The effects of lipid-lowering therapy on graft patency in coronary bypass surgery patients.

Background: Our aim was to investigate the effects of lipid-lowering treatment (LLT) on graft patency in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients.

Methods: A total of 209 CABG patients (95 men, 45%) with a total cholesterol level above 200 mg/dL and a low-density lipoprotein level above 100 mg/dL were included. Patients were divided into 2 groups on the basis of administration of LLT after CABG: group 1 received LLT after the operation (those patients undergoing operations after 1998, n = 102, 49% male) and group 2 did not receive LLT after the operation (those patients undergoing operations between 1992 and 1998, n = 107, 42% male).

A clinic investigation into prehospital and emergency department delays in acute stroke care.

Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate the factors which cause prehospital and emergency department (ED) delays in acute stroke care.

Subjects And Methods: We prospectively studied 229 acute stroke patients (median age: 71 +/- 19 years, 90 female and 139 male) who presented to the ED of the Gulhane Military Teaching Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. Prehospital delay was defined as time from symptom onset to arrival at the ED.

White blood cell count and C-reactive protein predict short-term prognosis in acute myocardial infarction.

An elevated white blood cell (WBC) count and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration are associated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and long-term mortality in patients with coronary artery disease. Their relationship with short-term prognosis following AMI is less clear, however. We investigated the relationship between WBC count and CRP concentration, obtained at the time of admission, and the development of subsequent ischaemic coronary events (SICE) within 30 days of AMI in 177 patients.