Publications by authors named "Rafik Shenouda"
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess how effective myocardial deformation parameters, specifically peak systolic strain (PSS) and peak systolic strain rate (SR), are in predicting problematic coronary arteries in patients with previous heart issues and acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
- Out of 33 patients studied, significant differences in PSS and SR were observed, particularly in areas supplied by the left anterior descending artery (LAD) compared to non-culprit lesions, indicating that these parameters can help identify affected areas in the heart.
- The results demonstrated that changes in PSS and SR were reliable indicators of specific coronary artery lesions, with PSS and SR outperforming the traditional wall motion score index (WMSI) in accuracy for predicting such lesions.
Article Synopsis
- A study examined the prevalence of COVID-19 among Coptic priests, focusing on infection rates and predictors of severe outcomes during the pandemic.
- Out of 1,570 clergy participants, 16.2% were infected, with higher rates in Northern Egypt compared to overseas, and a small percentage experienced severe complications, including death.
- Key predictors for severe outcomes included obesity, age, and systemic hypertension, highlighting obesity as the most significant risk factor among Southern Egypt clergy.
Article Synopsis
- The study explores the higher COVID-19-related adverse events among Coptic clergy due to their work, focusing on the impact of cardiac risk factors on mortality and the need for mechanical ventilation.
- Out of 1,570 clergy studied, 213 tested positive for COVID-19, and those with systemic arterial hypertension (AH) had significant differences in age, obesity, and other health issues compared to those without AH.
- Results revealed a higher mortality rate for clergy in Southern Egypt and highlighted that cardiac risk factors, particularly coronary heart disease and obesity, are strong predictors of COVID-19-related mortality and need for mechanical ventilation.
Carotid Atherosclerosis in Predicting Coronary Artery Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol
April 2021
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- Atherosclerosis, a complex disease affecting multiple systems, was studied to understand the relationship between calcification in carotid and coronary arteries in patients with coronary artery disease.
- Sixty-three patients with unstable angina or positive stress tests underwent CT scans, revealing that coronary artery calcification scores were significantly higher than carotid scores, with specific correlations between left and right sides.
- Findings indicated that while hypertension linked to carotid calcification, diabetes and dyslipidaemia were more related to coronary calcification, suggesting distinct risk factor associations for different artery types.
Article Synopsis
- This study examined how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the management and outcomes of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) at a hospital in Egypt.
- Researchers found a 25.7% decrease in PPCI procedures during the pandemic, along with longer times from initial contact to treatment and higher rates of in-hospital mortality and complications compared to the previous year.
- The findings suggest that the pandemic significantly hindered PPCI management, leading to worse clinical outcomes for STEMI patients, including increased mortality and longer hospital stays.
Article Synopsis
- The study evaluated how well echocardiographic techniques detect the recovery of left ventricular (LV) function in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) after undergoing revascularization.
- It involved 80 patients, analyzing factors like wall motion abnormalities and strain rates both before and after the procedure, revealing significant improvements in LV function post-intervention.
- Key findings suggest that hypertension and the severity of vessel disease are important predictors of LV function recovery, highlighting the effectiveness of treating proximal epicardial vessels over distal lesions in improving patient outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- This study investigates how effectively regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMA) and other echocardiographic techniques can predict the specific coronary lesion responsible for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients.
- Among 80 ACS patients, factors like age, gender, and comorbid conditions (hypertension, diabetes) were analyzed alongside echocardiographic data before any treatment was administered.
- The findings reveal that mean regional speckle tracking strain rate (SR) is more reliable than other methods (including ECG changes and wall motion abnormalities) in identifying significant coronary artery blockages.