Cardiac failure secondary to hypocalcemia

Hypocalcemic cardiomyopathy due to hypoparathyroidism is a very atypical and rare circumstance, which is usually intractable to conventional therapy for cardiac failure, but responds satisfactorily to restoration of normocalcemia.We describe a young woman who developed clinical signs of hypocalcemia due to hypoparathyroidism, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and polymorphic ventricular tachycardia as consequences of hypocalcemia.This case underscores the importance of biochemical abnormalities like hypocalcemia as a rare cause of secondary cardiomyopathy and emphasizes on the need for effective and immediate treatment of hypocalcemia and its related causes

The Correlation between Serum Level of N-Terminal Pro-B-type Natriuretic Peptide and Gensini Score in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

Introduction: N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) has emerged as an important biomarker for developing the diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases, as several studies have shown that serum levels of NT-proBNP elevate in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and coronary artery disease (CAD). We performed this study to find any possible correlation between serum levels of NT-proBNP and Gensini score in patients diagnosed with ACS.Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 100 consecutive patients with ACS who were candidates of angiography were recruited and their serum levels of NT-proBNP, Gensini scores, lipid profiles and troponin I levels were measured.Results: Sixty six male and 34 female patients with a mean age of 57.5 years, including 44 with unstable angina, 33 with ST-elevation myocardial infarction, and 23 with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction were enrolled. The mean serum NT-proBNP level and the Gensini score were 1987.16 pg/mL (17.9-8841) and 31.09 (6-92.5), respectively. The serum NT-proBNP levels and Gensini scores were significantly correlated with a Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.953 (P < 0.001). Serum levels of NT-proBNP were not different in patients with single-vessel disease, 2-vessel disease and 3-vessel disease (P = 0.257). NT-Pro-BNP levels were also correlated positively with troponin I levels (correlation coefficient = 0.779) and negatively with left ventricular ejection fraction (correlation coefficient = -0.55). Smoker patients had higher NT-proBNP levels (P = 0.047). Neither Gensini scores nor NT-Pro-BNP levels had significant correlation with lipid profile or blood sugar.Conclusions: NT-proBNP is directly correlated with Gensini score in patients with ACS and might be used as an important marker for risk stratification in those patients