2 research outputs found
Coronary artery fistula: Review of 54 cases from single center experience
Background: Demographic and clinical characteristics and angiographic findings of Turkish
patients with coronary artery fistula have been investigated in this study and diagnostic tests
and treatment methods used in these patients have also been evaluated in detail.
Methods: We have examined the cardiac catheterization laboratory database retrospectively
between March 2006 and July 2010. Among 49,567 patients, we have noted 60 patients
diagnosed as coronary artery fistula. After coronary angiographic images were evaluated by
two invasive cardiologists, 54 patients who had clear evidence of vessel of origin and drainage
were included in the study.
Results: A total of 54 (0.1%) patients with coronary artery fistula were noted. Mean age was
56.7 ± 10.7 years; 42 out of 54 patients had accompanying cardiac disorders. Patients’
complaints were directly associated with the presence of the fistula. Chest pain was the admission
symptom in all of the patients with isolated coronary artery fistula. Six patients had
coexistent congenital anomalies. Myocardial infarction with ST segment elevation occurred in
11 of the patients. In contrast to the previous reports, the most common artery of origin of the
fistula was left anterior descending artery (50.8%) and pulmonary artery was found to be the
most frequent region of the fistula drainage by 53.7%.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that large fistulas originating from the proximal segments
of coronary arteries may increase the likelihood of atherosclerosis and myocardial
infarction even in asymptomatic patients with no evidence of ischemia in noninvasive tests
and no dilatation of cardiac chambers, and should therefore be closed
Red cell distribution width as a novel prognostic marker in patients undergoing primary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction
Objectives Red cell distribution width (RDW), a measure of red blood cell size heterogeneity, was evaluated in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)