Assessment of the impact of heart failure on household economic well-being: a protocol.

Heart failure (HF), which is an emerging public health issue, adversely affects the strained health system in India. The adverse impact of HF on the economic well-being has been narrated in various anecdotal reports from India, with affected individuals and their dependents pushed into the vicious cycle of poverty. There is limited research quantifying how HF impacts the economic well-being of households from low- and middle-income countries.

Assessment of immediate effects of percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty on right ventricular and pulmonary functions in severe rheumatic mitral stenosis patients using speckle tracking echocardiography and spirometry.

The current study was sought to assess the immediate effect of percutaneous balloonmitral valvuloplasty (PBMV) on right ventricular (RV) and pulmonary functions using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and spirometry respectively. Two-dimensional speckle tracking and doppler studies for strain and strain rate imaging of RV were performed before PBMV, after 48h and 15 days of PBMV using echocardiography and spirometry. Mitral valve area, peak and mean mitral valve transannular pressure gradients, late filling velocities,Wilkins score, Systolic pulmonary artery pressure, TAPSE, RV end-diastolic and end-systolic areas,RV fractional area change and Tei index were measured.

Correlation of coronary artery calcium score and carotid artery intima-media thickness with severity of coronary artery disease.

Coronary artery calcium score (CACS) and carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) are the markers of atherosclerosis. An association between CACS and CIMT with presence of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) is well established. However relationship between severity of CAD with CACS and CIMT is less clear.

Novel single nucleotide mutations in exon-10 of human coagulation Factor V gene in patients with pulmonary thromboembolism.

Acute pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) presents with wide spectrum and has variable prognosis. Factor V Leiden (FVL) is the most common inherited thrombophilia, with a prevalence of 3%-7% in the general US population, approximately 5% in Whites, 2.2% in Hispanics and 1.

Spontaneous left atrial echo contrast, mitral annular systolic velocity, and left atrial appendage late emptying velocity in predicting improvement of left atrial function after percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty.

Background: Thromboembolic events are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with mitral stenosis (MS). This study aims to investigate left atrial spontaneous echo contrast (LA SEC), mitral annular systolic velocity (Sa-wave), left atrial appendage (LAA) late emptying velocity (LAAEV), LAA filling velocity (LAAFV) pre- and postpercutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty (PBMV) for MS. This also aims to study the association of LA SEC with inflammatory marker, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in MS.

New integrated approach to percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty combining Wilkins score with commissural calcium score and commissural area ratio.

Background: Present echocardiographic scoring systems for percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty (PMV) have limitations, and no scoring system is significant determinant of procedural outcome. In this study, we assess the relationship between various echocardiographic parameters and scoring systems with immediate outcomes and test an integrated approach by combining Wilkins score with other parameters.

Methods: One hundred two patients who had undergone PMV were included in this prospective observational study.

Evaluation of On-Clopidogrel platelet reactivity overtime, SYNTAX SCORE, genetic polymorphisms and their relationship to one year clinical outcomes in STEMI patients undergoing PCI.

Background: The aim of this paper was to investigate the variability of On-clopidogrel platelet reactivity overtime, the association between HTPR, gene polymorphism and Syntax Score (SS) for risk prediction of MACE in patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Platelet function testing may be used to optimize antiplatelet therapy in high-risk patients, but identification of this subset of patients remains a challenge. High on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR) has emerged as a risk factor for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).

Aortic velocity propagation: A novel echocardiographic method in predicting atherosclerotic coronary artery disease burden.

Background: The major burden of cardiovascular disease mortality around the globe is due to atherosclerosis and its complications. Hence its early detection and management with easily accessible and noninvasive methods are valuable. Aortic velocity propagation (AVP) through color M-mode of the proximal descending aorta determines aortic stiffness, reflecting atherosclerosis.

Percutaneous Closure of an Iatrogenic Aorta to Right Ventricle Fistula Acquired Following Intracardiac Repair.

Iatrogenic aortocardiac fistulae have been described rarely following intracardiac repair. This 28 year-old-male presented to our facility with dyspnea going on 20 days after closure of ventricular septal defect (VSD) and resection of subaortic membrane. A communication was noticed between the aorta and the right ventricle (RV) upon transthoracic echocardiography.

Right Ventricle before and after Atrial Septal Defect Device Closure.

Background: Percutaneous atrial septal defect (ASD) device closure is a safe and effective means of reducing or eliminating interatrial shunting. The response of the right heart to device closure is incompletely understood.

Aim: To evaluate the effects of transcatheter closure of secundum ASD on right ventricle size and function, that is, both systolic and diastolic by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) over a 6-month period.

Real Time 3D Echocardiographic Evaluation of Iatrogenic Atrial Septal Defects After Percutaneous Transvenous Mitral Commissurotomy.

Introduction: Percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC) is a safe and effective procedure for relief of severe mitral stenosis. PTMC is being done widely and many transseptal procedures requiring large diameter catheters, sheaths are becoming popular. The knowledge of iatrogenic atrial septal defect (iASD) is vital.

Evaluation of prolonged safety and efficacy of biodegradable polymer coated sirolimus-eluting coronary stent system: 1-year outcomes of the INDOLIMUS Registry.

Background: The main aim is to evaluate prolonged safety and efficacy of the Indolimus (Sahajanand Medical Technologies Pvt. Ltd.) sirolimus-eluting coronary stent system.

Predictive Value of D-Dimer Levels and Tissue Doppler Mitral Annular Systolic Velocity for Detection of Left Atrial Appendage Thrombus in Patients with Mitral Stenosis in Sinus Rhythm.

Background: Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) is a gold standard test for diagnosis of left atrial (LA) thrombus, but it has limited sensitivity for identification of small thrombi within side lobes. Thus, the absence of visualizing a left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombus does not equate with the absence of a LAA thrombus.

Aim: To assess the predictive value of mitral annular systolic velocity (Sa) and D-dimer for the detection of LA thrombus and spontaneous echocardiographic contrast (SEC) in mitral stenosis (MS) patients with sinus rhythm (SR).

Multiple ruptures of left sinus of Valsalva aneurysm into main pulmonary artery.

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm is a rare congenital glitch. We report an extremely rare case of left sinus of Valsalva aneurysm compressing and rupturing into the main pulmonary artery with 2 communications. The 34-year-old man also had severe aortic regurgitation and severe tricuspid regurgitation.

Magnetic resonance angiography vs. angiography in tetralogy of Fallot.

Aim: : To determine whether gadolinium-enhanced three-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography can provide a noninvasive alternative to diagnostic catheterization for evaluation of pulmonary artery anatomy in tetralogy of Fallot.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-five consecutive patients with tetralogy of Fallot, who attended the cardiology outpatient department between January 2008 and December 2009, were included in the study. There were 21 males and 14 females, with a mean age of 9 ± 4.

Three-dimensional echocardiographic assessment before and after percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis.

Background And Aim Of The Study: Real-time three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (RT3DE) is a relatively recent imaging technique that provides excellent image quality of the mitral valve. It has been suggested that this new echocardiographic modality, which allows a precise cross-section of the mitral orifice at the tips of the leaflets with correct plane orientation, may provide a more accurate assessment of rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS) than two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE), before and after percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC).

Methods: A total of 50 patients with symptomatic mitral stenosis who underwent PTMC was evaluated prospectively.

Assessment of endothelial function by brachial artery flow mediated dilatation in microvascular disease.

Background: Cardiac syndrome X is an important therapeutic and diagnostic challenge to physician. Study of Csx patients may help to understand the pathophysiology of coronary microcirculation and to gain an insight on the management of these group patients.

Methods: We measured the flow mediated dilation of the brachial artery both endothelium dependent and independent vasodilatation by high resolution ultrasound in 30 cardiac syndrome X patients and matched with 30 healthy control subjects.

Coronary artery bypass in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction.

We retrospectively reviewed the case records of 82 patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction < 30%) who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting between March 1993 and February 2000. They were aged 28 to 76 years (mean, 60 years), and 66 of them were male. Significant comorbid factors included hypertension (93%), diabetes mellitus (85%), and hypercholesterolemia (49%).