Left ventricular long axis function assessed during cine-cardiovascular magnetic resonance is an independent predictor of adverse cardiac events.

Background: Left ventricular pump function requires a complex interplay involving myocardial fibers orientated in the longitudinal, oblique and circumferential directions. Long axis dysfunction appears to be an early marker for a number of pathological states. We hypothesized that mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) measured during cine-cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) reflects changes in long axis function and may be an early marker for adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

Vitamin D Attenuates Left Atrial Volume Changes in African American Males with Obesity and Prediabetes.

Vitamin D deficiency is common among African Americans in the United States and is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. In this study, prediabetic African American males who were found to be vitamin D-deficient were randomized to vitamin D supplementation and assessed for changes in left atrial (LA) volume. Prediabetic African American males who were vitamin D-deficient (25(OH)D: 5.

Prosthesis-patient mismatch in bovine pericardial aortic valves: evaluation using 3 different modalities and associated medium-term outcomes.

Background: The prevalence of prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) and its impact on survival after aortic valve replacement have not been clearly defined. Historically, the presence of PPM was identified from postoperative echocardiograms or preoperative manufacturer-provided charts, resulting in wide discrepancies. The 2009 American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) guidelines proposed an algorithmic approach to calculate PPM.

A decade of reversal: an analysis of 146 contradicted medical practices.

Objective: To identify medical practices that offer no net benefits.

Methods: We reviewed all original articles published in 10 years (2001-2010) in one high-impact journal. Articles were classified on the basis of whether they addressed a medical practice, whether they tested a new or existing therapy, and whether results were positive or negative.

Clinical characteristics and prevalence of early repolarization associated with ventricular arrhythmias following acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Early repolarization (ER) on a 12-lead electrocardiogram has recently been associated with ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VTAs) in patients without structural heart disease and in patients with healed myocardial infarction (MI). An association between ER and VTAs in the setting of acute ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI) has not been explored. In a single-center retrospective case-control design, 50 patients with STEMI complicated by VTAs (cases), defined as ventricular fibrillation, sustained ventricular tachycardia, or nonsustained ventricular tachycardia within 72 hours of the index hospitalization, were matched for age and gender with 50 subjects with STEMI without VTAs (controls).