JACC. Cardiovascular imaging
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JACC Cardiovasc Imaging · Jun 2010
Comparative StudyRV electrical activation in heart failure during right, left, and biventricular pacing.
To compare right ventricular (RV) activation during intrinsic conduction or pacing in heart failure (HF) patients. ⋯ In HF patients without RV dysfunction treated with CRT, normal RV free wall activation in intrinsic rhythm indicated normal right bundle branch-mediated depolarization. However, the RV was vulnerable to the development of activation delays during RV pacing, whether alone or with CRT-BiV. These were avoided by CRT-LV in patients with normal atrioventricular conduction.
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JACC Cardiovasc Imaging · Jun 2010
ReviewTakotsubo cardiomyopathy: a unique cardiomyopathy with variable ventricular morphology.
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is an important differential diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. It is characterized by normal (or near-normal) coronary arteries, regional wall motion abnormalities that extend beyond a single coronary vascular bed, and often, a precipitating stressor. Variants of the classical left ventricular apical ballooning, including mid- or basal left ventricular wall motion abnormalities, are increasingly recognized. ⋯ Diagnosis of takotsubo cardiomyopathy has important implications for clinical management at presentation and afterward. The long-term prognosis is generally favorable; however, a small subset has potentially life-threatening complications during the initial presentation. The pathophysiologic mechanism is unknown, but catecholamine excess likely has a central role.
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JACC Cardiovasc Imaging · Jun 2010
A retrospective comparison of mortality in critically ill hospitalized patients undergoing echocardiography with and without an ultrasound contrast agent.
To compare acute mortality in critically ill hospitalized patients undergoing echocardiography with and without an ultrasound contrast agent (UCA). ⋯ There is no increase in mortality in critically ill patients undergoing echocardiography with the UCA compared with case-matched control patients.
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JACC Cardiovasc Imaging · Jun 2010
Detection of pulmonary congestion by chest ultrasound in dialysis patients.
This study sought to investigate clinical and echocardiographic correlates of the lung comets score. ⋯ Pulmonary congestion is highly prevalent in symptomatic (New York Heart Association functional class III to IV) and asymptomatic dialysis patients. Chest ultrasound is a reliable technique that detects pulmonary congestion at a pre-clinical stage in end-stage renal disease.