TDI and myocardial blush: good indicators of myocardial reperfusion

The TDI at follow-up confirms the reliability's value of Blush is predicting anatomical and functional recovery of the myocardium and microcirculation.

Impatto dell'anemia sulla prognosi dei pazienti sottoposti a PCI

Preclinical atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome increase cardio- and cerebrovascular events rate: a 20-year follow up

BACKGROUND: Intima-media thickness (IMT) is a validated marker of preclinical atherosclerosis and a predictor of cardiovascular events. PATIENTS: We studied a population of 529 asymptomatic patients (age 62 ± 12.8 years), divided into two groups of subjects with and without Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). METHODS: All patients, at baseline, have had a carotid ultrasound evaluation and classified in two subgroups: the first one without atherosclerotic lesions and the second one with preclinical atherosclerosis (increased IMT or asymptomatic carotid plaque). Cardiovascular endpoints were investigated in a 20-years follow-up. RESULTS: There were 242 cardiovascular events: 144 among patients with Me…

Subclinical atherosclerosis: independent predictor of cardiovascular events in a 20-years follow up of patients with or without metabolic syndrome

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of carotid atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome (MetS) on the prediction of cardiovascular events during a 20-years follow-up. Methods: We studied a population of 529 asymptomatic patients, divided into 2 groups according to the results of the carotid ultrasound evaluation: one without atherosclerotic lesions (198 patients) and a second one with an increased carotid IMT or asymptomatic carotid plaque (331 patients). In each of these groups, we identified two subgroups of subjects with and without MetS. Cardiovascular endpoints were investigated in a 20-years follow-up: acute myocardial infarction, angina, transient ischemic attack, ischemic stroke, abdom…

Early detection of coronary artery flow and myocardial perfusion impairment in hypertensive patients evidenced by myocardial blush grade (MBG) and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame count (TFC).

OBJECTIVE: In hypertensive patients with typical chest pain but absence of coronary stenosis the coronary microcirculation may be impaired, thus, our study aimed to appraise, in these subjects, the role of the coronary microcirculation, assessed by Myocardial Blush Grade (MBG) and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) Frame Count (TFC). METHODS: A total of 95 subjects with chest pain and uninjured coronary arteries were recruited into the study: 80 subjects were hypertensive while 15 subjects were normotensive. The hypertensive subjects were divided into two subgroups: hypertensive subjects with positive scintigraphy and hypertensive subjects with negative scintigraphy. The TFC, a qu…

Chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity: role of the tissue Doppler in the early diagnosis of left ventricular dysfunction.

Cardiotoxicity is a common complication of chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to assess the cardiotoxicity of anticancer drugs using tissue Doppler imaging. A prospective study was carried out using patients with early breast cancer (72 women, median age: 57 ± 12 year) and other inclusion and exclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria were treatment with epirubicin, trastuzumab, fluorouracil, cyclophosphamide, taxotere, and taxolo; left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of more than 50%; and absence of important pathologies. Exclusion criteria were presence of known heart disease, earlier exposure to mediastinal irradiation, and earlier chemotherapy. On the basis of treatment, patients …

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) predicts cardio and cerebrovascular events in a twenty years follow-up. A prospective study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors, considered as emerging and promoting atherosclerosis. This study aimed at the evaluation of the influence of MetS on the prediction of cerebro and cardiovascular events during a 20 years follow-up period in an asymptomatic population of middle-aged subjects. METHODS: We evaluated 529 asymptomatic persons through a prospective study. Study population was divided into two subgroups: patients with and without MetS. Echo-color-Doppler was used in order to assess the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis. A 20 years follow-up study was carried out in order to estimate the incidence of cerebro and car…

Update on the use of anti-thrombotic therapy in acute coronary syndromes

coronary syndromes; anti-thrombotic therapy

[Cardiovascular risk profile of patients with psoriasis].

The aim of this study was to assess the cardiovascular risk profile of patients with psoriasis compared to patients without psoriasis. A case-control assay was performed using 143 cases (psoriasis patients) and 104 controls (patients without psoriasis). We assessed the presence of hypertension, lipid profile (HDL, triglycerides), diabetes, and body mass index in both cases and controls. Psoriasis patients showed an unfavorable cardiovascular risk profile and a higher risk of cardiovascular events and metabolic syndrome than patients without psoriasis.