The prognostic role of electrocardiographic left ventricular mass assessment for identifying PCI-treated patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction at high risk of unfavourable outcome.

Background: In prognostic terms, evaluation of an ECG recording in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) appears to be inferior to echocardiographic (ECHO) assessment of left ventricular remodelling and the activities of cardiac enzymes and certain hormones. It was our hypothesis that, in the era of interventional treatment of AMI, some ECG parameters are still valid for the purpose of risk stratification.

Methods: A total of 66 consecutive patients with AMI (43 male and 23 female, with a mean age of 61 +/- 11 years) were treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

[Prevalence of risk factors for atherosclerosis in participants of the Southern Poland Epidemiological Survey (SPES) with normal blood pressure].

Results of many studies indicate that cardiovascular diseases develop more often in subjects with blood pressure higher than optimal, but lower than the level, at which the diagnosis of arterial hypertension and implementation of therapy is justifiable. The aims of this study were the assessment of prevalence of risk factors for atherosclerosis among people with normal blood pressure in a population of Southern Poland (Southern Poland Epidemiological Survey--SPES), the quantitative evaluation of global risk for coronary events in relation to normal blood pressure classes, as well as the estimation of the size of subpopulation of subjects eligible for lipid-lowering treatment. A subpopulation of 15,484 subjects without known hypertension and coronary heart disease with normal blood pressure measurements were chosen from a total of 50,111 participants of the SPES study.

Increased variability of the coupling interval of premature ventricular beats may help to identify high-risk patients with coronary artery disease.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics and predictive value of the variability of coupling interval of ventricular premature beats (VPBs) for cardiac mortality in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Background: Frequent VPBs have been linked to an increased risk for cardiac death in patients with coronary artery disease. It is unknown whether analysis of coupling interval of VPBs from ambulatory ECG recordings can be used for risk statification in these patients.

Age-adjustment of HRV measures and its prognostic value for risk assessment in patients late after myocardial infarction.

The Aims Of Our Study Were: (1) to establish the normal limit of the heart rate variability (HRV) indices in a healthy population and in its four age-related subgroups, including a new HRV index, HRV fraction; and (2) to analyse the frequency and predictive value of abnormally low HRV in a population of post-infarction patients in respect to the cut-points chosen (raw or age-adjusted).

Methods: Normal population of 296 healthy subjects (81 f, 215 m, aged 47+/-10 years) and post-infarction population of 298 patients (>3 months after acute MI, 65 f, 233 m, aged 56+/-10) were examined. The normal population was divided into 4 subsets based on age at entry: <35, 35-44, 45-54 and >54 years.

[Importance of respiration for non-invasive assessment of cardiac autonomic control in patients with ischemic left ventricular dysfunction].

Unlabelled: Respiratory rate is an important factor influencing heart rate variability (HRV), but is usually ignored in the studies in patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD). This factor may significantly contribute to the changes in HRV in ischaemic left ventricular impairment. We examined 186 patients with IHD (46 females, 140 males), including 54 pts with left ventricular ejection fraction < 40% and 132 pts with preserved LVEF (> or = 40%).

[Qualifying patients with unstable angina for invasive tests based on electrocardiographic examinations].

In 40 patients with unstable angina pectoris a variety of electrocardiographic parameters were analysed. In all patients routine ECG, signal averaged high resolution ECG. 24 hour ECG recordings and heart rate variability analysis were performed at admission and repeated at 7 day of hospitalization.

[Silent myocardial ischemia before and after revascularization].

In 82 patients with unstable ischemic heart disease (IHD) before and after revascularisation (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty-PTCA-in 11 patients and coronary artery bypass graft-CABG-in 71 patients) silent ischemia incidence was observed. In these patients before and after operation election fraction (EF) and wall motion score index (IK) were compared echocardiographically as well as physical ability according to Bruce protocol in treadmill exercise test. Data (EF and IK and exercise test) before and after operation didn't change significantly.

[Analysis of heart rhythm variability in evaluation of treatment for unstable angina pectoris].

Unstable angina pectoris is accompanied by several unfavourable autonomic disturbances. A noninvasive assessment of the autonomic cardiac control is possible by means of heart rate variability analysis (HRV). 26 patients with unstable angina pectoris were enrolled in the study.

[Trimetazidine therapy in atrio-cochlear disturbances of vascular origin].

Therapeutic effects of TMZ treatment were evaluated in 31 patients with atrio-cochlear disorders caused by an insufficiency of cerebral circulation. It was found that the results of vestibular or cochlear disorders remission was dependent on the time interval between the onset of symptoms and the beginning of trimetazidine therapy. The best results were also found in patients suffering from atrio-cochlear disorders lasting not longer than two years and due to arterial hypertension or cerebral basilar artery insufficiency.

[Changes of thyroid hormone levels in the perioperative period in patients with various types of goiter].

The thyroid hormone level was studied in the perioperative period in patients with various types of goitre. The clinical material comprised 85 patients treated surgically for nodular neutral goitre, nodular hyperactive goitre, Graves-Basedow disease, and cholecystolithiasis. The determination of total and free thyroid hormone blood serum levels was carried out in three periods of time, that is 4-5 days before operation, immediately after operation, and on the fifth day after operation.

[Leukemic changes in the myocardium of a patient with acquired valvular heart disease].

A rare case is described of extensive myocardial infiltrations during myeloid leukaemia in a patient with coexistent valvular heart disease, and active inflammatory process in the endocardium. The coexistence of these diseases caused even greater diagnostic difficulties. This case shows also that differential white blood cell sound should not be disregarded in cardiovascular diseases.

[A case of isolated, corrected transposition of great arteries diagnosed with non-invasive techniques].

A case of a 34-year female patient with the isolated transposition of the great arterial trunks and mild atrioventricular (tricuspid) valve insufficiency is presented. The disease was diagnosed with non-invasive technique, particularly echocardiography. Cardiac disorders being usually concomitant with this syndrome (interventricular leak, pulmonary arterial wedge stenosis etc.