Intraventricular Dyssynchrony among patients with left bundle branch block.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of intraventricular dyssynchrony among patients with left bundle branch block. METHODS: The study was conducted at Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, from January, 2017 to July, 2017. All patients aged 18 years and above with Left Bundle Branch Block (LBBB) on ECG with or without heart failure were included in the study. Patients with valvular heart disease, predominant diastolic heart failure, acute coronary syndromes or coronary revascularization in last three months and atrial fibrillation were excluded. Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) parameters were measured from 2-D images in apical 4-chamber and 2-chamber views. Consecutive non-probability sampling technique was used for sample collection. RESULTS: Our study included 159 patients. Mean age was 52 years with SD ± 2.74. Ninety-nine (62%) patients were male and 60 (38%) patients were female. One hundred and three (65%) patients had heart failure while 56 (35%) patients didn't have heart failure. More over in our study 124 (78%) patients had Intraventricular dyssynchrony while 35(22%) patients didn't have Intraventricular dyssynchrony. CONCLUSION: The incidence of Intraventricular dyssynchrony is high among patients with heart failure and left bundle branch block.

The Effect of Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP) on Quality of life in Patient with Coronary Artery Disease not Amenable to PCI or CABG.

Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP) is a non-invasive FDA approved therapy for patients with refractory angina pectoris. The EECP mechanism of action is similar to that of an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) by administering a vigorous pressure pulse via external blood pressure cuffs during the diastole. The benefit of EECP includes improvement in angina severity, angina stability, maximal walking capacity and generalized improvement in overall health. Seatle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) is a valid, reliable and sensitive measure of health-related quality of life. It is also a sensitive and reproducible evaluation tool to measure the response to an intervention. We did a pre-test post-test designed prospective study to evaluate the effect of EECP on the quality of life in patients with CAD. There was a significant difference between SAQ-7 health-related quality of life between the pre-EECP and post-EECP groups (P value= <0.01). Moreover, a positive correlation was reported between the New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Classification before treatment and post-EECP SAQ-7 health-related quality of life (P value=0.015).

Total Occlusion of Abdominal Aorta in Takayasu Arteritis.

Takayasu arteritis is a type of large vessel vasculitis that mainly affects the aorta and its major branches. The disease can have a myriad of manifestations ranging from non-specific symptoms of low-grade fever and weight loss to lower limb claudication. A 21-year-old woman presented with uncontrolled hypertension for the last six months. The CT aortogram revealed total occlusion of the abdominal aorta with collateral vessels formed by the right and left internal mammary artery. We present a case of Takayasu arteritis in a 21-year-old woman with complete obstruction of the abdominal aorta. She was treated only with oral medications. The associated review of the literature is also discussed.