Comparison of Two Segment Combined Instrumentation and Fusion versus Three Segment Posterior Instrumentation in Thoracolumbar Burst Fractures: A Randomized Clinical Trial with 10 Years of Follow Up.

AIM: To compare the clinical and functional outcomes between combined anterior and posterior 2-segment spinal fusion and posterior 3-segment spinal fusion in patients with thoracolumbar (TL) burst fractures at risk for posttraumatic kyphosis without neurological deficit. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-seven patients with TL burst fracture, > 20° kyphosis and/or 50% collapse, and posterior ligament injury, but without neurological deficit, were randomly assigned into posterior and combined groups. Posterior treatment was 3-segment (1 level below, fractured level and 2 levels above) posterior spinal fusion. Combined treatment was including 1 cranial and 1 caudal levels posterior spinal fusion, followed by anterior corpectomy, cage, and bone grafting. Patients were followed-up for a mean duration of 117.7 ± 8.7 months (range, 98-132 months). At the final follow-up, the clinical and functional means of the groups were compared using degree of kyphosis, visual analogue scale (VAS), and Roland-Morris and Oswestry scores. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 38.5 ± 2.4 years (range: 18-68 years). Fourteen and 13 patients were treated with the combined and posterior approach, respectively. Age (40.0 ± 10.3 and 37.0 ± 14.2 years; p=0.519), sex (female/male, 3:10 and 5:9; p=0.385), mechanism of injury (p=0.513), fractured levels (p=0.185), type of fracture (p=0.293), degree of kyphosis at initial admission (p=0.616), collapse (p=0.155), canal narrowing (p=0.280), follow-up (p=0.076) and accompanied limb fracture (p=0.374) were similar between groups. Duration of hospital stay was similar between two groups (p=0.102). However, blood loss was higher in combined group (195 ml versus 358ml, p=0.003). A 14.2° correction was achieved in the posterior group and 16.9° in the combined group (p=0.61). Loss of correction at the last follow-up visit was 2.1° with a final kyphosis of 7.2° in the posterior group, and 1.2° with a final kyphosis of 5.5° in the combined group. The differences in the correction of kyphosis (p=0.616), postop kyphosis (p=0.756), loss of correction (p=0.141) and final kyphosis (p=0.085) between the treatment groups were not significant. At the last follow-up visit of the posterior and combined groups, the VAS (16.4 ± 14.8 vs. 17.6 ± 16.6; p=0.685), Roland-Morris (27.2 ± 27.3 vs. 29.6 ± 20.5; p=0.519), and Oswestry scores (15.0 ± 13.1 vs. 17.7 ± 11.5; p=0.302) were similar. CONCLUSION: Both treatment methods are similar in terms of clinical and functional outcomes.

Evaluation of the coronary flow by the coronary clearance time in patients with cardiac syndrome X.

Objective The vessels involved in the microcirculation are too small to be visualized by conventional angiography and no tools are currently available that can directly evaluate the coronary microcirculation. This study evaluated the coronary clearance frame count (CCFC) in patients with cardiac syndrome X (CSX). Methods The retrospective study enrolled patients with angina, who had a positive nuclear imaging test and normal coronary angiography; and a control group consisting of patients who underwent an angiogram to exclude coronary artery disease. Thrombosis in myocardial infarction frame count (TFC) and CCFC for each coronary artery (left anterior descending coronary artery [LAD], circumflex coronary artery [CFX] and right coronary artery [RCA]) were calculated offline. Results A total of 71 patients with CSX and 61 control patients were enrolled in the study. No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding the baseline demographic and clinical variables. The TFC of LAD, CFX and RCA were similar between the two groups. The mean CCFC-LAD, CCFC-CFX and CCFC-RCA were significantly longer in the CSX group compared with the control group. Conclusion CCFC is a simple, quantitative and highly reproducible method that might be used as a marker of coronary microvascular dysfunction.

Relationship between Pulmonary Artery Stiffness and Functional Capacity in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Functional capacity varies significantly among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and it remains unclear why functional capacity is severely compromised in some patients with HFrEF while it is preserved in others. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the role of pulmonary artery stiffness (PAS) in the functional status of patients with HFrEF. METHODS: A total of 46 heart failure (HF) patients without overt pulmonary hypertension or right HF and 52 controls were enrolled in the study. PAS was assessed on parasternal short-axis view using pulsed-wave Doppler recording of pulmonary flow one centimeter distal to the pulmonic valve annulus at a speed of 100 mm/sec. PAS was calculated according to the following formula: the ratio of maximum flow velocity shift of pulmonary flow to pulmonary acceleration time. RESULTS: PAS was significantly increased in the HFrEF group compared to the control group (10.53±2.40 vs. 7.41±1.32, p<0.001). In sub-group analysis of patients with HFrEF, PAS was significantly associated with the functional class of the patients. HFrEF patients with poor New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional capacity had higher PAS compared those with good functional capacity. In multivariate regression analysis, NYHA class was independently correlated with PAS. CONCLUSION: PAS is associated with functional status and should be taken into consideration as an underlying pathophysiological mechanism of dyspnea in patients with HFrEF.

The Impact of Chronic Repetitive Leg Ischemia on Left Ventricular Function and Severity of Coronary Atherosclerosis in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of the presence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) on left ventricular (LV) function in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The medical records of the patients who were referred to Ankara Bayindir Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, due to a first episode of ACS were reviewed. Patients with concomitant PAD and CAD (group 1) were compared with those who had CAD only (group 2). The Mann-Whitney U and χ2 tests were used to compare continuous and categorical variables, respectively. RESULTS: Baseline demographic data of 53 patients with PAD + CAD (42 men and 11 women; mean age 62.5 ± 9.5 years) and a group of 60 patients with CAD only (41 men and 19 women; mean age 59.9 ± 9.8 years) were similar, except for the serum creatinine level which was higher in group 1 than in group 2 (1.32 ± 0.34 vs. 1.03 ± 0.22 mg/dL, p < 0.001). Patients with CAD + PAD had significantly higher Gensini scores (62.6 ± 19.7 vs. 41.4 ± 26.8, p = 0.004) and more 3-vessel disease than patients with CAD alone (62.2 vs. 31.6%, p < 0.045). There was a significant difference between the 2 groups regarding the LV ejection fraction at the time of the diagnosis (52.0 ± 8.2% in the CAD + PAD group and 43.7 ± 13.3% in the CAD-alone group; p = 0.017). CONCLUSION: CAD concomitant with PAD was associated with preserved LV function at early stages of diagnosis in patients with ACS.

Echocardiographic evaluation of diastolic functions in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: A comperative study of diastolic functions in sub-phenotypes of polycystic ovary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous endocrine disorder among reproductive-aged women. It is known to be associated with cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the echocardiographic data of patients according to the phenotypes of PCOS. METHODS: This study included 113 patients with PCOS and 52 controls. Patients were classified into four potential PCOS phenotypes. Laboratory analyses and echocardiographic measurements were performed. Left ventricular mass was calculated by using Devereux formula and was indexed to body surface area. RESULTS: Phenotype-1 PCOS patients had significantly higher homeostasis model assessment - insu-lin resistance (HOMA-IR) (p = 0.023), free testosterone (p < 0.001), LDL cholesterol levels (p < 0.001) and free androgen index (p < 0.001) compared with the control group. There were significant differences between groups regarding the septal thickness, posterior wall thickness, Left ventricular ejection frac-tion, E/A ratio and left ventricular mass index (for all, p < 0.05). PCOS patients with phenotype 1 and 2 had significantly higher left ventricular mass index than the control group (p < 0.001). In univariate and multivariate analyses, PCOS phenotype, modified Ferriman-Gallwey Score and estradiol were found as variables, which independently could affect the left ventricular mass index. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that women in their twenties who specifically fulfilled criteria for PCOS phenotype-1 according to the Rotterdam criteria, had higher left ventricular mass index and decreased E/A ratio, which might be suggestive of early stage diastolic dysfunction. (Cariol J 2017; 24, 4: 364-373).

The Value of Frontal Planar QRS-T Angle in Patients without Angiographically Apparent Atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was undertaken to investigate the prognostic value of the frontal planar QRS-T angle in patients without angiographically apparent coronary atherosclerosis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Three hundred and seven patients with normal coronary arteries on coronary angiography were included. The absolute difference between the frontal QRS- and T-wave axes was defined as the frontal planar QRS-T angle, and patients were divided into 3 subgroups based on the frontal planar QRS-T angle (<45, 45-90, and >90°). Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and angiographic data were compared between groups. Based on the regression analysis results, patients were recategorized into 4 groups according to their luminal calibers of left main coronary artery (LMCA) and history of hypertension (HT) (nonhypertensive LMCA ≤4.13 mm, nonhypertensive LMCA >4.13 mm, hypertensive LMCA ≤4.13 mm, and hypertensive LMCA >4.13 mm). RESULTS: The median value of the frontal planar QRS-T angle of all participants was 38°. Subjects with the widest frontal planar QRS-T angle were older (p = 0.027), were hypertensive (p = 0.001), and had higher corrected QT values (p = 0.001). Patients with the widest frontal planar QRS-T angle had larger LMCA and left anterior descending coronary artery diameters compared to subjects with a normal and borderline frontal QRS-T angle (p = 0.004 and p = 0.028, respectively). Corrected QT, HT, and LMCA diameter were found as independent predictors of the frontal planar QRS-T angle. Subjects with HT and a larger luminal caliber of LMCA had the widest frontal planar QRS-T angle. CONCLUSION: Patients with a history of HT and a larger luminal caliber of LMCA had the widest frontal planar QRS-T angle. Since HT-induced electrophysiological changes are still not well established and we observed that changes in the luminal caliber of coronary arteries are associated with an abnormal frontal QRS-T angle, the frontal QRS-T angle could serve as a marker of ventricular repolarization heterogeneity in hypertensive patients in addition to keeping track of arrhythmic events, even before overt disease.

Premature Atherosclerosis and Drug Eluting Stent Restenosis in an Adult with Osteogenesis Imperfecta.

Mild form of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) may have a normal life span. However, cardiovascular complications including aortic and valvular heart disease, and coronary artery disease may complicate the life period. We presented a patient with mild form of OI and premature coronary atherosclerosis. He had been performed primary percutaneous angioplasty and drug eluting stent implantation to left anterior descending coronary artery osteal lesion. Then he presented with unstable angina pectoris due to the diffuse in-stent restenosis and a highly critical lesion adjacent to previously stented segment. He was suggested coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), but he preferred coronary angioplasty and was implanted everolimus eluting stent. Control angiography, performed at 9th month, revealed the everolimus eluting stent was satisfactorily patent and the patient was asymptomatic. Numerous genetic defects and histopathological abnormalities of collagen and bone formation that were reported in the etiology of OI may be accounted for premature atherosclerosis in OI. Patients with mild form of OI may present with premature atherosclerosis and acute myocardial infarction. Everolimus eluting stent implantation may be a better choice of drug eluting stent in patients with OI instead of other drug eluting stent or minimally invasive CABG.

The relationship between blood pressure variability and Pooled Cohort Risk Assessment Equations 10-year cardiovascular risk score.

BACKGROUND: Recent attention has focused on the clinical significance of blood pressure variability (BPV) in explaining the adverse cardiovascular consequences of hypertension. We therefore analyze the impact of 24 h BPV on the development of future cardiovascular disease determined by The Pooled Cohort Risk Assessment Equations 10-year risk calculator. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 250 adult patients, ages 40-80 years old. The ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was recorded automatically. We defined the mean blood pressure values, SD, and coefficient of variation (CV) of blood pressure on the basis of the recorded 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring values as an indicator for BPV.Patients were divided into two groups according to their Pooled Cohort Risk Assessment Equations 10-year risk profile (<7.5 and ≥7.5%). RESULTS: Besides the mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), parameters showing the BPV such as SD and CV of mean blood pressures were also significantly higher in patients with an elevated 10-year risk score compared with others. Only CV of SBP and pulse pressure showed a clear association with the 10-year risk in multivariate logistic regression analysis. The results suggested that each 1% increase in CV of SBP could lead to a 1.258-fold increase in The Pooled Cohort Risk Assessment Equations 10-year risk score. CONCLUSION: In the present study, we found that independent of baseline SBP, increased CV of SBP within 24 h was associated with increased cardiovascular risk, as assessed by The Pooled Cohort Risk Assessment Equations 10-year risk calculator.

Chronic total artery occlusions in noninfarct-related coronary arteries.

It has been rarely encountered some patients in clinical practice with coronary artery chronic total occlusion (CTO) on angiography but no any clinical history or electrocardiographic, echocardiographic, or left ventriculographic evidence of previous myocardial infarction. These noninfarct-related artery CTO (non-IRA CTO) lesions may be used as a clinical role model of endogenous cardioprotective mechanisms in addition to continuing the process of atherosclerosis. The objective of this study was to characterize the clinical characteristics of patients with non-IRA CTO patients and compared them to those with infarct-related CTO (IRA-CTO). We reviewed our invasive cardiology database searching for the CTO of any major coronary arteries, and assessed whether or not they have the clinical history or electrocardiographic, echocardiographic, and left ventriculographic evidence of previous myocardial infarction. Interestingly, we detected that all these patients with non-IRA CTO had diabetes mellitus, and the clinical and demographic features of these non-IRA CTO patients were compared with age- and sex-matched diabetic IRA-CTO patients with regard to conventional coronary risk factors and the angiographic collateral grading system. There were total 99 CTO patients (49 patients with non-IRA CTO and 50 patients with IRA-CTO).All patients with non-IRA CTO had better collateral circulation (96 vs. 40% p < 0.001) compared with those having IRA-CTO. The only significant difference between the groups was the status of current smoking (4 vs. 88%; p < 0.001). The present study showed that the non-IRA CTOs were associated with diabetes mellitus and better collateral development compared with IRA-CTO. In diabetic patients, the concomitant smoking use may be harmful by preventing endogenous cardioprotective mechanisms.

Elasticity properties of pulmonary artery in patients with bicuspid aortic valve.

OBJECTIVE: Although the vascular complications of bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) disease cause significant morbidity and mortality, the role of pulmonary artery in this pathogenesis is less understood. We aimed to assess the elastic properties of pulmonary artery with echocardiography in patients with BAV. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty patients with BAV (26 males) were enrolled in this study. The presence of aortic stenosis was accepted as exclusion criteria. Thirty-two healthy subjects (27 males) with no any history of cardiovascular disease comprised the control group. In all patients, maximal frequency shift (MFS) and acceleration time (AcT) of the pulmonary artery flow trace were measured echocardiographically in parasternal short-axis view. Subsequently, pulmonary artery stiffness (PAS) was calculated by using the following formula PAS (kHz/sec) = MFS/AcT. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in baseline demographic characteristics of the study population. Aortic strain and aortic distensibility index were lower, and aortic stiffness index (SI) higher, in patients with BAV. The PAS was significantly increased in patients with BAV compared with control subjects with tricuspid aortic valve (11.08 ± 2.27 vs. 7.11 ± 1.54, P < 0.001). There was a significant correlation between aortic diameters, aortic elasticity indexes, and PAS. Multivariate linear regression analysis, the only significant independent factor affecting the PAS was SI (ß = 0.547, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that elastic properties of pulmonary artery tend to be impaired as in the aorta in patients with BAV disease.

Distal humeral coronal plane fractures: management, complications and outcome.

BACKGROUND: Coronal plane fractures of the distal humerus have special characteristics in classification, imaging, surgical approaches, materials used, treatment modalities, and complications. The purpose of this study is to comment on these topics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was done for patients with distal humeral coronal plane fractures. They were classified according to Dubberley and functionally evaluated by Mayo Elbow Performance Index (MEPI). The long-term complications were evaluated. RESULTS: There were 15 patients, with type 1 fractures in 2, type 2 in 6, and type 3 in 7. All patients were treated by open reduction and internal fixation either by lateral or posterior approach. The average MEPI score was 83.3 (range, 60-100) points with 7 excellent, 2 good, and 6 fair results. The MEPI scores of type 3 fractures were significantly lower than those of types 1 and 2 fractures (P = .037 and P = .002, respectively). The complications were avascular necrosis in 4 (27%) patients, degenerative arthritis in 6 (40%), joint step-off in 6 (40%), heterotopic ossification in 7 (47%), nonunion in 1 (7%), and implant failure in 1 (7%). The presence of avascular necrosis and joint step-off were significantly associated with degenerative arthritis (P = .004 and P = .005, respectively). Heterotopic ossification was significantly associated with presence of lateral epicondyle fracture (P = .004). CONCLUSION: Type 1A and 2A coronal plane fractures typically had an excellent outcome. However, type 3 and subtype B fractures are prone to developing complications which are primarily avascular necrosis, degenerative arthritis and heterotopic ossification.

Exercise-related QT interval shortening with a peaked T wave in a boy with MEN 2 syndrome.

Multiple endocrine neoplasia 2 (MEN 2) is a hereditary syndrome associated with medullary thyroid carcinoma, pheochromocytoma (PCC), and hyperparathyroidism. PCCs in patients with MEN 2 are usually found in the adrenals after the manifestation of medullary thyroid cancer and are commonly bilateral and hormonally active. Unfortunately, a diagnosis of MEN 2 or PCC often is delayed until after the patient has developed an advanced MEN 2-related tumor. We present unusual electrocardiographic changes on exercise testing in MEN 2 syndrome. Transient peaked T waves and shortening QT during exercise stress testing may provide an early clue for undiagnosed PCC. .

Association of sleep apnea with coronary slow-flow phenomenon.

BACKGROUND: Both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and coronary slow-flow phenomenon (CSFP) are known to share similar etiopathogenic mechanisms, such as chronic sympathetic activation, upregulation of inflammatory pathways, oxidative stress and, finally, endothelial dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated whether there is an association between OSA and coronary flow rates. METHOD: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of all patients who underwent diagnostic nocturnal polysomnography for suspected OSA. Those who had coronary angiography performed within the same year of polysomnography were divided into two main groups: those with (group 1) and without (group 2) OSA; also, angiographic coronary TIMI (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction) frame counts (TFC) were compared between the groups. Patients with coronary arterial stenosis and angiograms with inadequate filling of the coronary arteries or visualization of the distal landmarks for frame counting were excluded from the study. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference between the groups regarding TFCs. We found a significant positive correlation between mean TFC and apnea-hypopnea index (r=0.611, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrated that sleep apnea impairs coronary flow rates and is associated with CSFP.

Influence of the right- versus left-sided sleeping position on the apnea-hypopnea index in patients with sleep apnea.

PURPOSE: Sleep and sleep position have a significant impact on physical, cardiac and mental health, and have been evaluated in numerous studies particularly in terms of lateral sleeping positions and their association with diseases. We retrospectively examined the relationship between the sleeping position and position-specific apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea (OSA) patients. METHODS: We assessed the sleeping body position and the body position-specific AHI score in patients who were referred for suspected OSA and underwent diagnostic nocturnal polysomnography. In order to eliminate inter-individual differences, only those who had a similar percentage of time spent in the LSSP and RSSP for each patient were enrolled. To provide this validity, only subjects that had a similar percentage of left and right lateral sleep time (±10%) were included in the analysis. RESULTS: A total of 864 patients had nocturnal diagnostic PSG. Of them, 131 patients met the inclusion criteria. The percent rate spent in the supine sleeping position (SSP) was 31.3 ± 18.7%, in the LSSP was 31.8 ± 10% and in the RSSP was 32.6 ± 10.8%. Whereas the SSP-specific AHI score was the highest with 60.4 ± 36.2/h among all the sleeping position-specific AHI scores (p < 0.001), the LSSP-specific AHI score was statistically higher than that for RSSP (30.2 ± 32.6/h vs. 23.6 ± 30.1/h; p < 0.001). When comparing individuals sub-grouped based on OSA severity, there was a statistically significant difference between the LSSP-specific AHI score and RSSP-specific AHI score in patients with severe (p = 0.002) and moderate (p = 0.026), but not mild (p = 0.130) OSA. CONCLUSION: We found that the sleeping position had a significant influence on apneic events and RSSP decreased the frequency of obstructive respiratory events in patients with moderate and severe disease.

Influence of the severity of obstructive sleep apnea on nocturnal heart rate indices and its association with hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: Both heart rate (HR) and blood pressure parameters provide important information on the pathophysiology of the cardiovascular regulatory mechanisms, and are mainly affected by the autonomic nervous system. We sought to clarify whether the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects nocturnal HRs and whether there is a relationship between nocturnal HRs and the presence of hypertension. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of all patients who performed nocturnal polysomnography with monitoring of HRs, and examined whether there is a relationship among the nocturnal HRs, the severity of OSA and the presence of hypertension. RESULTS: A total of 540 patients were included in the study. Nocturnal mean and maximal HRs were significantly higher in severe OSA group than in moderate (p=0.002 and p>0.05 in females; p<0.049 and p=0.044, in males, respectively) and mild OSA groups (p<0.001 and p=0.003, respectively in females, p<0.001 and p=0.004, respectively in males); and there was a positive correlation between the nocturnal mean HR and apnea-hypopnea index (Pearson's p=0.504, p<0.001 in female group; Pearson's p=0.254, p<0.001 in male group) and again the nocturnal mean HR and the presence of HT (Spearman's p=0.090, p=0.394 in female group; Spearman's p=0.272, p<0.001 in male group) in both gender groups. CONCLUSION: We found that nocturnal mean and maximal HRs to be associated with severity of OSA and the presence of hypertension. We speculated that increased nocturnal mean and maximal HRs caused by sympathetic nervous system activation in OSA might be one of the mechanisms in explaining the hypertension and OSA association.

Chronic intermittent hypoxia caused by obstructive sleep apnea may play an important role in explaining the morbidity-mortality paradox of obesity.

Obesity has reached global pandemic that threatens the health of millions of people and is associated with numerous morbidities such as hypertension, type II diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, cor pulmonale, gallbladder disease, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), certain cancers, osteoarthritis, increased surgical risk and postoperative complications, lower extremity venous and/or lymphatic problems, pulmonary embolism, stroke/cerebrovascular diseases and coronary arterial disease. Despite all these adverse associations, numerous studies and meta-analyses have documented an "obesity paradox" in which overweight and obese population with established cardiovascular disease have a better prognosis than do their lean counterparts. There are potential and plausible explanations offered by literature for these puzzling data; however, it still remains uncertain whether this phenomenon is attributable to a real protective effect of high body fat mass. In recent years, the survival advantage of patients with OSA, combined with the potential cardioprotective effects of chronic intermittent hypoxia, raise the possibility that apneas during sleep may activate preconditioning-like cardioprotective effect. Chronic intermittent hypoxia, one of the physiological markers of OSA, is characterized by transient periods of oxygen desaturation followed by reoxygenation, and is a major cause of its systemic harmful (oxidative stress, inflammation, sympathetic activity, vasculature remodelling and endothelial dysfunction) and/or protective (preconditioning-like cardioprotective) effects. Since many OSA subjects are obese, and obesity is an independent risk factor for many comorbidities associated with OSA; and also most OSA has never been diagnosed in obese patients, we hypothesed that the chronic intermittent hypoxia caused by OSA in obese patients may be one of the underlying mechanisms in morbi-mortality paradox of obesity.

Metabolic syndrome and left ventricular dysfunction: new player of the game.

The metabolic syndrome (MS) is associated with impaired global left ventricular function. These preclinical cardiac abnormalities could be ascribed to the interplay of the metabolic components characterizing the MS. The MS can be clinically manifested in a variety of ways. A sizable number of metabolic changes thus occur in people with clinical evidence of the syndrome.We believe that the identification of these changes should provide a broader picture of the metabolic status of an affected individual.

Anemia and cardio-renal syndrome: a deadly association?

Despite growing recognition of the frequent presentation of cardio-renal syndrome, its underlying pathophysiology is not well understood, and no consensus as to its appropriate management has been achieved. On the other hand, there is growing evidence that the presence of anemia can worsen cardiac function and symtomps in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and that correction of anemia may beneficial. We believe that the treatment modalities, especially eryhtropoietin, to correct anemia will be an important part of our therapeutic armemanterium in the battle against CHF.