The influence of patient strength, aerobic capacity and body composition upon outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: Physical activity, physical fitness and body habitus of patients may be important predictors of outcomes after cardiac surgery. This study sought to quantify physical fitness and determine whether components of fitness enhance the prediction of outcomes in a group of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

Methods: A group of 200 patients were evaluated prior to coronary artery bypass surgery.

Hemodynamic implications of left bundle branch block.

Left bundle branch block (LBBB), traditionally viewed as an electrophysiologic abnormality, is increasingly recognized for its profound hemodynamic effects. LBBB causes asynchronous myocardial activation, which, in turn, may trigger ventricular remodeling. Exercise nuclear studies frequently show reversible perfusion defects in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease and some patients with intermittent LBBB develop angina coincident with the onset of LBBB.