Impact of diabetes on epicardial reperfusion and mortality in a contemporary STEMI population undergoing mechanical reperfusion: Insights from the ISACS STEMI COVID 19 registry.

Background And Aim: Diabetes has been shown in last decades to be associated with a significantly higher mortality among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary PCI (PPCI). Therefore, the aim of current study was to evaluate the impact of diabetes on times delays, reperfusion and mortality in a contemporary STEMI population undergoing PPCI, including treatment during the COVID pandemic.

Methods And Results: The ISACS-STEMI COVID-19 is a large-scale retrospective multicenter registry involving PPCI centers from Europe, Latin America, South-East Asia and North-Africa, including patients treated from 1st of March until June 30, 2019 and 2020.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery repair of an idiopathic internal mammary artery aneurysm.

A discussion of an internal mammary artery aneurysm is a rare finding in the literature. This condition can cause serious complications, including haemothorax and pneumo-haemothorax, and can lead to haemorrhagic shock; it can also be fatal. These effects can be explained by the rate of flow of the blood in the internal mammary artery, that is, 150 ml/minute, which leads to a blood loss of one litre in minutes.

Impact of hypertension on mortality in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary angioplasty: insights from the international multicenter ISACS-STEMI registry.

Background: Hypertension is the most prevalent cardiovascular risk factor, with several detrimental effects on the cardiovascular system. Contrasting results have been reported so far on its prognostic role in patients admitted for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Therefore, we investigated the impact of hypertension on short-term mortality in a large multicenter contemporary registry of STEMI patients, including patients treated during COVID-19 pandemic.

Variation in secondary prevention of coronary heart disease: the INTERASPIRE study.

Background And Aims: INTERASPIRE is an international study of coronary heart disease (CHD) patients, designed to measure if guideline standards for secondary prevention and cardiac rehabilitation are being achieved in a timely manner.

Methods: Between 2020 and 2023, adults hospitalized in the preceding 6-24 months with incident or recurrent CHD were sampled in 14 countries from all 6 World Health Organization regions and invited for a standardized interview and examination. Direct age and sex standardization was used for country-level prevalence estimation.

Early versus Late Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation in Atrial Fibrillation: Timing Matters.

Despite the progressive course of atrial fibrillation (AF), the optimal timing of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) during disease course is still unknown. We aimed to investigate the impact of early RFCA within a year after AF diagnosis on procedural outcomes. A single-center retrospective study was conducted on symptomatic AF patients ( = 130) referred for RFCA with a 16-month median follow-up.

Vitamin-K antagonist versus dual antiplatelet therapy in management of isolated and non-obstructive atherosclerotic coronary artery ectasia.

Background: Treatment of isolated and non-obstructive atherosclerotic coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is still controversial.

Aim: To assess the efficacy and safety of vitamin-K antagonist (VKA) versus dual antiplatelet (DAPT) therapy in management of patients with isolated and non-obstructive atherosclerotic CAE.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 79 patients diagnosed on elective coronary angiography to have either isolated CAE or non-obstructive atherosclerotic CAE.

Sex differences in long-term outcomes following transvenous lead extraction.

Introduction: Transvenous lead extraction (TLE) is generally considered a safe procedure, albeit not without risks. While gender-based disparities have been noted in short-term outcomes following TLE, a notable gap exists in understanding the long-term consequences of this procedure. The objective of this analysis was to investigate sex differences in both acute and long-term outcomes among patients who underwent TLE at a tertiary referral center.

Cardiac effects of direct anti-viral treatment in type II diabetic patients with hepatitis C infection.

Background: The link between diabetes mellitus and chronic hepatitis C infection remains well established. It is estimated that up to one third of chronic hepatitis C patients have type II diabetes mellitus. Hepatitis C virus infection is one of the main global health burdens.

Impact of residual coronary lesions on outcomes of myocardial infarction patients with multi-vessel disease.

Background: The residual burden of coronary artery disease (CAD) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) drew a growing interest. The residual SYNTAX Score (rSS) was a strong prognostic factor of adverse events and all-cause mortality in patients who underwent PCI. In addition, the SYNTAX Revascularization Index (SRI), a derivative of rSS, was used to figure out the treated proportion of CAD and could be used as a prognostic utility in PCI for patients with multi-vessel disease (MVD).

Relationship between vitamin D and coronary artery disease in Egyptian patients.

Background: Previous studies have reported conflicting results about the association of vitamin D (VD) level with coronary artery disease (CAD). We aimed to study the association of VD with atherosclerotic CAD in Egyptian individuals.

Results: We prospectively enrolled 188 consecutive CAD patients with a median age of 55(50-62) years; 151(80.

Central blood pressure obtained by cuff-based oscillometry as a determinant of left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive patients.

Objective: Limited and conflicting data have been reported on the prognostic relevance of central blood pressure (CBP) compared with brachial blood pressure (BP) in the anticipation of hypertension-mediated organ damage and the majority of data derived using applanation tonometry with its known complexities. The objective of the present study was to investigate the diagnostic factors of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) with a special highlight on the utility of non-invasive oscillometric CBP measurement and derived hemodynamic indices compared to brachial BP as indicators of LVH.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 300 hypertensive patients (mean age 55.

Adherence to Quality Indicators for ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Management: An Egyptian Experience.

Coronary artery disease remains a significant health problem, especially in developing countries. Adherence to guideline-directed therapy improves the quality of care. In this study we assessed adherence to quality indicators (QIs) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) management in our center as an example from a developing country.

Transvenous lead extraction, factors affecting procedural difficulty.

Background: A complex transvenous lead extraction (TLE) procedure could be associated with lower success and higher complication rates in inexperienced hands. In this study, we aim to assess the factors that determine procedural difficulty in TLE.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 200 consecutive patients undergoing TLE in a single referral centre from June 2020 to December 2021.

Comparison between central and automated peripheral blood pressure measurement for early detection of kidney dysfunction in hypertensive patients.

Background: There is a close relationship between blood pressure levels and the risk of cardiovascular events, strokes, and kidney disease. For many years, the gold standard instrument for blood pressure measurement was a mercury sphygmomanometer and a stethoscope, but this century-old technique of Riva-Rocci/Korotkov is being progressively removed from clinical practice. Central blood pressure is considered better than peripheral blood pressure in predicting cardiovascular events, as it assesses wave reflections and viscoelastic properties of the arterial wall which make systolic and pulse pressures vary from central to peripheral arteries, but mean blood pressure is constant in the conduit arteries.

Six-months clinical and intracoronary imaging follow-up after reverse T and protrusion or double-kissing and crush stenting for the treatment of complex left main bifurcation lesions.

Background: There is a debate regarding the best stent strategy for unprotected distal left main (LM) bifurcation disease. Among two-stent techniques, double-kissing and crush (DKC) is favored in current guidelines but is complex and requires expertise. Reverse T and Protrusion (rTAP) was shown to be a comparable strategy regarding short-term efficacy and safety, but with reduced procedural complexity.

Effect of reperfusion strategy on QT dispersion in patients with acute myocardial infarction: Impact on in-hospital arrhythmia.

Background: Myocardial ischemia and ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) increase QT dispersion (QTD) and corrected QT dispersion (QTcD), and are also associated with ventricular arrhythmia.

Aim: To evaluate the effects of reperfusion strategy [primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) or fibrinolytic therapy] on QTD and QTcD in STEMI patients and assess the impact of the chosen strategy on the occurrence of in-hospital arrhythmia.

Methods: This prospective, observational, multicenter study included 240 patients admitted with STEMI who were treated with either PPCI (group I) or fibrinolytic therapy (group II).

A uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery hybrid approach for posterior mediastinal dumb-bell tumours.

Posterior mediastinal dumb-bell tumours are neurogenic tumours that extend from the mediastinum to the intraspinal canal. They represent a surgical challenge because they may be resected using a staged or a single-stage approach. Until recently, a classic posterolateral thoracotomy was the gold standard for surgical resection for the intrathoracic segment.

Three-dimensional echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular geometric changes following acute myocardial infarction.

Acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with left ventricular (LV) structural and functional consequences. We aimed to elucidate LV geometric changes following STEMI using three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography (3DE) and to assess their functional implications using two-dimensional (2D) speckle tracking echocardiography (STE). The study included 71 patients with STEMI who underwent baseline and 6-month follow-up 2D- and 3DE.