Increased coronary artery disease severity in patients undergoing invasive diagnostics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: This study aimed to compare the stage of coronary heart disease in patients who underwent invasive cardiac diagnostics during the COVID-19 pandemic and before, based on the number of medical devices used and the number of complex coronary angioplasty procedures performed.

Material And Methods: A retrospective, single-center study was conducted, which included 187 successive patients with diagnosed coronary heart disease, who were divided into 2 groups: group I (N = 92, pre-COVID-19 pandemic) and group II (N = 95, during COVID-19 pandemic).

Results: Despite a comparable number of invasive procedures in both groups, stent length and contrast use per procedure were significantly higher during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Right ventricular lead induced ventricular arrhythmia-A rare complication of cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Background: A 53-year-old male with heart failure secondary to anterior wall myocardial infarction treated with cardiac resynchronization-defibrillator (CRT-D) device presented with ventricular arrhythmia: repetitive incessant slow ventricular tachycardias (VT) below the CRT-D detection zone, accelerated ventricular rhythm, and numerous premature ventricular ectopic beats (ExV), resulting in loss of biventricular pacing.

Methods And Results: Nonsustained monomorphic VT (nsVT) and ExV were observed in an electrocardiogram under biventricular stimulation. During noninvasive CRT-D programming, ventricular bigeminy reproducibly recurred only at right ventricular (RV) pacing and its morphology was almost identical to the stimulated beats.

Conscious sedation during cryoballoon ablation of atrial fibrillation: a feasibility and safety study.

Background: Cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation (cryoAF) is relatively simple, cost-effective and easy procedure. However, general anesthesia during this procedure may have negative impact on patients' mortality and morbidity, as well as procedure costs. We sought to assess the feasibility and safety of conscious sedation during cryoAF.

Outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention in patients after previous coronary artery bypass surgery.

Background: Patients after previous coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) often require repeat percutaneous revascularisation due to poor patency rates of saphenous vein grafts (SVG) and higher risk of re-CABG. Few data are available to evaluate different percutaneous revascularisation strategies in patients after previous CABG.

Aim: To evaluate outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients after previous CABG, including the effect of treatment on the quality of life and symptoms, and secondly to assess the relation between angiographic factors and treatment outcomes

Methods: This was a prospective observational study which included 78 patients after previous CABG.

Predictors of successful acetylsalicylic acid resistance suppression after percutaneous coronary revascularisation.

Background And Aim: There is no established management of resistance to acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). We hypothesised that simply doubling the usual daily dose of ASA could be effective in overcoming ASA resistance.

Methods: Our study comprised 40 subjects with CAD (male 67.

[Hemorrhagic stroke in a patient requiring long-term anticoagulant treatment: how to solve a dilemma].

Hemorrhagic stroke is a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in Poland. It results from disruption of intracranial vessel wall continuity. We report a case of 66-years-old man with prosthetic aortic valve after three ischemic strokes treated with acenocoumarol who was admitted to hospital with vertigo and motoric aphasia.