Psychometric evaluation of the heart failure somatic perception scale in Iranian heart failure patients: a cross-sectional study.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric evaluation of heart failure somatic perception scale (HFSPS) in Iranian heart failure patients. Materials and methods: A total of 220 heart failure (HF) patients were enroled in the study. Data gathering was conducted via consecutive sampling from August 2022 to April 2023. Face validity, content validity, construct validity, and internal consistency were used to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the HFSPS. Construct validity was done through confirmatory factor analysis and convergent validity. Convergent validity between HFSPS and symptom status questionnaire-heart failure was measured using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Cronbach's alpha and Macdonald's omega coefficient were used to evaluate the reliability of instruments. Results: A total of 220 HF patients participated in this study. Their mean age was 66.46 (SD=11.40). Among the participants, 70% were men. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis evaluation showed the goodness of fit indices of the final HFSPS model after modification was within an acceptable range (χ2=306.18 P<0.001, Minimum Discrepancy Function Divided by Degrees of Freedom=2.47, Comparative of Fit Index=0.91, Tucker-Lewis index=0.90, Adjusted goodness of fit index=0.81, Parsimonious norm fit index=0.70, root mean square error of approximation=0.082). Convergent validity between HFSPS and symptom status questionnaire-heart failure indicated a positive and significant correlation. Cronbach's alpha coefficient in the HFSPS was 0.868, and McDonald's omega coefficient in the HFSPS was 0.832. Conclusion: Overall, the Persian version of the HFSPS was determined to be a reliable and valid scale among Iranians with HF.

An exploration of the characteristics of COVID-19 patients referred to a central cardiology hospital with acute coronary syndrome.

This study aimed to evaluate the clinical features of COVID-19 patients diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). After obtaining patients' demographic and clinical data, ECG and transthoracic echocardiography were performed for all 228 patients. On average, patients aged 63.23 years. The most common underlying disease was hypertension (59.2%). The most common ECG abnormalities in COVID-19 patients with ACS were ST-T changes and pathological Q wave, and 12.3% experienced atrial fibrillation. According to the Multiple logistic regression analysis, a significant relationship between on admission tachycardia and left ventricular ejection fraction with in-hospital mortality was found (OR = 24.06, 95% CI: 4.63-125.11, OR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.087-0.98).

Malignant primary pericardial mesothelioma presenting as effusive constrictive pericarditis: a case report study.

BACKGROUND: Primary pericardial mesothelioma (PPM) is a rare malignancy with a high prevalence of mortality. The diagnosis is usually challenging using a variety of imaging modalities and invasive procedures and is generally performed at the later stages of the disease or in autopsy. This case study points to an unconventional presentation of PPM and the challenges in diagnosing this rare mortal malignancy. CASE PRESENTATION: This study presents a 44-year-old woman with no remarkable medical history with an initial diagnosis of effusive constrictive pericarditis at first hospitalization. Imaging evaluations, including transthoracic echocardiography and chest computed tomography scan, demonstrated visible thickened pericardium, pericardial effusion, and mass-like lesions in pericardium and mediastinum. The definite diagnosis of primary pericardial mesothelioma was established after pericardiectomy and histopathology examinations. Chemotherapy with pemetrexed and carboplatin was administrated to the patient, and she has been through four cycles of chemotherapy with no complications to date. CONCLUSION: Constrictive pericarditis is an uncommon presentation of PPM. Due to the high mortality rate and late presentation, difficulties and uncertainties in diagnosis, being aware of this rare malignant entity in different cardiac manifestations, particularly when there is no clear explanation or response to treatment in such conditions, is highly important.

Investigation of short-term prognosis of fragmented QRS complexes in patients with acute myocardial infarction in two groups that received invasive and fibrinolytic therapy.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that the primary causes of death in patients with acute coronary syndrome are arrhythmias and heart failure. The aim of this study is to evaluate the short-term prognosis of fragmented QRS (f-QRS) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). METHODS: This study was a prospective and longitudinal analytic study performed on all patients with acute MI admitted to Rasht Heshmat Hospital Emergency during 2018-2019. Serial Electrocardiography (ECG) was performed in the emergency room after patient admission and was repeated 24 h after percutaneous coronary intervention and fibrinolytic therapy, as well as at the time of patient discharge. Short-term prognosis of f-QRS in patients was evaluated by a cardiologist within admission, 40 days after hospitalization and three months later again. RESULTS: In this study, 453 patients with MI were evaluated in two treatment methods of fibrinolytic and invasive with and without f-QRS. Based on the data of this study, the four study groups had no statistically significant difference in arrhythmia (p = 0.196). In addition, the effect of study groups on left ventricular ejection fraction index was not statistically significant (p = 0.597). The probability of adverse outcomes occurrence was not statistically significant among the four groups (p = 0.07). CONCLUSION: The final results of this study showed that there was no significant difference between the four study groups and arrhythmia status. Therefore, f-QRS was not introduced as an independent predictor of arrhythmia in patients with acute MI.