Takotsubo cardiomyopathy triggered by status epilepticus: case report and literature review.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) is acute stress-induced cardiomyopathy with characteristic transient wall motion abnormalities. TC has a clinical presentation similar to an acute coronary syndrome, including chest pain or dyspnoea, ECG changes and elevated cardiac enzymes. TC often occurs after emotional stress.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of octogenarians presenting with ST elevation myocardial infarction in the Australian population.

Aim: To investigate the characteristics and outcomes of octogenarians who presented with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) compared to non-octogenarians and to investigate the outcomes of octogenarians that received primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared to those managed conservatively.

Methods: We performed a single center retrospective case controlled study. All octogenarians who presented with STEMI to a tertiary referring hospital between 2007 and 2012 were included.

Late Strut Fracture Within a Partially Resorbed Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold: A Possible Cause of Late Scaffold Thrombosis and Acute Coronary Syndrome.

The Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (BVS, Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, Cal, USA) is an exciting advance in percutaneous coronary intervention providing a temporary drug eluting scaffold resorbed in two to five years. We present two cases of late scaffold thrombosis associated with strut fracture during the period of resorption, at 20 and 24 months following BVS implantation. We propose luminal migration of malapposed struts following strut fracture during resorption as a potential mechanism for late scaffold thrombosis and acute coronary syndrome.

Prevalence and outcomes of trans-radial access for percutaneous coronary intervention in contemporary practise.

Background: Trans-radial access for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been associated with lower vascular complication rates and improved outcomes. We assessed the current uptake of trans-radial PCI in Victoria, Australia, and evaluated if patients were selected according to baseline bleeding risk in contemporary clinical practise, and compared selected clinical outcomes.

Methods: PCI data of all patients between 1st January 2013 and 31st December 2014 were analysed using The Victorian Cardiac Outcomes Registry (VCOR).

Assessing the Value of BMI and Aerobic Capacity as Surrogate Markers for the Severity of Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Who Are Obese.

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) is one of the earliest signs for abnormal cardiac function in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). It is important to explore the risk factors that will assist in identifying the severity of the LVDD in this population. We examined the influences of fitness and fatness on the level of left ventricular (LV) impairment in patients with T2DM.

Muscle atrophy in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: roles of inflammatory pathways, physical activity and exercise.

Muscle atrophy is caused by an imbalance in contractile protein synthesis and degradation which can be triggered by various conditions including Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Reduced muscle quality in patients with T2DM adversely affects muscle function, the capacity to perform activities of daily living, quality of life and ultimately may increase the risk of premature mortality. Systemic inflammation initiated by obesity and prolonged overnutrition not only contributes to insulin resistance typical of T2DM, but also promotes muscle atrophy via decreased muscle protein synthesis and increased ubiquitin-proteasome, lysosomal-proteasome and caspase 3- mediated protein degradation.

Optical coherence tomography to evaluate coronary stent implantation and complications.

Coronary optical coherence tomography (OCT) is now an established imaging technique in many catheterization laboratories worldwide. With its near-histological view of the vessel wall and lumen interface, it offers unprecedented imaging quality to improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, plaque vulnerability, and vascular biology. Not only is OCT used to accurately detect atherosclerotic plaque and optimize stent position, but it can further characterize plaque composition, quantify stent apposition, and assess stent tissue coverage.

Advances in three-dimensional coronary imaging and computational fluid dynamics: is virtual fractional flow reserve more than just a pretty picture?

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has shown a high success rate in the treatment of coronary artery disease. The decision to perform PCI often relies on the cardiologist's visual interpretation of coronary lesions during angiography. This has inherent limitations, particularly due to the low resolution and two-dimensional nature of angiography.

Synchronous cardiac arrest in monozygotic twins with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy--is sudden cardiac death genetically pre-programmed?

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a myocardial disorder characterised by left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in the absence of another cardiac or systemic disease capable of producing the magnitude of LVH evident. HCM causes variable symptoms and is one of the leading causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young adults. While various phenotypic features of HCM among monozygotic twin pairs are not uncommonly reported, occurrence of synchronous cardiac arrest among them is not known from literature.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: an insight into its prevalence, predictors, and implications of early detection.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) is common, and at least half of patients presenting with signs and symptoms of heart failure are found to have preserved left ventricular systolic function. They have high mortality and morbidity and exert a substantial impact on health care costs worldwide. A range of conditions has been shown to predispose individuals to development of diastolic dysfunction and HFPEF.

Clinical utility of exercise training in heart failure with reduced and preserved ejection fraction.

Reduced exercise tolerance is an independent predictor of hospital readmission and mortality in patients with heart failure (HF). Exercise training for HF patients is well established as an adjunct therapy, and there is sufficient evidence to support the favorable role of exercise training programs for HF patients over and above the optimal medical therapy. Some of the documented benefits include improved functional capacity, quality of life (QoL), fatigue, and dyspnea.

Treatment of hypertension in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Prevalence of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection (HFPEF) has been rising steadily in the recent past. Studies have shown that at least half of patients presenting with symptoms and signs of heart failure (HF) have preserved left ventricular ejection fraction, i.e.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction - unwinding the diagnosis mystique.

A precise diagnosis of diastolic dysfunction is often difficult and requires invasive techniques to determine left ventricular volume, relaxation, and compliance properties. At this current point of time there is no single non-invasive index available to adequately reflect diastolic function, perhaps because of the numerous factors that can alter diastolic function. In most clinical settings, diastolic function is estimated using Doppler echocardiography.

Effects of intravenous caffeine on fractional flow reserve measurements in coronary artery disease.

Background: Intravenous adenosine is used to minimise the coronary micro-resistance to achieve maximal hyperaemia along with nitrates for optimal fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurements. We hypothesise that caffeine, being a competitive inhibitor of adenosine, would influence adenosine-mediated FFR readings.

Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing angiogram and FFR measurements were enrolled after abstaining from caffeine for 24 h.

Predictors and outcomes of early coronary angiography in patients with prior coronary artery bypass surgery presenting with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction.

Introduction: The best strategy in patients with prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) who present with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) remains less well defined. We compare the characteristics, therapeutic interventions and outcomes of patients with prior CABG presenting with NSTEMI.

Methods: All patients who presented to our hospital during 2007-2012 with available electronic records were analysed retrospectively.

Use of ivabradine and atorvastatin in emergent orthopedic lower limb surgery and computed tomography coronary plaque imaging and novel biomarkers of cardiovascular stress and lipid metabolism for the study and prevention of perioperative myocardial infarction: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The incidence of perioperative myocardial infarction (PMI) globally is known to be around 2 to 3% and can prolong hospitalization, increased morbidity and mortality. Little is known about the pathophysiology and risk factors for PMI. We investigate the presence of elevated novel cardiac markers and preoperative coronary artery plaque through contemporary laboratory techniques to determine the correlation with PMI, as well as studying ivabradine and atorvastatin as protective pharmacotherapies against PMI in the context of orthopedic surgery.

Platypnoea orthodeoxia after hepatic surgery.

Platypnoea orthodeoxia is a rare clinical syndrome characterised by dyspnoea and deoxygenation exhibited in upright position with improvement in supine posture. Previously described aetiologies include cardiac (pericardial effusion or constrictive pericarditis), pulmonary (pneumonectomy, emphysema or amiodarone toxicity), abdominal (cirrhosis or ileus) or vascular (abdominal aortic aneurysm) causes. We report an unusual case of platypnoea orthodeoxia associated with patent foramen ovale and partial hepatic resection.

Rivaroxaban in acute coronary syndromes--is it prime time?

Arterial thrombosis in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is associated with activation of platelets and the coagulation cascade. Persistent thrombin levels have been reported after ACS in such patients. Novel oral anticoagulants without a need of close monitoring and frequent blood tests such as warfarin can provide a chronic beneficial effect on recurrent ischaemic events in such a population.

Radiation exposure with the radial approach for diagnostic coronary angiography in a centre previously performing purely the femoral approach.

Introduction: Use of the radial approach for coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is known to improve many patient outcome measures. However, there is some concern that it may be associated with increased patient radiation exposure. This study explores radiation exposure with the radial approach compared with the femoral approach in a centre previously performing purely femoral approach.

Steal syndrome secondary to coronary artery fistulae associated with giant aneurysm.

Giant coronary artery aneurysms and coronary artery fistulae are uncommon pathologies. We present the case of an elderly woman who was referred to cardiology for investigation of possible ischaemic heart disease prior to orthopaedic surgery. The patient had developed chest pain in the setting of a septic total knee replacement associated with changes on electrocardiography.

Giant coronary aneurysm presenting as a cardiac mass on transthoracic echocardiogram.

A 69-year-old man with a history of ischaemic heart disease and previous stent implantation in the right coronary artery (RCA) was found to have a large well-encapsulated mass attached to the right atrium on a routine transthoracic echocardiogram. Subsequent investigations including transoesophageal echocardiography and CT coronary angiogram suggested an RCA aneurysm formation in relation to the prior stented segment, further confirming on coronary angiogram a large ectatic vessel with a giant aneurysm measuring 2.4×2.