International journal of cardiology
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Letter Case Reports
Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy induced by emotional stress leading to severe mitral regurgitation, cardiogenic shock and cardiopulmonary arrest.
Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) which is usually precipitated by profound emotional and physical stress has been widely reported in the past. In this case we report a young female patient who developed sudden dyspnea and palpitation after an profound stress (fierce argument). The patient had characteristic feature of progressive pulmonary edema. ⋯ Semi-elective surgical valve replacement was performed. One year after the acute event the patient remained asymptomatic. Clinicians should recognize that Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy is one etiology of acute pulmonary edema with normal coronary artery finding.
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Diagnostic performance and cost effectiveness of measurements of plasma N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide in patients presenting with acute dyspnea or peripheral edema.
The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic power of a newly available assay for amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) to identify patients with acute heart failure. In addition, the influence of initial NT-proBNP measurements on economic consequences, diagnostic procedures and staff involvement was evaluated. ⋯ Measurement of NT-proBNP leads to multiple saving amounts and optimizes diagnostic pathways and resource allocation.
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Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) can itself contribute to increased rates of cardiovascular events. We sought to determine the impact of LVH on in-hospital and long-term mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). ⋯ Patients with LVH showed similar in-hospital mortality when compared with patients without LVH. However, LVH was a detrimental risk factor for late mortality, especially after the third postoperative year. These data suggest the need for a more frequent long-term follow-up among patients with LVH undergoing CABG.
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Multicenter Study
The association between pre-infarction angina and care-seeking behaviors and its effects on early reperfusion rates for acute myocardial infarction.
To examine the association between pre-infarction angina (PA) and care-seeking behaviors and its effects on early reperfusion rates for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). ⋯ Presence of PA was associated with longer pre-hospital delay, significantly decreased use of ambulance, and lower early reperfusion rates among patients with STEMI.
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Letter Case Reports
Transient mid-ventricular ballooning syndrome complicated by syncope: a variant of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy.
Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy, also called transient left ventricular apical ballooning, is a clinical entity first described in Japan. This syndrome is triggered by emotional or physical stress and mimics an acute coronary syndrome, although the coronary arteries are essentially normal. ⋯ We describe a case herein of an 87-year-old woman who presented a variant form of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy complicated by syncope. Our findings may contribute to an elucidation of the mechanism underlying tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy.