The prevalence of hypertension among Croatian hospitalized coronary heart disease patients.

The aim of this article was to investigate the prevalence of hypertension with selected anthropometric variables in a sample of hospitalized coronary heart disease (CHD) patients in Croatia. This study investigated patients hospitalized in the period of October 1st 2007 until January 7th 2010 because of acute or chronic CHD in various hospitals in Croatia (N = 1,298). Prevalence of hypertension in surveyed patient population was high: 70.1% of participants had raised blood pressure (BP) or previously diagnosed hypertension. Men had statistically significantly higher mean diastolic BP values than women (78.91 +/- 8.97 vs. 77.12 +/- 10.61 mmHg, p = 0.011). Prevalence of hypertension was statistically significantly more frequent in women (80.6% vs. 65.8%, p < 0.001). Hypertension still represents an important problem among hospitalized Croatian CHD patients. Its prevalence, unfortunately, continues to increase in this population, suggesting that there is still great potential for improvement of preventive cardiology standards and measures that have already been undertaken.

[The region of Karlovac in the urgent PCI network]. / Karlovacka regija u mrezi hitne perkutane koronarne intervencije.

AIM: The aim of the study was to determine circumstances of referring patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) for urgent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Different forms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and circumstances of referring STEMI patients to Karlovac PCI from October 2005 to February 2008 were analyzed. RESULTS: During the period of observation, 366 ACS patients were hospitalized. There were 37% of patients with unstable angina pectoris, 15% with myocardial infarction without ST-elevation (NSTEMI) and 48% with STEMI. Out of 176 STEMI patients, 52% had subacute infarction, 22% were referred for urgent PCI, 17% received fibrinolytic treatment, whereas in 9% of patients PCI and fibrinolysis were contradictory. Out of 30 patients with fibrinolysis, PCI was not carried out in 14 patients that arrived in hospital within 2-3 hours, 2 patients arrived after 6 hours, 3 patients were older than 75 and 11 patients refused invasive approach to treatment or it was personal estimate of the physician. CONCLUSION: Accordingly, too many patients with subacute STEMI arrived in hospital. The success of PCI project would be even better if it was used in patients with unstable angina pectoris and NSTEMI.

Frequency of ventricular premature beats and ventricular tachycardia in STEMI treated with fibrinolytics.

To determine in acute myocardial infarction with an ST elevation (STEMI) treated with fibrinolytics frequency of ventricular premature beats (VPBs) and ventricular tachycardia (VT) according to the damaged area and residual cardiac function. With anterolateral infarction with ejection fraction (EF) < 45%, incidence of VPBs < 10/h was statistically significantly reduced (p < 0.001) while incidence of VPBs > or = 10/h as well as VPBs in a pair and VT was increased (p < 0.001). With anteroseptal infarction with EF < 45%, incidence of VPBs < 10/h was statistically reduced (p = 0.06) and incidence of VPBs > 10/h, VPBs in a pair and VT was increased (p = 0.06). With inferior and inferoposterior infarction with EF < 45%, incidence of VPBs < 10/h was reduced and incidence of VPBs > or = 10/h, VPBs in a pair and VT was increased. However, such difference was not statistically significant. Along with reduced residual cardiac function, one can also expect increase in frequency of VPBs and VT in all forms of STEMI regardless the area of damage. Such frequency is significant with all forms of anterior infarction, that is to say, slightly more with anterolateral infarction in relation to anteroseptal one. However, with inferior and inferoposterior infarction this frequency of VPBs i VT is not significant.