Mean Platelet Volume as a Predictor of Heart Failure-Related Hospitalizations in Stable Heart Failure Outpatients with Sinus Rhythm.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we investigated the relationship between the mean platelet volume (MPV) with mortality and heart failure (HF)-related hospitalization in stable chronic HF outpatients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and with sinus rhythm (SR). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 197 consecutive stable chronic HFrEF outpatients with SR, who were admitted to our cardiology outpatient clinics for examination between January 2014 and January 2015. According to the receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, the optimal cut-off value of MPV to predict HF-related hospitalization was > 9.1 fL. Patients were classified into two categories according to threshold MPV levels, as group I with MPV ≤ 9.1 fL and group II with MPV > 9.1 fL. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 65 ± 13 years. The mean follow-up duration was 10 ± 3 months, and 44 patients (22%) succumbed to cardiovascular (CV) death. The rate of CV mortality was similar between the two groups (21% vs. 24%, p = 0.649). However, the rate of patients who experienced HF-related hospitalization was lower in group I compared with group II (41% vs. 87%, p < 0.001, respectively). Univariate analysis demonstrated associations of many clinical factors in addition to increased MPV > 9.1 fL with HF-related hospitalization; however, In the multivariate Cox proportional-hazards model, only increased MPV > 9.1 fL (HR: 2.895, 95% CI: 1.774-4.724, p < 0.001), systolic pulmonary artery pressure level (HR: 1.018, 95% CI: 1.001-1.036, p = 0.048) and pre-admission beta blocker use (HR: 0.517, 95% CI: 0.305-0.877, p = 0.014) remained associated with a risk of HF-related hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: The mean platelet volume might be a useful parameter for risk stratification with regard to HF-related hospitalization in HFrEF outpatients with SR.

COHgb levels predict the long-term development of acute myocardial infarction in CO poisoning.

BACKGROUND: There are several studies evaluating the cardiac effects of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning during the acute period; however, the number of studies evaluating the long-term cardiac effects is limited. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of blood carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels, elevated due to CO poisoning on the long-term development of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: This cross-sectional cohort study included a total of 1013 consecutive patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) due to CO poisoning, between January 2005 and December 2007. The diagnosis of CO poisoning was made according to the medical history and a COHb level of greater than 5%. In terms of AMI development, the patients were followed up for an average of 56 months. RESULTS: At the end of follow-up, 100 (10%) of 1013 patients experienced AMI. Carboxyhemoglobin levels at the time of poisoning were higher among those who were diagnosed with AMI compared to those who were not (55%±6% vs 30%±7%; P<.001). Using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model with forward stepwise method, age, COHb level, CO exposure time, and smoking remained associated with an increased risk of AMI after adjustment for the variables found to be statistically significant in a univariate analysis. According to a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the optimal cutoff value of COHb used to predict the development of AMI was found to be greater than 45%, with 98% sensitivity and 94.1% specificity. CONCLUSION: In patients presenting to the ED with CO poisoning, COHb levels can be helpful for risk stratification in the long-term development of AMI.

Evaluation of atrial electromechanical coupling times in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: There are no definite data about the atrial electromechanical coupling times (AEMCT) in patients with end stage renal failure (ESRF). The aim of this study was to investigate the AEMCT in ESRF patients without hypertension (HT) and diabetes mellitus. METHODS: The study population consisted of 47 normotensive, nondiabetic ESRF patients and 41 healthy age/gender-matched control subjects. The time intervals from the onset of P-wave on the surface electrocardiogram to the beginning of late diastolic A-wave (PA) were obtained from the lateral mitral annulus (PA-lateral, maximum AEMCT), septal annulus (PA-septal), and tricuspid lateral annulus (PA-tricuspid). Time intervals were corrected according to the heart rate. The difference between PA-septal and PA-tricuspid (right AEMCT), PA-lateral and PA-septal (left AEMCT), and PA-lateral and PA-tricuspid (inter AEMCT) were calculated. Corrected time intervals were used for calculations. RESULTS: Groups were similar for age (52 ± 12.3 vs. 49.9 ± 6 years, P > 0.05) and gender. Maximum (61 ± 20 vs. 47 ± 13 ms; P < 0.001) AEMCT was significantly higher in the patients compared with the control group, but septal and tricuspid EMCT were not different (P > 0.05). Both inter-atrial (37 ± 21 vs. 24 ± 16 ms, P = 0.002) and left atrial (25 ± 18 vs. 12 ± 9 ms; P < 0.001) EMCT were significantly higher in patients when compared with the controls but intra-right atrial EMCT was not different. CONCLUSIONS: Atrial conduction parameters such as maximal EMCT, left atrial, and inter-atrial EMCTs were prolonged in ESRF patients. This prolongation is seen in ESRF patients even in the absence of factors that affect atrial coupling, such as HT.

Cancer Antigen 125 is Associated with Length of Stay in Patients with Acute Heart Failure.

Length of stay is the primary driver of heart-failure hospitalization costs. Because cancer antigen 125 has been associated with poor morbidity and mortality rates in heart failure, we investigated the relationship between admission cancer antigen 125 levels and lengths of stay in heart-failure patients. A total of 267 consecutive patients (184 men, 83 women) with acute decompensated heart failure were evaluated prospectively. The median length of stay was 4 days, and the patients were classified into 2 groups: those with lengths of stay ≤4 days and those with lengths of stay >4 days. Patients with longer lengths of stay had a significantly higher cancer antigen 125 level of 114 U/mL (range, 9-298 U/mL) than did those with a shorter length of stay (19 U/mL; range; 3-68) (P <0.001). The optimal cutoff level of cancer antigen 125 in the prediction of length of stay was >48 U/mL, with a specificity of 95.8% and a sensitivity of 96% (area under the curve, 0.979; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.953-0.992). In the multivariate logistic regression model, cancer antigen 125 >48 U/mL on admission (odds ratio=4.562; 95% CI, 1.826-11.398; P=0.001), sodium level (P<0.001), creatinine level (P=0.009), and atrial fibrillation (P=0.015) were also associated with a longer length of stay after adjustment for variables found to be statistically significant in univariate analysis and correlated with cancer antigen 125 level. In addition, it appears that in a cohort of patients with acute decompensated heart failure, cancer antigen 125 is independently associated with prolonged length of stay.

The role of SCUBE1 in the pathogenesis of no-reflow phenomenon presenting with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: SCUBE1 [signal peptide-CUB (complement C1r/C1 s)-EGF (epidermal growth factor)-like domain-containing protein 1] might function as a novel platelet-endothelial adhesion molecule and play pathological roles in cardiovascular biology. Acute myocardial infarction is one of the most common causes of death in modern society. The concept of "no reflow" (NR) refers to a state of myocardial tissue hypoperfusion in the presence of a patent epicardial coronary artery. The main mechanisms of this phenomenon are thought to be high platelet activity and much thrombus burden. So, we researched the role of SCUBE1 in the pathogenesis of NR. METHODS: A total of 142 patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (n=42 with NR and n=100 without NR) and 50 healthy individuals were prospectively case-control recruited between March 2015 and October 2016 from our outpatient clinics of cardiology department. Patients with STEMI were diagnosed according to American Heart Association (AHA) guideline for the management of STEMI. RESULTS: The mean SCUBE1 levels of the control subjects were 34±8.4 ng/mL, the mean SCUBE1 levels of patients with STEMI who were treated successfully with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were 51±6.2, and the mean SCUBE1 levels of patients with STEMI who had NR phenomenon after primary PCI procedure were 97.2±8.9 ng/mL. CONCLUSION: In our opinion, SCUBE1 might contribute to NR phenomenon via thrombus activation and aggregation. The pathophysiology of NR phenomenon is unclear. The present study is the first clinical study that demonstrated that serum SCUBE1 level was significantly higher in patients with NR and that serum SCUBE1 was an independent predictor for the presence of NR in our study population.

Demonstration of Ischemia in Myocardial Perfusion Scintigraphy before Coronary Revascularization Decreases Acute Coronary Syndrome-related Hospitalizations.

In this study, we compared the patients who underwent coronary angiography (CAG), followed by revascularization by coronary artery stent implantation according to the CAG results without any evidence of ischemia with myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS), and the patients who underwent revascularization by coronary artery stent implantation following the detection of ischemia in MPS before CAG in terms of the mortality and hospitalization due to acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Between January 2009 and January 2016, a total of 407 patients (52% males, 48% females; mean age: 66 ± 9 years; range: 40-85 years) who underwent CAG following diagnosis of stable angina and underwent coronary artery stenting were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 (n = 200) included those who had MPS before CAG and in whom ischemia was detected and stent was implanted, and Group 2 (n = 207) included those who had stent implantation according to the CAG results without prior MPS. The mean follow-up was 40 ± 18 months. Although there was no significant difference in the mortality rates between the groups, the rate of hospitalization due to ACS was significantly lower in Group 1 (P = 0.112 vs. P = 0.022, respectively). According to the multivariate Cox-regression analysis, demonstration of ischemia in MPS before revascularization, statin use, clopidogrel use, and higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were found to be associated with a reduced risk of ACS-related hospitalization, whereas the presence of diabetes mellitus and smoking was found to be associated with an increased risk of ACS-related hospitalization.

Association between oxidative stress index and post-CPR early mortality in cardiac arrest patients: A prospective observational study.

OBJECTIVE: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a series of lifesaving actions that improve the chance of survival following cardiac arrest (CA). Many clinical and laboratory parameters, such as the presence of asystole, out-of-hospital CPR, and duration of cardiac arrest, are associated with failed CPR in patients with CA. Asystole is a state of no cardiac electrical activity, along with the absence of contractions of the myocardium and absence of cardiac output. Oxidative stress index (OSI), which is the ratio of total oxidative status to total antioxidant status, increases by ischemia-reperfusion injury. We investigated whether OSI levels in patients with CA could predict early mortality after CPR. METHODS: This study has a prospective observational cohort design. Five patients with a history of cancer, four patients who developed hemolysis in their blood, six patients who were transferred to our hospital from other hospitals, and six patients in whom blood samples for OSI could not be stored properly were excluded. Finally, a total of 90 in-hospital or out-of-hospital CA patients and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers as the control group were evaluated prospectively. The patients were classified according to the CPR response into a successful group (n=46) and a failed group (n=44). Comparisons between groups were performed using one-way ANOVA with post hoc analysis by Tukey's HSD or independent samples t-test and the Kruskal-Wallis tests or Mann- Whitney U test for normally and abnormally distributed data, respectively. Also, we used chi-square test, Spearman's correlation test, univariate and multible logistic regression analyses, and receiver operator characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: OSI was 3.0±4.0, 5.6±4.3, and 8.7±3.8 in the control group, the successful CPR group, and the failed CPR group, respectively (p<0.001 for the 2 comparisons). OSI on admission, ischemia-modified albumin, presence of asystole, mean duration of cardiac arrest, out-of-hospital CPR, pH, and potassium and sodium levels were found to have prognostic significance in the univariate analysis. In the multivariate logistic regression model, OSI on admission (OR=1.325, p=0.003), ischemia-modified albumin (OR=1.008, p=0.005), presence of asystole (OR=13.576, p<0.001), and sodium level (OR=1.132, p=0.029) remained associated with an increased risk of early mortality. In addition, the optimal cut-off value of OSI to predict post-CPR mortality was measured as >6.02, with 84.1% sensitivity and 76.1% specificity. CONCLUSION: Elevated OSI levels can predict failed CPR in CA patients.

Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio is predictor of atrial fibrillation recurrence after cardioversion with amiodarone.

BACKGROUND: In this study, our aim is to examine the role of the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the predictions of recurrence under long-term follow-up in patients whose sinus rhythms (SRs) were restored with amiodarone in acute atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: Retrospectively, patients with acute AF, which successfully converted to the SR with amiodarone treatment, were recruited into the study. Patients experiencing the first AF attack were enrolled to the study and followed up for 5 years (median 23 months, 25-75 percentiles 12-24 months). Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio was computed as absolute neutrophil count divided by lymphocyte count. RESULTS: A total of 218 patients were recruited into the study and followed up for 21.6 ± 13.9 months; 87 (40%) patients had ≥1 recurrent AF attack within this period. The follow-up of 131 (60%) patients resulted in persisted SR without any other AF attack. Groups were similar in terms of age and gender. Left atrium (LA) diameter and NLR were increased, and platelet count and lymphocyte count were decreased in patients with AF recurrence in univariate analysis (P < .05 for all). Only LA diameter (for per mm, 1.077 [1.021-1.136], P = .006) and NLR (1.584 [1.197-2.095], P = .001) were independent predictors of AF recurrence in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Increased NLR is a marker of increased inflammation and may serve as simple, cheap, and readily available predictors of recurrence in the long-term follow-up of patients admitted with acute AF and successfully converted to SR with amiodarone.

Paliperidone: As a Possible Cause of Pericardial Effusion.

Paliperidone which is the active metabolite of risperidon is one of the novel antipsychotics. Controlled clinical studies proved its effectiveness on decreasing the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Some studies and case reports, reported its cardiovascular and cardiometabolic side effects. Cardiac tamponade, that may be mortal, wasn't reported as a side effect with paliperidone usage before. We present a 40 years old female with catatonic schizophrenia for eighteen years, whom was on 6 mg/day paliperidon for 3 years and presented with pericardial tamponade. We suggest that paliperdione may have cardiovascular and cardiometabolic side effects also in therapeutic doses.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection diagnosed by multislice computed tomography.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare cause of acute coronary syndrome. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection can cause stable angina pectoris, unstable angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock and sudden cardiac death. It usually occurs in young to middle aged women. Atherosclerosis, peripartum period, and structural and inflammatory diseases affecting the artery wall are predisposing factors. It shows similar clinical presentation to coronary artery disease. Diagnosis and early treatment decrease mortality. Treatment options are medical treatment, percutaneous coronary intervention and surgery. The treatment decision is made according to the clinical presentation of the patient, the affected coronary artery and the length of the dissected segment. Diagnosis of the disease is usually made by coronary angiography. We present a patient who consulted our clinic with atypical chest pain and was diagnosed with spontaneous left anterior descending dissection by coronary computed tomography angiography.

Evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function in nonhypertensive nondiabetic hemodialysis patients.

AIM: Diastolic dysfunction (DD) is common in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Because diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HT) are also common in this patient group, the exact reason for DD in HD patients is not clear. The present study evaluated left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in HD patients without DM and HT. METHODS: Fifty patients on HD and 34 age-matched and sex-matched healthy control individuals were enrolled. Echocardiography was performed in all participants. LV systolic and diastolic functions were evaluated by B-mode echocardiography, pulsed wave, and tissue Doppler imaging. The HD patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in echocardiography. RESULTS: LV dimensions and systolic function were within normal limits and similar between groups. However, the HD patients had significantly worse diastolic function (E/A: 0.78 ± 0.26 vs. 1.19 ± 0.28, P < 0.001, e'/a' septal: 0.77 ± 0.36 vs. 1.04 ± 0.21, P < 0.001) and increased filling pressure (E/e': 8.55 ± 3.2 vs. 5.79 ± 1.93, P < 0.001). Thirty-one (62%) patients had LVH, whereas 19 (38%) patients did not have LVH. LV systolic and diastolic functions were similar in HD patients with and without LVH. Seventeen (55%) hypertrophies were concentric and 14 (45%) were eccentric. Diastolic functions were similar in patients with either concentric or eccentric hypertrophy. CONCLUSION: Diastolic function is impaired in HD patients even in the absence of diseases that can cause DD such as HT and DM.