Assessment of Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulant Dosing Patterns in Turkish Patients with Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation: A Multicenter, Cross-Sectional Study with Insights from the ASPECT-NOAC Study.

Objective: We aimed to assess the real-world label adherence of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) dosing patterns, including apixaban, edoxaban, and rivaroxaban, in Turkish patients with atrial fibrillation.

Methods: This was an observational, prospective, cross-sectional, multicenter study. Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who were prescribed NOACs within the last 4 months were recruited from 34 cardiology clinics in Türkiye.

Assessment of treatment patterns and patient awareness in atrial fibrillation patients using non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (ASPECT-NOAC).

Background And Aim: Despite the advances in oral anticoagulation with NOACs, careful patient and dose selection is required with NOAC therapy. Our study aimed to assess treatment patterns of NOACs in AF along with patients' continuity to NOAC treatments in first year, and their knowledge level of AF and NOAC treatment.

Methods: ASPECT-NOAC was designed as an observational, prospective, and multicenter study.

Prognostic value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic value of baseline neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the prediction of long-term mortality in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Methods: This prospective study recorded NLR during initial diagnostic right-sided cardiac catheterization in adult patients with PAH. Demographic, clinical, laboratory and haemodynamic variables were compared by NLR tertile.

Impact of Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation on Accuracy of Echocardiographic Pulmonary Artery Systolic Pressure Estimation.

Introduction: Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (DE) is recommended for screening and monitorization of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, some recent studies have suggested that Doppler echocardiographic pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) estimates may frequently be inaccurate. Some hemodynamic and echocardiographic factors are known to contribute to discordant results.

Rapid retraction of a post-infarction intramyocardial dissecting hematoma.

A 60-year-old male with a recent anterior myocardial infarction (MI) was referred to our hospital for implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation. He was on the 42nd day of MI and clinically stable on admission. Electrocardiography showed right bundle branch block with QS pattern on anterior leads.

An interesting septic embolism.

Septic pulmonary embolism is a rare disease but mortality and morbidity of it is high. Septic pulmonary emboli comes from infected heart valves, thrombophlebitis, and pulmonary artery catheter or infected pacemaker wires as many sources [1,2]. In recent years, pacemaker is a common treatment of the bradiarrhythmia that is persisted in the etiology of septic embolism, its applications has started to pick up [3].

Evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function according to new criteria and determinants in acromegaly.

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) develops in the early stages of acromegaly. The purpose of this study was to identify LVDD analyzing by new echocardiograpic criteria as well as to evaluate determinants of the LVDD in acromegaly. This cross-sectional study examined 42 patients with acromegaly; 16 in active disease (AA) and 26 cured/ well controlled (CA), and compared them with 30 healthy controls (CG).

Sodium bicarbonate, N-acetylcysteine, and saline for prevention of radiocontrast-induced nephropathy. A comparison of 3 regimens for protecting contrast-induced nephropathy in patients undergoing coronary procedures. A single-center prospective controlled trial.

Background: Several protective therapies have been developed to prevent contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN). We aimed to investigate the efficacy of sodium bicarbonate by comparing 2 other regimens, including combination of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) plus sodium chloride and sodium chloride alone, to prevent CIN in patients undergoing cardiovascular procedures.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 264 patients who were scheduled for cardiovascular procedures and had a baseline creatinine level >1.

Are complex coronary lesions more frequent in patients with diabetes mellitus?

Background: Coronary atherosclerotic burden is excessive in diabetic patients. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an independent predictor for both death and myocardial infarction. It is not known whether the prevalence of complex coronary lesions, such as bifurcation and ostial lesions, is different in diabetics from nondiabetics.

Effects of carvedilol therapy on arrhythmia markers in patients with congestive heart failure.

The aim of this study was investigate the effects of carvedilol therapy on ventricular repolarization characteristics as assessed by QT dispersion (QTd) and heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with heart failure. Thirty-one patients with heart failure (mean age, 63.9 years) were included in the study.

Five chambered heart: a case report and brief review of literature.

We present a patient with chest pain and suspicious findings in electrocardiography and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy for myocardial ischemia. Coronary angiography and then echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a dilated left anterior descending coronary artery, which has fistulous communication with a large, separate chamber that occupies the infero-apical interventricular septum. This is a challenging congenital anomaly for a clinician in many aspects, which are discussed in the report.

Left atrial appendage-flow velocity predicts cardioversion success in atrial fibrillation.

Restoration of sinus rhythm by electrical cardioversion is a therapeutic option in appropriately selected patients with atrial fibrillation. It is important to determine predictors of electrical cardioversion outcome in patients with atrial fibrillation. Predictive value of clinical and conventional echocardiographic parameters for predicting cardioversion outcome is limited.

Usefulness of preprocedural soluble CD40 ligand for predicting restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

CD40-CD40 ligand interaction is involved in the inflammatory pathogenesis of atherosclerosis but clinical data about its role in stent restenosis are still limited. We investigated the effect of preprocedural CD40 ligand (sCD40L) on stent restenosis. We enrolled 36 patients (mean age 61.

Successful thrombolytic therapy for prosthetic mitral valve thrombosis with hemodynamic obstruction: case report and review of the literature.

Prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT) is a serious complication of mechanical valves. The use of thrombolytic therapy to relieve thrombotic prosthetic valve obstruction is accepted for right-sided valves, but its role in left-sided valves and hemodynamically stable patients awaits clarification. The case is presented of a patient in whom prosthetic heart valve thrombosis was treated successfully with streptokinase under transesophageal echocardiographic guidance.

Cardioversion under the guidance of transesophageal echochardiograhy in persistent atrial fibrillation: results with low molecular weight heparin.

Background: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) guided cardioversion to restoration of sinus rhythm is a therapeutic option in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Anticoagulation at the time of and after cardioversion is necessary to prevent formation of new thrombus during atrial stunning period. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety to TEE guided cardioversion with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in patients with atrial fibrillation.

An unusual presentation from xylazine-ketamine.

Veterinary anesthestics have gained popularity as drugs of abuse. A case of multiple drug abuse by a 36-y-old veterinarian involved the injection of xylazine-ketamine, resulting in gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and central nervous system effects, and unexpected hypertension, tachycardia and electrocardiogram changes.