Search results for "Heart diseases"

Simplified first-trimester fetal cardiac screening (four chamber view and ventricular outflow tracts) in a low-risk population

2014

Objectives Our aim was to assess the accuracy of a simplified fetal cardiac study, inclusive of four-chamber view (4CV) and ventricular outflow tracts, performed during the 11–14 week screening by well-trained obstetricians to detect congenital heart diseases (CHDs). Methods A transabdominal ultrasound was performed on 4820 singleton pregnant women at 11–14 weeks to visualize the visceral site, the 4CV, and the outflow tracts. Neonatal outcomes were recorded 6 and 12 months after birth. Results Among the 4820 patients reviewed, 790 were excluded because of loss at prenatal or postnatal follow-up (649 cases), or inability to obtain adequate first-trimester sonographic cardiac evaluation (141…

Gender differences in coronary heart disease in elderly population

2017

Coronary heart diseases (CHDs) represent one of the leading causes of death in developed countries, and particularly in elderly populations. There are several genderspecific differences in the risk factors, presentation, management, and prognosis of CHDs in middle-aged and elderly adults. Elderly women, for example, tend to present with these diseases at an older age compared to men and are characterized by a greater number of risk factors and comorbidities at diagnosis. As far as symptomatic acute coronary syndromes are concerned, older women are less likely to report critical arterial obstruction, but seem to be more frequently affected by adverse outcomes and higher mortality. These feat…

Cardiac changes in subclinical and overt hyperthyroid women: retrospective study

2003

This retrospective and descriptive 4-year study was undertaken to describe cardiac changes in subclinical and overt hyperthyroidism.We revised the charts of 386 consecutive cardiopathic women whose blood samples were referred to the Radioimmunoassay Laboratory to evaluate thyroid function from 1 January 1997 through 31 December 2000.After excluding women because euthyroid or hypothyroid, or taking amiodarone and women with hypertension, rheumatic disease, myocardial infarction, a total of 31 hyperthyroid women were thus selected for the study: 19 with subclinical hyperthyroidism and 12 with overt hyperthyroidism. The prevalence of atrial fibrillation did not differ between subclinical (48%)…

Speckle tracking analysis in intensive care unit: A toy or a tool?

2018

The use of conventional echocardiography in the intensive care unit (ICU) is today established to assess left and right ventricular systolic function, for preload determination and procedural guidance. Next step in ICU echocardiography could be the use of novel ultrasound techniques such as strain echocardiography to assist in the management of patients with acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, or pulmonary embolism. This review has gathered the available evidence supporting the incremental value of strain in the diagnostic workup of cardiac diseases treated in ICU.

Letter regarding article titled ‘Microembolism during foam sclerotherapy of varicose veins’ in the New England Journal of Medicine

2008

A coronary right fistula canalized in a small accessory right atrial chamber.

2007

The coronary artery fistulas are rare congenital anomalies with a very low incidence. These can be symptomatic or asymptomatic because the hemodynamic consequences of the fistula vary and depend on the shunt dimensions. Discordant opinions instead are present in the literature for the defect closing in asymptomatic patients. Here, we describe a patient affected by a coronary right fistula canalized in a small accessory right atrial chamber. During follow-up, we observed a progressive dilatation of the right coronary artery (maximum diameter 10.3 mm) with hemodynamic overload of the right sections.

Recommendations of the Geriatric Cardiology Section of the Spanish Society of Cardiology for the Assessment of Frailty in Elderly Patients With Heart…

2018

Frailty is an age-associated clinical syndrome characterized by a decrease in physiological reserve in situations of stress, constituting a state of vulnerability that involves a higher risk of adverse events. Its prevalence in Spain is high, especially in elderly individuals with comorbidity and chronic diseases. In cardiovascular disease, frailty is associated worse clinical outcomes and higher morbidity and mortality in all scenarios, in both acute and chronic settings, and could consequently influence diagnosis and treatment. However, frailty is often not addressed or included when planning the management of elderly patients with heart disease. In this article, we review the available s…

Stress, anxiety and depression in heart disease patients: A major challenge for cardiac rehabilitation

2016

International audience; Cardiovascular events and emotional disorders share a common epidemiology, thus suggesting fundamental pathways linking these different diseases. Growing evidence in the literature highlights the influence of psychological determinants in somatic diseases. A patient's socio-economic aspects, personality traits, health behavior and even biological pathways may contribute to the course of cardiovascular disease. Cardiac events often occur suddenly and the episode can be traumatic for people not prepared for such an event. In this review of the literature, the authors tackle the question of psychobiological mechanisms of stress, in a pathophysiological approach to funda…

Cardiac magnetic resonance-derived fibrosis, strain and molecular biomarkers of fibrosis in hypertensive heart disease

2020

Aims Myocardial fibrosis is a relevant component of hypertensive heart disease (HHD). Novel cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging techniques have shown potential in quantification of diffuse cardiac fibrosis, with T1 mapping, and estimating preclinical cardiac dysfunction, with strain analysis. Molecular biomarkers of fibrosis have been related with clinical outcomes and histologically proven myocardial fibrosis. The relationship between these CMR-imaging techniques and circulating biomarkers is not fully understood. Methods and results CMR was performed on a 3T scanner in 36 individuals with HHD. Extracellular volume fraction (ECV) and the partition coefficient were assessed usin…

Non-Hemodynamic Effects of Organic Nitrates and the Distinctive Characteristics of Pentaerithrityl Tetranitrate

2009

Organic nitrates are among the oldest and yet most commonly employed drugs in the long-term therapy of coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure. While they have long been used in clinical practice, our understanding of their mechanism of action and side effects remains incomplete. For instance, recent findings provide evidence of previously unanticipated, non-hemodynamic properties that include potentially beneficial mechanisms (such as the induction of a protective phenotype that mimics ischemic preconditioning), but also toxic effects (such as endothelial and autonomic dysfunction, rebound angina, tolerance). To date, the most commonly employed organic nitrates are isosorbide …