Clinical cardiology
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Clinical cardiology · Jun 2009
Case ReportsRapid normalization of a highly thickened pericardium by chemotherapy in a patient with T-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma.
The most common tumor that affects the pericardium is malign lymphoma. T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (TLL) is a rare type of malign lymphomas. In this manuscript, we are reporting a patient with TLL with pericardial involvement diagnosed incidentally during the evaluation of pleural effusion. ⋯ The pericardial thickness was found to be 13 mm by computerized tomography and confirmed by echocardiography. The patient had systemic chemotherapy for TLL. On day 30 of chemotherapy, computerized tomography of the thorax and echocardiographic examination revealed normal pericardial thickness and minimal pericardial effusion.
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Clinical cardiology · Mar 2009
Use of emergency medical services in patients with acute myocardial infarction in China.
Although guidelines strongly recommend use of the Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) by patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), it remains underutilized in western countries. Information about its current use in China is unclear. The objective of this study was to examine the use of the EMS by patients with AMI in China, and investigate factors affecting its use. ⋯ The emergency medical services are underutilized by patients with AMI in China. Use of the EMS may be advantageous in view of greater administration of reperfusion therapy. New public health strategies should be developed to facilitate greater use of the EMS for AMI.
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Clinical cardiology · Mar 2009
Clinical diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder after myocardial infarction.
Clinician-rated large-scale studies estimating the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to myocardial infarction (MI) and identifying predictors of clinical PTSD are currently lacking. ⋯ Clinical PTSD is prevalent in post-MI patients. Demographic and particularly psychological variables related to the subjective experience of the event were stronger predictors of PTSD status than were objective measures of MI severity.