The association of left atrial mechanics with left ventricular morphology in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: A cardiac magnetic resonance study

Purpose: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is related with structural and pathologic changes in the left atrium (LA) and left ventricle (LV). The aim of this study was to explore the association between LA mechanics and LV charac-teristics in patients with HCM using cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking (CMR-FT). Material and methods: A total of 76 patients with HCM and 26 healthy controls were included in the study. The pa-rameters including the extent of LV late gadolinium enhancement (LGE-%) and the LV early diastolic longitudinal strain rate (edLSR) were assessed for LV. LA conduit, booster, and reservoir functions were assessed by LA fractional volumes and strain analyses using CMR-FT. HCM patients were classified as HCM patients without LGE, with mild LGE-% (0% = 10%), and prominent LGE-% (10% < LGE-%).Results: HCM patients had worse LA functions compared with the controls (p < 0.05). The majority of LA functional indices were more impaired in HCM patients with regard to LGE. LA volumes were higher in HCM patients with prominent LGE-% compared with HCM patients with mild LGE-% (p < 0.05). However, only a minority of LA functional parameters differed between the 2 groups. LA strain parameters showed weak to modest correlations with LV LGE-% and LV edLSR.Conclusions: LV characteristics, to some extent, influence LA mechanics, but they might not be the only factor induc-ing LA dysfunction in patients with HCM

Factor XIII Val34Leu polymorphism in patients with cardiac syndrome X

Background: The aim of the study was to examine the frequency of factor XIII polymorphism among patients with cardiac syndrome X (CSX).Methods: This study was designed as a cross-sectional and observational study. Forty-eight female patients with CSX and 36 controls matched by age, gender, diabetes, and hypertension were studied. CSX was defined as typical chest pain during rest or effort, abnormal test result for exercise ECG, and presence of angiographically normal epicardial coronary arteries after ruling out inducible spasm. Factor XIII gene polymorphism was investigated by using CVD Strip Assay (ViennaLab Diagnostic GmbH) commercial kit.Results: The frequency of factor XIII (Val/Leu + Leu/Leu) mutation was significantly higher in patients with CSX (43%) than in controls (19%) (p = 0.02). Frequency of the Leu allele was significantly higher in the patient group (23.5% vs. 11.1%, p = 0.04). Factor XIII (Val/Leu + Leu/Leu) mutation (p = 0.01, OR = 3.42; 95% CI 1.22–9.58) and smoking (p = 0.04, OR = 3.33, 95% CI 1.05–10.58) were identified as independent predictors of the disease in multivariate regression analysis.Conclusions: This study indicates that there is an evidence for association between factor XIII Val34Leu polymorphism and CSX

Başarılı perikardiyosentez sonrası nadir ve tehlikeli bir komplikasyon: Perikardiyal dekompresyon sendromu

Pericardial decompression syndrome (PDS) is an infrequent but mostly fatal complication after successful pericardiocentesis. We present a case of a 27-year-old female patient with suspected malignancy and cardiac tamponade treated with pericardiocentesis, followed by acute pulmonary edema and cardiac arrest 2 hours later. We also reviewed possible mechanisms involved in PDS pathophysiology in the context of literature data.Perikardiyal dekompresyon sendromu (PDS), başarılı perikardiyosentez sonrası görülebilecek nadir ancak ölümcül bir tablodur. Yirmi yedi yaşında malignite sebebiyle takip edilen, kardiyak tamponad sebebiyle perikardiyosentez yapılan ve sonraki ikinci saatte dispne, akut pulmoner ödem ve kardiyak arrest gelişen olguyu sunduk. PDS patofizyolojisinde etkili mekanizmalar ve olası tedavi literatür bağlamında gözden geçirildi

A Case of Sac-Shaped Subadventitial Dissection of the Distal Right Coronary Artery Resulting from Pressure Generated During Contrast Injection

Iatrogenic dissections during coronary interventions can be observed in daily practice. However, dissections due to opaque injection are much less common. Herein, we present a case of subaventitial dissection developed in the distal segment of right coronary artery after opaque injection. Dissection was not catheter-related and was conservatively treated as there was no leak out of the coronary artery

Evaluation of health care services provided in political public meetings in Turkey: A forgotten detail in politics

WOS: 000454206200008PubMed ID: 30428943Background: Political parties in Turkey execute political public meetings (PPMs) during their election campaign for members of the parliament (MoP). A great number of people attend these meetings. No guidelines exist regarding preparation and organization of health care services provided during these meetings. Furthermore, there is no study evaluating health care problems encountered in previous PPMs. Objective: Political parties arranged PPMs in 2015 during the election campaign for general election of MoP. The present study aimed to investigate the context of health care services, the distribution of assigned health staff, as well as the number and the symptoms of patients admitted in health care tents in these PPMs. Methods: Two general elections for MoP were done in Turkey on June 7, 2015 and November 1, 2015. Health care services were provided by the City Emergency Medical Services Department (CEMSD) in the cities. Demographic characteristics, symptoms, comorbid conditions, treatment, discharge, and hospital transfer of the patients were obtained from patient medical registration records. Information about the distribution and the number of the assigned staff was received from local CEMSDs. The impact of variables such as the number of attendees, heat index, humidity, and the day of the week on the number of patients and the patient presentation rate (PPR) were analyzed. Results: A total of 97 PPMs were analyzed. The number of total attendees was 5,265,450 people. The number of patients seeking medical help was 1,991. The PPR was 0.5 (0.23-0.91) patients per 1,000 attendees. Mean age of the patients was 40 (SD = 19) years old while 1,174 (58.9%) of the patients were female. A total of 1,579 patients were treated in the tents and returned to the PPM following treatment. Two-hundred and three patients were transferred to a hospital by ambulance. Transfer-to-hospital ratio (TTHR) was 0.05 (0.0-0.13) patients per 1,000 attendees. None of the patients suffered sudden cardiac death (SCD) or cardiac arrest. Medical conditions were the main cause for admission. The most common symptoms were dizziness, low blood pressure, fatigue, and hypertension, respectively. The most commonly used medical agents included pain killers and myorelaxants. The number of attendees, heat index, and weekend days were positively correlated with the number of the patients. Conclusion: The majority of medical conditions encountered in PPMs are easily treatable in health care tents settled in the meeting area. The number of attendees, heat index, and weekend days are factors associated with the number of patients

An unexpected image on transesophageal echocardiography: A hyperechogenic ring on the aortic cusp

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Is the presence of left atrial diverticulum associated with recurrence in patients undergoing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation?

INTRODUCTION: Catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) has been a major cornerstone in the management of AF. Despite promising advances in CA techniques, long-term results reveal a high rate of recurrence after the procedure. Left atrial diverticulum (LAD), a common anatomic variant of the left atrium, was previously shown to be associated with increased risk of thrombus formation, cardiac perforation and arrhythmia. In this study we aimed to investigate the relationship between LAD and recurrence in patients undergoing CA for AF. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 100 consecutive patients with a mean age of 53 ±12.1 years (53% male) underwent radiofrequency (RF) (46, 46%) or cryoballoon (54, 54%) catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation preceded by cardiac computed tomography (CT) imaging. Clinical and procedural characteristics of the patients with and without AF recurrence were compared. RESULTS: Twenty-three (23%) patients had AF recurrence and 77 (77%) patients had no recurrence. The clinical parameters such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease and stroke did not differ between the groups. Left atrium diameter was significantly different between the two groups (4.1 ±0.5 vs. 3.9 ±0.5, p = 0.042). Presence of LAD was not different between the two groups (7 (31.8) vs. 21 (28.8); p = 0.794). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed RF ablation as the most important independent variable for AF recurrence (β = 3.115, p< 0.001, OR = 22.526, 95% CI: 4.287-118.351). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of left atrial diverticulum is not associated with recurrence in patients undergoing RF and cryoballoon CA for atrial fibrillation