RESUMEN
Total occlusion of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) is a rare but clinically serious event due to its poor prognosis. While coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is currently recommended for treatment of these patients, recent studies support the feasibility of treatment by percutaneous intervention (PCI). Here, we report the diagnoses and treatment of two cases of total occlusion of the LMCA. One patient presented with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock resulting from acute occlusion of the LMCA, and the other patient presented with unstable angina pectoris resulting from chronic occlusion of the LMCA. Both cases were successfully treated with PCI. Our results in these cases suggest that PCI may be a safe and effective alternative to CABG for treatment of LMCA occlusion.
Asunto(s)
Angina Inestable , Puente de Arteria Coronaria , Oclusión Coronaria , Vasos Coronarios/patología , Infarto del Miocardio , Intervención Coronaria Percutánea , Choque Cardiogénico , Anciano , Angina Inestable/etiología , Angina Inestable/terapia , Investigación sobre la Eficacia Comparativa , Angiografía Coronaria/métodos , Puente de Arteria Coronaria/efectos adversos , Puente de Arteria Coronaria/métodos , Oclusión Coronaria/diagnóstico , Oclusión Coronaria/fisiopatología , Oclusión Coronaria/terapia , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Infarto del Miocardio/etiología , Infarto del Miocardio/terapia , Intervención Coronaria Percutánea/efectos adversos , Intervención Coronaria Percutánea/métodos , Pronóstico , Índice de Severidad de la Enfermedad , Choque Cardiogénico/etiología , Choque Cardiogénico/terapia , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
Acute fulminant myocarditis (AFM) is a serious heart disease with limited treatment. This observational retrospective study aimed to investigate whether intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) was able to improve left ventricular function and reduce the episodes of arrhythmia in adult patients with AFM. The medical records of all patients with AFM who were admitted to the Critical Care Unit of Guangdong General Hospital (Guangzhou, China) between January 2001 and December 2010 were reviewed. A cohort of 58 patients was included in the study. Of these 58, 32 patients were treated with IVIG (400 mg/kg per day) for five days, while the remaining patients did not receive IVIG therapy. The patients who received IVIG therapy had a higher left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and a reduced left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVDD) compared with the non-IVIG therapy patients four weeks subsequent to the treatment (PLVEF=0.011 and PLVDD=0.048). The post-treatment incidence of ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF) and atrioventricular block (AVB) was reduced in the patients who received IVIG therapy compared with the baseline values (PVT/VF=0.025, PAVB=0.003); however, no significant differences were observed in the non-IVIG therapy patients (PVT/VF=0.564, PAVB=0.083) following treatment. There were two mortalities in the IVIG therapy group and seven in the non-IVIG therapy group (P=0.072). This retrospective study suggested that the use of IVIG for the treatment of AFM may be associated with improved left ventricular function and reduced episodes of fulminant arrhythmias.
RESUMEN
Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a complex syndrome of acute kidney injury that follows exposure to intravascular contrast media. Although a series of preventive measures have been developed, CIN remains a major challenge encountered in elderly patients by interventional cardiologists. No data are currently available concerning the potential effects of the combined use of hydration and alprostadil in the prevention of CIN following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in elderly patients. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the ability of a combination of hydration and alprostadil to prevent CIN following PCI in elderly patients. From June 1, 2010 to January 31, 2012, 85 elderly patients undergoing PCI were included in the present study. The included patients were randomly allocated into three groups: the control (22 cases), hydration (28 cases) and hydration + alprostadil (35 cases) group. Serum creatinine (SCr) levels were measured prior to PCI and then daily for 3 days following PCI. Creatinine clearance (Ccr) was also calculated. Following investigation of the incidence of CIN, a significant decline in Ccr was observed in the control group but not in the hydration + alprostadil group after PCI. The reduction in the level of Ccr from baseline in the hydration + alprostadil group was the smallest among the three groups. Moreover, the highest incidence of CIN was in the control group (6 cases, 27.27%), followed by the hydration group (3 cases, 10.71%) and the hydration + alprostadil group (1 case, 2.86%). Therefore, the combined use of hydration and alprostadil significantly reduces the incidence of CIN in elderly patients undergoing PCI. Hydration and alprostadil are suggested to act synergistically to protect renal function. In conclusion, the combined use of hydration and alprostadil is more effective in the prevention of CIN in elderly patients undergoing PCI compared with hydration alone.
RESUMEN
A 90-year-old Chinese man was transferred to the Emergency Department of the Affiliated Shantou Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University for treatment of an acute myocardial infarction. He suffered chest pain with three days of cough, dyspnea and fever. A diagnosis of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy was made in normal coronary arteries from urgent coronary angiography and characteristic apical dyskinesis and basal hyper contractility in left ventriculography. The patient died from severe multi-organ failure on the second day of hospitalization.
Asunto(s)
Cardiomiopatía de Takotsubo/diagnóstico , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Angiografía Coronaria , Resultado Fatal , Humanos , Masculino , Cardiomiopatía de Takotsubo/diagnóstico por imagenRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical value of plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) detection in the diagnosis of diastolic heart dysfunction. METHODS: Ninety patients with diastolic heart dysfunction and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)>or=45% were divided into 3 groups according to the findings by conventional echocardiography and/or tissue Doppler imaging, namely impaired relaxation pattern group (n=58), pseudonormal pattern group (n=22) and restrictive filling pattern group (n=10). Ten patients with normal heart function served as the control group. Plasma NT-proBNP level was determined in all the subjects and its correlation to diastolic heart dysfunction was analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, all the 3 case groups had significantly higher plasma NT-proBNP level (P<0.01). Plasma NT-proBNP level increased gradually with the severity of diastolic dysfunction. Spearman rank correlation analysis indicated that lg(NT-proBNP) was positively correlated to the severity of diastolic dysfunction. Simple linear regression showed that 52.7% of the total variation of lg(NT-proBNP) was correlated to the severity of the condition. The ROC curve demonstrated a sensitivity of 80%, specificity of 90%, positive predictive value of 84.2% and the negative predictive value of 87.1% for NT-proBNP level of 133 ng/L in predicting diastolic heart dysfunction regardless of the clinical manifestations, and the sensitivity was 81.7% and specificity was 75% for NT-proBNP level at 280.25 ng/L in predicting symptomatic diastolic heart dysfunction; the sensitivity was 81.2% and the specificity was 92.6% for NT-proBNP at 655 ng/L in predicting moderate to severe diastolic heart dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Plasma NT-proBNP level increases gradually with the severity of diastolic dysfunction and has a high clinical value in severity rating and assisting the diagnosis of diastolic dysfunction.
Asunto(s)
Insuficiencia Cardíaca/sangre , Insuficiencia Cardíaca/diagnóstico , Péptido Natriurético Encefálico/sangre , Fragmentos de Péptidos/sangre , Anciano , Diástole , Femenino , Insuficiencia Cardíaca/fisiopatología , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Volumen SistólicoRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation between pressure-derived collateral coronary flow (PDCF) and Rentrop grade of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: PDCF, determined by the ratio of P(w)/P(a), was measured in 29 patients with AMI of the first onset who received primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within 12 h after the onset. Sufficient collateral flow (group A, n=19) was defined as PDCF>0.24 and insufficient collateral flow (group B, n=10) as PDCF< or =0.24. Rentrop grade of the collateral flow was evaluated by coronary angiography. Echocardiography was performed on the 3rd and 30th day after PCI. The left ventricular ejection fraction, end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes, and the related indexes were obtained. RESULT: Rentrop grade was significantly related to PDCF (r=0.75, P<0.01), but a wide range of PDCF was observed in patients with Rentrop grade< or =1. CONCLUSION: PDCF measurement allows quantitative evaluation of the collateral flow in patients with AMI.