Kardiol Pol
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Comparative Study
Del Nido cardioplegia as a safe and effective method of myocardial protection in adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a single‑center experience.
Del Nido (DN) cardioplegia is increasingly popular in adult cardiac surgery. It allegedly allows for up to 90 minutes of safe myocardial ischemia with a single dose. ⋯ Del Nido cardioplegia is a safe and effective method of myocardial protection in adults. It allows for a longer redosing interval with a safety profile and mortality comparable to those for CB cardioplegia, as shown by lower troponin T release when corrected for the time of myocardial ischemia.
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Multicenter Study
Polish regional differences in patient knowledge on atrial fibrillation and its management as well as in patterns of oral anticoagulant prescription.
BACKGROUND The Jessa Atrial Fibrillation Knowledge Questionnaire (JAKQ) was successfully used to assess knowledge gaps in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). AIMS To evaluate the regional differences among Polish patients in their awareness of AF diagnosis and oral anticoagulation use. METHODS A total of 1583 patients with AF at a median (IQR) age of 72 (66-79) years completed the JAKQ in 3 cardiology centers (center I, Kraków; center II, Toruń; center III, Kielce) from January 2017 to June 2018. ⋯ The percentage of correct responses was lower in patients on reduced NOAC doses (35.4% of patients on NOACs), compared with the full-dose NOAC groups in center I (56.9% vs 62.5%; P = 0.012) and II (48.1% vs 56.2%; P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS Patients from a high-volume academic center showed better knowledge than their peers from district hospitals. There are large regional differences in prescription patterns of oral anticoagulants, including the preferred NOAC.
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Various conditions, including arterial hypertension, exhibit seasonal trends in their occurrence and magnitude. Those trends correspond to an interest exhibited in the number of Internet searches for the specific conditions per month. ⋯ In conclusion, arterial hypertension is more likely to occur during winter months, which correlates with increased interest in the search phrase "hypertension" in Google.
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Post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia occurring after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Arrhythmia leads to prolonged hospitalisation and may have an impact on both short-term and long-term prognoses. ⋯ POAF was diagnosed in 21% of post-CABG patients, and the major predictors were: age ≥ 70 years, preoperative stable angina, as well as low cardiac output syndrome following CABG.