Comparison of Platelet Mass Index in On-Pump and Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.

Introduction: Platelet mass index (PMI) is calculated by multiplying platelet count and mean platelet volume (MPV). It demonstrates platelet activation and is thought to be associated with inflammation. Its importance for cardiac surgery has not yet fully been clarified.

The effect of high-dose steroid treatment used for the treatment of acute demyelinating diseases on endothelial and cardiac functions.

Objective: The cardiovascular effects of short-term high-dose steroid treatment (pulse steroid treatment) have not yet been clarified. We examined the short- and long-term effects of pulse steroid treatment in demyelinating diseases on endothelial and cardiac functions.

Methods: In this prospective study, we included 35 patients (20 females and 15 males; mean age, 32.

The Influence of On-pump Versus Off-pump Surgery on Short- and Medium-term Postoperative Coronary Flow Reserve After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

Background: Although several clinical trials have compared surgical outcomes between off-pump and on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), whether there is a difference in the early- and medium-term postoperative coronary microvascular functions is not fully understood. We compared short- and medium-term coronary microvascular function after off-pump and on-pump CABG.

Methods: A prospective study of patients undergoing off-pump and on-pump CABG.

Coronary Flow Velocity Reserve in Burn Injury: A Prospective Clinical Cohort Study.

The authors sought to evaluate coronary microvascular function and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction using transthoracic Doppler echocardiography in burn patients. In this study, 32 adult burn patients with partial or full-thickness scald burns that were hospitalized and treated were included. The control group was matched for age and sex and was composed of otherwise healthy volunteers.

Does brucellosis cause arterial stiffness and ventricular remodelling through inflammation?

Background: Like other acute and chronic infections, Brucella infection leads to endothelial dysfunction. Furthermore, it has been suggested that the chronic inflammatory state present in chronic infectious diseases leads to an acceleration in atherosclerosis. For the prediction of CAD, it is possible to use epicardial fat thickness (EFT) as an adjunctive marker beside the classical risk factors, as it is easily and non-invasively evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography.

Can preoperative erythrocyte sedimentation rate serve as an indicator for midterm adverse events after coronary bypass grafting?

Objective: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) may serve as a reasonably good indicator for coronary heart disease as usually ESR is elevated in these patients. The measurement of ESR is a very simple and cheap laboratory test that can be performed in routine blood examinations. In this study, we investigated the association between preoperative erythrocyte sedimentation rate and postoperative midterm adverse events after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

The impact of acute brucellosis on mean platelet volume and red blood cell distribution.

Background: Brucellosis is an inflammatory disease which may infect any organs or systems in the body. Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) is one of the most frequently used surrogate markers of platelet function. It reveals the presence of disease activity in many inflammatory diseases.

Does mild preeclampsia cause arterial stiffness and ventricular remodeling through inflammation?

Background: A link between preeclampsia (PE) and excessive maternal morbidity and mortality is a commonly recognized fact. Moreover it has been suggested that chronic inflammatory state connected with PE contributes to accelerated atherosclerosis. There is also an association between PE and maternal cardiac remodeling and biventricular diastolic dysfunction.

Could there be an association between chronic brucellosis and endothelial damage?

Introduction: In this study, we examined the effects of Brucella infection on endothelial dysfunction. Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) measurement is indicator of the endothelial function, and abnormal values indicating endothelial dysfunction are accepted as the first stage of atherosclerosis.

Methodology: Twenty-four patients who had been treated for acute brucellosis two years before, and who had had no relapses in the follow-up, were prospectively included in the study, along with 30 healthy individuals in the control group.

Impaired coronary microvascular function and increased intima-media thickness in preeclampsia.

There is an association between preeclampsia (PE) and excessive morbidity and mortality. Some recent studies have revealed the presence of endothelial dysfunction in PE patients with inflammatory activity. Moreover, it has been argued that the chronic inflammatory state involved in PE leads to an acceleration in atherosclerosis.

Increased morning blood pressure surge and coronary microvascular dysfunction in patient with early stage hypertension.

Morning blood pressure surge (MBPS) is defined as an excessive increase in blood pressure (BP) in the morning from the lowest systolic BP during sleep, and it has been reported as a risk factor for cardiovascular events in current clinical studies. In this study, we evaluated the association between the rate of BP variation derived from ambulatory BP monitoring data analysis and coronary microvascular function in patients with early stage hypertension. One hundred seventy patients with prehypertension and Stage 1 hypertension who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the study.

Serum uric acid and carotid artery intima media thickness in patients with masked hypertension.

Background: Serum uric acid is related to hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Masked hypertension is associated with an increase in cardiovascular risk. The aim of our study was to evaluate the serum uric acid level and its relationship with carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in patients with masked hypertension.

Is off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery superior to on-pump coronary artery bypass surgery on postoperative paradoxical ventricular septal motion?

Background: The aims of this study were to investigate the appearance of paradoxical ventricular septal motion (PSM) after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and to identify factors that might be related to this abnormality.

Methods: This prospective study included 119 consecutive patients (38 women, 81 men) who underwent CABG. Patients who underwent on-pump surgery (22 women, 45 men) and patients who underwent off-pump surgery (16 women, 36 men) were studied separately.

Impaired coronary microvascular and left ventricular diastolic function in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Background And Aim: Increased incidence of coronary vascular events in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is known. However, the association between coronary microvascular function and IBD has not been fully defined. We aimed to investigate whether coronary flow reserve (CFR) and left ventricular diastolic function were impaired in IBD patients.

Radial artery, saphenous vein versus left internal thoracic artery in recurrent ischemic symptoms after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Background: The long-term results of coronary artery bypass surgery depend mostly on the type of the grafts. For a long time, it has been accepted that arterial grafts are superior to venous grafts. In this study, we evaluated the angiographic patency rates of arterial and venous grafts.

Does mild renal failure affect coronary flow reserve after coronary artery bypass graft surgery?

Introduction: There are only a limited number of studies on the link between mild renal failure and coronary artery disease. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of mild renal failure on the distal vascular bed by measuring the coronary flow reserve (CFR) in transthoracic echocardiography after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Methods: The study included 52 consecutive patients (12 women and 40 men) who had undergone uncomplicated CABG.

An unusual case of Candida infection producing a fungus ball in the left atrial cavity.

We report the case of a 75-year-old male patient who was treated in our clinic for septicemia and subacute infective endocarditis caused by toxigenic Candida albicans. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed the presence of a thrombus in the left atrial cavity, and the diagnosis was confirmed by computerized tomography. The patient was operated on urgently.

Permanent transvenous pacemaker implantation following percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in a patient with asymptomatic bilateral subclavian vein stenosis.

Subclavian venous obstruction is a disorder that arises more frequently today, due to the increased frequency of vascular interventions. It may affect one or both of the subclavian veins. When bilateral, it complicates the implantation of several devices that are preferably installed via the upper-extremity veins.

Mild carbon monoxide poisoning impairs left ventricular diastolic function.

Rationale: Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is associated with direct cardiovascular toxicity. In mild CO poisoning in which cardiovascular life support is not required, the effects of CO on left and right ventricular functions are unknown in patients without cardiac failure.

Objectives: Echocardiography was used to determine whether or not mild CO poisoning impairs ventricular function.

Subacute myocardial rupture following tirofiban treatment.

A 74-year-old male patient was admitted to our emergency department with post-MI angina. On account of the anginal complaint that continued for three days, a coronary artery angiography was undertaken. A percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was performed, followed by the implantation of a coronary stent, and coronary perfusion (TIMI-3) was achieved in the left anterior descending artery.

Light cigarette smoking and vascular function.

Objective: The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that smoking induces peripheral endothelial dysfunction and altered function in central conduit arteries.

Methods: A total of 22 healthy volunteers (10 women and 12 men; mean age 25.3 +/- 5.

Coronary Microvascular function, Peripheral Endothelial Function and Carotid IMT in beta-thalassemia minor.

Unlabelled: Higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease in Thalassemia patients have been known. Potential mechanisms are enhanced platelet activation, LDL oxidation, macrophage activation, and increased nitric oxide destruction. We have investigated coronary flow reserve (CFR), brachial artery flow mediated dilation (FMD) and Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in patients with Beta thalessemia minor (BTM).

Acquired left coronary artery fistula draining to the right ventricle after myocardial infarction.

Coronary arteriography performed in a 42-year-old male patient showed communications from the left anterior descending artery to the right ventricle one month after a myocardial infarction. The area of communication did not correspond to the site of the infarction as established by electrocardiogram and previous angiography. Exactly how the fistula developed in our case remains unknown.

Impaired coronary microvascular function and its association with disease duration and inflammation in patients with psoriasis.

Subjects: Thirty-six patients with psoriasis and 56 healthy volunteers were included in this study.

Methods: Echocardiographic examination included transmitral peak flow velocities of the early phase (E) and late phase (A) of the mitral inflow, left ventricular myocardial velocity measurements, and coronary flow reserve (CFR) measurement.

Results: Baseline coronary diastolic peak flow velocity (DPFV) of left anterior descending artery (LAD) was significantly higher in the psoriasis group.