Hypovolemia-induced severe coronary spasm leading to acute myocardial infarction.

Acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a well recognized manifestation of severe coronary artery spasm. Although there are many recognized triggers, hypovolemia has not been previously described. The present report describes a case of acute STEMI that occurred four days following major colonic surgery in a severely dehydrated patient. Coronary angiography revealed underfilled coronary arteries with severe multifocal spasm, which largely resolved with aggressive fluid repletion and intracoronary nitrate.

Gross aortic root dilation in a young woman with acromegaly.

Mild aortic root dilation is relatively common in patients with acromegaly and does not usually require surgical intervention. A case involving a 27-year-old acromegalic woman who presented with heart failure and gross aortic root dilation that was successfully treated with a composite aortic graft prosthesis is described.

Apical ballooning syndrome following exercise treadmill testing.

Transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome is an increasingly recognized cause of acute coronary syndrome, particularly in postmenopausal women, and is the subject of increasing interest to both clinicians and researchers. Emotional and physical stressors are often implicated in its development and, while excess sympathetic drive appears to act as a primary trigger, the exact mechanism remains controversial.The clinical presentation is characterized by transient, often severe, left ventricular dysfunction affecting the mid and apical myocardium. By definition, no significant coronary artery lesions are present, although this may not be recognized at initial presentation. While recovery of function with evidence of limited myocardial necrosis is common, significant complications may manifest in the acute phase.A case involving an elderly patient who developed classical features of the syndrome following an exercise treadmill test is presented. To the authors' knowledge, the present case is the only such report that meets the recently proposed diagnostic criteria. The present case serves to highlight a rare but important complication of exercise testing in an elderly patient. Recent large systematic reviews have provided valuable insights into the clinical features of this condition. The current article examines the data from these studies and others to provide a comprehensive clinical overview.

Compression syndrome as a complication of percutaneous coronary intervention.

Coronary artery perforation is a rare complication of percutaneous coronary intervention with potentially fatal consequences. A case of perforation occurring during percutaneous coronary intervention to a saphenous vein graft, complicated by the subsequent development of a compressive right atrial hematoma, is reported. The management of the case is described, and similar case reports in the literature are reviewed. The role of imaging in making the initial diagnosis and formulating an appropriate management strategy is emphasized.

Cardiac contractile impairment associated with increased phosphorylation of troponin I in endotoxemic rats.

The subcellular mechanisms underlying intrinsic myocardial depression during sepsis remain poorly defined, in particular the relative roles of altered intracellular Ca2+ transients versus changes in myofilament properties. We studied contractile function of cardiac myocytes isolated 12 h after induction of endotoxemia (5 mg/kg intravenous E. coli lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) in conscious rats. Cardiomyocytes from LPS-injected rats had depressed twitch shortening compared with control cells (4.10.2% versus 7.80.3%; P2+ transients (peak indo-1 ratio 1.130.02 versus 1.120.02; P = NS). Contractile depression was unaffected by inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase. Steady-state myofilament response to Ca2+, assessed by tetanization of intact cells over a range of [Ca2+], was reduced significantly in the LPS group (P2+ was unaffected by isoproterenol (3 nmol/L) in endotoxemic cells, whereas there was a rightward shift in control cells. A reduction in myofilament response to Ca2+ is the major determinant of intrinsic cardiac depression in systemic endotoxemia. This condition appears to be related to an increase in myocardial troponin I phosphorylation.

Mechanisms of respiratory sinus arrhythmia in patients with mild heart failure.

The high-frequency (HF) component of the heart rate variability (HRV) is regarded as an index of cardiac vagal responsiveness. However, when vagal tone is decreased, nonneural mechanisms could account for a significant proportion of the HF component. To test this hypothesis, we examined the HRV spectral power in 20 patients with mild chronic heart failure (CHF) and 11 controls before and during ganglion blockade with trimethaphan camsylate (3-6 mg/min iv). A small HF component was still present during ganglion blockade, and its amplitude did not differ between CHF patients and controls. The average contribution of nonneural oscillations to the HF component was 15% (range 1-77%) in patients with CHF and 3% (range 0. 7-30%) in healthy controls (P < 0.005). During controlled breathing at 0.16 Hz, however, it decreased to 1% (range 0.2-13%) in healthy controls and 5% (range 1-44%) in CHF patients. Our results indicate that the HF component can significantly overestimate cardiac vagal responsiveness in patients with mild CHF. This bias is improved by controlled breathing, since this maneuver increases the vagal contribution to HF without affecting its nonneural component.

Intracerebral haemorrhage in a young adult: consider amphetamine abuse.

We present the case of a young female who suffered a massive intracerebral bleed following the ingestion of a small quantity of amphetamine (speed). Physicians should be aware that amphetamine abuse can lead to cerebrovascular events in young adults.

Coronary ventricular fistula as a complication of PTCA: a case report and literature review.

A 58-year-old man with previous myocardial infarction and coronary bypass surgery underwent angioplasty to a totally occluded venous graft to the left anterior descending artery (LAD). The procedure resulted in a coronary-ventricular fistula. Prolonged inflation of the balloon in the proximal part of the graft resulted in obliteration of the fistula with little haemodynamic compromise.

Recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding associated with chronic pancreatitis.

A 52 year old man with chronic pancreatitis presented with recurrent upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Gastroscopy was normal, but visceral angiography suggested that there were gastric varices. Despite treatment with propranolol he had further episodes of bleeding and so underwent splenectomy to decompress the gastric varices. When the spleen was removed, however, an inflammatory mass in the head of the pancreas adherent to the posterior gastric wall was noted. Within it the splenic artery was visible and communicated with the gastric lumen through a small opening in the gastric wall. The artery was ligated and the patient has since had no further bleeding. Thus, chronic pancreatitis should be considered as a cause of recurrent upper gastro-intestinal bleeding, especially when gastroscopy is normal.

Leiomyosarcoma in leiomyomatosis of the small intestine.

Multiple leiomyomata of the small intestine are rare. We report one such case where a leiomyosarcoma had arisen from a leiomyoma in the small intestine 8 years after presentation. The possible origin of the leiomyomata is discussed and it is concluded that small intestinal leiomyomatosis should be regarded as a premalignant condition.

Gastric telangiectasis: a rare cause of severe blood loss in CREST syndrome.

A 46 year old woman presented with the CREST variety of systemic sclerosis and occult gastrointestinal bleeding due to vascular malformations of her stomach. Partial gastrectomy cured her anaemia. In systemic sclerosis, visceral angiography should be performed early when initial investigations have been negative.