Symptoms of atrial fibrillation in patients with and without subsequent permanent atrial fibrillation based on a retrospective questionnaire survey.

The aim of the present study was to determine whether symptoms of atrial fibrillation (AF) differ between patients with and without subsequent permanent AF. Sixty-four patients (68 +/- 10 years old, 45 males) were recruited. AF follow-up was started at the age of 61 +/- 10 years and accomplished in a median period of 4.

Analysis of human error in nursing care.

Analysis of reports about incidental and accidental events in nursing care were made using a reliability engineering method. Unnatural working hours, such as evening duty, night duty falling next to a holiday, two consecutive night-duty shifts, and two consecutive evening-duty shifts were major factors in the occurrence of errors. In a mixed-division ward (a ward containing patients belonging to different divisions), rule-based errors happened more frequently than in a single-division ward.

Postocclusive Reactive Hyperemia During Vascular Reconstruction.

The purpose of this basic investigation was to clarify the postocclusive reactive hyperemia during vascular reconstruction using laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF). For the fundamental experiment, thirty-nine limbs with arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) in Stage II according to Fontaine's classification and 33 limbs without arterial or venous disease were chosen. In the supine position, a thigh cuff was applied to the lower thigh of a subject.

Patients' understanding and opinion about informed consent for coronary angiography in a rural Japanese hospital.

Based on an anonymous questionnaire obtained from 102 Japanese in-patients at a rural Japanese hospital who underwent coronary angiography, the patients understanding of information about the procedure, their perception of consent and their attitude toward it were investigated. The patients were able to recall 63.8% of the contents of the information.

[A right atrial thrombus after Fontan procedure--a case report].

A 17-year-old male with tricuspid atresia who underwent a modified Fontan procedure died due to heart failure 4 years and 6 months after operation. At autopsy a thrombus was found in the right atrial appendage. From the experience, it might be recommended to excise the appendage when the modified Fontan procedure leaving the appendage was employed.

Postoperative core-temperature rhythm of patients who underwent cardiac surgery.

Core-temperature rhythms of 16 patients who underwent cardiac surgery were studied and tow types of rhythm pattern were recognized. One showed a non-stationary part in the rhythm whereas the other did not. The non-stationary part of the rhythm was thought to be an expression of the disturbance caused by surgical intervention.

[Risk scores for ventricular premature contraction and exercise--performance after repair of tetralogy of Fallot].

Thirty-five patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TF), were studied for the postoperative factors which might have some effect on the presence and severity of ventricular premature contraction (VPC) and exercise performance (EP). Using the factors, we tried to make VPC- and EP-scores. Of the 35 patients, 12 (34%) showed VPCs of Lown's grade 2 or higher (group B) and 23 (66%) were free from significant VPCs (group A).

[Risk factors in the surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot: analysis of preoperative factors by stepwise regression].

Fifty-one patients undergoing total repair of tetralogy of Fallot between November 1977 and June 1985 were analyzed with respect to determinants of operative mortality and postoperative right to left ventricular peak systolic pressure ratio (RV/LV). The risk factors were age, sex (Sex), previous shunting operation (Shunt), extent of right ventricular outflow tract patch (Patch), various PA-indexes, maximal left atrial volume/BSA (LA/BSA), left ventricular end diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), LVEDVI/normal-LVEDVI, RV/LV, Hb, BSA and weight. Univariate analysis indicated that RV/LV and LA/BSA were associated with operative death.

Postoperative deep body temperature rhythm.

The postoperative deep body temperature rhythms of fifteen patients who received aorto-coronary bypass surgery (group I), and of seven patients who received non-cardiac major surgery (group II), were studied. Postoperative patients, especially those who received aortocoronary bypass surgery, showed greatly disturbed deep body temperature rhythm. There existed infradian and ultradian rhythm in both groups, and there existed two patients in group I who did not show sinusoidal rhythm.

Early and late postoperative studies in coronary arterial lesions resulting from Kawasaki's disease in children.

From October, 1976, to February, 1980, eight children with coronary arterial lesions resulting from Kawasaki's disease underwent surgical treatment--aorta-coronary bypass, aorta-coronary bypass combined with right coronary aneurysmectomy, and aorta-coronary bypass combined with left ventricular aneurysmectomy. The autogenous saphenous vein was used for the bypass grafts. Selective angiography preformed 1 month after the operation revealed an early patency rate of 85%.