Air transport of patients with critical cardiac conditions requiring intensive care.

It is extremely important that patients with severe heart disease who need an intensive care unit can be quickly transferred to advanced centers. Air transport is the fastest and safest way for doing this in these patients, and its importance has been recognized in recent years. In this review, we examined the details of air transport of patients with critical cardiac conditions.

Parameters of ventricular repolarization in patients with autoimmune hepatitis.

Objective: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a liver disorder that affects both children and adults. It is characterized by inflammatory liver histology, elevated transaminase level, circulating nonorgan-specific autoantibodies, and increased level of immunoglobulin G in the absence of known etiology. Ventricular repolarization has been evaluated using T wave and QT interval measurements in patients with hepatic cirrhosis.

Serum Irisin Level Can Predict the Severity of Coronary Artery Disease in Patients with Stable Angina.

Background And Objectives: The recently discovered myokine irisin has a proposed role in adipose tissue metabolism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between serum irisin level and the coronary artery severity in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD).

Subjects And Methods: Sixty-three patients who underwent coronary angiography (CA) diagnosed with stable CAD and twenty-six patients with normal coronary artery (NCA) were enrolled in the study.

Change in left ventricular systolic function in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction: Evidence for smoker's paradox or pseudo-paradox?

Background: The 'smoker's paradox' refers to the observation of favorable prognosis in current smokers following an acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in the era of fibrinolysis, however, several STEMI studies have demonstrated conflicting results in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI).

Objective: Aim of the current study was to evaluate the impact of cigarette smoking on left ventricular function in STEMI patients undergoing p-PCI.

Methods: Our population is represented by 74 first-time anterior STEMI patients undergoing p-PCI, 37 of whom were smokers.

Relation between lymphocyte to monocyte ratio and short-term mortality in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

Introduction: The relationship between inflammation and mortality after acute pulmonary embolism (APE) has previously been investigated with different variables (platelet/lymphocyte ratio, etc).

Objectives: We investigated the predictive value of lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) for mortality in first 30 days after APE.

Methods: The study population included 264 APE patients of which 230 patients were survivors, 34 patients were non-survivors.

Classical electrocardiographic clues for left main coronary artery disease.

Prediction of left main coronary artery (LMCA) or equivalent disease is important with regard to selecting the appropriate treatment strategy. The classical electrocardiographic pattern of LMCA disease includes ST elevation (STE) in lead aVR in the presence of extensive ST depression (most prominent in leads I, II, and V4-6) with the STE in aVR≥V1. Patients with these findings may potentially require early coronary angiography and coronary bypass surgery; therefore selected patients with these findings on exercise testing might benefit from more urgent or expedited angiography.

Association between serum adropin level and burden of coronary artery disease in patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction.

Objective: Previous studies revealed the relationship between stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and serum adropin level, but this relationship has not been investigated in patients with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). The present study is an analysis of the relationship between adropin and severity of CAD assessed based on SYNTAX score in patients with NSTEMI.

Methods: A total of 109 participants, 80 patients with NSTEMI and 29 healthy individuals, were prospectively enrolled in the study.

Reverse Takotsubo cardiomyopathy following intra-abdominal surgery.

Reverse Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (RTC) is a rare condition characterized by systolic dysfunction of the basal segments of the left ventricle in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease. The case of a 50-year-old woman with RTC following intra-abdominal surgery is described in the present report.

Predictors of in-hospital mortality in octogenarian patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention after ST segment elevated myocardial infarction.

Aim: Octogenarian patients have higher mortality and morbidity rates after acute coronary syndromes. Risk factors for in-hospital mortality in the primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) era were underrepresented in previous studies. In the present study, we aimed to assess the risk factors of in-hospital mortality after primary PCI in this population.

The Association Between Serum Procalcitonin Levels and Severity of Coronary Artery Disease Assessed by SYNTAX Score in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome.

The SYNTAX score (SX score) is a useful score for assessing the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD). Previous studies have demonstrated a close relationship between SX score and inflammation. Procalcitonin (PCT) is an early inflammatory marker, especially during sepsis.

Usefulness of monocyte to HDL-cholesterol ratio to predict high SYNTAX score in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

Aim: We aimed to investigate whether baseline monocyte to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR), an easily available inflammatory and oxidative stress marker, is associated with SYNTAX score.

Patients & Methods: In this cross-sectional study, n = 1229 consecutive patients with coronary artery disease were classified into two groups, low SYNTAX score (≤22) and high SYNTAX score (≥23).

Results: MHRs were significantly higher in patients with high SYNTAX score (p < 0.

The association between platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio and inflammatory markers with the severity of aortic stenosis.

Aim: Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) was proposed as a novel indirect marker of inflammation. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between PLR and aortic stenosis (AS).

Patients & Methods: The study population included 453 patients of which 98 patients with severe AS, 206 patients with mild-to-moderate AS and 149 patients as control.

Novel indexes of arrhythmogenesis in preeclampsia: QT dispersion, Tp-e interval, and Tp-e/QT ratio.

Objective: There is increasing evidence that preeclampsia (PE) may also be a risk factor for future cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including arrhythmia. In this study we aimed to evaluate the association between PE and ventricular repolarization using novel electrocardiogram markers: QT interval duration, Tp-e interval, and Tp-e/QT ratio.

Materials And Methods: In this controlled cross-sectional study sixty-four pregnant women with PE (31 with mild and 33 with severe disease) and 32 healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancies in the third trimester were compared by measuring QT parameters, Tp-e interval, and Tp-e/QT ratio.

Prediction of Preeclampsia by First Trimester Combined Test and Simple Complete Blood Count Parameters.

Introduction: Preeclampsia is a serious disease which may result in maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. Improving the outcome for preeclampsia necessitates early prediction of the disease to identify women at high risk. Measuring blood cell subtype ratios, such as the neutrophil to lymphocyte (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte (PLR) ratios, might provide prognostic and diagnostic clues to diseases.

Forced expiratory volume in one second can predict SYNTAX score in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: The SYNTAX score is an angiographic score that predicts coronary artery disease (CAD) complexity. It has been shown to be useful for decision making about percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting among patients with CAD. Higher SYNTAX scores are indicative of more complex disease.

Evaluation of ventricular repolarization in pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis.

Background: Bile acids can induce arrhythmia by altering cardiomyocyte contractility or electrical conduction. The aim of this study was to investigate, by means of QT dispersion parameter detected by simple standard electrocardiogram (ECG), ventricular repolarization changes in pregnant women with and without intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP).

Methods: In this case-control study including 75 pregnant women with cholestasis and 35 healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy cases, electrocardiographic QT interval durations and QT dispersion (QT-disp) parameters, corrected for the patients' heart rate using the Hodges formula, were investigated.

P-wave duration changes and dispersion in preeclampsia.

Objective: The purpose of this research was to study P wave parameters to determine the association between preeclampsia and future cardiovascular risk and to study the possible correlation between P waves and severity of preeclampsia.

Study Design: In this case-control study 58 pregnant women with preeclampsia and 30 normal pregnant women were compared by measuring maximum and minimum P-wave durations and P-wave dispersion (Pd) in the late third trimester.

Results: Minimum P wave values were lower and Pd values were higher, both significantly, in the preeclampsia groups than in the control group.