Simple echocardiographic scoring in screening aortic stenosis with focused cardiac ultrasonography in the emergency department.

Background: No established methodology exists for diagnosis of aortic stenosis (AS) using focused cardiac ultrasound (FOCUS). We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of our developed visual AS score for screening AS in an emergency department.

Methods: Seventy-two emergency outpatients with suspected cardiovascular disease were studied.

Questionnaire in patients with aborted sudden cardiac death due to coronary spasm in Japan.

Objectives: We investigated the medical or mechanical therapy, and the present knowledge of Japanese cardiologists about aborted sudden cardiac death (ASCD) due to coronary spasm.

Methods: A questionnaire was developed regarding the number of cases of ASCD, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), and medical therapy in ASCD patients due to coronary spasm. The questionnaire was sent to the Japanese general institutions at random in 204 cardiology hospitals.