Diagnostic role of aortic valve calcium scoring in various etiologies of aortic stenosis.

Most of the studies about aortic valve calcium (AVC) score in aortic stenosis (AS) were based on degenerative or bicuspid AS but not rheumatic AS. We aimed to study the diagnostic accuracy of AVC score to determine severe AS in various etiologies. Adult patients diagnosed with mild to severe AS were enrolled.

Prediction Of Serum Digoxin Concentration Using Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate In Thai Population.

Purpose: Serum digoxin concentration (SDC) monitoring may be unavailable in some healthcare settings. Predicted SDC comes into play in the efficacy and toxicity monitoring of digoxin. Renal function is the important parameter for predicting SDC.

Enhancing Knowledge and Self-Care Behavior of Heart Failure Patients by Interactive Educational Board Game.

To evaluate the effects of an educational board game on heart failure (HF) patients' knowledge and self-care behavior. In this randomized controlled study with a follow-up of 3 months, 76 patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction, who had been enrolled in our multidisciplinary HF program, were divided into two groups. During their follow-up appointment at the HF clinic usually 2 weeks after discharge, the interventional group participated in an HF educational board game conducted in Thai language, while the control group received the usual care including standard education.

Clinical tolerability of generic versus brand beta blockers in heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction: a retrospective cohort from heart failure clinic.

Beta-blockers have been shown to decrease mortality and morbidity in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) patients. However, the side effects are also dose-related, leading to the underdosing. Cost constraint may be one of the limitations of appropriate beta-blocker use; this can be improved with generic drugs.

Huge cardiac myxoma in pregnancy.

A 28-year-old pregnant woman presented at 28 weeks of gestation. She was diagnosed to have a left atrial myxoma 2 years earlier, but was lost to follow-up. During this pregnancy, the transthoracic echocardiography showed a 9 cm mass in the left atrium obstructing mitral valve inflow, interfering with mitral valve closure, causing severe mitral regurgitation and severe pulmonary hypertension.

Left Atrial Myxoma in Pregnancy: Management Strategy Using Minimally Invasive Surgical Approach.

This case report concerns a young woman who, during her pregnancy, suffered severe mitral regurgitation. It was discovered at the same time that she had a left atrial myxoma. During the early postpartum period she successfully underwent an anterior minithoracotomy to remove the left atrial myxoma in conjunction with repair of the mitral valve.

Safety and tolerability of intradermal influenza vaccination in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Background: It is well-established that influenza vaccination reduces adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), however, the vaccine coverage rate in most countries remains low. The concern about the local adverse effects of intramuscular injection, particularly in CVD patients receiving antithrombotic therapy, is one of the important impediments. This study was conducted to assess the safety, side effects and tolerability of intradermal influenza vaccine in CVD patients.

The mirror image of Gerbode defect: acquired right ventricular-to-left atrial communication.

: Left ventricular-to-right atrial communication, known as Gerbode defect, is rare. However, right ventricular-to-left atrial communication is much rarer. We present a case of a middle-aged woman with a past history of primum atrial septal defect surgery who presented with dyspnea on exertion.

Endovascular aortic stenting in patients with chronic traumatic aortocaval fistula.

This study aimed to present the treatment of a case of delay presenting of traumatic aortocaval fistula (ACF) and its effect on hemodynamic problem. A 59-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with heart failure due to a 41-year-old traumatic ACF. ACF closure was performed by endovascular aortic stenting.

Thai Registry in Acute Coronary Syndrome (TRACS)--an extension of Thai Acute Coronary Syndrome registry (TACS) group: lower in-hospital but still high mortality at one-year.

Background: The Thai Registry of Acute Coronary Syndrome (TRACS) registry was conducted five years after the first Thai Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) registry.

Objective: To describe demographics, management practices, and in-hospital outcomes of current Thai ACS patients and to seek for any significant changes in this registry from the earlier first Thai ACS registry.

Material And Method: The TRACS is a multi-centers, prospective, nation-wide registration with 39 participating medical centers.

Influenza vaccination reduces cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Aims: Influenza infection has been shown to accentuate the progression of atherosclerosis and precipitate the occurrence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, the protective effects of the influenza vaccine on cardiovascular events are still inconclusive.

Methods And Results: The study was a prospective randomized open with blinded endpoint (PROBE) study.

Complete right bundle branch block predicts mortality in Thai patients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Background: Previous studies have shown that intraventricular conduction defect is associated with increased mortality in heart failure (HF) population. However, it is conflicting whether left bundle branch block (LBBB) or right bundle branch block (RBBB) is a better predictor for mortality.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between patterns of bundle branch block (BBB) and all-cause mortality in Thai patients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and to compare the prognostic values of RBBB and LBBB in this population.

Factors related to in-hospital heart failure are very different for unstable angina and non-ST elevation myocardial infarction.

Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and unstable angina (UA) resulted in different degrees of damage to the heart muscle, and yet, when factors related to in-hospital outcomes were examined, these two subsets were often lumped together as non-STelevation acute coronary syndrome. Therefore, we investigated predictors of in-hospital heart failure (HF) in UA and NSTEMI separately. Factors related to HF (Killip > or = 2) were analyzed for NSTEMI and UA in a Thai Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) registry conducted in 17 institutions between 2002 and 2005.

Prognostic value of selected presenting features of acute coronary syndrome in predicting in-hospital adverse events: insight from the Thai Acute Coronary Syndrome Registry.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship of the presenting features of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) to in-hospital adverse events (total and cardiac deaths, heart failure and serious dysrhythmia) and the effects of coronary intervention.

Background: Patients with ACS may present with dyspnea, shock and/or cardiac arrest with or without accompanying chest pain.

Methods: We evaluated 9,373 patients (age 65+/-12 years and 60% males) enrolled in the Thai ACS Registry.

Renal dysfunction as an independent predictor of total mortality after acute coronary syndrome: the Thai ACS Registry.

Background: Renal insufficiency in the acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is associated with poor cardiac outcome. In Asian populations, there are no data available for these associations.

Material And Method: Data was from the Thai ACS registry, only a new case of ACS.

Costs of payment in Thai acute coronary syndrome patients.

Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a major health care syndrome that can financially burden patients throughout the world, including Thailand. Few studies purposed estimating the costs of treatment. The data from the ACS registry database represented the costs of hospital charges paid by ACS patients.

Demographic, management practices and in-hospital outcomes of Thai Acute Coronary Syndrome Registry (TACSR): the difference from the Western world.

Background: To establish a national registration of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) registry in Thailand by networking health service institutions to determine the demographic, management practices, and in-hospital outcomes of patients with ACS.

Material And Method: The Thai ACS registry is a multi-center prospective project of nationwide registration in Thailand. Institutions were invited to participate in the registry through members of the Heart Association of Thailand.

Benefit of electrocardiography during front-line combination paclitaxel and carboplatin chemotherapy for epithelial ovarian cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the patterns of electrocardiography (ECG), cardiac risk factors and its clinical consequence in women with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) who received paclitaxel and carboplatin (PC) as front line chemotherapy.

Material And Method: The medical records and electrocardiographic data of women with EOC who received paclitaxel (175 mg/min2) and carboplatin (AUC=5) every 3 weeks at Chiang Mai University Hospital between January 2000 and December 2004 were reviewed for cardiac risk factors and clinical consequence.

Results: Among 79 women receiving PC for EOC, 43 (54.

A predictive model for distinguishing ischemic from non-ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Objectives: To develop a predictive model to distinguish ischemic from non-ischemic cardiomyopathy

Material And Method: The authors randomly assigned 137 patients with LV systolic dysfunction into two subsets--one to derive a predictive model and the other to validate it. Clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic data were interpreted by blinded investigators to the subsequent coronary angiogram results. Ischemic cardiomyopathy was diagnosed by the presence of significant coronary artery disease from the coronary angiogram.