Quo vadis cardiac rehabilitation; the role of comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation in modern cardiology.

In accordance with the guidelines established by prominent European and global cardiology associations, comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation (CR) stands as an officially endorsed and highly recommended therapeutic approach (class I recommendations; level of evidence A) for a diverse spectrum of cardiac patients. Nevertheless, it is a cause for concern to observe that fewer than 50% of eligible patients are being effectively referred for CR, whether in an outpatient or inpatient setting. Concurrently, studies reveal that a substantial proportion of individuals with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease maintain unhealthy lifestyles and exhibit suboptimal management of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, including hypertension, lipid levels, and diabetes.

Fragility spinal fractures among cirrhotic liver transplant candidates in Croatia.

Introduction: Existing data on fragility spinal fractures prevalence in liver transplant candidates are scarce and inconsistent. This may be due to other comorbidities, besides hepatic osteodystrophy (HO), that contribute to bone loss and fragility fracture prevalence in chronic liver disease (CLD).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of spinal thoracic and lumbar fragility fractures among cirrhotic, non-chronic kidney disease (CKD), non-diabetic liver transplant candidates and to explore their relationship with clinical characteristics, laboratory markers and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) results.

Bicuspid aortic valve with associated aortopathy, significant left ventricular hypertrophy or concomitant hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: A diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.

Due to its prevalence of 0.5% to 2% in the general population, with a 75% predominance among men, bicuspid aortic valve is the most common congenital heart defect. It is frequently accompanied by other cardiac congenital anomalies, and clinical presentation can vary significantly, with stenosis being the most common manifestation, often resulting in mild to moderate concentric hypertrophy of the left ventricle.

Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis: A rare but serious side effect of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors.

Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are an insulin-independent class of oral antihyperglycemic medication and from recently established therapy in chronic heart failure patients. A rare, but potentially life-threatening complication of SGLT2 inhibitor use is euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis. We described a case of a middle-aged male patient with type 2 diabetes who developed metabolic ketoacidosis after a few days of empagliflozin administration.

Comment on von Känel et al. Early Trauma-Focused Counseling for the Prevention of Acute Coronary Syndrome-Induced Posttraumatic Stress: Social and Health Care Resources Matter. 2022, , 1993.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating disorder, and it is known that it can be triggered by acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Patients with ACS-induced PTSD have an increased risk of recurrent adverse cardiovascular events and mortality. This is still an insufficiently recognized subgroup of patients among clinicians that could benefit from specific therapeutic and rehabilitation approaches.

Quadricuspid aortic valve and right ventricular type of myocardial bridging in an asymptomatic middle-aged woman: A case report.

Background: Quadricuspid aortic valve (QAV) is a very rare congenital cardiac defect with the incidence of 0.0125%-0.033% (< 0.

Effects of Bobath treatment and specific mobilizations on gait in stroke patients: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: After a stroke, patients experience sensorimotor damage, balance disorders, loss of selective movement, hypotonia and/or hypertonia, and hypersensitivity, all of which affect gait.

Objective: The aim of the study was to establish the effectiveness of Bobath therapy with additional specific soft tissue mobilizations versus standard Bobath intervention.

Methods: Subjects were randomly divided into two groups (S1 and S2) of 20 people each.

Heterophile antibodies, false-positive troponin, and acute coronary syndrome: a case report indicating a pitfall in clinical practice.

Background: Heterophile antibodies are one of the most common causes of false-positive troponin.

Case Summary: We report a case of a 53-year-old woman with false-positive troponin elevation and a clinical presentation understood and treated as non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome. Because of chronic basal elevation of troponin (at a 'plateau' level) and chest pain, the patient underwent several invasive coronary angiograms until false-positive increase of troponin due to heterophile antibodies was suspected.

The role of occupational participation for people with traumatic brain injury: a systematic review of the literature.

Purpose: Improving participation and quality of life is a desirable goal following traumatic brain injury (TBI). The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize existing findings concerning the role of occupational participation for persons with TBI.

Methods: A systematic literature search using four electronic databases was followed by a review of all titles and abstracts.

Factors Contributing to the Reduction of Pain during Electromyography and Nerve Conduction Studies.

Background: Electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCS) are an unpleasant and sometimes painful examinations. Pain can reduce patient's compliance and have a negative effect on the examination results. Different studies report that music affects pain perception by acting as a distractor, by inducing positive emotional valence or through the concept of convergence of different sensory modalities.

Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness: Clinical and neurophysiological study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical and neurophysiological characteristics of Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) in a tertiary vertigo clinic. This was a cross-sectional study that included consecutive patients examined in the Vertigo clinic of the University Hospital Center Zagreb, Croatia. The following data were extracted from the electronic hospital records: age, sex, the duration of symptoms, initial trigger event, results of the caloric testing, video head impulse test (vHIT) for all six semicircular canals and ocular and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMP and cVEMP).

Klippel-Feil syndrome misdiagnosed as spondyloarthropathy: case-based review.

Spondyloarthropathy refers to any joint disease of the vertebral column, but the term is mainly used for a specific group of disorders called seronegative spondyloarthropathies (SpAs). The axial skeletal involvement, peripheral and extra-articular manifestations and an association with the major histocompatibility complex class I human leukocyte antigen-B27 (HLA B27) are commonly shared features of SpAs. Klippel-Feil syndrome (KFS) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by the fusion of one or more cervical vertebrae, accompanied by various skeletal and extra-skeletal anomalies.

The monitoring of antiaggregation effect of acetylsalicylic acid therapy by measuring serum thromboxane B2 in patients with coronary artery bypass grafting.

Cardiovascular patients take acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) for preventing myocardial infarction and other thromboembolic complications. It is already known that in some patients this therapy is not effective. The aim of this study was to assess the percentage of ASA resistance on the sample of patients with coronary artery bypass grafting.

Outcome of patients with normal and decreased heart rate variability after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.

Background: Previous studies have shown that after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), heart rate variability (HRV) becomes decreased, even more significantly than in patients after myocardial infarction (MI). According to some reports, unlike in patients after MI, decreased postoperative HRV does not increase mortality in CABG patients. The aim of this study was to compare differences in mortality rate in CABG patients with normal vs.

Assessment of long-term activity limitations and participation restrictions of persons with traumatic brain injury using the disability rating scale.

The rehabilitation of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), or intracranial injury, is the most complex segment of rehabilitation. The majority of patients with TBI are young, and the consequences are temporary or permanent limitation of activities and participation. Rehabilitation is primarily carried out in special hospitals for medical rehabilitation, and occasionally continues with rehabilitation on an outpatient basis or in the patient's home.

Our experience with virtual endoscopy of paranasal sinuses.

The main goal of our work was to evaluate advantages and disadvantages of virtual endoscopy (VE) techniques in routinely diagnostic and preoperative management of patients with various sinus diseases or head traumas in our practice. Fly-through algorithm was performed using an Xeon based workstation on data sets created from axial CT images acquired from 320 patients with various paranasal sinus disorders. Images were created using Siemens Somatom Emotion 16 continiously rotating helical CT scanner and archived in DICOM format.

Stress cardiomyopathy with ST-segment elevation of the anterolateral location complicated by a secondary massive intracranial bleeding.

Stress cardiomyopathy or Tako-Tsubo Syndrome (TTS) clinically manifests with sudden chest pain and/or dyspnea, and is generally triggered by emotional or physical stress. Electrocardiographic (ECG) changes are similar to acute myocardial infarction with ST-elevation, but coronarography shows no significant pathomorphological changes of coronary arteries. Ventriculography and echocardiography show reversible akinesis and ballooning of the left ventricle apex with reduced ejection fraction.