International heart journal
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The purpose of this study was to determine whether high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) before cardiac re-synchronization therapy (CRT) implantation was able to predict the response to CRT and cardiac deaths in severe heart failure patients. The study population consisted of 65 heart failure patients (46 males, mean age 65.0 ± 11.8 years, NYHA class III/IV) with CRT implantation. Levels of hsCRP and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) were measured before CRT implantation. ⋯ Stepwise multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis identified the hsCRP level as the strongest predictive factor for cardiac death (hazard ratio: 1.337, P = 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed hsCRP levels of 3.0 mg/L as the cut-off value for cardiac mortality. The hsCRP level may provide a new insight into CRT implantation for severe heart failure by predicting responses to CRT and cardiac death.
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Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) is commonly observed in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) or left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). While some patients develop LVOTO at rest, it can also be provoked by physical exertion, and hence termed latent LVOTO (L-LVOTO). Recent reports demonstrated that L-LVOTO develops not only in LVH patients, but also in patients without LVH (non-LVH). ⋯ Overall, L-LVOTO was found to develop in almost half of non-LVH patients with malignancy. In addition, the baseline LVOT ratio was strongly related to the presence of L-LVOTO in non-LVH patients. Therefore, patients with dynamic LVOT narrowing may benefit from DSE to detect the presence of L-LVOTO.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Incidence and mortality of acute myocardial infarction. A population-based study including patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
The in-hospital mortality rate of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is improving. In Japan, little information exists concerning the incidence and mortality of AMI. Therefore, our population-based analysis examined the incidence and mortality rate in AMI cases in individuals that lived in the Matsumoto region in 2002. ⋯ The population-based mortality rate of AMI was 34% to 42%. The mortality rate of AMI remains high, and most deaths occur outside of the hospital. Prehospital care may lower the mortality rate of AMI.
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Comparative Study
Adaptive servo ventilation improves cardiac dysfunction and prognosis in chronic heart failure patients with Cheyne-Stokes respiration.
Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) is often observed in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Although adaptive servo ventilation (ASV) is effective for CSR, it remains unclear whether ASV improves the cardiac function and prognosis of patients with CHF and CSR. Sixty patients with CHF and CSR (mean left ventricular ejection fraction 38.7%, mean apnea hypopnea index 36.8 times/hour, mean central apnea index 19.1 times/hour) were enrolled in this study. ⋯ In contrast, none of these parameters changed in the Non-ASV group. Importantly, Kaplan-Meier analysis clearly demonstrated that the event-free rate was significantly higher in the ASV group than in the Non-ASV group. Adaptive servo ventilation improves cardiac function and prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure and Cheyne-Stokes respiration.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of ischemic postconditioning in correction of tetralogy of Fallot.
Inappropriate myocardial protection is considered one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity in the correction of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). Results of previous reports about the effects of ischemic postconditioning on myocardial protection in animals and humans are very encouraging. This randomized and controlled trial aimed to assess the effect of ischemic postconditioning on protection against myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury in TOF patients receiving cardioplegia. ⋯ As a result, ischemic postconditioning reduced postoperative peak release by 45% for cTnI compared with the control group (0.43 ± 0.18 ng/mL versus 0.78 ± 0.15 ng/mL, P < 0.0001). Ischemic postconditioned patients had a lower peak inotropic score during the first postoperative 24 hours (5.6 ± 2.2 µg/kg/minute versus 8.6 ± 3.6 µg/kg/minute, P < 0.0001), extubation time (21.5 ± 7.3 hours versus 30.2 ± 12.4 hours, P = 0.0002) and length of ICU stay (43.4 ± 12.6 hours versus 56.3 ± 17.8 hours, P = 0.0003), while they had a higher cardiac output on the first postoperative day (1.41 ± 0.26 L/minute versus 1.28 ± 0.25 L/minute, P = 0.0255) as compared to the control group. In conclusion, ischemic postconditioning may to some extent provide myocardial protection in children undergoing correction of tetralogy of Fallot.