[Traumatological risk in ambulatory cardiological rehabilitation].

Background: In Israel in 1956 Gottheiner introduced outpatient rehabilitation programs in patients who had survived a myocardial infarction. In Germany one decade later these WHO phase III activities were established as well. At present any patient with cardiovascular disease is included unless suffering from acute illnesses or presenting with symptoms at rest.

Myocardial infarction in an adult resulting from coronary aneurysms previously documented in childhood after an acute episode of Kawasaki's disease.

Coronary aneurysms resulting from a previous episode of Kawasaki's disease are considered an important cause of myocardial infarction in children. A case of a 19-year-old man presenting with an acute myocardial infarction associated with coronary aneurysms is described. These coronary lesions were previously evaluated angiographically and echocardiographically at the age of 13 years, 5 months after the acute episode of a Kawasaki's disease.

R peak time prolongation and R peak delay in leads I, V5, or V6. Diagnostic values as signs of myocardial dysfunction in chronic mitral incompetence.

On the assumption that maximum R peak time prolongation in the left-sided leads I, V5, or V6 and its time relationship to the S peak time of the maximum S amplitude in leads V1, V2, or V3 (representing dorsally directed forces of ventricular depolarization) could indicate the extent of left ventricular volume overloading and possibly left ventricular systolic function, these variables and the preoperative findings of angiocardiography were compared between patients with chronic mitral incompetence who, late after corrective valve surgery, had either well-preserved radionuclide left ventricular ejection fraction (group 1, n = 36) or radionuclide left ventricular ejection fraction below 50% (group 2, n = 30). Before surgery, group 2 patients had a highly significant lower mean left ventricular ejection fraction, a highly significant greater mean end-systolic volume index, a significantly greater mean end-diastolic volume index, a significantly greater mean maximum R peak time in leads I, V5, or V6, and a significantly greater prolongation of the maximum R peak time above the S peak time in the right precordial leads, as compared with group 1. R peak times greater than 50 ms or the presence of R peak delay (maximum R peak time greater than the S peak time of the maximum right precordial S amplitude) yields less sensitive but highly reliable results in predicting radionuclide left ventricular ejection fraction below 50% with both specificity and positive predictive values of 100%.

PTCA in elderly patients: acute results and long-term follow-up.

Acute results and long-term follow-up of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in 125 patients aged 75 to 90 years (79 men; 46 female; mean age 78 +/- 3 years), with mainly unstable angina (102 patients) are reported. Successful PTCA was achieved in 96 out of 108 patients (89%); occlusions could be reopened in eight out of 17 patients (47%). Thirty-eight procedures were multiple vessel or multiple lesion PTCA, so that the lesion-related success rate of PTCA was higher (91%).

[Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in patients with clearly restricted left ventricular pump function].

Among nearly 2000 consecutive PTCA-patients 42 (36 male, six female; mean age 60 +/- 11 years) had ejection fractions < or = 35% (mean 30 +/- 5%). 34 patients suffered from unstable and eight from stable angina. All had previous myocardial infarction and of these 23 had recent myocardial infarction.