Impact of early (3 months) dual antiplatelet treatment interruption prior to renal transplantation in patients with second-generation DES on perioperative stent thrombosis and MACEs.

Objective: Early cessation of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is related to stent thrombosis (ST). The use of second-generation everolimus- and zotarolimus-eluting stents is associated with low restenosis rates and short duration of clopidogrel usage. Non-cardiac surgery in recently stent-implanted patients is associated with major adverse cardiac events (MACEs).

Nocturnal hypoxia and the success rate of standard atrial fibrillation treatment: a case report.

Introduction: Sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) is one of the extracardiac reasons of atrial fibrillation (AF), and the prevalence of AF is high in SAHS-diagnosed patients. Nocturnal hypoxemia is associated with AF, pulmonary hypertension, and nocturnal death. The rate of AF recurrence is high in untreated SAHS-diagnosed patients after cardioversion (CV).

Tissue Doppler evaluation of the effects of major lung resection on cardiac functions.

Objectives: The aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of lung resection on cardiac functions by using tissue Doppler echocardiography.

Study Design: Nineteen consecutive patients (15 males, 4 females; mean age 55+/-8 years) undergoing major lung surgery (16 lobectomy, 3 pneumonectomy) were evaluated in a prospective design. Malignant lung cancer (n=15, 79%) was the major cause for lung surgery.

Myocardial perfusion in nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy with and without atrial fibrillation.

Unlabelled: Recent studies have shown that idiopathic atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with diminished myocardial perfusion and perfusion reserve, which are also impaired in various forms of cardiomyopathies. In many cases, AF develops during progression of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and may aggravate heart failure. This study compared myocardial perfusion between patients with nonischemic DCM with and without AF.

Coronary lesion type, location, and characteristics of acute ST elevation myocardial infarction in young adults under 35 years of age.

Objective: In the present study, we attempted to analyze the coronary artery lesion characteristics of acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in young patients (aged less than 35 years).

Methods: We retrospectively surveyed 25 038 coronary angiography procedures, which were carried out at The Baskent University Adana Hospital from 1998 to present, to discover acute STEMI in young patients. We studied clinical risk factors and angiographic characteristics in 42 consecutive patients who underwent primary coronary angiography for acute STEMI.

Mean platelet volume is elevated during paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: a marker of increased platelet activation?

Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation might be a risk factor for stroke such as chronic atrial fibrillation. We examined the relation between mean platelet volume and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation to determine the effect of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation on the thrombotic state via elevated mean platelet volume. Mean platelet volume is a marker of platelet size, function, and activation.

Autonomic function in tension-type headache.

The pathogenesis of tension-type headache (TTH) is poorly understood. TTH is mostly associated with the sympathetic nervous system. Reports considering autonomic nervous system functioning with regard to TTH are limited.

Correlation between QTc interval and clinical severity of subarachnoid hemorrhage depends on the QTc formula used.

Objectives: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) frequently prolongs QT interval in the acute phase. The purpose of our study is to investigate whether the correlation between electrocardiographic corrected QT interval and the clinical severity of SAH depends on QTc formula used.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 52 consecutive subjects with nontraumatic SAH (extravasation of blood into the spaces covering the central nervous system that are filled with cerebrospinal fluid) who were admitted within the first day of SAH.

Heart rate recovery in migraine and tension-type headache.

Objective: There are reports proposing that migraine and tension-type headache (TTH) may affect the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Abnormalities in both sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system have been suggested in migraineurs. However, in TTH, reports on the ANS function are limited and only associated with sympathetic system.

Value of preoperative echocardiography in the prediction of postoperative atrial fibrillation following isolated coronary artery bypass grafting.

The value of echocardiography, especially tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), in the assessment of risk of postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is not clear. One hundred two consecutive patients (80 men; mean age 61 +/- 10 years) who underwent elective isolated CABG were included in the study. All patients underwent conventional transthoracic echocardiography and TDI of the left and right heart before surgery.

Impaired myocardial perfusion and perfusion reserve associated with increased coronary resistance in persistent idiopathic atrial fibrillation.

Aims: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) present with symptoms of myocardial ischaemia despite exclusion of coronary artery disease. A small vessel disease has been suggested. We quantified myocardial perfusion, perfusion reserve, and coronary vascular resistance (CVR) in AF patients using positron emission tomography (PET).

Echocardiographic features of patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Background: There are several risk factors for the initiation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) and the underlying mechanisms are multifactorial. Our study aims to explore the echocardiographic parameters that can identify in patients with PAF compared to normal subjects.

Methods: Eighty consecutive patients who were with PAF detected by 24-h Holter monitoring (HM) were assigned in our study.

Effects of acute exercise on fibrinolysis and coagulation in patients with coronary artery disease.

Acute physical exertion may trigger an acute coronary syndrome. Furthermore, acute physical exercise may influence hemostatic markers in healthy individuals. However, the effect of acute exercise on blood fibrinolysis and coagulation in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) is still not well understood.

Coronary and systemic stent embolization during percutaneous coronary interventions: a single center experience.

Objective: In this study, we attempted to analyze the incidence and outcomes of systemic and coronary stent embolizations during percutaneous coronary interventions and have described the treatment and retrieval methods used.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 24,038 consecutive coronary angiography procedures carried out at The Baskent University Adana Hospital from 1998 to present to determine the total number of stent embolization events.

Results: Among them, 4,797 were consecutive coronary stent operations and embolization was encountered in 14 cases (0.

Value of prolonged QRS duration as a predictor of low cardiac output syndrome in patients with impaired left ventricular systolic function who undergo isolated coronary artery bypass grafting.

This study determined whether prolonged QRS duration (QRSd; > or =120 ms) is an independent predictor of low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS) in patients with low left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Abnormal LV systolic function places patients at greater risk for developing LCOS after isolated CABG. In patients with this form of ventricular function impairment, prolonged QRSd is associated with adverse hemodynamic effects.

Impact of sympathetic innervation on recurrent life-threatening arrhythmias in the follow-up of patients with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation.

Purpose: Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF) is defined as VF in the absence of any identifiable structural or functional cardiac disease. The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are unknown. This study was performed to investigate the potential impact of sympathetic dysfunction, assessed by (123)I-meta-iodo-benzylguanidine scintigraphy ((123)I-MIBG SPECT), on the long-term prognosis of patients with IVF.

Prognostic value of tissue Doppler imaging in patients with chronic congestive heart failure.

Background: The prognostic value of tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in patients with chronic congestive heart failure (CHF) has not been compared against conventional measures of systolic, diastolic and overall left ventricular LV performance. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of TDI-derived parameters in patients with CHF.

Methods: One hundred thirty-two subjects with chronic CHF [due to ischemic (n=82) or dilated (n=50) cardiomyopathy, 101 males, mean age 57+/-11 years] underwent conventional two-dimensional/Doppler echocardiography and assessment of the Tei-index (isovolumic contraction time and isovolumic relaxation time divided by ejection time).

Implantable cardioverter/defibrillator therapy in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy: single-center experience of long-term follow-up and complications in 60 patients.

Background: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a major cause of ventricular tachycardia (VT) and cardiac arrest in young patients. We hypothesized that treatment with implantable cardioverter/defibrillators (ICDs) is safe and improves the long-term prognosis of ARVC patients at high risk of sudden death.

Methods And Results: Sixty patients with ARVC (aged 43+/-16 years) were treated with transvenous ICD systems.

Patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation but not paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia display evidence of platelet activation during arrhythmia.

It is well known that chronic atrial fibrillation (CAF) and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) are associated with hypercoagulable state. However, pathological hemostatic changes during the paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) have not yet been elucidated. To determine platelet activity in patients with PSVT, PAF and CAF, we examined the levels of beta-thromboglobulin (BTG) and platelet factor 4 (PF4) during tachyarrhythmia attacks.

Effects of short-term atorvastatin treatment on global fibrinolytic capacity, and sL-selectin and sFas levels in hyperlipidemic patients with coronary artery disease.

Background: The beneficial effects of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) appear to be attributable not only to their lipid-lowering properties, but also to their therapeutic effects on the coagulation system, and anti-inflammatory effect. Furthermore, statins mitigate the apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and macrophages in atherosclerotic plaques.

Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of short-term atorvastatin treatment on the fibrinolytic system and systemic inflammatory status, and on apoptosis in hyperlipidemic patients with CAD.

Diminished global fibrinolytic capacity in patients with mitral valve prolapse is associated with transient ischemic attacks.

Although mitral valve prolapse (MVP) has shown to be associated with thromboembolic complications, the cause of thromboembolic events in those patients is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the fibrinolytic activity in MVP patients. The study included 35 consecutive patients (25 women, mean age 25+/-11 years) with echocardiographically documented MVP and 25 age- and sex-matched subjects as a control group.