elevation, some argue for the use of thrombolytics or catheter thrombectomy even for hemodynamically stable patients.

Diverticular and aneurysmal structures of the left ventricle in adults: report of a case within the context of a literature review.

Left ventricular outpouchings are increasingly detected on cardiovascular imaging. Herein, we describe the case of a 45-year-old man who underwent noncardiac preoperative imaging and was found to have an asymptomatic left ventricular outpouching. The patient underwent successful surgical repair of the structure.

The correlation of left ventricular hypertrophy with the severity of atherosclerosis and embolic events.

Objective: The study was undertaken to assess the correlation between the presence and degree of aortic atheroma with degree of Left ventricular (LV) mass index and subsequent clinical outcomes.

Material And Method: The authors studied the clinical profiles of 87 patients with aortic atherosclerosis and controls, who had undergone TEE between 1995 and 2000.

Results: Mean LV mass index was 116 gram/m2 in atherosclerosis group compared to 81 gram/m2 in the control group (p < 0.

Inducible left ventricular outflow tract gradient during dobutamine stress echocardiography: an association with intraoperative hypotension but not a contraindication to liver transplantation.

Background: Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) is frequently used in the evaluation of cardiac risk prior to orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). In the general cardiac population, an inducible left ventricular outflow tract gradient (LVOT Delta) during DSE has variable prognostic importance. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and clinical significance of LVOT Delta in patients undergoing OLT during DSE.

Bacteremia and infective endocarditis in patients on hemodialysis.

The number of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has risen dramatically over the last decade. There are 300,000 patients in the United States with ESRD who are receiving hemodialysis (HD), and the incidence is increasing at a rate of 6% to 8% per year. Bacteremia, a prerequisite for infective endocarditis (IE), occurs at a rate of 0.

Undefined hypercoaguable state associated with massive right ventricular thrombus and embolism in a previously healthy 17-year-old male.

A right ventricular thrombus (RVT) is an unusual finding on echocardiography. We describe a healthy young male patient who developed RVT with subsequent pulmonary embolism (PE), the etiology of which remains uncertain.

Penetrating aortic atherosclerotic ulcer complicated by periesophageal hematoma.

Penetrating aortic atherosclerotic ulcers have been recently recognized as an entity among the acute aortic syndromes with a potentially fatal outcome. We describe the case of a patient presenting with severe chest pain who died as a result of a thoracic-aorta penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer complicated by a intramural hematoma of the esophagus and stomach, leading to exsanguination. To our knowledge this is the first case reported in the literature of such a complication from penetrating aortic atherosclerotic ulcers.

Epidemiology and outcome of infective endocarditis in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Survival in patients with infective endocarditis (IE) ranges from 4 to 50% depending on the type of organism, the type of valve involvement and the type of treatment.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of data in hemodialysis (HD) patients at our center from 1990 to 2000. Demographics, risk factors, and outcome data were extracted in the subgroup of patients with first-episode IE diagnosed primarily by echocardiography.

Rapid Development of a Papillary Fibroelastoma with Associated Thrombus: The Role of Transthoracic and Transesophageal Echocardiography.

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) are frequently utilized in patient's with suspected cerebral vascular ischemia. We describe a patient with suspected cerebral vascular ischemic event whom was found to have a mobile valvular mass by TTE and TEE. The lesion was unusual due to its rapid development over a period 6 months, which was documented on serial echocardiography.

Mediastinal Tumor Presenting as Expanding Aortic Aneurysm Diagnosed by Transesophageal Echocardiography.

This article describes a patient with suspected expanding ascending aortic aneurysm in whom transesophageal echocardiography appropriately determined the presence of a mediastinal soft tissue mass and visualized compression of the superior vena cava. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 13, November 1996)

Coronary Angioplasty of an Anomalous Coronary Artery in the Elderly: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Newer developments in biotechnology and increasing operator experience have broadened the clinical applicability of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. These advances have allowed the treatment of patients with variant and anomalous coronary arteries and the treatment of an increasingly elderly population. A case of successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in a 90-year-old man with unstable angina and an anomalous origin of the left main coronary artery is reported.

Atrial Fibrillation in the Elderly: A Review.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in the elderly. It is associated with significant morbidity and mortality due to hemodynamic and cardioembolic complications. The incidence of stroke in elderly patients is 5 times higher than in patients in sinus rhythm.

Cardiac Surgery in Patients At or Above 75 Years Old: Analysis of Perioperative and Long-term Outcome.

BACKGROUND: The peri-operative and long-term outcome of 211 consecutive patients at or above 75 years of age undergoing cardiac surgery between 1987-1990, was assessed. 79.6% of patients underwent CABG, 8.