Japanese heart journal最新文献

Controversy exists about the influence of patient age on the benefit of surgery in atrial septal defect (ASD). Tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) when applied to atrioventricular annuli provides variables reliably reflecting the performance of the corresponding ventricle. We sought to investigate the effect of timing of surgery on biventricular functions by comparing the conventional echocardiography variables and TDE profiles of right and left atrioventricular annuli in patients treated at various ages. Conventional echocardiography and TDE analysis of mitral and tricuspid annuli were performed in 20 controls and 61 patients who underwent surgical ASD closure 2.8 +/- 2.5 years before the study. Standard parameters included were right and left-sided dimensions, estimated pulmonary artery pressure, ejection fraction, and tricuspid annular motion amplitude. TDE variables were systolic, early and late diastolic peak velocities at tricuspid lateral-and mitral-annulus at lateral and septal corners. Two subsets of patients who underwent surgery before (group 1, n = 20) and after 25 years (group 2, n = 41) formed our subgroups. Peak systolic TDE velocity and tricuspid annular motion amplitude had the lowest value in group 2 (P < 0.01 and <0.02, respectively). Late diastolic TDE velocity was significantly lower in group 2 compared to group 1 (P < 0.05). Increased right ventricular and atrial dimensions (P < 0.001 for both) and the estimated pulmonary artery pressure (P < 0.03) were the conventional measurements discriminating group 2 from group 1. The TDE profile of the mitral annulus was similar between the groups. These results suggest that delayed ASD closure is a relatively less effective procedure to restore secondary right ventricular dysfunction, as demonstrated by significantly different TDE measurements reflecting right ventricular longitudinal contraction and relaxation.

In addition to coronary atherosclerotic disease, coronary thromboembolism can also lead to acute coronary syndromes. However, coronary thromboembolism due to prosthetic heart valves is very rare and not very well-known. It have been reported only a few cases. In this paper, we present a rare case with vasospastic angina pectoris secondary to coronary thromboembolism in a patient with prosthetic heart valves.

Inflammatory cytokines are important for both cardiovascular scientists and practicing clinicians. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been emphasized by reports of elevated circulating as well as intracardiac IL-6 levels in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). IL-6 may contribute to the progression of myocardial damage and dysfunction in chronic heart failure syndrome resulting from different causes. As the cause of CHF in cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, allograft rejection, and left ventricular assist device (LVADs) conditions, circulating IL-6 levels are associated with the severity of left ventricular dysfunction, and are also strong predictors of subsequent clinical outcomes. Continuous and excessive production of IL-6 promotes myocardial injury by breaking down both cytokine networks and viral clearance under viral myocarditis. Although IL-6 is likely important in the process of viral antigen presentation, early activation of immune responses and attenuation of viral replication also appear to be significant in an animal model of viral myocarditis. IL-6 can cause cardiac hypertrophy through the IL-6 signal transducing receptor component, glycoprotein 130. There are several interesting cases of cardiac myxoma complicated with mediastinal lymphadenopathy or left ventricular hypertrophy. Increased expression of IL-6 is observed in the myocardium of all donor hearts showing marked dysfunction. Myocardial IL-6 concentrations are also significantly higher in LVAD candidates compared with advanced heart failure patients. Although the IL-6 family plays a central role in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases, it remains to be determined whether the IL-6 family is beneficial or detrimental. Future study will be needed to resolve this question.

Multiple intracardiac catheters are often necessary for electrophysiological study (EPS) and radiofrequency (RF) ablation therapy. Therefore, multiple venous sheath placement in one femoral vein is always required for multiple intracardiac catheter insertion. The vascular complications incurred by placement of multiple sheaths have not been fully studied. We utilized duplex ultrasonography to assess the femoral veins before and after the procedure. This study consisted of 52 patients (68 femoral veins) who underwent EPS and RF ablation therapy. Up to three sheaths were inserted into a single femoral vein. Nonocclusive deep vein thrombosis (DVT) occurred in 12/68 veins (17.6%) of 11 patients on the day following the procedure. Thrombosis regressed spontaneously in 11 veins and persisted in 1 vein at 1-week follow-up. The venous diameter significantly decreased the day after the procedure (8.7 +/- 1.2 mm vs 5.3 +/- 1.5 mm, P < 0.001), but recovered by the 1-week follow-up (7.9 +/- 1.7 mm, P = 0.07) in the 12 veins. Short-term placement of multiple venous sheaths in a single femoral vein appears to be safe. Nonetheless, nonocclusive DVT does occur in a significant number of patients. Although thrombosis regressed and the outcome appeared to be benign in most patients, close follow-up to avoid potential vascular complications is necessary.

We report a 64-year-old Turkish man who presented with unstable angina pectoris. Coronary angiography revealed massive intracoronary thrombus, which completely occluded the distal part of the left circumflex coronary artery. The thrombotic segment and the rest of the coronary tree were free of atherosclerosis. The patient was treated with intravenous tirofiban, a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor. A control angiography was performed one week later and showed total dissolution of the thrombus with tirofiban therapy.

The optimal diagnostic approaches using contractile reserve, perfusion, and free fatty acid metabolism together for identifying myocardial stunning after reperfusion have not been clarified in the clinical setting. We investigated the usefulness of simultaneous evaluation of these parameters during myocardial stunning to predict the functional recovery in infarct-related myocardium after reperfusion. In 43 patients (60.7 +/- 10.4 years) with successful coronary angioplasty early after a first myocardial infarction, low-dose (5 to 10 microg/kg/min) dobutamine stress thallium-201/iodine-123 beta-methyl-iodophenyl pentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) dual-isotope single photon emission computed tomography was performed with echocardiography in the acute phase within 1 week after reperfusion. Regional wall motion and the uptake of each tracer were obtained simultaneously in the infarct-related segments. In 93 segments with dyssynergy in the acute phase after reperfusion, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy using contractile reserve for predicting the final functional recovery in the chronic phase more than 3 months after PTCA were 81.3%, 67.2%, and 72%, respectively. More accurate predictions were obtained by simultaneous measurements of thallium-201 and BMIPP uptakes (93.8%, 66.7%, and 79.4%, respectively). The final functional recovery in the stunned myocardium after early reperfusion following acute myocardial infarction was predicted more accurately by simultaneous evaluation of these parameters at dobutamine stress testing.

This prospective study was designed to evaluate the prognostic value of the percentage of plasma lymphocytes in patients with diastolic dysfunction as well as systolic dysfunction of the left ventricle. The subjects were 70 consecutive patients who were hospitalized in our institution from April 2001 to August 2002. Following the improvement of congestive heart failure, leukocyte differentiation and neurohumoral factors (plasma levels of atrial and brain natriuretic peptide, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine) were measured. During the follow-up period (17 +/- 9 months), 18 patients experienced a cardiac event. In the univariate analysis, the percentage of plasma lymphocytes in the cardiac event group was significantly less than that in the noncardiac event group (24.7 +/- 8.40 vs 33.3 +/- 7.64%, P = 0.0006), and brain natriuretic peptide was significantly larger in the cardiac event group (402 +/- 168 vs 153 +/- 51 pg/mL, P = 0.04). However, in patients with preserved systolic function, there was a significant difference in the percentage of plasma lymphocytes between the cardiac and noncardiac event groups (21.7 +/- 9.42 vs 34.2 +/- 8.21%, P = 0.037), although no difference was observed in brain natriuretic peptide (133 +/- 43 vs 125 +/- 50 pg/mL, P = 0.87). Multivariate analysis showed the percentage of plasma lymphocytes was an independent predictor of a cardiac event. The percentage of plasma lymphocytes may be useful for predicting the course of patients with congestive heart failure based on diastolic dysfunction as well as systolic dysfunction.

We have reported that repeated sauna therapy improves impaired vascular endothelial function in a patient with coronary risk factors. We hypothesized that sauna therapy decreases urinary 8-epi-prostaglandin F(2alpha) (PGF(2alpha)) levels as a marker of oxidative stress and conducted a randomized, controlled study. Twenty-eight patients with at least one coronary risk factor were divided into a sauna group (n = 14) and non-sauna group (n = 14). Sauna therapy was performed with a 60 degrees C far infrared-ray dry sauna for 15 minutes and then bed rest with a blanket for 30 minutes once a day for two weeks. Systolic blood pressure and increased urinary 8-epi-PGF(2alpha) levels in the sauna group were significantly lower than those in the non-sauna group at two weeks after admission (110 +/- 15 mmHg vs 122 +/- 13 mmHg, P < 0.05, 230 +/- 67 pg/mg x creatinine vs 380 +/- 101 pg/mg x creatinine, P < 0.0001, respectively). These results suggest that repeated sauna therapy may protect against oxidative stress, which leads to the prevention of atherosclerosis.

Single coronary artery is a rare congenital anomaly and is commonly associated with other congenital cardiac malformations. This report describes a 42-year-old man with an isolated single coronary artery, in whom the right coronary artery did not originate from the aorta but rather from the distal left circumflex artery. This patient did not have any other cardiovascular anomaly. However, he experienced angina pectoris and evidence of myocardial ischemia. Coronary angiography revealed insignificant coronary artery stenosis. He received medical treatment and responded well. An isolated single coronary artery is extremely rare, and this case may be only the 12th case reported in the literature.

Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a predictor of atherosclerosis. The percent mean pulse amplitude of the artery (%MPA) has been proposed as a novel marker of atherosclerosis. The present study evaluated the predictive value of PWV and the %MPA for coronary atherosclerosis. The severity of coronary atherosclerosis was evaluated using both the Gensini score and coronary calcium grade. Thirty-three patients with cardiovascular risk factors were assigned to those with significant coronary artery stenosis ((+)stenosis) group with the presence of > or = 75% coronary artery stenosis (n = 15; age: 68 +/- 7 years, mean +/- SD) or those without significant coronary artery stenosis ((-)stenosis) group (n = 18; age: 66 +/- 8 years). In each patient, the PWV and %MPA at the right brachial artery and both sides of the ankle were obtained using a non-invasive vascular screening device. The Gensini score and coronary calcium grade were higher in the +stenosis group than they were in the (-)stenosis group (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). The brachial %MPA was lower in the (+)stenosis group than it was in the -stenosis group (P < 0.005). Both the Gensini score and the coronary calcium grade correlated with the brachial %MPA (r = 0.62, P = 0.0001 and P = 0.33, P = 0.030, respectively). Our observations suggest that brachial %MPA provides predictive values for coronary atherosclerosis in subjects at risk for cardiovascular disease.