Acute myocardial infarct size is related to periodontitis extent and severity.

Cardiovascular disease has been associated with 40% of deaths in high-income countries and 28% in lower-income countries. The relationship between periodontitis and acute myocardial infarction is well documented, but it has not been established whether the extent and severity of periodontitis influence the infarct size. This cross-sectional and analytic study was designed to investigate the association of chronic periodontitis extent and severity with acute myocardial infarct size as indicated by serum cardiac troponin I and myoglobin levels. Sociodemographic, periodontal, cardiologic, and hematologic variables were gathered in 112 consecutive patients with myocardial infarction. The extent (Arbes Index) and severity (Periodontal Inflammatory Severity Index) of the chronic periodontitis were significantly associated with troponin I levels after controlling for sociodemographic and clinical confounders (change in R (2) = .041, p < .02, and R (2) = .031, p = .04). However, only the extent index accounted for levels of myoglobin (change in R (2) = .030, p < .05), total leukocytes (change in R (2) = .041 p < .02), and neutrophils (change in R (2) = .059, p < .01). Mediated regression analysis showed that leukocytes and neutrophils may underlie these observed relationships of chronic periodontitis with troponin I and myoglobin. To our knowledge, this study contributes the first research data demonstrating that the extent and severity of periodontitis is positively associated with acute myocardial infarct size as measured by serum troponin I and myoglobin levels.

Body mass index and myocardium at risk in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Whilst traditional studies have shown that obese individuals are at a higher risk of cardiovascular events compared to lean subjects, recent studies in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have suggested that obesity may exert protective effects (the "obesity paradox"). We sought to assess the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the BARI score (BARIsc), a validated tool used to assess myocardium at risk, in patients with acute coronary syndrome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Participants were 116 consecutive patients (mean age, 60.6 years; 97 men) with AMI (68 ST elevated myocardial infarction, STEMI; 48 non-ST elevated myocardial infarction, NSTEMI). Demographics, BMI, risk factors, biochemistry data, left ventricular function, angiographic data and the BARIsc were assessed in every patient. RESULTS: Multiple linear regression analyses showed that BMI significantly correlated with BARIsc; ß=.23, p<0.02. This was found only in the overweight/obese patients, ß=.27, p<0.01, but not in patients with normal BMIs, ß=0.08, p=0.71. CONCLUSIONS: An increased body weight is associated with an increased area of myocardium at risk in patients with ACS.

[Morbimortality of acute endocarditis caused by Streptococcus agalactiae]. / Morbimortalidad de la endocarditis aguda por Streptococcus agalactiae.

INTRODUCTION: Streptococcus agalactiae is an uncommon cause of acute endocarditis. It is more likely to occur in people with underlying diseases and usually evolves poorly. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have conducted a retrospective study comparing the clinical features of Streptococcus agalactiae acute endocarditis attended in our Hospital during the last twelve years with the ones caused by other microorganisms; we have analized as dependent variables the vegetation size, surgery needing, complications, time of hospitalisation and global mortality. RESULTS: All the cases by SGB had a great vegetation size, all needed surgery in its management with long hospitalisation periods, and the mortility was of 40%; everything was higher than other microorganism's endocarditis. CONCLUSION. Streptococcus agalactiae acute endocarditis is a serious disease which requires early surgery in its management. Its mortality rate, complications and hospitalisation time are high.

[Up-date of the diagnosis and treatment of vasospastic angina]. / Actualización del diagnóstico y tratamiento de la angina vasoespástica.

Vasospastic or Prinzmetal's variant angina as it is also known is a special type of ischemic heart disease characterized by spontaneous episodes of chest pain accompanied by transitory ST segment elevations during the episodes. These alterations are essential for its diagnosis and it is difficult to diagnose it in their absence. If clinical suspicion is high, it should be confirmed by coronary vasospasm provocation tests, since, on the contrary, there may be cases that are not diagnosed or considered to be other types of diseases. Furthermore, progression of this type of angina to a myocardial infarction due to coronary stenosis is a relatively uncommon event.

[Spontaneous postpartum coronary dissection]. / Disección coronaria espontánea posparto.

We report a case of spontaneous dissection of right coronary artery diagnosed in a 31-year-old woman in the postpartum period, presenting with prolonged angina and ST segment elevation in the ECG, a rare manifestation of this extremely uncommon anatomico-clinic entity. We described the clinical presentation, the findings derived from transthoracic echocardiography and coronary arteriography, and the clinical course with medical therapy.

[Usefulness of the Doppler index delta P/delta t in the evaluation of left ventricular systolic dysfunction]. / Utilidad del índice Doppler delta P/delta t en la evaluación de la disfunción sistólica ventricular izquierda.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: It has been shown that the delta P/delta t index, derived from the continuous Doppler mitral regurgitation signal correlates strongly with dP/dt. This study evaluates the feasibility, reproducibility and correlation of the index with ejection fraction and other conventional echocardiographic parameters. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred and ten patients with mitral regurgitation demonstrated by colour Doppler were studied. delta P/delta t were calculated by the ratio between the interval of pression between two points of the Doppler signal (-1 and -3 m/s; 32 mmHg, applying the modified Bernouilli equation) and the interval of time (s) which separates both. Ejection fraction was measured in 70 patients by non-echocardiographic methods (isotopic ventriculography, n = 52, and angiography, n = 18). RESULTS: The index was feasible in 91 cases, the variability of intra and interobserver was 5% and 7% respectively. The correlation between delta P/delta t and ejection fraction was significant although weak (r = 0.59; p < 0.001; n = 70). It was better in the group of dilated idiopathic myocardiopathy (r = 0.72; p < 0.001; n = 18) than in the group of myocardial infarction (r = 0.54; p < 0.01; n = 25). No significant correlation was founded in the cases with mitral rheumatic valvulopathy. Regarding to the echocardiographic parameters, the best correlation was obtained with end systolic diameter (r = -0.64; p < 0.001; n = 49). Finally, a value of delta P/delta t < 1,000 mmHg/s predicted the existence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction with high accuracy (84%), sensitivity (80%) and specificity (92%). CONCLUSIONS: High feasibility when mitral regurgitation exists, adequate reproducibility and heightened precision in diagnosing left ventricular systolic dysfunction, are characteristics which make delta P/delta t useful in the echocardiographic routine practice.