Sample records for obstructive coronary artery

  1. Calcium score of coronary artery stratifies the risk of obstructive coronary artery diseases.

    PubMed

    Ibrahim, O; Oteh, M; Anwar, I R; Che Hassan, H H; Choor, C K; Hamzaini, A H; Rahman, M M

    2013-01-01

    Coronary heart disease is a major health problem in Malaysia with high morbidity and mortality. Common primary screening tool of cardiovascular risk stratification is exercise treadmill test (ETT). This communication is to determine the performance of coronary artery calcium score a new method to stratify the presence of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in comparison to traditional ETT in patients having coronary artery diseases. Patients between 30 to 60 years old attended the ETT to screen for ischemic heart disease were recruited for Agatston coronary artery calcium score (CACS) of multi-sliced computed tomography (MSCT). Subsequently all patients underwent a full MSCT coronary angiography. The major determinant was the state of CAD whether obstructive (50% stenosis or more) or non-obstructive (less than 50% stenosis). All patients diagnosed with obstructive CAD on MSCT coronary angiogram were subjected to invasive coronary angiogram (ICA) to confirm the findings and planned the need for revascularization. The CACS was 100% sensitivity and 97.5% specificity in detecting obstructive CAD at the optimal cut-off value of 106.5 and above. The positive predictive value (PPV) at CACS ≥ 106 was 71.4% and the negative predictive value (NPV) was consistent at 100%. Compare to ETT, the CACS discriminative value and diagnostic performance was much better (PPV 71.4% vs. 45.5%), respectively. CACS can be a good diagnostic screening tool in patients suspected of CAD, and particularly within the non-diagnostic ETT subgroup with low to moderate cardiovascular risks.

  2. Long-term survival and causes of death in patients with ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome without obstructive coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Andersson, Hedvig Bille; Pedersen, Frants; Engstrøm, Thomas; Helqvist, Steffen; Jensen, Morten Kvistholm; Jørgensen, Erik; Kelbæk, Henning; Räder, Sune Bernd Emil Werner; Saunamäki, Kari; Bates, Eric; Grande, Peer; Holmvang, Lene; Clemmensen, Peter

    2018-01-07

    We aimed to study survival and causes of death in patients with ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (STE-ACS) with and without obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). We included 4793 consecutive patients with STE-ACS triaged for acute coronary angiography at a large cardiac invasive centre (2009-2014). Of these, 88% had obstructive CAD (stenosis ≥50%), 6% had non-obstructive CAD (stenosis 1-49%), and 5% had normal coronary arteries. Patients without obstructive CAD were younger and more often female with fewer cardiovascular risk factors. Median follow-up time was 2.6 years. Compared with patients with obstructive CAD, the short-term hazard of death (≤30 days) was lower in both patients with non-obstructive CAD [hazard ratio (HR) 0.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.27-0.89, P = 0.018] and normal coronary arteries (HR 0.31, 95% CI 0.11-0.83, P = 0.021). In contrast, the long-term hazard of death (>30 days) was similar in patients with non-obstructive CAD (HR 1.15, 95% CI 0.77-1.72, P = 0.487) and higher in patients with normal coronary arteries (HR 2.44, 95% CI 1.58-3.76, P < 0.001), regardless of troponin levels. Causes of death were cardiovascular in 70% of patients with obstructive CAD, 38% with non-obstructive CAD, and 32% with normal coronary arteries. Finally, patients without obstructive CAD had lower survival compared with an age and sex matched general population. STE-ACS patients without obstructive CAD had a long-term risk of death similar to or higher than patients with obstructive CAD. Causes of death were less often cardiovascular. This suggests that STE-ACS patients without obstructive CAD warrant medical attention and close follow-up. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2017. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  3. Left main coronary artery obstruction by dislodged native-valve calculus after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

    PubMed

    Durmaz, Tahir; Ayhan, Huseyin; Keles, Telat; Aslan, Abdullah Nabi; Erdogan, Kemal Esref; Sari, Cenk; Bilen, Emine; Akcay, Murat; Bozkurt, Engin

    2014-08-01

    Transcatheter aortic valve replacement can be an effective, reliable treatment for severe aortic stenosis in surgically high-risk or ineligible patients. However, various sequelae like coronary artery obstruction can occur, not only in the long term, but also immediately after the procedure. We present the case of a 78-year-old woman whose left main coronary artery became obstructed with calculus 2 hours after the transfemoral implantation of an Edwards Sapien XT aortic valve. Despite percutaneous coronary intervention in that artery, the patient died. This case reminds us that early recognition of acute coronary obstruction and prompt intervention are crucial in patients with aortic stenosis who have undergone transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

  4. Left Main Coronary Artery Obstruction by Dislodged Native-Valve Calculus after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

    PubMed Central

    Durmaz, Tahir; Keles, Telat; Aslan, Abdullah Nabi; Erdogan, Kemal Esref; Sari, Cenk; Bilen, Emine; Akcay, Murat; Bozkurt, Engin

    2014-01-01

    Transcatheter aortic valve replacement can be an effective, reliable treatment for severe aortic stenosis in surgically high-risk or ineligible patients. However, various sequelae like coronary artery obstruction can occur, not only in the long term, but also immediately after the procedure. We present the case of a 78-year-old woman whose left main coronary artery became obstructed with calculus 2 hours after the transfemoral implantation of an Edwards Sapien XT aortic valve. Despite percutaneous coronary intervention in that artery, the patient died. This case reminds us that early recognition of acute coronary obstruction and prompt intervention are crucial in patients with aortic stenosis who have undergone transcatheter aortic valve replacement. PMID:25120396

  5. Spontaneous Recanalization of the Obstructed Right Coronary Artery Caused by Blunt Chest Trauma.

    PubMed

    Haraguchi, Yumiko; Sakakura, Kenichi; Yamamoto, Kei; Taniguchi, Yousuke; Nakashima, Ikue; Wada, Hiroshi; Sanui, Masamitsu; Momomura, Shin-Ichi; Fujita, Hideo

    2018-03-30

    Blunt chest trauma can cause a wide variety of injuries including acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Although AMI due to coronary artery dissection caused by blunt chest trauma is very rare, it is associated with high morbidity and mortality. In the vast majority of patients with AMI, primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) are performed to recanalize obstructed arteries, but PCI carries a substantial risk of hemorrhagic complications in the acute phase of trauma. We report a case of AMI due to right coronary artery (RCA) dissection caused by blunt chest trauma. The totally obstructed RCA was spontaneously recanalized with medical therapy. We could avoid primary PCI in the acute phase of blunt chest trauma because electrocardiogram showed early reperfusion signs. We performed an elective PCI in the subacute phase when the risk of bleeding subsided. Since the risk of severe hemorrhagic complications is greater in the acute phase of blunt chest trauma as compared with the late phase, deferring emergency PCI is reasonable if signs of recanalization are observed.

  6. Prevalence and Prediction of Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease in Patients Undergoing Primary Heart Valve Surgery.

    PubMed

    Cazelli, José Guilherme; Camargo, Gabriel Cordeiro; Kruczan, Dany David; Weksler, Clara; Felipe, Alexandre Rouge; Gottlieb, Ilan

    2017-10-01

    The prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in valvular patients is similar to that of the general population, with the usual association with traditional risk factors. Nevertheless, the search for obstructive CAD is more aggressive in the preoperative period of patients with valvular heart disease, resulting in the indication of invasive coronary angiography (ICA) to almost all adult patients, because it is believed that coronary artery bypass surgery should be associated with valve replacement. To evaluate the prevalence of obstructive CAD and factors associated with it in adult candidates for primary heart valve surgery between 2001 and 2014 at the National Institute of Cardiology (INC) and, thus, derive and validate a predictive obstructive CAD score. Cross-sectional study evaluating 2898 patients with indication for heart surgery of any etiology. Of those, 712 patients, who had valvular heart disease and underwent ICA in the 12 months prior to surgery, were included. The P value < 0.05 was adopted as statistical significance. The prevalence of obstructive CAD was 20%. A predictive model of obstructive CAD was created from multivariate logistic regression, using the variables age, chest pain, family history of CAD, systemic arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, smoking, and male gender. The model showed excellent correlation and calibration (R² = 0.98), as well as excellent accuracy (ROC of 0.848; 95%CI: 0.817-0.879) and validation (ROC of 0.877; 95%CI: 0.830 - 0.923) in different valve populations. Obstructive CAD can be estimated from clinical data of adult candidates for valve repair surgery, using a simple, accurate and validated score, easy to apply in clinical practice, which may contribute to changes in the preoperative strategy of acquired heart valve surgery in patients with a lower probability of obstructive disease.

  7. Clinical Utility of a Precision Medicine Test Evaluating Outpatients with Suspected Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease.

    PubMed

    Ladapo, Joseph A; Budoff, Matt; Sharp, David; Zapien, Michael; Huang, Lin; Maniet, Bruce; Herman, Lee; Monane, Mark

    2017-04-01

    Identifying patients with obstructive coronary artery disease can be challenging for primary care physicians. Advances in precision medicine may help augment clinical tools and redefine the paradigm for evaluating coronary artery disease in the outpatient setting. A blood-based age/sex/gene expression score (ASGES) incorporating key features of precision medicine has shown clinical validity with a 96% negative predictive value and 89% sensitivity in estimating a symptomatic patient's current likelihood of obstructive coronary artery disease. To better characterize the clinical utility of the ASGES and measure its impact on clinician decision-making, a community-based registry was established. The prospective PRESET Registry (NCT01677156) enrolled stable, nonacute adult patients presenting with typical or atypical symptoms suggestive of obstructive coronary artery disease from 21 US primary care practices from August 2012 to August 2014. Demographics, clinical characteristics, and ASGES results (predefined as low [ASGES ≤15] or elevated [ASGES >15]) were collected, as were referrals to Cardiology or further functional/anatomic cardiac testing after ASGES testing. Patients were followed for 1 year post ASGES testing. Among the 566-patient cohort (median age 56 years), clinicians referred 26/252 (10%) of patients with low scores vs 137/314 (44%) of patients with elevated scores to Cardiology or advanced cardiac testing for further evaluation (unadjusted odds ratio 0.15, P <.0001; adjusted odds ratio after accounting for clinical covariates = 0.18, P <.0001). Data on 84 patients referred for advanced cardiac testing showed abnormal findings in 0 of 13 (0%) low ASGES and 10 of 71 (14%) elevated ASGES patients. Major adverse cardiovascular events and revascularization were noted in 3/252 (1.2%) patients with low ASGES and 14/314 (4.5%) patients with elevated ASGES score (P <.03). In this community-based cardiovascular registry, the ASGES demonstrated clinical utility

  8. Aneurysmal coronary artery disease: An overview

    PubMed Central

    ElGuindy, Mohamed S.

    Aneurysmal coronary artery disease (ACAD) comprises both coronary artery aneurysms (CAA) and coronary artery ectasia (CAE). The reported prevalence of ACAD varies widely from 0.2 to 10%, with male predominance and a predilection for the right coronary artery (RCA). Atherosclerosis is the commonest cause of ACAD in adults, while Kawasaki disease is the commonest cause in children and adolescents, as well as in the Far East. Most patients are asymptomatic, but when symptoms do exist, they are usually related to myocardial ischemia. Coronary angiography is the mainstay of diagnosis, but follow up is best achieved using noninvasive imaging that does not involve exposure to radiation. The optimal management strategy in patients with ACAD remains controversial. Medical therapy is indicated for the vast majority of patients and includes antiplatelets and/or anticoagulants. Covered stents effectively limit further expansion of the affected coronary segments. Surgical ligation, resection, and coronary artery bypass grafting are appropriate for large lesions and for associated obstructive coronary artery disease. PMID:29564347

  9. Dual-source CT imaging to plan transcatheter aortic valve replacement: accuracy for diagnosis of obstructive coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Harris, Brett S; De Cecco, Carlo N; Schoepf, U Joseph; Steinberg, Daniel H; Bayer, Richard R; Krazinski, Aleksander W; Dyer, Kevin T; Sandhu, Monique K; Zile, Michael R; Meinel, Felix G

    2015-04-01

    To assess the accuracy of computed tomographic (CT) examinations performed for the purpose of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) planning to diagnose obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). With institutional review board approval, waivers of informed consent, and in compliance with HIPAA, 100 consecutive TAVR candidates (61 men, mean age 79.6 years ± 9.9) who underwent both TAVR planning CT (with a dual-source CT system) and coronary catheter (CC) angiographic imaging were retrospectively analyzed. At both modalities, the presence of stenosis in the native coronary arteries was assessed. Additionally, all coronary bypass grafts were rated as patent or occluded. With CC angiographic imaging as the reference standard, the accuracy of CT for lesion detection on a per-vessel and per-patient basis was calculated. The accuracy of CT for the assessment of graft patency was also analyzed. For per-vessel and per-patient analysis for the detection of stenosis that was 50% or more in the native coronary arteries, CT imaging had, respectively, 94.4% and 98.6% sensitivity, 68.4% and 55.6% specificity, 94.7% and 93.8% negative predictive value (NPV), and 67.0% and 85.7% positive predictive value. Per-patient sensitivity of stenosis 50% or greater with CT for greater than 70% stenosis at CC angiographic imaging was 100%. All 12 vessels in which percutaneous coronary intervention was performed were correctly identified as demonstrating stenosis 50% or greater with CT. There was agreement between CT and CC angiographic imaging regarding graft patency in 114 of 115 grafts identified with CC angiographic imaging. TAVR planning CT has high sensitivity and NPV in excluding obstructive CAD. An additional preprocedural CC angiographic examination may not be required in TAVR candidates with a CT examination that does not show obstructive CAD. © RSNA, 2014 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

  10. Variation in Management of Patients With Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease: Insights From the Veterans Affairs Clinical Assessment and Reporting Tool (VA CART) Program.

    PubMed

    Sandhu, Amneet; Stanislawski, Maggie A; Grunwald, Gary K; Guinn, Kathryn; Valle, Javier; Matlock, Daniel; Ho, P Michael; Maddox, Thomas M; Bradley, Steven M

    2017-09-12

    Little is known about facility-level variation in the use of revascularization procedures for the management of stable obstructive coronary artery disease. Furthermore, it is unknown if variation in the use of coronary revascularization is associated with use of other cardiovascular procedures. We evaluated all elective coronary angiograms performed in the Veterans Affairs system between September 1, 2007, and December 31, 2011, using the Clinical Assessment and Reporting Tool and identified patients with obstructive coronary artery disease. Patients were considered managed with revascularization if they received percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting within 30 days of diagnosis. We calculated risk-adjusted facility-level rates of overall revascularization, PCI, and coronary artery bypass grafting. In addition, we determined the association between facility-level rates of revascularization and post-PCI stress testing. Among 15 650 patients at 51 Veterans Affairs sites who met inclusion criteria, the median rate of revascularization was 59.6% (interquartile range, 55.7%-66.7%). Across all facilities, risk-adjusted rates of overall revascularization varied from 41.5% to 88.1%, rate of PCI varied from 23.2% to 80.6%, and rate of coronary artery bypass graftingvariedfrom 7.5% to 36.5%. Of 6179 patients who underwent elective PCI, the median rate of stress testing in the 2 years after PCI was 33.7% (interquartile range, 30.7%-47.1%). There was no evidence of correlation between facility-level rate of revascularization and follow-up stress testing. Within the Veterans Affairs system, we observed large facility-level variation in rates of revascularization for obstructive coronary artery disease, with variation driven primarily by PCI. There was no association between facility-level use of revascularization and follow-up stress testing, suggesting use rates are specific to a particular procedure and not a marker of overall facility

  11. Coronary microvascular function and myocardial fibrosis in women with angina pectoris and no obstructive coronary artery disease: the iPOWER study.

    PubMed

    Mygind, Naja Dam; Michelsen, Marie Mide; Pena, Adam; Qayyum, Abbas Ali; Frestad, Daria; Christensen, Thomas Emil; Ghotbi, Adam Ali; Dose, Nynne; Faber, Rebekka; Vejlstrup, Niels; Hasbak, Philip; Kjaer, Andreas; Prescott, Eva; Kastrup, Jens

    2016-11-04

    Even in absence of obstructive coronary artery disease women with angina pectoris have a poor prognosis possibly due to coronary microvascular disease. Coronary microvascular disease can be assessed by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography measuring coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) and by positron emission tomography measuring myocardial blood flow reserve (MBFR). Diffuse myocardial fibrosis can be assessed by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) T1 mapping. We hypothesized that coronary microvascular disease is associated with diffuse myocardial fibrosis. Women with angina, a clinically indicated coronary angiogram with <50 % stenosis and no diabetes were included. CFVR was measured using dipyridamole (0.84 mg/kg) and MBFR using adenosine (0.84 mg/kg). Focal fibrosis was assessed by 1.5 T CMR late gadolinium enhancement (0.1 mmol/kg) and diffuse myocardial fibrosis by T1 mapping using a modified Look-Locker pulse sequence measuring T1 and extracellular volume fraction (ECV). CFVR and CMR were performed in 64 women, mean (SD) age 62.5 (8.3) years. MBFR was performed in a subgroup of 54 (84 %) of these women. Mean native T1 was 1023 (86) and ECV (%) was 33.7 (3.5); none had focal fibrosis. Median (IQR) CFVR was 2.3 (1.9; 2.7), 23 (36 %) had CFVR < 2 indicating coronary microvascular disease, and median MBFR was 2.7 (2.2; 3.0) and 19 (35 %) had a MBFR value below 2.5. No significant correlations were found between CFVR and ECV or native T1 (R 2  = 0.02; p = 0.27 and R 2  = 0.004; p = 0.61, respectively). There were also no correlations between MBFR and ECV or native T1 (R 2  = 0.1; p = 0.13 and R 2  = 0.004, p = 0.64, respectively). CFVR and MBFR were correlated to hypertension and heart rate. In women with angina and no obstructive coronary artery disease we found no association between measures of coronary microvascular disease and myocardial fibrosis, suggesting that myocardial ischemia induced by coronary

  12. Elevated plasma angiotensin converting enzyme 2 activity is an independent predictor of major adverse cardiac events in patients with obstructive coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Ramchand, Jay; Patel, Sheila K; Srivastava, Piyush M; Farouque, Omar; Burrell, Louise M

    2018-01-01

    Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is an endogenous regulator of the renin angiotensin system. Increased circulating ACE2 predicts adverse outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF), but it is unknown if elevated plasma ACE2 activity predicts major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). We prospectively recruited patients with obstructive CAD (defined as ≥50% stenosis of the left main coronary artery and/or ≥70% stenosis in ≥ 1 other major epicardial vessel on invasive coronary angiography) and measured plasma ACE2 activity. Patients were followed up to determine if circulating ACE2 activity levels predicted the primary endpoint of MACE (cardiovascular mortality, HF or myocardial infarction). We recruited 79 patients with obstructive coronary artery disease. The median (IQR) plasma ACE2 activity was 29.3 pmol/ml/min [21.2-41.2]. Over a median follow up of 10.5 years [9.6-10.8years], MACE occurred in 46% of patients (36 events). On Kaplan-Meier analysis, above-median plasma ACE2 activity was associated with MACE (log-rank test, p = 0.035) and HF hospitalisation (p = 0.01). After Cox multivariable adjustment, log ACE2 activity remained an independent predictor of MACE (hazard ratio (HR) 2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24-4.72, p = 0.009) and HF hospitalisation (HR: 4.03, 95% CI: 1.42-11.5, p = 0.009). Plasma ACE2 activity independently increased the hazard of adverse long-term cardiovascular outcomes in patients with obstructive CAD.

  13. Ergonovine-induced changes of coronary artery diameter in patients with nonsignificant coronary artery stenosis : relation with lipid profile.

    PubMed

    Nedeljkovic, Milan A; Ostojic, Miodrag C; Beleslin, Branko D; Nedeljkovic, Ivana; Milic, Natasa; Vukcevic, Vladan; Stojkovic, Sinisa; Saponjski, Jovica; Orlic, Dejan; Djordjevic-Dikic, Ana; Stepanovic, Jelena; Giga, Vojislav; Petrasinovic, Zorica; Arandjelovic, Aleksandra; Beleslin, Biljana; Kanjuh, Vladimir

    2007-06-01

    Serum cholesterol is positively associated with the risk of developing coronary heart disease. The aim of this study was to determine the relation between response of coronary arteries to ergonovine provocation and lipid profile in patients with nonsignificant coronary artery disease. 105 patients (46 male, 59 female, mean age 52 +/- 8 years) with chest pain syndrome and nonsignificant coronary artery stenosis (< 50% diameter stenosis) were analyzed. Ergonovine test was performed at the end of diagnostic catheterization. Coronary spasm was defined as total or near total obstruction of the coronary artery. By quantitative coronary arteriography, changes of minimal luminal diameter (MLD) during ergonovine provocation were evaluated. Total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides were measured. There was a significant negative correlation between resting MLD and LDL cholesterol (r = -0.215; p = 0.034), and a significant positive correlation between MLD decrease provoked by ergonovine and total cholesterol (r = 0.275; p = 0.006), as well as LDL cholesterol (r = 0.284; p = 0.004), but not for HDL cholesterol and triglycerides (p = NS [not significant]). In patients with nonsignificant coronary artery stenosis evaluated by ergonovine provocation, there was not only a significant negative correlation between MLD and LDL cholesterol, but also a positive correlation between coronary vasoconstriction induced by ergonovine provocation and both total and LDL cholesterol.

  14. Multicenter validation of the diagnostic accuracy of a blood-based gene expression test for assessing obstructive coronary artery disease in nondiabetic patients.

    PubMed

    Rosenberg, Steven; Elashoff, Michael R; Beineke, Philip; Daniels, Susan E; Wingrove, James A; Tingley, Whittemore G; Sager, Philip T; Sehnert, Amy J; Yau, May; Kraus, William E; Newby, L Kristin; Schwartz, Robert S; Voros, Szilard; Ellis, Stephen G; Tahirkheli, Naeem; Waksman, Ron; McPherson, John; Lansky, Alexandra; Winn, Mary E; Schork, Nicholas J; Topol, Eric J

    2010-10-05

    Diagnosing obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in at-risk patients can be challenging and typically requires both noninvasive imaging methods and coronary angiography, the gold standard. Previous studies have suggested that peripheral blood gene expression can indicate the presence of CAD. To validate a previously developed 23-gene, expression-based classification test for diagnosis of obstructive CAD in nondiabetic patients. Multicenter prospective trial with blood samples obtained before coronary angiography. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00500617) SETTING: 39 centers in the United States. An independent validation cohort of 526 nondiabetic patients with a clinical indication for coronary angiography. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of classifier score measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction, additivity to clinical factors, and reclassification of patient disease likelihood versus disease status defined by quantitative coronary angiography. Obstructive CAD was defined as 50% or greater stenosis in 1 or more major coronary arteries by quantitative coronary angiography. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.70 ± 0.02 (P < 0.001); the test added to clinical variables (Diamond-Forrester method) (AUC, 0.72 with the test vs. 0.66 without; P = 0.003) and added somewhat to an expanded clinical model (AUC, 0.745 with the test vs. 0.732 without; P = 0.089). The test improved net reclassification over both the Diamond-Forrester method and the expanded clinical model (P < 0.001). At a score threshold that corresponded to a 20% likelihood of obstructive CAD (14.75), the sensitivity and specificity were 85% and 43% (yielding a negative predictive value of 83% and a positive predictive value of 46%), with 33% of patient scores below this threshold. Patients with chronic inflammatory disorders, elevated levels of leukocytes or cardiac protein markers, or diabetes were excluded. A noninvasive whole-blood test based on gene

  15. Prevalence and extent of obstructive coronary artery disease among patients undergoing elective coronary catheterization in New York State and Ontario.

    PubMed

    Ko, Dennis T; Tu, Jack V; Austin, Peter C; Wijeysundera, Harindra C; Samadashvili, Zaza; Guo, Helen; Cantor, Warren J; Hannan, Edward L

    2013-07-10

    Prior studies have shown that physicians in New York State (New York) perform twice as many cardiac catheterizations per capita as those in Ontario for stable patients. However, the role of patient selection in these findings and their implications for detection of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) are largely unknown. To evaluate the extent of obstructive CAD and to compare the probability of detecting obstructive CAD for patients undergoing cardiac catheterization. An observational study was conducted involving patients without a history of cardiac disease who underwent elective cardiac catheterization between October 1, 2008, and September 30, 2011. Obstructive CAD was defined as diameter stenosis of 50% or more in the left main coronary artery or stenosis of 70% or more in a major epicardial vessel. Observed rates and predicted probabilities of obstructive CAD. Predicted probabilities were estimated using logistic regression models. A total of 18,114 patients from New York and 54,933 from Ontario were included. The observed rate of obstructive CAD was significantly lower in New York at 30.4% (95% CI, 29.7%-31.0%) than in Ontario at 44.8% (95% CI, 44.4%-45.3%; P < .001). The percentage of patients with left main or 3-vessel CAD was also significantly lower in New York than in Ontario (7.0% [95% CI, 6.6%-7.3%] vs 13.0% [95% CI, 12.8%-13.3%]; P < .001). In New York, a substantially higher percentage of patients with low predicted probability of obstructive CAD underwent cardiac catheterization; for example, only 19.3% (95% CI, 18.7%-19.9%) of patients undergoing cardiac catheterization in New York had a greater than 50% predicted probability of having obstructive CAD than those in Ontario at 41% (95% CI, 40.6%-41.4%; P < .001). At 30 days, crude mortality for patients undergoing cardiac catheterization was slightly higher in New York at 0.65% (90 of 13,824; 95% CI, 0.51%-0.78%) than in Ontario at 0.38% (153 of 40,794; 95% CI, 0.32%-0.43%; P

  16. Coronary Arteries

    MedlinePlus

    ... its own vascular system, called coronary circulation. The aorta (the main blood supplier to the body) branches ... blood to the rest of the body. Tags: aorta , arteries , blood , coronary arteries , coronary artery , coronary artery ...

  17. Angiographic prevalence and pattern of coronary artery disease in women.

    PubMed

    Ezhumalai, Babu; Jayaraman, Balachander

    2014-01-01

    There are not many studies describing the prevalence and pattern of "coronary artery disease" (CAD) in women undergoing "coronary angiography" (CAG). Hence, uncertainty thrives with regard to the angiographic prevalence and pattern of CAD in women. Our objective was to study the prevalence and pattern of CAD among women undergoing CAG. Data of 500 women who underwent CAG for suspected CAD over 3 years were retrospectively analyzed. They were classified into young group (age < 55 years) and elderly group (age ≥ 55 years). Angiographic profile of "left main disease" (LMD) was also studied. There was greater prevalence of obstructive CAD especially double vessel disease and triple vessel disease in elderly group while normal coronaries were more prevalent in young group. There was equal distribution of non-significant lesions and intermediate lesions between the two groups. The prevalence of LMD is 3.4%, obstructive CAD is 45.4%, and multivessel disease is 28%. The prevalence of LMD and multivessel disease is 31.4%. The pattern of involvement of coronary arteries was same between the two groups; left anterior descending artery is the most commonly affected vessel. Chronic total occlusion mostly involved right coronary artery. Bifurcation lesion involving distal left main coronary artery is the most prevalent pattern of LMD. There has been a change with regard to clinical presentation and onset of risk factors for CAD at young age, but the load of atherosclerotic burden and pattern of involvement of coronary arteries have not changed in women. Copyright © 2014 Cardiological Society of India. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Risks of on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to sulfur mustard.

    PubMed

    Firoozabadi, Mehdi Dehghani; Sheikhi, Mohammad Ali; Rahmani, Hossein; Ebadi, Ahmad; Heidari, Amanollah; Gholizadeh, Behnam; Sharifi, Khosrow

    2017-10-01

    Sulfur mustard (SM) is a toxic chemical agent that belongs to a class of vesicant compounds. In the 1980s it was used by the Iraqi army against Iranian forces. Sulfur mustard severely irritates the skin, eyes and lungs. The highest side effects seen in patients affected by this gas are pulmonary complications including different types of lung diseases such as bronchiolitis. It has also led to a certain type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease called mustard lung. Similar extra-pulmonary, molecular and hormonal effects can be observed in these patients and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Here cardiovascular complications may be one of the most dangerous visible effects. And atherosclerosis is probable following the direct effects or consequential long-term effects of SM. The development of atherosclerosis in these patients is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and coronary artery disease. Coronary artery bypass grafting surgery is the treatment of coronary artery disease. Doing this surgery by bypass pump has its own morbidity and due to local and systemic inflammation changes in patients with SM pulmonary disorders it may have more side effects. Therefore, detailed knowledge of inflammatory diseases as well as the serum level or even the local lung fluid of the inflammatory factors in these patients before surgery are needed so that it would be possible to reduce the rate of morbidity and mortality by normalizing the inflammatory conditions of the patients before cardiac surgery.

  19. Prediction of coronary artery disease in patients undergoing operations for mitral valve degeneration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lin, S. S.; Lauer, M. S.; Asher, C. R.; Cosgrove, D. M.; Blackstone, E.; Thomas, J. D.; Garcia, M. J.

    2001-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: We sought to develop and validate a model that estimates the risk of obstructive coronary artery disease in patients undergoing operations for mitral valve degeneration and to demonstrate its potential clinical utility. METHODS: A total of 722 patients (67% men; age, 61 +/- 12 years) without a history of myocardial infarction, ischemic electrocardiographic changes, or angina who underwent routine coronary angiography before mitral valve prolapse operations between 1989 and 1996 were analyzed. A bootstrap-validated logistic regression model on the basis of clinical risk factors was developed to identify low-risk (< or =5%) patients. Obstructive coronary atherosclerosis was defined as 50% or more luminal narrowing in one or more major epicardial vessels, as determined by means of coronary angiography. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-nine (19%) patients had obstructive coronary atherosclerosis. Independent predictors of coronary artery disease include age, male sex, hypertension, diabetes mellitus,and hyperlipidemia. Two hundred twenty patients were designated as low risk according to the logistic model. Of these patients, only 3 (1.3%) had single-vessel disease, and none had multivessel disease. The model showed good discrimination, with an area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of 0.84. Cost analysis indicated that application of this model could safely eliminate 30% of coronary angiograms, corresponding to cost savings of $430,000 per 1000 patients without missing any case of high-risk coronary artery disease. CONCLUSION: A model with standard clinical predictors can reliably estimate the prevalence of obstructive coronary atherosclerosis in patients undergoing mitral valve prolapse operations. This model can identify low-risk patients in whom routine preoperative angiography may be safely avoided.

  20. [MINOCA in Iceland. Acute coronary syndrome in patients with normal or nonobstructive coronary arteries].

    PubMed

    Vignisson, Saevar Thor; Gudmundsdottir, Ingibjorg Jona; Gudnason, Thorarinn; Danielsen, Ragnar; Gardarsdottir, Marianna; Andersen, Karl

    2018-01-01

    The classical pathophysiological process underlying acute coronary syndromes has been considered to be plaque rup-ture followed by platelet activation and aggregation and subsequent thrombus formation leading to myocardial ischemia and infarction. A substantial number of patients with acute coronary syndromes appear to have normal or near normal (<50% stenosis) coronary arteries on angiography. Recently, this clinical entity has been coined MINOCA (Myocardial Infarction with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries). The purpose of this paper is to describe the proportion of MINOCA among ACS patients in Iceland. We performed a retrospective analysis of all admissions for acute coronary syndromes at Landspitali University Hospital, the single coronary catheterization facility in Iceland, during a five year period between 2012 and 2016. All patients admitted for STEMI or NSTEMI that turned out to have normal or near normal coronary arteries were consecutively included in the study. For each patient the diagnosis was re-evaluated according to further assessments using a diagnostic algorithm specially constructed for this study. During the five year study period 1708 patients were studied with coronary angiography during first hospitalization for STEMI or NSTEMI. Among these, 225 (13.2%) had normal or non-obstructive coronary arteries with less than 50% luminal narrowing. The final diagnosis of these patients were plaque erosion / rupture in 72 indi-viduals (32%), myocarditis in 33 (14.7%), takotsubo cardiomyopathy in 28 (12.4%), type II myocardial infarction in 30 (13.3%), vasospastic angina in 31 (13.8%) and other or undetermined cause in 31 (13.8%) patients. The proportion of MINOCA in Iceland is 13.2% of patients admitted for acute coronary syndromes. Plaque erosion / rupture was considered a likely cause in one third of patients with other causes beeing evenly distributed with approximately half that frequency. Identification of the underlying cause of MINOCA would

  1. Biological and analytical stability of a peripheral blood gene expression score for obstructive coronary artery disease in the PREDICT and COMPASS studies.

    PubMed

    Daniels, Susan E; Beineke, Philip; Rhees, Brian; McPherson, John A; Kraus, William E; Thomas, Gregory S; Rosenberg, Steven

    2014-10-01

    A gene expression score (GES) for obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) has been validated in two multicenter studies. Receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) analysis of the GES on an expanded Personalized Risk Evaluation and Diagnosis in the Coronary Tree (PREDICT) cohort (NCT no. 00500617) with CAD defined by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) or clinical reads yielded similar performance (area under the curve (AUC)=0.70, N=1,502) to the original validation cohort (AUC=0.70, N=526). Analysis of 138 non-Caucasian and 1,364 Caucasian patients showed very similar performance (AUCs=0.72 vs. 0.70). To assess analytic stability, stored samples of the original validation cohort (N=526) was re-tested after 5 years, and the mean score changed from 20.3 to 19.8 after 5 years (N=501, 95 %). To assess patient scores over time, GES was determined on samples from 173 Coronary Obstruction Detection by Molecular Personalized Gene Expression (COMPASS) study (NCT no. 01117506) patients at approximately 1 year post-enrollment. Mean scores increased slightly from 15.9 to 17.3, corresponding to a 2.5 % increase in obstructive CAD likelihood. Changes in cardiovascular medications did not show a significant change in GES.

  2. Coronary artery to pulmonary artery fistula.

    PubMed

    Dadkhah-Tirani, Heidar; Salari, Arsalan; Shafighnia, Shora; Hosseini, Seyed Fazel; Naghdipoor, Misa

    2013-01-01

    Male, 69 FINAL DIAGNOSIS: Coronary artery to pulmonary artery fistula Symptoms: Chest pain Medication: - Clinical Procedure: Echocardiography • angiography • surgical intervention Specialty: Cardiology • Cardiac Surgery. Rare disease. A coronary artery fistula is an abnormal communication between a coronary artery and one of the cardiac chambers or a great vessel, so bypassing the myocardial capillary network. They are usually discovered incidentally upon coronary angiography. Clinical manifestations are variable depending on the type of fistula, the severity of shunt, site of shunt, and presence of other cardiac condition. We report a 69-year-old man without any previous medical history, who was admitted to our hospital with chest pain. The electrocardiogram (ECG) showed a sinus rhythm with ST depression in V2 to V6 precordial leads. Coronary angiography revealed a coronary artery fistula from left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) to the main pulmonary artery, right coronary artery blockage and significant stenoses on the LAD and left circumflex artery (LCX). Surgical treatment was chosen because of the total occlusion of the right coronary artery and to relieve of pain to improve quality of life.

  3. Circulating microRNAs correlated with the level of coronary artery calcification in symptomatic patients

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Wei; Ling, Shukuan; Sun, Weijia; Liu, Tong; Li, Yuheng; Zhong, Guohui; Zhao, Dingsheng; Zhang, Pengfei; Song, Jinping; Jin, Xiaoyan; Xu, Zi; Song, Hailin; Li, Qi; Liu, Shujuan; Chai, Meng; Dai, Qinyi; He, Yi; Fan, Zhanming; Zhou, Yu Jie; Li, Yingxian

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to find the circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) co-related with the severity of coronary artery calcification (CAC), and testify whether the selected miRNAs could reflect the obstructive coronary artery disease in symptomatic patients. Patients with chest pain and moderated risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) were characterized with coronary artery calcium score (CACS) from cardiac computed tomography (CT). We analyzed plasma miRNA levels of clinical matched 11 CAC (CACS > 100) and 6 non-CAC (CACS = 0) subjects by microarray profile. Microarray analysis identified 34 differentially expressed miRNAs between CAC and non CAC groups. Eight miRNAs (miR-223, miR-3135b, miR-133a-3p, miR-2861, miR-134, miR-191-3p, miR-3679-5p, miR-1229 in CAC patients) were significantly increased in CAC plasma in an independent clinical matched cohort. Four miRNAs (miR-2861, 134, 1229 and 3135b) were correlated with the degree of CAC. Validation test in angiographic cohort showed that miR-134, miR-3135b and miR-2861 were significantly changed in patients with obstructive CAD . We identified three significantly upregulated circulating miRNAs (miR-134, miR-3135b and 2861) correlated with CAC while detected obstructive coronary disease in symptomatic patients. PMID:26537670

  4. Validation and comparison of four models to calculate pretest probability of obstructive coronary artery disease in a Chinese population: A coronary computed tomographic angiography study.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Jia; Liu, Yujie; Huang, Lingyu; Tan, Yahang; Li, Xingchen; Zhang, Hong; Ma, Yanhe; Zhang, Ying

    We sought to compare the performance of the updated Diamond-Forrester method (UDFM), Duke clinical score (DCS), Genders clinical model (GCM) and Genders extended model (GEM) in a Chinese population referred to coronary computed tomography angiography (coronary CTA). The reliability of existing models to calculate the pretest proability (PTP) of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) have not been fully investigated, especially in a Chinese population. We identified 5743 consecutive patients with suspected stable CAD who underwent coronary calcium scoring (CCS) and coronary CCTA. Obstructive CAD was defined as with the presence of ≥50% diameter stenosis in coronary CTA or unassessable segments due to severe calcification. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), net reclassification improvement (NRI) and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit statistic (H-L χ 2 ) were assessed to validate and compare these models. Overall, 1872 (32%) patients had obstructive CAD and 2467 (43%) had a CCS of 0. GEM demonstrated improved discrimination over the other models through the largest AUC (0.816 for GEM, 0.774 for GCM, 0.772 for DCS and 0.765 for UDFM). UDFM (-0.3255, p < 0.0001), DCS (-0.3149, p < 0.0001) and GCM (-0.2264, p < 0.0001) showed negative IDI compared to GEM. The NRI was significantly higher for GEM than the other models (0.7152, p < 0.0001, 0.5595, p < 0.0001 and 0.3195, p < 0.0001, respectively). All of the four models overestimated the prevalence of obstructive CAD, with unsatisfactory (p < 0.01 for all) calibration for UDFM (H-L χ 2  = 137.82), DCS (H-L χ 2  = 156.70), GCM (H-L χ 2  = 51.17) and GEM (H-L χ 2  = 29.67), respectively. Although GEM was superior for calculating PTP in a Chinese population referred for coronary CTA, developing new models allowing for more accurate and operational estimation are warranted. Copyright © 2017 Society of Cardiovascular Computed

  5. Coronary Artery Disease | Coronary Artery Disease | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

    MedlinePlus

    ... of this page please turn Javascript on. Feature: Coronary Artery Disease Coronary Artery Disease Past Issues / Fall 2010 Table of Contents David ... up inside your arteries. One atherosclerosis-related disease, coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common heart disease and ...

  6. Coronary artery disease

    MedlinePlus Videos and Cool Tools

    The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscle itself. Damage to or blockage of a coronary artery can result in injury to the heart. Normally, blood flows through a coronary artery unimpeded. However, a ...

  7. Refractory Coronary Artery Spasm after Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

    PubMed Central

    Ju, Min Ho; Kim, Joon-Bum; Kim, Hee Jung

    2011-01-01

    Postoperative coronary arterial spasm is a rare but potentially fatal complication. A 51-year-old male patient with a history of a reactive ergonovine stress test coronary angiogram developed refractory coronary artery spasm after undergoing minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting of the left anterior descending coronary artery. The patient was successfully managed with rapid implementation of intra-aortic balloon-pump counter pulsation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. PMID:22263171

  8. Congenital Anomaly of Single Dominant Right Coronary Artery with Hypoplastic Left Coronary Artery.

    PubMed

    Chuang, Cheng-Yen; Chen, Yen-Chou; Cheng, Ho-Shun; Hsieh, Ming-Hsiung

    2015-11-01

    With the popularization of new imaging technology, more people are deciding to undergo non-invasive studies such as multidetector computerized tomography (MDCT) before receiving coronary angiography. For this reason, coronary anomalies of coronary artery are being encountered more frequently. We here report a 68-year-old male presenting with typical angina. The MDCT images suggested chronic total occlusion of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery with collateral circulation from the right coronary artery (RCA). The patient's coronary angiography showed a congenital coronary anomaly with a single dominant RCA supplying the entire coronary circulation of the heart with both LAD and left circumflex artery hypoplasia. Angiography; Anomaly; Computerized tomography; Coronary artery.

  9. Coronary Artery Anomalies in Animals

    PubMed Central

    Scansen, Brian A.

    2017-01-01

    Coronary artery anomalies represent a disease spectrum from incidental to life-threatening. Anomalies of coronary artery origin and course are well-recognized in human medicine, but have received limited attention in veterinary medicine. Coronary artery anomalies are best described in the dog, hamster, and cow though reports also exist in the horse and pig. The most well-known anomaly in veterinary medicine is anomalous coronary artery origin with a prepulmonary course in dogs, which limits treatment of pulmonary valve stenosis. A categorization scheme for coronary artery anomalies in animals is suggested, dividing these anomalies into those of major or minor clinical significance. A review of coronary artery development, anatomy, and reported anomalies in domesticated species is provided and four novel canine examples of anomalous coronary artery origin are described: an English bulldog with single left coronary ostium and a retroaortic right coronary artery; an English bulldog with single right coronary ostium and transseptal left coronary artery; an English bulldog with single right coronary ostium and absent left coronary artery with a prepulmonary paraconal interventricular branch and an interarterial circumflex branch; and a mixed-breed dog with tetralogy of Fallot and anomalous origin of all coronary branches from the brachiocephalic trunk. Coronary arterial fistulae are also described including a coronary cameral fistula in a llama cria and an English bulldog with coronary artery aneurysm and anomalous shunting vessels from the right coronary artery to the pulmonary trunk. These examples are provided with the intent to raise awareness and improve understanding of such defects. PMID:29056679

  10. Arterial Switch Operation With and Without Coronary Relocation for Intramural Coronary Arteries.

    PubMed

    Koshiyama, Hiroshi; Nagashima, Mitsugi; Matsumura, Goki; Hiramatsu, Takeshi; Nakanishi, Toshio; Yamazaki, Kenji

    2016-10-01

    The arterial switch operation (ASO) for the transposition of the great arteries (TGA) with intramural coronary arteries has been performed using several techniques to avoid coronary events. We mainly performed ASO without coronary relocation by creating an aortopulmonary fenestration (Imai technique). Coronary circulation was rerouted by covering the aortopulmonary window and coronary orifices with a nonfacing sinus flap. Long-term results have not been reported. We describe our early and late results. Among 551 patients who underwent an ASO between 1985 and 2014, intramural coronary arteries were detected in 15 of them. Coronary arteries were managed using 2 techniques: the double-button method in 5 patients (with unroofing and trapdoor incision in 1 patient) and the Imai technique in 10 patients. There were 3 hospital deaths and 3 deaths after discharge, 5 of which showed coronary complications. Actual survival and freedom from coronary complications at 15 years were 70% and 67%, respectively, with the Imai technique and 40% and 20%, respectively, with the double-button method. Late coronary intervention was performed for a long intramural coronary artery stenosis in 1 patient who underwent the Imai technique. In the others, late aortography showed good patency of the aortopulmonary window and growth of the coronary pouch after the Imai technique. The Imai technique can be an option for coronary management in the presence of high-risk coronary anatomy, particularly distal intramural coronary artery stenosis and inseparable coronary arteries with an almost single orifice. Adequate neopulmonary artery augmentation must be performed to prevent right ventricular outflow stenosis. Copyright © 2016 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Increased response of diastolic blood pressure to exercise in patients with coronary artery disease: an index of latent ventricular dysfunction?

    PubMed Central

    Paraskevaidis, I A; Kremastinos, D T; Kassimatis, A S; Karavolias, G K; Kordosis, G D; Kyriakides, Z S; Toutouzas, P K

    1993-01-01

    OBJECTIVE--To determine whether an abnormal response of diastolic blood pressure during treadmill exercise stress testing correlated with the number of obstructed vessels and with left ventricular systolic function in patients with coronary artery disease. DESIGN--Diastolic blood pressure was measured invasively during exercise stress testing and coronary angiograms and left ventriculograms were obtained at rest in patients with coronary artery disease. The abnormal (> or = 15 mm Hg) diastolic blood pressure response was compared with the number of obstructed coronary arteries and with left ventricular systolic function. SETTING--Two tertiary referral centres. PATIENTS--50 consecutive patients (mean age 57 years) with coronary artery disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--The increase in diastolic blood pressure during exercise and its correlation with the appearance and disappearance of ST segment deviation, resting left ventricular systolic function, and the number of obstructed coronary arteries. RESULTS--Group 1: 10 (20%) patients (three with one, four with two, and three with three vessel coronary artery disease) (mean (SD) age 54.7 (12) years) had an abnormal diastolic blood pressure response that appeared 1.2 (0.3) min before ST segment deviation and became normal 0.9 (0.3) min after the ST segment returned to normal. Group 2: 40 (80%) patients (12 with one, 16 with two, and 12 with three vessel coronary arteries disease) (aged 56.8 (8.2) years) had a normal diastolic blood pressure response to stress testing. The ejection fraction (46.3 (5)%) and cardiac index (2.6 (0.1) 1/min/m2) in group 1 were less than in group 2 (61.6 (4.2)% and 3.8 (0.3) 1/min/m2 respectively, p < or = 0.001). The end systolic volume was greater in group 1 than in group 2: 38.7 (0.7 ml/m2 v 28.2 (2.1) ml/m2, p < or = 0.001. CONCLUSION--In patients with coronary artery disease an abnormal increase in diastolic blood pressure during exercise stress testing correlated well with left ventricular

  12. Totally Endoscopic Coronary Artery Bypass for Anomalous Origin of Right Coronary Artery.

    PubMed

    Kuo, Chia-Cheng; Hsing, Chung-Hsi; Cheng, Bor-Chih

    2017-01-01

    Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery (ARCA) from the left Valsalva sinus is a rare but known cause of sudden cardiac death. Surgical revascularization techniques include coronary artery bypass grafting, unroofing, and reimplantation. We report 4 patients who underwent robot-assisted totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass (TECAB) for ARCA as an alternative surgical option. In 3 patients, a single aortocoronary saphenous vein bypass was performed, and in 1 patient the right internal mammary artery was used. All grafts are patent as shown by computed tomographic angiography or cardiac catheterization. We claim that totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass is feasible and safe for anomalous origin of the right coronary artery. Copyright © 2017 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Prediction model to estimate presence of coronary artery disease: retrospective pooled analysis of existing cohorts

    PubMed Central

    Genders, Tessa S S; Steyerberg, Ewout W; Nieman, Koen; Galema, Tjebbe W; Mollet, Nico R; de Feyter, Pim J; Krestin, Gabriel P; Alkadhi, Hatem; Leschka, Sebastian; Desbiolles, Lotus; Meijs, Matthijs F L; Cramer, Maarten J; Knuuti, Juhani; Kajander, Sami; Bogaert, Jan; Goetschalckx, Kaatje; Cademartiri, Filippo; Maffei, Erica; Martini, Chiara; Seitun, Sara; Aldrovandi, Annachiara; Wildermuth, Simon; Stinn, Björn; Fornaro, Jürgen; Feuchtner, Gudrun; De Zordo, Tobias; Auer, Thomas; Plank, Fabian; Friedrich, Guy; Pugliese, Francesca; Petersen, Steffen E; Davies, L Ceri; Schoepf, U Joseph; Rowe, Garrett W; van Mieghem, Carlos A G; van Driessche, Luc; Sinitsyn, Valentin; Gopalan, Deepa; Nikolaou, Konstantin; Bamberg, Fabian; Cury, Ricardo C; Battle, Juan; Maurovich-Horvat, Pál; Bartykowszki, Andrea; Merkely, Bela; Becker, Dávid; Hadamitzky, Martin; Hausleiter, Jörg; Dewey, Marc; Zimmermann, Elke; Laule, Michael

    2012-01-01

    Objectives To develop prediction models that better estimate the pretest probability of coronary artery disease in low prevalence populations. Design Retrospective pooled analysis of individual patient data. Setting 18 hospitals in Europe and the United States. Participants Patients with stable chest pain without evidence for previous coronary artery disease, if they were referred for computed tomography (CT) based coronary angiography or catheter based coronary angiography (indicated as low and high prevalence settings, respectively). Main outcome measures Obstructive coronary artery disease (≥50% diameter stenosis in at least one vessel found on catheter based coronary angiography). Multiple imputation accounted for missing predictors and outcomes, exploiting strong correlation between the two angiography procedures. Predictive models included a basic model (age, sex, symptoms, and setting), clinical model (basic model factors and diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and smoking), and extended model (clinical model factors and use of the CT based coronary calcium score). We assessed discrimination (c statistic), calibration, and continuous net reclassification improvement by cross validation for the four largest low prevalence datasets separately and the smaller remaining low prevalence datasets combined. Results We included 5677 patients (3283 men, 2394 women), of whom 1634 had obstructive coronary artery disease found on catheter based coronary angiography. All potential predictors were significantly associated with the presence of disease in univariable and multivariable analyses. The clinical model improved the prediction, compared with the basic model (cross validated c statistic improvement from 0.77 to 0.79, net reclassification improvement 35%); the coronary calcium score in the extended model was a major predictor (0.79 to 0.88, 102%). Calibration for low prevalence datasets was satisfactory. Conclusions Updated prediction models including age, sex

  14. Coronary artery disease concomitant with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

    PubMed

    Roversi, Sara; Roversi, Pietro; Spadafora, Giuseppe; Rossi, Rosario; Fabbri, Leonardo M

    2014-01-01

    Numerous epidemiologic studies have linked the presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to coronary artery disease (CAD). However, prevalence, pathological processes, clinical manifestations and therapy are still debated, as progress towards uncovering the link between these two disorders has been hindered by the complex nature of multimorbidity. Articles targeting CAD in patients with COPD were identified from the searches of MEDLINE and EMBASE databases in July 2013. Three authors reviewed available evidence, focusing on the latest development on disease prevalence, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations and therapeutic strategies. Both clinical trial and previous reviews have been included in this work. The most accredited hypothesis asserts that the main common risk factors, that is, cigarette smoke and ageing, elicit a chronic low-grade systemic inflammatory response, which affects both cardiovascular endothelial cells and airways/lung parenchyma. The development of CAD in patients with COPD potentiates the morbidity of COPD, leading to increased hospitalizations, mortality and health costs. Moreover, correct diagnosis is challenging and therapies are not clearly defined. Evidence from recently published articles highlights the importance of multimorbidity in patient management and future research. Moreover, many authors emphasize the importance of low-grade systemic inflammation as a common pathological mechanism and a possible future therapeutic target. © 2013 Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Cyanotic congenital heart disease and coronary artery atherogenesis.

    PubMed

    Fyfe, Alistair; Perloff, Joseph K; Niwa, Koichiro; Child, John S; Miner, Pamela D

    2005-07-15

    Hypoxemic erythrocytotic residents of high altitudes lack coronary atherosclerosis and have low cholesterol levels. It was postulated that hypoxemic erythrocytotic adults with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD) might be analogous. The incidence of coronary atherosclerosis in this patient population has not been established, and hypocholesterolemia has not previously been recognized. Accordingly, 279 patients were divided into 4 groups: group A: 143 cyanotic patients not operated on (54 men and 89 women, aged 18 to 69 years); group B: 47 cyanotic patients (28 men and 19 women rendered acyanotic by operation at age 22 to 69 years); group C: 41 acyanotic patients not operated on (22 men and 19 women, aged 22 to 75 years); and group D: 48 patients acyanotic before and after operation (24 men and 24 women, aged 21 to 70 years). Coronary arteries were studied angiographically in 59 patients and at necropsy in 5 subjects aged 37 to 56 years. Total cholesterol was <160 mg/dl in 58% of group A, 52% of group B, 10% of group C, and 12% of group D (p <0.000001, chi-square analysis). Angiograms disclosed dilated coronary arteries without obstruction. Necropsy disclosed ectatic coronary arteries with structural abnormalities of the media. In conclusion, this study provides the first quantitative and qualitative data on antiatherogenic changes in lipoproteins in adults with CCHD. The coronary arteries are atheroma free because hypocholesterolemia acts in concert with the antiatherogenic properties of upregulated nitric oxide, hyperbilirubinemia, hypoxemia, and low platelet counts. The persistence of hypocholesterolemia after the surgical elimination of cyanosis suggests a genetic determinant.

  16. Single left coronary artery with separate origins of proximal and distal right coronary arteries from left anterior descending and circumflex arteries--a previously undescribed coronary circulation.

    PubMed

    Kaul, Pankaj; Javangula, Kalyana

    2007-04-20

    A single left coronary artery with right coronary artery arising from either left main stem (LMS) or left anterior descending artery (LAD) or circumflex artery (Cx) is an extremely rare coronary anomaly. This is the first report of separate origins of proximal and distal RCA from LAD and circumflex arteries respectively in a patient with a single left coronary artery. This 57 year old patient presented with unstable angina and severe stenotic disease of LAD and Cx arteries and underwent urgent successful quadruple coronary artery bypass grafting. The anomalies of right coronary artery in terms of their origin, number and distribution are reviewed.

  17. Burden of hospital admission and repeat angiography in angina pectoris patients with and without coronary artery disease: a registry-based cohort study.

    PubMed

    Jespersen, Lasse; Abildstrom, Steen Z; Hvelplund, Anders; Madsen, Jan K; Galatius, Soren; Pedersen, Frants; Hojberg, Soren; Prescott, Eva

    2014-01-01

    To evaluate risk of hospitalization due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and repeat coronary angiography (CAG) in stable angina pectoris (SAP) with no obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) versus obstructive CAD, and asymptomatic reference individuals. We followed 11,223 patients with no prior CVD having a first-time CAG in 1998-2009 due to SAP symptoms and 5,695 asymptomatic reference individuals from the Copenhagen City Heart Study through registry linkage for 7.8 years (median). In recurrent event survival analysis, patients with SAP had 3-4-fold higher risk of hospitalization for CVD irrespective of CAG findings and cardiovascular comorbidity. Multivariable adjusted hazard ratios(95%CI) for patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries was 3.0(2.5-3.5), for angiographically diffuse non-obstructive CAD 3.9(3.3-4.6) and for 1-3-vessel disease 3.6-4.1(range)(all P<0.001). Mean accumulated hospitalization time was 3.5(3.0-4.0)(days/10 years follow-up) in reference individuals and 4.5(3.8-5.2)/7.0(5.4-8.6)/6.7(5.2-8.1)/6.1(5.2-7.4)/8.6(6.6-10.7) in patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries/angiographically diffuse non-obstructive CAD/1-, 2-, and 3-vessel disease, respectively (all P<0.05, age-adjusted). SAP symptoms predicted repeat CAG with multivariable adjusted hazard ratios for patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries being 2.3(1.9-2.9), for angiographically diffuse non-obstructive CAD 5.5(4.4-6.8) and for obstructive CAD 6.6-9.4(range)(all P<0.001). Patients with SAP symptoms and angiographically normal coronary arteries or angiographically diffuse non-obstructive CAD suffer from considerably greater CVD burdens in terms of hospitalization for CVD and repeat CAG compared with asymptomatic reference individuals even after adjustment for cardiac risk factors and exclusion of cardiovascular comorbidity as cause. Contrary to common perception, excluding obstructive CAD by CAG in such patients does not ensure a benign

  18. Diagnostic Accuracy of CT Coronary Angiography According to Pretest Probability of Coronary Artery Disease and Severity of Coronary Arterial Calcification: The CorE-64 International, Multicenter Study

    PubMed Central

    Arbab-Zadeh, Armin; Miller, Julie M; Rochitte, Carlos E; Dewey, Marc; Niinuma, Hiroyuki; Gottlieb, Ilan; Paul, Narinder; Clouse, Melvin E.; Shapiro, Edward P.; Hoe, John; Lardo, Albert C.; Bush, David E.; de Roos, Albert; Cox, Christopher; Brinker, Jeffrey; Lima, Joăo A. C.

    2012-01-01

    Objectives Assess the impact of patient population characteristics on accuracy by CT angiography (CTA) to detect obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Background The ability of CTA to exclude obstructive CAD in patients of different pretest probabilities and in presence of coronary calcification remains uncertain. Methods For the CorE-64 study 371 patients underwent CTA and cardiac catheterization for the detection of obstructive CAD defined as 50% or greater luminal stenosis by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA). This analysis includes 80 initially excluded patients with a calcium score ≥ 600. Area under the receiver-operating-characteristics curve (AUC) was used to evaluate CTA diagnostic accuracy compared to QCA in patients according to calcium score and pretest probability of CAD. Results Analysis of patient-based quantitative CTA accuracy revealed an AUC of 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.90-0.95). AUC remained 0.93 (0.90-0.96) after excluding patients with known CAD but decreased to 0.81 (0.71-0.89) in patients with calcium score ≥ 600 (p=0.077). While AUC were similar (0.93, 0.92, and 0.93, respectively) for patients with intermediate, high pretest probability for CAD, and known CAD, negative predictive values were different: 0.90, 0.83, and 0.50, respectively. Negative predictive values decreased from 0.93 to 0.75 for patients with calcium score < or ≥ 100, respectively (p= 0.053). Conclusions Both pretest probability for CAD and coronary calcium scoring should be considered before using CTA for excluding obstructive CAD. CTA is less effective for this purpose in patients with calcium score ≥ 600 and in patients with a high pretest probability for obstructive CAD. PMID:22261160

  19. Coronary artery fistula

    MedlinePlus

    Congenital heart defect - coronary artery fistula; Birth defect heart - coronary artery fistula ... attaches to one of the chambers of the heart (the atrium or ventricle) or another blood vessel ( ...

  20. Regional Coronary Endothelial Function is Closely Related to Local Early Coronary Atherosclerosis in Patients with Mild Coronary Artery Disease: A Pilot Study

    PubMed Central

    Hays, Allison G.; Kelle, Sebastian; Hirsch, Glenn A.; Soleimanifard, Sahar; Yu, Jing; Agarwal, Harsh K.; Gerstenblith, Gary; Schär, Michael; Stuber, Matthias; Weiss, Robert G.

    2012-01-01

    Background Coronary endothelial function (endoFx) is abnormal in patients with established coronary artery disease (CAD) and was recently shown by MRI to relate to the severity of luminal stenosis. Recent advances in MRI now allow the non-invasive assessment of both anatomic and functional (endoFx) changes that previously required invasive studies. We tested the hypothesis that abnormal coronary endoFx is related to measures of early atherosclerosis such as increased coronary wall thickness (CWT). Methods and Results Seventeen arteries in fourteen healthy adults and seventeen arteries in fourteen patients with non-obstructive CAD were studied. To measure endoFx, coronary MRI was performed before and during isometric handgrip exercise, an endothelial-dependent stressor and changes in coronary cross-sectional area (CSA) and flow were measured. Black blood imaging was performed to quantify CWT and other indices of arterial remodeling. The mean stress-induced change in CSA was significantly higher in healthy adults (13.5%±12.8%, mean±SD, n=17) than in those with mildly diseased arteries (-2.2±6.8%, p<0.0001, n=17). Mean CWT was lower in healthy subjects (0.9±0.2mm) than in CAD patients (1.4±0.3mm, p<0.0001). In contrast to healthy subjects, stress-induced changes in CSA, a measure of coronary endoFx, correlated inversely with CWT in CAD patients (r= -0.73, p=0.0008). Conclusions There is an inverse relationship between coronary endothelial function and local CWT in CAD patients but not in healthy adults. These findings demonstrate that local endothelial-dependent functional changes are related to the extent of early anatomic atherosclerosis in mildly diseased arteries. This combined MRI approach enables the anatomic and functional investigation of early coronary disease. PMID:22492483

  1. Multiple Giant Coronary Artery Aneurysms

    PubMed Central

    Marla, Rammohan; Ebel, Rachel; Crosby, Marcus; Almassi, G. Hossein

    2009-01-01

    Coronary artery aneurysms are rare, and giant coronary artery aneurysms are even rarer. We describe a patient who had giant coronary aneurysms of the right, left circumflex, and left anterior descending coronary arteries. The aneurysms were successfully treated with surgical intervention. To the best of our knowledge, ours is the 1st report of giant aneurysms involving all 3 major coronary arteries. PMID:19568397

  2. Single coronary artery with bicuspid aortic valve stenosis and aneurysm of the ascending aorta: report of a case.

    PubMed

    Ishida, Narihiro; Shimabukuro, Katsuya; Matsuno, Yukihiro; Ogura, Hiroki; Takemura, Hirofumi

    2014-03-01

    A 73-year-old man with a severely stenosed bicuspid valve and an aneurysm of the ascending aorta underwent valve and aortic surgery. Preoperative imaging revealed a single coronary artery arising from the right side of the sinus of Valsalva and a branch that perfused into the left side of the heart to pass through the front of the pulmonary artery. We replaced the aortic valve and ascending aorta, painstakingly avoiding damage to the coronary artery and obstruction of the sole coronary ostium.

  3. [Endarterectomy of the coronary arteries].

    PubMed

    Fischer, V; Simkovic, I; Holoman, M; Verchvodko, P; Janotík, P; Galbánek, J; Hulman, M; Kostelnicák, J; Jurco, R; Slezák, J

    1992-02-01

    The authors analyze 50 patients with endarterectomy of the coronary arteries during the periods of 1972-1974 and 1988-1990. The results of endarterectomy of the right and left coronary artery provide evidence of its justification in indicated cases whereby contrary to some departments the results of endarterectomy of the left coronary artery are comparable with endarterectomy of the right coronary artery.

  4. Prevalence and risk factors of premature coronary artery disease in patients undergoing coronary angiography in Kurdistan, Iraq.

    PubMed

    Mohammad, Ameen Mosa; Jehangeer, Hekmat Izzat; Shaikhow, Sabri Khalif

    2015-11-18

    Premature coronary artery disease (PCAD) seems to increase, particularly in developing countries. Given the lack of such studies in the country, this study examines the prevalence, associated cardiovascular risk factors, and coronary angiographic profile of the disease in Iraq. Data was collected from a total of 445 adult patients undergoing coronary angiography at Duhok Heart Center, Kurdistan in a period between March and September 2014. Patients were divided into PCAD (male <45 years and female < 55 years) and mature coronary artery disease (MCAD). The prevalence of the angiographically documented PCAD was 31 %. The PCAD had higher rates of hyperlipidemia (p = 0.04), positive family history of coronary artery disease (p = 0.002), type A lesions (p = 0.02), single vessel disease (p = 0.01) and medical treatment (p = 0.01) than the MCAD. Logistic regression model indicated that male sex (OR 3.38, C.I 1.96-7.22), smoking (OR 2.08, C.I 1.05-4.12), hypertension (OR 1.58, C.I 1.25-2.03), hyperlipidemia (OR 1.89, C.I 1.17-2.42) and positive family history of coronary artery disease (OR 2.62, C.I 1.38-9.54) were associated with the PCAD. Sensitivity analysis showed highest specificity (94.2 %) and positive predictive value (96.5 %) in patients with coronary stenosis >70 % compared to lesser obstruction. Premature coronary artery disease is alarming  in the country. Cardiovascular risk factors are clustered among them. But the angiographic profile and therapeutic options of PCAD are close to those reported from previous studies.

  5. Arterial switch: translocation of the intramural coronary artery.

    PubMed

    Asou, T; Karl, T R; Pawade, A; Mee, R B

    1994-02-01

    Translocation of an intramural coronary artery is one of the most challenging problems in anatomic correction of transposition of the great arteries. Of 259 patients undergoing arterial switch procedure for transposition of the great arteries in our hospital, 12 (4.6%) were found to have intramural coronary arteries. The diagnosis was made intraoperatively in all patients. There were five different types of intramural coronary anatomy noted, with ostial stenosis present in half. The operative technique consisted of detachment of the posterior commissure of the aortic valve and unroofing of the intramural segment of the coronary artery by excision of a triangular portion of internal aortic wall. The coronary arteries were excised as a single disc, which was divided into two cuffs. The arterial switch was then performed in the usual fashion. The posterior commissure of the aortic valve was resuspended to the pericardial patch used to reconstruct the neopulmonary artery sinus. There were no operative or late deaths over a follow-up of 328 patient-months. Postoperatively, no patient showed ischemic changes on electrocardiogram or abnormal wall motion on echocardiogram. We believe that intramural coronary arteries can be managed satisfactorily with this technique, and that arterial switch will be possible in all cases.

  6. New congenital coronary artery anomaly - double supply of single left anterior descending coronary artery from the left and right coronary sinuses: a case report.

    PubMed

    Daralammouri, Yunis; Ghannam, Malik; Lauer, Bernward

    2016-08-02

    A normal anatomy of coronary arteries is important to have adequate cardiac muscle blood supply especially during extraneous physical activities. This case report describes a rare coronary anomaly in which the accessory coronary artery arose from the right coronary artery, reentered the left anterior descending coronary artery, and then ran as a single vessel. We present a case of a coronary anomaly in a 47-year-old white man who presented with atypical angina. Computed tomographic angiography and coronary angiography showed a variant of dual left anterior descending coronary artery not previously described. Our patient's accessory coronary artery arose from his right coronary artery. It took an intramuscular course beneath the right ventricular outflow tract in the interventricular septal area to the anterior interventricular sulcus, giving off septal perforators that reentered his medial left anterior descending coronary artery. Both vessels ran after the anastomosis in the anterior interventricular sulcus as a single vessel. We propose that this anomaly represents a new variant of coronary artery anomaly. This coronary artery anomaly does not cause ischemia. Recognition of this coronary anomaly is important in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass graft operations.

  7. GDF-15 plasma levels in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are associated with subclinical coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Martinez, Carlos H; Freeman, Christine M; Nelson, Joshua D; Murray, Susan; Wang, Xin; Budoff, Matthew J; Dransfield, Mark T; Hokanson, John E; Kazerooni, Ella A; Kinney, Gregory L; Regan, Elizabeth A; Wells, J Michael; Martinez, Fernando J; Han, MeiLan K; Curtis, Jeffrey L

    2017-02-28

    Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), a cytokine associated with cardiovascular mortality, increases during chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations, but any role in stable COPD is unknown. We tested associations between GDF-15 and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, assessed by coronary artery calcium (CAC) score, in COPD subjects free of clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD). Cross-sectional analysis of COPD participants (GOLD stages 2-4) in the COPDGene cohort without CVD at enrollment, using baseline CAC (from non-EKG-gated chest computed tomography) and plasma GDF-15 (by custom ELISA). We used multinomial logistic modeling of GDF-15 associations with CAC, adjusting for demographics, baseline risk (calculated using the HEART: Personal Heart Early Assessment Risk Tool (Budoff et al. 114:1761-1791, 2006) score), smoking history, measures of airflow obstruction, emphysema and airway disease severity. Among 694 participants with COPD (47% women, mean age 63.6 years) mean GDF-15 was 1,304 pg/mL, and mean CAC score was 198. Relative to the lower GDF-15 tertile, higher tertiles showed bivariate association with increasing CAC score (mid tertile odds ratio [OR] 1.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29, 2.51; higher tertile OR 2.86, CI 2.04, 4.02). This association was maintained after additionally adjusting for baseline CVD risk, for co-morbidities and descriptors of COPD severity and impact, markers of cardiac stress (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, troponin T) and of inflammation (Interleukin-6), and in subgroup analysis excluding men, diabetics, current smokers or those with limited ambulation. In ever-smokers with COPD free of clinical CVD, GDF-15 contributes independently to subclinical coronary atherosclerosis. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00608764 . Registered 28 January 2008.

  8. Discriminative Power of the HEART Score for Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease in Acute Chest Pain Patients Referred for CCTA.

    PubMed

    Kolff, Adriana Q; Bom, Michiel J; Knol, Remco J J; van de Zant, Friso M; van der Zee, Petrus M; Cornel, Jan H

    2016-03-01

    To investigate the ability of the HEART score to predict the presence of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) determined by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and its ability to predict the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients referred for CCTA after emergency department (ED) presentation. From December 2011 to August 2014, 710 ED patients with chest pain who underwent CCTA within 30 days were included. The HEART score was retrospectively calculated and patients were followed for MACE, comprised of death, myocardial infarction, and revascularization. Association of CAD at CCTA in the different categories of the HEART score was analyzed using χ test. The performance of the HEART score in discriminating between those with and without obstructive CAD was evaluated by receiver operating characteristics. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess MACE-free survival stratified by HEART-score categories. During median follow-up of 826 days (interquartile range: 563-1056), MACE occurred in 46 (6.5%) patients; 3 (0.4%) myocardial infarction, 8 (1.1%) death, and 36 (5.1%) revascularizations. A low HEART score was a significant predictor for MACE-free survival (P = 0.010). CCTA revealed obstructive CAD in 11.7% of patients, with no significant difference between patients with a low and intermediate/high HEART score, respectively 10.7% and 13.2% (P = 0.29). The ability of the HEART score to identify obstructive CAD was poor with an AUC of the receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.53. The HEART score does not adequately identify patients with obstructive CAD at CCTA. It does however predict occurrence of MACE in medium-term follow-up. Excluding patients from additional testing based solely on a low HEART score may lead to suboptimal patient management. CCTA had important implications on patient management and may be a more appropriate tool to further stratify risk in ED chest pain patients.

  9. Diagnostic power of longitudinal strain at rest for the detection of obstructive coronary artery disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

    PubMed

    Zuo, Houjuan; Yan, Jiangtao; Zeng, Hesong; Li, Wenyu; Li, Pengcheng; Liu, Zhengxiang; Cui, Guanglin; Lv, Jiagao; Wang, Daowen; Wang, Hong

    2015-01-01

    Global longitudinal strain (GLS) measured by 2-D speckle-tracking echocardiography (2-D STE) at rest has been recognized as a sensitive parameter in the detection of significant coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the diagnostic power of 2-D STE in the detection of significant CAD in patients with diabetes mellitus is unknown. Two-dimensional STE features were studied in total of 143 consecutive patients who underwent echocardiography and coronary angiography. Left ventricular global and segmental peak systolic longitudinal strains (PSLSs) were quantified by speckle-tracking imaging. In the presence of obstructive CAD (defined as stenosis ≥75%), global PSLS was significantly lower in patients with diabetes mellitus than in patients without (16.65 ± 2.29% vs. 17.32 ± 2.27%, p < 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that global PSLS could effectively detect obstructive CAD in patients without diabetes mellitus (cutoff value: -18.35%, sensitivity: 78.8%, specificity: 77.5%). However, global PSLS could detect obstructive CAD in diabetic patients at a lower cutoff value with inadequate sensitivity and specificity (cutoff value: -17.15%; sensitivity: 61.1%, specificity: 52.9%). In addition, the results for segmental PSLS were similar to those for global PSLS. In conclusion, global and segmental PSLSs at rest were significantly lower in patients with both obstructive CAD and diabetes mellitus than in patients with obstructive CAD only; thus, PSLSs at rest might not be a useful parameter in the detection of obstructive CAD in patients with diabetes mellitus. Copyright © 2015 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. The Role of a Coronary Artery Calcium Scan in Type 1 Diabetes

    PubMed Central

    Eaton, R. Philip; Schade, David S.

    2016-01-01

    Abstract The coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan has recently emerged as a reproducible noninvasive test to detect asymptomatic atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. It has several advantages over the traditional cardiac stress testing modalities, including lower cost, greater sensitivity for nonobstructing coronary artery lesions, and excellent prognostic value when combined with the Framingham risk parameters. Its chief disadvantage is that it does not identify obstructing coronary artery lesions or noncalcified coronary artery plaque. A CAC scan utilizes a chest computed tomogram and computer software to calculate the amount of calcium in the four main coronary vessels. Calcium is deposited in coronary plaques so that the greater the calcium score, the greater the plaque burden. This, in turn, is the basis for predicting a 10–15-year risk of a cardiovascular event. Individuals with a zero calcium score have a very low 10-year risk of a cardiovascular event. Obtaining a calcium score in a diabetic patient permits rational decisions for prescribing statin therapy. In patients with a zero score, the initiation of statin therapy is not recommended because the 5-year incidence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is so low. In patients with diabetes, it is recommended to repeat the calcium scan in 4–5 years to permit timely therapy in the event that the score becomes positive. Since statins mildly increase coronary calcium as part of the stabilization of plaque, a reduction in the calcium score should not be anticipated. However, progression of the calcium score by more than 15%/year (calculated from a repeat CAC scan) provides additional prognostic information of an indication of progression of atherosclerosis. In summary, the coronary calcium score is a major clinical advance for noninvasively detecting coronary artery disease and managing antiatherosclerotic therapy in type 1 diabetes. PMID:27585206

  11. Unique antibody responses to malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde (MAA)-protein adducts predict coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Anderson, Daniel R; Duryee, Michael J; Shurmur, Scott W; Um, John Y; Bussey, Walter D; Hunter, Carlos D; Garvin, Robert P; Sayles, Harlan R; Mikuls, Ted R; Klassen, Lynell W; Thiele, Geoffrey M

    2014-01-01

    Malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde adducts (MAA) have been implicated in atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of MAA in atherosclerotic disease. Serum samples from controls (n = 82) and patients with; non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), (n = 40), acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (n = 42), or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery due to obstructive multi-vessel CAD (n = 72), were collected and tested for antibody isotypes to MAA-modifed human serum albumin (MAA-HSA). CAD patients had elevated relative levels of IgG and IgA anti-MAA, compared to control patients (p<0.001). AMI patients had a significantly increased relative levels of circulating IgG anti-MAA-HSA antibodies as compared to stable angina (p<0.03) or CABG patients (p<0.003). CABG patients had significantly increased relative levels of circulating IgA anti-MAA-HSA antibodies as compared to non-obstructive CAD (p<0.001) and AMI patients (p<0.001). Additionally, MAA-modified proteins were detected in the tissue of human AMI lesions. In conclusion, the IgM, IgG and IgA anti-MAA-HSA antibody isotypes are differentially and significantly associated with non-obstructive CAD, AMI, or obstructive multi-vessel CAD and may serve as biomarkers of atherosclerotic disease.

  12. Unique Antibody Responses to Malondialdehyde-Acetaldehyde (MAA)-Protein Adducts Predict Coronary Artery Disease

    PubMed Central

    Anderson, Daniel R.; Duryee, Michael J.; Shurmur, Scott W.; Um, John Y.; Bussey, Walter D.; Hunter, Carlos D.; Garvin, Robert P.; Sayles, Harlan R.; Mikuls, Ted R.; Klassen, Lynell W.; Thiele, Geoffrey M.

    2014-01-01

    Malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde adducts (MAA) have been implicated in atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of MAA in atherosclerotic disease. Serum samples from controls (n = 82) and patients with; non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), (n = 40), acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (n = 42), or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery due to obstructive multi-vessel CAD (n = 72), were collected and tested for antibody isotypes to MAA-modifed human serum albumin (MAA-HSA). CAD patients had elevated relative levels of IgG and IgA anti-MAA, compared to control patients (p<0.001). AMI patients had a significantly increased relative levels of circulating IgG anti-MAA-HSA antibodies as compared to stable angina (p<0.03) or CABG patients (p<0.003). CABG patients had significantly increased relative levels of circulating IgA anti-MAA-HSA antibodies as compared to non-obstructive CAD (p<0.001) and AMI patients (p<0.001). Additionally, MAA-modified proteins were detected in the tissue of human AMI lesions. In conclusion, the IgM, IgG and IgA anti-MAA-HSA antibody isotypes are differentially and significantly associated with non-obstructive CAD, AMI, or obstructive multi-vessel CAD and may serve as biomarkers of atherosclerotic disease. PMID:25210746

  13. Feasibility of recanalization of human coronary arteries using high-intensity ultrasound.

    PubMed

    Ernst, A; Schenk, E A; Woodlock, T J; Alliger, H; Gottlieb, S; Child, S Z; Meltzer, R S

    1994-01-15

    To investigate the feasibility of ultrasonic recanalization of obstructed human coronary arteries in vitro, high-intensity ultrasound was applied to 16 coronary arteries obtained at autopsy, using a prototype instrument enabling insonification through a catheter tip. It was a 119 cm long, 0.95 mm thick wire in an 8Fr catheter connected to an external ultrasonic transformer and power generator. A 5 MHz phased-array 2-dimensional echocardiography instrument was used to determine minimal luminal diameter and percent diameter narrowing before and after ultrasound application. The ultrasonic energy was delivered at 21.5 kHz and with a 52 +/- 19 micrometer average amplitude of tip displacement. The mean percent luminal diameter narrowing, flow rate and mean pressure gradient before ultrasound exposure were 74 +/- 11%, 97 +/- 61 ml/min, and 92 +/- 18 mm Hg, respectively. After recanalization, the mean percent luminal diameter narrowing decreased to 45 +/- 17% (p < 0.001), the mean flow rate increased to 84 +/- 92 ml/min (p < 0.001), and the mean pressure gradient was reduced to 45 +/- 24 mm Hg (p < 0.001). Of the debris particles, 95% had a diameter < 9 microns (range 5 to 12). Arterial perforation occurred in 5 of 16 arteries (31%) and all 5 occurred due to stiff wire manipulation and without ultrasound application. Mechanical fracture of the wire occurred in 8 cases (50%). No signs of thermal injury were found on histology. Thus, ultrasonic recanalization of human coronary arteries in vitro is feasible. It may reduce obstruction and improve blood flow. Debris sizes are sufficiently small to minimize the hazard of peripheral embolization.

  14. Anomalous origin of right coronary artery from left coronary sinus.

    PubMed

    Hamzeh, Gadah; Crespo, Alex; Estarán, Rafael; Rodríguez, Miguel A; Voces, Roberto; Aramendi, José I

    2008-08-01

    Anomalous aortic origin of the coronary arteries is uncommon but clinically significant. Manifestations vary from asymptomatic patients to those who present with angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, heart failure, syncope, arrhythmias, and sudden death. We describe 4 patients, aged 34 to 59 years, who were diagnosed with right coronary artery arising from the left sinus of Valsalva, confirmed by coronary angiography, which was surgically repaired. Three patients presented dyspnea and angina, and one with acute myocardial infarction. At operation, the right coronary artery was dissected at the take-off from the intramural course, and reimplanted into the right sinus of Valsalva. There was no mortality. One patient had associated coronary artery disease that required stent placement postoperatively. This reimplantation technique provides a good physiological and anatomical repair, eliminates a slit-like ostium, avoids compression of the coronary artery between the aorta and the pulmonary artery, and gives superior results to coronary artery bypass grafting or the unroofing technique.

  15. Incremental value of the CT coronary calcium score for the prediction of coronary artery disease

    PubMed Central

    Genders, Tessa S. S.; Pugliese, Francesca; Mollet, Nico R.; Meijboom, W. Bob; Weustink, Annick C.; van Mieghem, Carlos A. G.; de Feyter, Pim J.

    2010-01-01

    Objectives: To validate published prediction models for the presence of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with new onset stable typical or atypical angina pectoris and to assess the incremental value of the CT coronary calcium score (CTCS). Methods: We searched the literature for clinical prediction rules for the diagnosis of obstructive CAD, defined as ≥50% stenosis in at least one vessel on conventional coronary angiography. Significant variables were re-analysed in our dataset of 254 patients with logistic regression. CTCS was subsequently included in the models. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was calculated to assess diagnostic performance. Results: Re-analysing the variables used by Diamond & Forrester yielded an AUC of 0.798, which increased to 0.890 by adding CTCS. For Pryor, Morise 1994, Morise 1997 and Shaw the AUC increased from 0.838 to 0.901, 0.831 to 0.899, 0.840 to 0.898 and 0.833 to 0.899. CTCS significantly improved model performance in each model. Conclusions: Validation demonstrated good diagnostic performance across all models. CTCS improves the prediction of the presence of obstructive CAD, independent of clinical predictors, and should be considered in its diagnostic work-up. PMID:20559838

  16. Absent right coronary artery: A case of single coronary artery or congenital ostial atresia?

    PubMed

    Gupta, Mohit D; Girish, M P; Vignesh, Vickram; Narang, Poonam; Trehan, Vijay; Tyagi, Sanjay

    2015-12-01

    Atresia of the right coronary artery ostium is a rare anatomic variant of the coronary circulation. It is often difficult to differentiate from single coronary artery. Its presence unassociated with any other anomaly has never been described in an adult individual. We report this unusual anomaly and discuss its anatomical and pathophysiological significance and possible ways to differentiate from single coronary artery. Copyright © 2015 Cardiological Society of India. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Coronary artery dimensions in normal Indians.

    PubMed

    Raut, Barendra Kumar; Patil, Vijaysinh Namdeo; Cherian, George

    Diameter of coronary artery is an important predictor of outcome after percutaneous coronary interventions and coronary artery bypass graft surgery. There is very limited data available about coronary artery dimensions in an Indian population. To study the normal dimensions of the coronary artery segments in Indians without coronary artery disease by using quantitative coronary angiography and also to compare the dimensions in Indians with Western. 229 patients who have undergone coronary angiography with entirely normal coronary angiogram were included in our study. This study showed the diameter of vessels in males and females when taken together the left main was larger in size followed by proximal LAD, proximal RCA & proximal LCX respectively (4.08±0.44mm, 3.27±0.23mm, 3.20±0.37mm, 2.97±0.37mm).When the vessel diameter was indexed to body surface area there was no statistical difference between male and female (p value>0.05). The computed value of proximal coronary artery diameter unadjusted for individual body surface area, when compared to Caucasians showed that Caucasians have larger coronary artery dimensions than Indians. But when the proximal vessel diameter was indexed to body surface area there was no statistical significant difference between Indians and Caucasians (p value>0.05). We found that coronary artery size when indexed to body surface area is not statistically different in Indian males and females and compared to Caucasians. However with a smaller body habitus Indians have smaller coronary arteries. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  18. Coronary artery anomalies in Turner Syndrome.

    PubMed

    Viuff, Mette H; Trolle, Christian; Wen, Jan; Jensen, Jesper M; Nørgaard, Bjarne L; Gutmark, Ephraim J; Gutmark-Little, Iris; Mortensen, Kristian H; Gravholt, Claus Højbjerg; Andersen, Niels H

    Congenital heart disease, primarily involving the left-sided structures, is often seen in patients with Turner Syndrome. Moreover, a few case reports have indicated that coronary anomalies may be more prevalent in Turner Syndrome than in the normal population. We therefore set out to systematically investigate coronary arterial anatomy by computed tomographic coronary angiography (coronary CTA) in Turner Syndrome patients. Fifty consecutive women with Turner Syndrome (mean age 47 years [17-71]) underwent coronary CTA. Patients were compared with 25 gender-matched controls. Coronary anomaly was more frequent in patients with Turner Syndrome than in healthy controls [20% vs. 4% (p = 0.043)]. Nine out of ten abnormal cases had an anomalous left coronary artery anatomy (absent left main trunk, n = 7; circumflex artery originating from the right aortic sinus, n = 2). One case had a tubular origin of the right coronary artery above the aortic sinus. There was no correlation between the presence of coronary arterial anomalies and karyotype, bicuspid aortic valve, or other congenital heart defects. Coronary anomalies are highly prevalent in Turner Syndrome. The left coronary artery is predominantly affected, with an absent left main coronary artery being the most common anomaly. No hemodynamically relevant coronary anomalies were found. Copyright © 2016 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. All rights reserved.

  19. Do Indo-Asians have smaller coronary arteries?

    PubMed

    Lip, G Y; Rathore, V S; Katira, R; Watson, R D; Singh, S P

    1999-08-01

    There is a widespread belief that coronary arteries are smaller in Indo-Asians. The aim of the present study was to compare the size of atheroma-free proximal and distal epicardial coronary arteries of Indo-Asians and Caucasians. We analysed normal coronary angiograms from 77 Caucasians and 39 Indo-Asians. The two groups were comparable for dominance of the coronary arteries. Indo-Asian patients had generally smaller coronary arteries, with a statistically significant difference in the mean diameters of the left main coronary artery, proximal, mid and left anterior descending, and proximal and distal right coronary artery segments. There was a non-significant trend towards smaller coronary artery segment diameters for the distal left anterior descending, proximal and distal circumflex, and obtuse marginal artery segments. However, after correction for body surface area, none of these differences in size were statistically significant. Thus, the smaller coronary arteries in Indo-Asian patients were explained by body size alone and were not due to ethnic origin per se. This finding nevertheless has important therapeutic implications, since smaller coronary arteries may give rise to technical difficulties during bypass graft and intervention procedures such as percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, stents and atherectomy. On smaller arteries, atheroma may also give an impression of more severe disease than on larger diameter arteries.

  20. Early Results of Coronary Endarterectomy Combined with Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients with Diffused Coronary Artery Disease

    PubMed Central

    Chi, Li-Qun; Zhang, Jian-Qun; Kong, Qing-Yu; Xiao, Wei; Liang, Lin; Chen, Xin-Liang

    2015-01-01

    Background: It is still a challenge for the cardiac surgeons to achieve adequate revascularization for diffused coronary artery disease (CAD). Coronary endarterectomy (CE) offers an alternative choice of coronary artery reconstruction and revascularization. In this study, short-term result of CE combined with coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) was discussed in the treatment for the diffused CAD. Methods: From January 2012 to April 2014, 221 cases of CABG were performed by the same surgeon in our unit. Among these cases, 38 cases of CE + CABG were performed, which was about 17.2% (38/221) of the cohort. All these patients were divided into two groups: CE + CABG group (Group A) and CABG alone group (Group B). All clinical data were compared between the two groups, and postoperative complications and in-hospital mortality were analyzed. The categorical and continuous variables were analyzed by Chi-square test and Student's t-test respectively. Results: Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and peripheral vascular disease were more common in group A. In this cohort, a total of 50 vessels were endarterectomized. Among them, CE was performed on left anterior descending artery in 11 cases, on right coronary artery in 29 cases, on diagonal artery in 3 cases, on intermediate artery in 2 cases, on obtuse marginal artery in 5 cases. There was no hospital mortality in both groups. The intro-aortic balloon pump was required in 3 cases in Group A (3/38), which was more often than that in Group B (3/183). At the time of follow-up, coronary computed tomography angiogram showed all the grafts with CE were patent (50/50). There is no cardio-related mortality in both groups. All these patients were free from coronary re-intervention. Conclusions: Coronary endarterectomy + CABG can offer satisfactory result for patients with diffused CAD in a short-term after the operation. PMID:26021501

  1. Noninvasive Imaging in Coronary Artery Disease

    PubMed Central

    Heo, Ran; Nakazato, Ryo; Kalra, Dan; Min, James K.

    2014-01-01

    Noninvasive cardiac imaging is widely used to evaluate the presence of coronary artery disease. Recently, with improvements in imaging technology, noninvasive imaging has also been used for evaluation of the presence, severity, and prognosis of coronary artery disease. Coronary CT angiography and MRI of coronary arteries provide an anatomical assessment of coronary stenosis, whereas the hemodynamic significance of a coronary artery stenosis can be assessed by stress myocardial perfusion imaging, such as SPECT/PET and stress MRI. For appropriate use of multiple imaging modalities, the strengths and limitations of each modality are discussed in this review. PMID:25234083

  2. Endothelial Cell-Derived Microparticles from Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypoxia Syndrome and Coronary Artery Disease Increase Aortic Endothelial Cell Dysfunction.

    PubMed

    Jia, Lixin; Fan, Jingyao; Cui, Wei; Liu, Sa; Li, Na; Lau, Wayne Bond; Ma, Xinliang; Du, Jie; Nie, Shaoping; Wei, Yongxiang

    2017-01-01

    Obstructive sleep apnea hypoxia syndrome (OSAHS) is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). Treatment of OSAHS improves clinical outcome in some CAD patients, but the relationship between OSAHS and CAD is complex. Microparticles (MPs) are shed by the plasma membrane by either physiologic or pathologic stimulation. In the current study, we investigated the role of MPs in the context of OSAHS. 54 patients with both suspected coronary artery stenosis and OSAHS were recruited and underwent both coronary arteriography and polysomnography. Circulating MPs were isolated and analyzed by flow cytometry. CAD+OSAHS patients exhibited greater levels of total MPs (Annexin V+), erythrocyte-derived MPs (CD235+ Annexin V+), platelet-derived MPs (CD41+ Annexin V+), and leukocyte-derived MPs (CD45+ Annexin V+) compared to CAD alone patients or control. CAD+OSAHS patients expressed the greatest level of endothelial-derived MPs of all cellular origin types (CD144+ Annexin V +). Treatment of human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) with MPs isolated from CAD+OSAHS patients markedly increased HAEC permeability (as detected by FITC-dextran), and significantly upregulated mRNA levels of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and MCP-1. OSAHS+CAD patients harbor increased levels of MPs, particularly the endothelial cell-derived subtype. When administered to HAECs, OSAHS+CAD patients MPs increase endothelial cell permeability and dysfunction. © 2017 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

  3. Accelerated collagen turnover in women with angina pectoris without obstructive coronary artery disease: An iPOWER substudy.

    PubMed

    Nielsen, Signe H; Mygind, Naja D; Michelsen, Marie M; Bechsgaard, Daria F; Suhrs, Hannah E; Genovese, Federica; Nielsen, Henning B; Brix, Susanne; Karsdal, Morten; Prescott, Eva; Kastrup, Jens

    2018-05-01

    Aim Collagens are major cardiac extracellular matrix components, known to be actively remodelled and accumulated during diffuse myocardial fibrosis. We evaluated whether accelerated collagen turnover described by neo-epitope biomarkers reflecting collagen formation and degradation separates patients with diffuse myocardial fibrosis from asymptomatic controls. Methods and results Seventy-one women with angina pectoris without significant coronary artery disease assessed by invasive coronary angiogram were included. Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) measuring circulating protein fragments in serum assessed the formation and degradation of collagen type III (Pro-C3, C3M and C3C), IV (P4NP7S and C4M), V (Pro-C5 and C5M) and VI (Pro-C6 and C6M), and degradation of collagen type I (C1M). Serum samples from 32 age-matched asymptomatic women were included as controls. Symptomatic women presented significantly elevated levels of Pro-C6, C3C, C3M, C4M and C8-C ( p < 0.0001-0.0058) and significantly decreased levels of Pro-C3, C5M and C6M ( p < 0.0001-0.041), reflecting accelerated collagen turnover and an imbalanced collagen formation and degradation compared to controls. Cardiac magnetic resonance T1 mapping was performed to determine extracellular volume fraction and thus diffuse myocardial fibrosis. A significant association was identified between C5M and extracellular volume fraction by cardiac magnetic resonance ( p = 0.01). Conclusion Women with angina pectoris, but without significant obstructive coronary artery disease, showed an imbalanced collagen turnover compared to asymptomatic controls. The examined biomarkers are tools to monitor active collagen remodelling in patients with angina pectoris, in risk of developing myocardial fibrosis.

  4. Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame count in coronary arteries without visible atherosclerosis in coronary angiography of patients with stable coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Tacoy, Gulten A; Yazici, Guliz E; Kocaman, Sinan A; Ozdemir, Murat H

    2009-06-01

    To investigate the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame count (TFC) in the coronary arteries without visible atherosclerosis in coronary angiography of patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Eighty-three patients (mean age 58+/-10, 31 [37%] males), who underwent coronary angiographic evaluation for stable angina in Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey, Cardiology clinic between 2006-2007 were enrolled. Forty patients with normal coronary arteries were defined as group I. Group II consisted of 43 patients, who have one normal coronary artery in the setting of stable CAD defined as stenoses 50% or greater in at least one major coronary artery. Coronary blood flow and microvascular perfusion was evaluated by TFC. In group II, the TFC of left anterior descending artery (LAD) in 15 patients, TFC of circumflex artery (CX) in 18 patient, and TFC of right coronary artery (RCA) in 10 patients were evaluated. In group II, the TFC of LAD (37+/-12 versus 29+/-12, p=0.015) and CX (22+/-8 versus 18+/-9, p=0.035) were significantly higher than those in group I. The TFC of RCA was similar between groups (17+/-9 versus 17+/-8, p=0.990). After the adjustment of the risk factors by multivariate regression analyses, the association between TFC and clinical characteristic was statistically non-significant. The TFC decreased in angiographically normal LAD and CX arteries in the setting of stable angina pectoris. The important predictor was CAD alone, irrespective of the clinical parameters.

  5. Exertion and acute coronary artery injury.

    PubMed

    Black, A; Black, M M; Gensini, G

    1975-12-01

    Twelve cases of myocardial infarction as related to strenuous exertion are presented with the pathological findings in several of these cases. Three cases with coronary arteriography are also presented. The pathology of coronary arteriosclerotic plaques and the vulnerability to acute injury is reviewed and discussed. It is concluded that strenuous exertion can cause acute injury to coronary artery plaques due to the unusual stressful whip-like action to which coronary arteries are subject. These injuries may initiate as cracks in the plaques or subintimal hemorrhages and proceed to coronary occlusion and ultimate myocardial infarction. With this concept in mind we use the term of "crack in the plaque" (Black's Crack in the Plaque) to account for the sudden appearance of clinical coronary artery disease appearing during or shortly after exertion, or other stressful situations in patients without previous existing evidence of clinical coronary artery disease. This could also account for exacerbation of symptoms or death occurring after exertion in previously quiescent asymptomatic known coronary artery disease subjects. This concept may explain some of the puzzling features of coronary disease.

  6. Observer variability in the assessment of CT coronary angiography and coronary artery calcium score: substudy of the Scottish COmputed Tomography of the HEART (SCOT-HEART) trial

    PubMed Central

    Williams, Michelle C; Golay, Saroj K; Hunter, Amanda; Weir-McCall, Jonathan R; Mlynska, Lucja; Dweck, Marc R; Uren, Neal G; Reid, John H; Lewis, Steff C; Berry, Colin; van Beek, Edwin J R; Roditi, Giles; Newby, David E; Mirsadraee, Saeed

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Observer variability can influence the assessment of CT coronary angiography (CTCA) and the subsequent diagnosis of angina pectoris due to coronary heart disease. Methods We assessed 210 CTCAs from the Scottish COmputed Tomography of the HEART (SCOT-HEART) trial for intraobserver and interobserver variability. Calcium score, coronary angiography and image quality were evaluated. Coronary artery disease was defined as none (<10%), mild (10–49%), moderate (50–70%) and severe (>70%) luminal stenosis and classified as no (<10%), non-obstructive (10–70%) or obstructive (>70%) coronary artery disease. Post-CTCA diagnosis of angina pectoris due to coronary heart disease was classified as yes, probable, unlikely or no. Results Patients had a mean body mass index of 29 (28, 30) kg/m2, heart rate of 58 (57, 60)/min and 62% were men. Intraobserver and interobserver agreements for the presence or absence of coronary artery disease were excellent (95% agreement, κ 0.884 (0.817 to 0.951) and good (91%, 0.791 (0.703 to 0.879)). Intraobserver and interobserver agreement for the presence or absence of angina pectoris due to coronary heart disease were excellent (93%, 0.842 (0.918 to 0.755) and good (86%, 0.701 (0.799 to 0.603)), respectively. Observer variability of calcium score was excellent for calcium scores below 1000. More segments were categorised as uninterpretable with 64-multidetector compared to 320-multidetector CTCA (10.1% vs 2.6%, p<0.001) but there was no difference in observer variability. Conclusions Multicentre multidetector CTCA has excellent agreement in patients under investigation for suspected angina due to coronary heart disease. Trial registration number NCT01149590. PMID:26019881

  7. Management of significant left main coronary disease before and after trans-apical transcatheter aortic valve replacement in a patient with severe and complex arterial disease.

    PubMed

    Paradis, Jean-Michel; George, Isaac; Kodali, Susheel

    2013-09-01

    We report the case of an 81-year-old woman with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis, extremely significant peripheral arterial disease, and obstructive coronary artery disease who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention via a transaxillary conduit immediately before a trans-apical transcatheter aortic valve replacement performed with a transfemoral device. After deployment of the transcatheter heart valve, there was a left main coronary obstruction and the patient required an emergent PCI. This multifaceted case clearly underlines the importance of a well functioning heart team including the interventional cardiologist, the cardiovascular surgeon, and the echocardiographer. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Increased Arterial Stiffness after Coronary Artery Revascularization Correlates with Serious Coronary Artery Lesions and Poor Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

    PubMed Central

    Zhu, Zhengbin; Yan, Zijun; Zhang, Lin; Du, Run; Zhu, Jinzhou; Zuo, Junli; Chu, Shaoli; Shen, Weifeng; Zhang, Ruiyan

    2014-01-01

    Objectives This study aimed to clarify the relationship between arterial stiffness and coronary artery lesions as well as their influence on long-term outcomes after coronary artery revascularization in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods A total of 205 patients who had a coronary angiography and received coronary artery revascularization on demand were enrolled and followed up for 5 years. Demographic and clinical indicators, arterial stiffness indexes, angiographic characteristics and the Gensini score (GS) were recorded at baseline. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE), including cardiac death and repeat coronary artery revascularization, that occurred during the 5 years of follow-up were also recorded. Results All indexes reflecting the degree of arterial stiffness, including PWV, C1, C2, CSBP, CDBP, AP and Aix, were significantly higher in CKD than in non-CKD patients (all p < 0.05). Patients with CKD also had a higher rate of coronary artery disease and a higher GS (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Logistic regression analysis revealed CKD to be an independent risk factor for increased arterial stiffness (OR = 2.508, 95% CI 1.308-4.808, p = 0.006). During follow-up, CKD patients with PWV >13 m/s or Aix@75 >30 had a significantly higher MACE occurrence rate after coronary artery revascularization (both p < 0.05). Conclusion These results highlight that CKD and arterial stiffness correlate with the severity of coronary artery lesions. CKD patients with impaired arterial stiffness have poor clinical outcomes, suggesting a further clinical use of the arterial stiffness index as a surrogate of worse cardiovascular prognosis in CKD than in non-CKD patients. PMID:25737692

  9. Ischemia and No Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease (INOCA): Developing Evidence-based Therapies and Research Agenda for the Next Decade

    PubMed Central

    Merz, C. Noel Bairey; Pepine, Carl J.; Walsh, Mary Norine; Fleg, Jerome L.

    2017-01-01

    The Cardiovascular Disease in Women Committee of the American College of Cardiology, in conjunction with interested parties (from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, American Heart Association, European Society of Cardiology), convened a working group to develop a consensus on the syndrome of myocardial ischemia with no obstructive coronary arteries (INOCA). In general, these patients have elevated risk for a cardiovascular event (including acute coronary syndrome, heart failure hospitalization, stroke, and repeated cardiovascular procedures) vs reference subjects, and appear to be at higher risk for development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). A subgroup of these patients also has coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) and evidence of inflammation. This document provides a summary of findings and recommendations toward the development of an integrated approach for identifying and managing patients with INOCA, and outlining knowledge gaps in the area. Working group members critically reviewed available literature and current practices for risk assessment and state-of-the-science techniques in multiple areas, with a focus on next steps needed to develop evidence-based therapies. This report presents highlights of this working group review and a summary of suggested research directions to advance this field in the next decade. PMID:28289007

  10. The External Validity of Prediction Models for the Diagnosis of Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease in Patients With Stable Chest Pain: Insights From the PROMISE Trial.

    PubMed

    Genders, Tessa S S; Coles, Adrian; Hoffmann, Udo; Patel, Manesh R; Mark, Daniel B; Lee, Kerry L; Steyerberg, Ewout W; Hunink, M G Myriam; Douglas, Pamela S

    2018-03-01

    This study sought to externally validate prediction models for the presence of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). A better assessment of the probability of CAD may improve the identification of patients who benefit from noninvasive testing. Stable chest pain patients from the PROMISE (Prospective Multicenter Imaging Study for Evaluation of Chest Pain) trial with computed tomography angiography (CTA) or invasive coronary angiography (ICA) were included. The authors assumed that patients with CTA showing 0% stenosis and a coronary artery calcium (CAC) score of 0 were free of obstructive CAD (≥50% stenosis) on ICA, and they multiply imputed missing ICA results based on clinical variables and CTA results. Predicted CAD probabilities were calculated using published coefficients for 3 models: basic model (age, sex, chest pain type), clinical model (basic model + diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and smoking), and clinical + CAC score model. The authors assessed discrimination and calibration, and compared published effects with observed predictor effects. In 3,468 patients (1,805 women; mean 60 years of age; 779 [23%] with obstructive CAD on CTA), the models demonstrated moderate-good discrimination, with C-statistics of 0.69 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.67 to 0.72), 0.72 (95% CI: 0.69 to 0.74), and 0.86 (95% CI: 0.85 to 0.88) for the basic, clinical, and clinical + CAC score models, respectively. Calibration was satisfactory although typical chest pain and diabetes were less predictive and CAC score was more predictive than was suggested by the models. Among the 31% of patients for whom the clinical model predicted a low (≤10%) probability of CAD, actual prevalence was 7%; among the 48% for whom the clinical + CAC score model predicted a low probability the observed prevalence was 2%. In 2 sensitivity analyses excluding imputed data, similar results were obtained using CTA as the outcome, whereas in those who underwent ICA the models

  11. Sex Differences in Cardiac Medication Use Post-Catheterization in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography for Stable Angina with Nonobstructive Coronary Artery Disease.

    PubMed

    Galway, Shannon; Adatia, Falisha; Grubisic, Maja; Lee, May; Daniele, Patrick; Humphries, Karin H; Sedlak, Tara L

    2017-09-01

    Treatment of patients with stable angina and nonobstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) has not been well characterized. We comparatively evaluated medication use in males and females with stable angina with no CAD, nonobstructive CAD, and obstructive CAD. We studied all patients ≥20 years old with stable angina undergoing coronary angiography in British Columbia (BC), Canada, from January 2008 to March 2010 (n = 7,535). No CAD, nonobstructive CAD, and obstructive CAD were defined as 0%, 1%-49%, and ≥50% luminal narrowing in any epicardial coronary artery, respectively. Medication use, 3 months before and 3 months following angiography, was obtained through BC PharmaNet for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), calcium channel blockers (CCBs), beta-blockers, statins, antiplatelet agents, and prescriptions for all three ACE-I/ARBs, beta-blockers, and statins (combination therapy). Following angiography, patients with no and nonobstructive CAD had significantly lower rates of prescription use of all medications, including combination therapy, than patients with obstructive CAD (p < 0.001). Use of ACE-I/ARBs, beta-blockers, statins, and combination therapy did not differ by sex, but females had higher use of CCB in all CAD groups, and clopidogrel in nonobstructive and obstructive CAD groups, compared to males. In patients with stable angina, medication use following angiography is low in nonobstructive CAD with only 58.9% prescribed a statin and 19.4% on combination therapy at 3 months. There are no important sex differences in medication use in any CAD category post-angiography. Future studies should explore methods of improving quality of care in patients with nonobstructive CAD.

  12. Coronary microvascular dysfunction equivalent to left main coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Panç, Cafer; Kocaağa, Mehmet; Erdoğan, Onur; Sarıkaya, Remzi; Umman, Sabahattin

    2017-04-01

    Coronary microvascular dysfunction, also known as cardiac syndrome X, is a clinical syndrome presenting with typical angina and evidence of myocardial ischemia in the absence of flow-limiting stenosis on coronary angiography. Of patients undergoing coronary angiography due to suspected myocardial ischemia, 50% are found to have normal or near-normal coronary arteries. Described in this case report is a patient who developed hypotension and ST segment depressions during treadmill exercise test. Left main coronary artery or multivessel disease was suspected. Coronary angiography was normal, but coronary flow reserve measurement revealed severe microvascular dysfunction.

  13. Single Coronary Artery with Aortic Regurgitation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Katsetos, Manny C.; Toce, Dale T.

    An isolated single coronary artery can be associated with normal life expectancy; however, patients are at an increased risk of sudden death. A case is reported of a 54-year-old man with several months of chest pressure with activity. On exercise Sestamibi stress testing, the patient developed a hypotensive response with no symptoms and minimal electrocardiographic changes. Nuclear scanning demonstrated reversible septal and lateral perfusion defects consistent with severe ischemia. Coronary angiography revealed a single coronary artery with the right coronary artery arising from the left main. There were high-grade stenotic lesions in the left anterior descending and circumflex arteries withmore » only moderate atherosclerotic disease in the right coronary artery. An aortogram showed 2-3+ aortic regurgitation, with an ejection fraction of 45% on ventriculography. The patient underwent four-vessel revascularization and aortic valve replacement and did well postoperatively.« less

  14. Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for an Anomalous Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery in a 73-Year-Old Female.

    PubMed

    Ishida, Narihiro; Shimabukuro, Katsuya; Ogura, Hiroki; Takemura, Hirofumi; Doi, Kiyoshi

    2016-06-01

    Anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) in adults is a rare congenital coronary abnormality. We report a case of ALCAPA in a 73-year-old female managed by total arterial revascularization. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12755 (J Card Surg 2016;31:380-382). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Coronary Artery Disease

    MedlinePlus

    Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease. It is the leading cause of death in the United States in both men and women. CAD happens when the arteries that supply blood to ...

  16. Adenosine stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance with variable-density spiral pulse sequences accurately detects coronary artery disease: initial clinical evaluation.

    PubMed

    Salerno, Michael; Taylor, Angela; Yang, Yang; Kuruvilla, Sujith; Ragosta, Michael; Meyer, Craig H; Kramer, Christopher M

    2014-07-01

    Adenosine stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance perfusion imaging can be limited by motion-induced dark-rim artifacts, which may be mistaken for true perfusion abnormalities. A high-resolution variable-density spiral pulse sequence with a novel density compensation strategy has been shown to reduce dark-rim artifacts in first-pass perfusion imaging. We aimed to assess the clinical performance of adenosine stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance using this new perfusion sequence to detect obstructive coronary artery disease. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance perfusion imaging was performed during adenosine stress (140 μg/kg per minute) and at rest on a Siemens 1.5-T Avanto scanner in 41 subjects with chest pain scheduled for coronary angiography. Perfusion images were acquired during injection of 0.1 mmol/kg Gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentacetate at 3 short-axis locations using a saturation recovery interleaved variable-density spiral pulse sequence. Significant stenosis was defined as >50% by quantitative coronary angiography. Two blinded reviewers evaluated the perfusion images for the presence of adenosine-induced perfusion abnormalities and assessed image quality using a 5-point scale (1 [poor] to 5 [excellent]). The prevalence of obstructive coronary artery disease by quantitative coronary angiography was 68%. The average sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 89%, 85%, and 88%, respectively, with a positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 93% and 79%, respectively. The average image quality score was 4.4±0.7, with only 1 study with more than mild dark-rim artifacts. There was good inter-reader reliability with a κ statistic of 0.67. Spiral adenosine stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance results in high diagnostic accuracy for the detection of obstructive coronary artery disease with excellent image quality and minimal dark-rim artifacts. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

  17. A Comparison of the Updated Diamond-Forrester, CAD Consortium, and CONFIRM History-Based Risk Scores for Predicting Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease in Patients With Stable Chest Pain: The SCOT-HEART Coronary CTA Cohort.

    PubMed

    Baskaran, Lohendran; Danad, Ibrahim; Gransar, Heidi; Ó Hartaigh, Bríain; Schulman-Marcus, Joshua; Lin, Fay Y; Peña, Jessica M; Hunter, Amanda; Newby, David E; Adamson, Philip D; Min, James K

    2018-04-13

    This study sought to compare the performance of history-based risk scores in predicting obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) among patients with stable chest pain from the SCOT-HEART study. Risk scores for estimating pre-test probability of CAD are derived from referral-based populations with a high prevalence of disease. The generalizability of these scores to lower prevalence populations in the initial patient encounter for chest pain is uncertain. We compared 3 scores among patients with suspected CAD in the coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTA) randomized arm of the SCOT-HEART study for the outcome of obstructive CAD by coronary CTA: the updated Diamond-Forrester score (UDF), CAD Consortium clinical score (CAD2), and CONFIRM risk score (CRS). We tested calibration with goodness-of-fit, discrimination with area under the receiver-operating curve (AUC), and reclassification with net reclassification improvement (NRI) to identify low-risk patients. In 1,738 patients (58 ± 10 years and 44.0% women), overall calibration was best for UDF, with underestimation by CRS and CAD2. Discrimination by AUC was highest for CAD2 at 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.77 to 0.81) than for UDF (0.77 [95% CI: 0.74 to 0.79]) or CRS (0.75 [95% CI: 0.73 to 0.77]) (p < 0.001 for both comparisons). Reclassification of low-risk patients at the 10% probability threshold was best for CAD2 (NRI 0.31, 95% CI: 0.27 to 0.35) followed by CRS (NRI 0.21, 95% CI: 0.17 to 0.25) compared with UDF (p < 0.001 for all comparisons), with a consistent trend at the 15% threshold. In this multicenter clinic-based cohort of patients with suspected CAD and uniform CAD evaluation by coronary CTA, CAD2 provided the best discrimination and classification, despite overestimation of obstructive CAD as evaluated by coronary CTA. CRS exhibited intermediate performance followed by UDF for discrimination and reclassification. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  18. Computerized analysis of coronary artery disease: Performance evaluation of segmentation and tracking of coronary arteries in CT angiograms

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhou, Chuan, E-mail: chuan@umich.edu; Chan, Heang-Ping; Chughtai, Aamer

    2014-08-15

    Purpose: The authors are developing a computer-aided detection system to assist radiologists in analysis of coronary artery disease in coronary CT angiograms (cCTA). This study evaluated the accuracy of the authors’ coronary artery segmentation and tracking method which are the essential steps to define the search space for the detection of atherosclerotic plaques. Methods: The heart region in cCTA is segmented and the vascular structures are enhanced using the authors’ multiscale coronary artery response (MSCAR) method that performed 3D multiscale filtering and analysis of the eigenvalues of Hessian matrices. Starting from seed points at the origins of the left andmore » right coronary arteries, a 3D rolling balloon region growing (RBG) method that adapts to the local vessel size segmented and tracked each of the coronary arteries and identifies the branches along the tracked vessels. The branches are queued and subsequently tracked until the queue is exhausted. With Institutional Review Board approval, 62 cCTA were collected retrospectively from the authors’ patient files. Three experienced cardiothoracic radiologists manually tracked and marked center points of the coronary arteries as reference standard following the 17-segment model that includes clinically significant coronary arteries. Two radiologists visually examined the computer-segmented vessels and marked the mistakenly tracked veins and noisy structures as false positives (FPs). For the 62 cases, the radiologists marked a total of 10191 center points on 865 visible coronary artery segments. Results: The computer-segmented vessels overlapped with 83.6% (8520/10191) of the center points. Relative to the 865 radiologist-marked segments, the sensitivity reached 91.9% (795/865) if a true positive is defined as a computer-segmented vessel that overlapped with at least 10% of the reference center points marked on the segment. When the overlap threshold is increased to 50% and 100%, the sensitivities

  19. European Society of Cardiology-Recommended Coronary Artery Disease Consortium Pretest Probability Scores More Accurately Predict Obstructive Coronary Disease and Cardiovascular Events Than the Diamond and Forrester Score: The Partners Registry.

    PubMed

    Bittencourt, Marcio Sommer; Hulten, Edward; Polonsky, Tamar S; Hoffman, Udo; Nasir, Khurram; Abbara, Suhny; Di Carli, Marcelo; Blankstein, Ron

    2016-07-19

    The most appropriate score for evaluating the pretest probability of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) is unknown. We sought to compare the Diamond-Forrester (DF) score with the 2 CAD consortium scores recently recommended by the European Society of Cardiology. We included 2274 consecutive patients (age, 56±13 years; 57% male) without prior CAD referred for coronary computed tomographic angiography. Computed tomographic angiography findings were used to determine the presence or absence of obstructive CAD (≥50% stenosis). We compared the DF score with the 2 CAD consortium scores with respect to their ability to predict obstructive CAD and the potential implications of these scores on the downstream use of testing for CAD, as recommended by current guidelines. The DF score did not satisfactorily fit the data and resulted in a significant overestimation of the prevalence of obstructive CAD (P<0.001); the CAD consortium basic score had no significant lack of fitness; and the CAD consortium clinical provided adequate goodness of fit (P=0.39). The DF score had a lower discrimination for obstructive CAD, with an area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve of 0.713 versus 0.752 and 0.791 for the CAD consortium models (P<0.001 for both). Consequently, the use of the DF score was associated with fewer individuals being categorized as requiring no additional testing (8.3%) compared with the CAD consortium models (24.6% and 30.0%; P<0.001). The proportion of individuals with a high pretest probability was 18% with the DF and only 1.1% with the CAD consortium scores (P<0.001) CONCLUSIONS: Among contemporary patients referred for noninvasive testing, the DF risk score overestimates the risk of obstructive CAD. On the other hand, the CAD consortium scores offered improved goodness of fit and discrimination; thus, their use could decrease the need for noninvasive or invasive testing while increasing the yield of such tests. © 2016 American Heart

  20. Interesting images: Multiple coronary artery aneurysms.

    PubMed

    Howard, Jonathon M; Viswanath, Omar; Armas, Alfredo; Santana, Orlando; Rosen, Gerald P

    2017-01-01

    We present the case of a 65-year-old male who presented with stable angina and dyspnea on exertion. His initial workup yielded a positive treadmill stress test for reversible apical ischemia, and transthoracic echocardiogram demonstrated impaired systolic function. Cardiac catheterization was then performed, revealing severe atherosclerotic disease including multiple coronary artery aneurysms. As a result, the patient was advised to and subsequently underwent a coronary artery bypass graft. This case highlights the presence of multiple coronary artery aneurysms and the ability to appreciate these pathologic findings on multiple imaging modalities, including coronary angiogram, transesophageal echocardiography, and direct visualization through the surgical field.

  1. Congenital anomalous aortic origins of the coronary arteries in adults: a Tunisian coronary arteriography study.

    PubMed

    Ouali, Sana; Neffeti, Elyes; Sendid, Karim; Elghoul, Karima; Remedi, Fahmi; Boughzela, Essia

    2009-03-01

    There is a lack of Tunisian data on the frequency and clinical significance of different coronary artery anomalies. All patients who underwent coronary angiography from March 1996 to December 2006 were considered. Only patients with congenital anomalous aortic origin of the coronary artery were included. Among 7330adult patients who underwent diagnostic coronary angiography, 20 (0.27%) patients (13men; mean age 53.3years) had anomalies of the coronary artery origin. The right coronary artery was the vessel involved most frequently (n=10); it originated separately from the left sinus of Valsalva (SV) in three patients and from the posterior sinus of Valsalva in one patient. In the other patients, it arose from the left main coronary artery or its branches in a single coronary artery originating from the left sinus of Valsalva. Isolated anomalous left circumflex artery was the second most frequent anomaly (n=6). Isolated anomalous left anterior descending artery was seen in one patient. A single coronary artery arising from the right SV was seen in three patients. Atheroslerotic lesions were seen in eight cases. Four patients underwent coronary revascularization; the remainder received medical management. All 20 patients are alive and had an uneventful follow-up (mean 34.2months). In Tunisia, the incidence of congenital anomalous aortic origin of the coronary artery in adults is 0.27%. The right coronary artery is involved most frequently. Medical management seems promising.

  2. Excellent Long-Term Outcomes of the Arterial Switch Operation in Patients With Intramural Coronary Arteries.

    PubMed

    Fricke, Tyson A; Bulstra, Anne Eva; Naimo, Phillip S; Bullock, Andrew; Robertson, Terry; d'Udekem, Yves; Brizard, Christian P; Konstantinov, Igor E

    2016-02-01

    Intramural coronary arteries may complicate coronary artery transfer during the arterial switch operation. We sought to determine the long-term outcomes of 28 patients with intramural coronary arteries who underwent an arterial switch operation at a single institution. All patients who had intramural coronary arteries and underwent an arterial switch operation were identified from the hospital database and retrospectively reviewed. From 1983 to 2009, 720 patients underwent an arterial switch operation at our institution. Twenty-eight (3.9%, 28 of 720) had intramural coronary arteries. Patients with intramural coronary arteries had transposition of the great arteries (96%, n = 27) or Taussig-Bing anomaly (4%, n = 1). There were no deaths. Follow-up was 100% complete. Mean follow-up was 16.3 years (median, 15.5 years; range, 5.6 to 26.9 years). No patient required reoperation or catheter reintervention on the coronary arteries. Freedom from reoperation was 93% at 10 years. No patient had more than mild aortic regurgitation at last follow-up. Nine (32%, 9 of 28) patients had coronary angiograms at median 16 months (range, 14 months to 17 years) after arterial switch operation. All patients were asymptomatic at the time of angiogram. One patient had mild stenosis of the circumflex coronary artery demonstrated on a routine coronary angiogram 14 months postoperatively. All 28 patients were asymptomatic and in New York Heart Association functional class I at last follow-up. Patients with intramural coronary arteries are not at increased risk of death or coronary reinterventions and have excellent late outcomes after the arterial switch operation. Copyright © 2016 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. [Surgical angioplasty of the left main coronary artery].

    PubMed

    Vranes, Mile; Velinović, Milos; Kocica, Mladen; Mikić, Aleksandar; Velimirović, Dusan; Djukić, Petar

    2010-01-01

    The conventional treatment for isolated stenosis of the left main coronary artery is bypass surgery (myocardial revascularization). However, the process of atherosclerosis is not arrested by myocardial revascularization and it will lead to the occlusion of the left main coronary artery. Revascularization will establish retrograde perfusion for 50-70% of the myocardium of the left ventricle. Direct surgical angioplasty of the left main coronary artery enables normal physiological perfusion of the whole myocardium and better myocardial function. The aim of our study is to point out a new surgical approach of treating left main coronary artery stenosis. Between October 2002 and October 2003, direct surgical angioplasty of the main left coronary artery was performed on three patients with isolated stenosis of the left main coronary artery using the anterior approach and the pericardium as a patch. The procedure was performed under total endotracheal anaesthesia and standard cardiopulmonary circulation, moderate hypothermia, anterograde St. Tomas cardioplegia and local cooling. Patients were followed clinically, echocardiographically and by load-tests. All three patients were without complications. In postoperative follow-up (54-68 months) neither angina pectoris nor electrocardiographically registered ischaemic changes were found. Load-tests performed every six months on all three patients were negative. Surgical angioplasty of isolated stenosis of the left main coronary artery is a preferred method for treating this type of coronary disease. Contraindications for this type of treatment are stenosis of the left main coronary artery with bifurcation and advanced calcification of the left main coronary artery.

  4. Interesting Images: Multiple Coronary Artery Aneurysms

    PubMed Central

    Howard, Jonathon M; Viswanath, Omar; Armas, Alfredo; Santana, Orlando; Rosen, Gerald P

    2017-01-01

    We present the case of a 65-year-old male who presented with stable angina and dyspnea on exertion. His initial workup yielded a positive treadmill stress test for reversible apical ischemia, and transthoracic echocardiogram demonstrated impaired systolic function. Cardiac catheterization was then performed, revealing severe atherosclerotic disease including multiple coronary artery aneurysms. As a result, the patient was advised to and subsequently underwent a coronary artery bypass graft. This case highlights the presence of multiple coronary artery aneurysms and the ability to appreciate these pathologic findings on multiple imaging modalities, including coronary angiogram, transesophageal echocardiography, and direct visualization through the surgical field. PMID:28701599

  5. Coronary artery calcium scoring does not add prognostic value to standard 64-section CT angiography protocol in low-risk patients suspected of having coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Kwon, Sung Woo; Kim, Young Jin; Shim, Jaemin; Sung, Ji Min; Han, Mi Eun; Kang, Dong Won; Kim, Ji-Ye; Choi, Byoung Wook; Chang, Hyuk-Jae

    2011-04-01

    To evaluate the prognostic outcome of cardiac computed tomography (CT) for prediction of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in low-risk patients suspected of having coronary artery disease (CAD) and to explore the differential prognostic values of coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring and coronary CT angiography. Institutional review committee approval and informed consent were obtained. In 4338 patients who underwent 64-section CT for evaluation of suspected CAD, both CAC scoring and CT angiography were concurrently performed by using standard scanning protocols. Follow-up clinical outcome data regarding composite MACEs were procured. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were developed to predict MACEs. Risk-adjusted models incorporated traditional risk factors for CAC scoring and coronary CT angiography. During the mean follow-up of 828 days ± 380, there were 105 MACEs, for an event rate of 3%. The presence of obstructive CAD at coronary CT angiography had independent prognostic value, which escalated according to the number of stenosed vessels (P < .001). In the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, the superiority of coronary CT angiography to CAC scoring was demonstrated by a significantly greater area under the ROC curve (AUC) (0.892 vs 0.810, P < .001), whereas no significant incremental value for the addition of CAC scoring to coronary CT angiography was established (AUC = 0.892 for coronary CT angiography alone vs 0.902 with addition of CAC scoring, P = .198). Coronary CT angiography is better than CAC scoring in predicting MACEs in low-risk patients suspected of having CAD. Furthermore, the current standard multisection CT protocol (coronary CT angiography combined with CAC scoring) has no incremental prognostic value compared with coronary CT angiography alone. Therefore, in terms of determining prognosis, CAC scoring may no longer need to be incorporated in the cardiac CT protocol in this population. © RSNA, 2011.

  6. Aortic valve sclerosis as a marker of coronary artery atherosclerosis; a multicenter study of a large population with a low prevalence of coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Rossi, Andrea; Gaibazzi, Nicola; Dandale, Raje; Agricola, Eustachio; Moreo, Antonella; Berlinghieri, Nicola; Sartorio, Daniele; Loffi, Marco; De Chiara, Benedetta; Rigo, Fausto; Vassanelli, Corrado; Faggiano, Pompilio

    2014-03-15

    There are no studies analyzing the association between aortic valve sclerosis (AVS) and coronary artery disease (CAD) in a large and multicenter patient population with an overall low prevalence of CAD. We hypothesized that AVS could predict the presence and degree of CAD in patients with severe organic mitral regurgitation. We retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients with flail mitral leaflet who had coronary angiography for pre-surgical screening and not because suspect of CAD. End-points were considered: 1) any degree of CAD (stenosis>20%) and 2) obstructive CAD (stenosis>75% of at least one coronary artery). AVS was defined as focal areas of increased echogenicity and thickening of the leaflets. Traditional clinical risk factors were considered: age, male gender, hypertension (>140/90 mmHg or medical therapy), hypercholesterolemia (total cholesterol>200 mg/dl or statin), diabetes, family history of CAD and smoking habit. 675 patients (mean age: 64±12; 27% female) formed the study population. Among patients with AVS, 60% and 39% had any-CAD and ob-CAD respectively, on the opposite among patients without AVS 12% and 7% had any-CAD and ob-cad. After adjustment for clinical risk factors, AVS was associated with a 22.7 fold increased risk of any degree of CAD (95% CI 8.1 63.6 p<0.0001) and with a 21.8 fold increased risk of obstructive-CAD (95% CI 6.6 71.9; p<0.0001). In a large and multicenter sample of patient with flail mitral leaflet, AVS was strongly associated with the presence and degree of CAD independently of clinical risk factors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Two congenital coronary abnormalities affecting heart function: anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery and congenital left main coronary artery atresia.

    PubMed

    Xiao, Yanyan; Jin, Mei; Han, Ling; Ding, Wenhong; Zheng, Jianyong; Sun, Chufan; Lyu, Zhenyu

    2014-01-01

    The anomalous origin of the left coronary artery (LCA) from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) and congenital left main coronary artery atresia (CLMCA-A) are two kinds of very rare coronary heart diseases which affect heart function profoundly. This study aimed to retrospectively illustrate the clinical features and therapy experience of ALCAPA and CLMCA-A patients. From April 1984 to July 2012, in Beijing Anzhen Hospital, 23 patients were diagnosed with ALCAPA and 4 patients with CLMCA-A. We summarized the clinical data of the 27 cases and retrospectively analyzed the clinical manifestation, diagnosis, and treatments of these two kinds of congenital coronary abnormalities. The 23 patients (13 males and 10 females, aged ranging from 2.5 months to 65 years) identified with ALCAPA were classified into infantile type (age of onset younger than 12 months, 16 cases) and adult type (age of onset older than 12 months, 7 cases). Four patients were diagnosed with CLMCA-A (three males and one female, aged ranging from 3 months to 2 years). The main clinical manifestations of infantile-type ALCAPA and CLMCA-A include repeated respiratory tract infection, heart failure, dyspnea, feeding intolerance, diaphoresis, and failure to thrive. And these two congenital coronary abnormalities might be misdiagnosed as endocardial fibroelastosis, dilated cardiomyopathy, and acute myocardial infarction. As for the adult-type ALCAPA, cardiac murmurs and discomfort of the precordial area are the most common presentations and might be misdiagnosed as coronary heart disease, myocarditis, or patent ductus arteriosus. In ECG examination: Infantile-type ALCAPA and CLMCA-A showed abnormal Q waves with T wave inversion in leads I, avL, and V4-V6, especially in lead avL. However, ECG of adult-type ALCAPA lacked distinct features. In chest radiography: pulmonary congestion and cardiomegaly were the most common findings in infantile-type ALCAPA and CLMCA-A, while pulmonary artery segment dilation was more

  8. Risk score for predicting long-term mortality after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

    PubMed

    Wu, Chuntao; Camacho, Fabian T; Wechsler, Andrew S; Lahey, Stephen; Culliford, Alfred T; Jordan, Desmond; Gold, Jeffrey P; Higgins, Robert S D; Smith, Craig R; Hannan, Edward L

    2012-05-22

    No simplified bedside risk scores have been created to predict long-term mortality after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The New York State Cardiac Surgery Reporting System was used to identify 8597 patients who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery in July through December 2000. The National Death Index was used to ascertain patients' vital statuses through December 31, 2007. A Cox proportional hazards model was fit to predict death after CABG surgery using preprocedural risk factors. Then, points were assigned to significant predictors of death on the basis of the values of their regression coefficients. For each possible point total, the predicted risks of death at years 1, 3, 5, and 7 were calculated. It was found that the 7-year mortality rate was 24.2 in the study population. Significant predictors of death included age, body mass index, ejection fraction, unstable hemodynamic state or shock, left main coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, congestive heart failure, malignant ventricular arrhythmia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, renal failure, and history of open heart surgery. The points assigned to these risk factors ranged from 1 to 7; possible point totals for each patient ranged from 0 to 28. The observed and predicted risks of death at years 1, 3, 5, and 7 across patient groups stratified by point totals were highly correlated. The simplified risk score accurately predicted the risk of mortality after coronary artery bypass graft surgery and can be used for informed consent and as an aid in determining treatment choice.

  9. Coronary artery dimensions: Iranian population versus Indo-Asians and Caucasians.

    PubMed

    Ghaffari, Samad; Mehdizadeh-Lame, Mohammad-Bagher; Sepehrvand, Nariman; Aslanabadi, Naser; Sohrabi, Bahram; Separham, Ahmad; Jamshidi, Peiman

    2015-10-01

    The dimensions of the coronary arteries have been shown to vary among ethnic groups. There are no data available regarding the normal size of coronary arteries in Iranians. This study aimed to investigate normal coronary artery dimensions in a Northwestern Iranian population and to compare it with pooled data of Indo-Asians and Caucasians in previous studies. The study included 200 adults with suspected coronary disease who were referred for elective coronary angiography between June 2012 and March 2013 and were found to have normal epicardial flow in the coronary arteries. Quantitative coronary angiography was carried out on the longest atheroma-free part of the proximal segment of each coronary artery in all patients. Two Indo-Asian and Caucasian groups were selected and pooled for comparison with the available reports on individuals without coronary artery disease. The mean diameters of the left main coronary artery, proximal left anterior descending artery, proximal left circumflex, and proximal right coronary artery were 4.58 ± 0.80, 3.69 ± 0.64, 3.37 ± 0.73, and 3.47 ± 0.68 mm, respectively. The dimensions of the proximal part of the left main coronary artery and right coronary artery were significantly greater in the Northwestern Iranian population compared to the pooled Caucasian group. This difference was maintained even after correction for body surface area. Our data indicate larger coronary diameters in the Iranian population compared to Caucasians or South-Asians. Hence the high prevalence of coronary artery disease in Iran cannot be explained by coronary dimensions. © The Author(s) 2015.

  10. Coronary artery disease in the military patient.

    PubMed

    Parsons, Iain; White, S; Gill, R; Gray, H H; Rees, P

    2015-09-01

    Ischaemic heart disease is the most common cause of sudden death in the UK, and the most common cardiac cause of medical discharge from the Armed Forces. This paper reviews current evidence pertaining to the diagnosis and management of coronary artery disease from a military perspective, encompassing stable angina and acute coronary syndromes. Emphasis is placed on the limitations inherent in the management of acute coronary syndromes in the deployed environment. Occupational issues affecting patients with coronary artery disease are reviewed. Consideration is also given to the potential for coronary artery disease screening in the military, and the management of modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors, to help decrease the prevalence of coronary artery disease in the military population. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  11. Cardiac Medication Use in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction and Nonobstructive Coronary Artery Disease.

    PubMed

    Adatia, Falisha; Galway, Shannon; Grubisic, Maja; Lee, May; Daniele, Patrick; Humphries, Karin H; Sedlak, Tara L

    2017-11-01

    Patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and nonobstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) have an elevated cardiac event rate, suggesting that these patients may benefit from cardiac medication. We evaluated the rates of cardiac medication use 3 months before angiography and 3 months following clinically indicated angiography for MI in patients with no CAD, nonobstructive CAD, and obstructive CAD. We also examined the sex differences in cardiac medication use 3 months following angiography in patients by extent of angiographic CAD. We studied patients ≥20 years old with MI undergoing coronary angiography in British Columbia, Canada, from January 1, 2008, to March 31, 2010 (n = 3,841). No CAD, nonobstructive CAD, and obstructive CAD were defined as 0%, 1% to 49%, and ≥50% luminal narrowing in any epicardial coronary artery, respectively. Medication use, 3 months before and 3 months following angiography, was obtained through British Columbia PharmaNet for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-Is), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), calcium channel blockers (CCBs), beta-blockers, statins, and antiplatelet agents. Optimal medical therapy (OMT) was defined as filled prescriptions for all three: ACE-Is/ARBs, beta-blockers, and statins. Following angiography, in all medication categories except CCBs, patients with no CAD and nonobstructive CAD had significantly lower rates of prescriptions filled than patients with obstructive CAD (all p < 0.001). After adjusting for age and prior medication use, patients with nonobstructive CAD were still less likely to receive these medications than patients with obstructive CAD, including OMT with an odds ratio = 0.25 (95% confidence interval: 0.18-0.36). There were no significant sex differences in medication use 3 months postangiography. In post-MI patients, medication use following angiography is significantly lower in nonobstructive CAD than obstructive CAD at 3 months. While sex was not an

  12. Risk score elaboration for mediastinitis after coronary artery bypass grafting.

    PubMed

    Magedanz, Ellen Hettwer; Bodanese, Luiz Carlos; Guaragna, João Carlos Vieira da Costa; Albuquerque, Luciano Cabral; Martins, Valério; Minossi, Silvia Daniela; Piccoli, Jacqueline da Costa Escobar; Goldani, Marco Antônio

    2010-01-01

    The mediastinitis is a serious postoperative complication of cardiac surgery, with an incidence of 0.4 to 5% and mortality between 14 and 47%. Several models were proposed to assess risk of mediastinitis after cardiac surgery. However, most of these models do not evaluate the postoperative morbidity. This study aims to develop a score risk model to predict the risk of mediastinitis for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. The study sample included data from 2,809 adult patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting between January 1996 and December 2007 at Hospital São Lucas -PUCRS. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between risk factors and the development of mediastinitis. Data from 1,889 patients were used to develop the model and its performance was evaluated in the remaining data (n=920). The definitive model was created with the data analysis of 2,809 patients. The rate of mediastinitis was 3.3%, with mortality of 26.6%. In the multivariate analysis, five variables remained independent predictors of the outcome: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obesity, surgical reintervention, blood transfusion and stable angina class IV or unstable. The area under the ROC curve was 0.72 (95% CI, 0.67-0.78) and P = 0.61. The risk score was constructed for use in daily practice to calculate the rate of mediastinitis after coronary artery bypass grafting. The score includes routinely collected variables and is simple to use.

  13. Assessment of coronary artery stenosis pressure gradient by quantitative coronary arteriography in patients with coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Atar, D; Ramanujam, P S; Saunamäki, K; Haunsø, S

    1994-01-01

    The aim of the study described here was to correlate coronary artery (CA) stenosis pressure gradients calculated by quantitative coronary arteriography (QCA) to invasively measured transstenotic pressure drops in patients with anginal symptoms and with known or suspected coronary artery disease. Furthermore, the known mathematical models are improved by introducing (1) pressure catheter-corrected minimal stenosis area, (2) modification of flow assumptions, and (3) stenosis exit angle. Included in the study were 45 patients with 61 stenoses. The visually estimated CA lesion severity in these non-complex stenoses was in the equivocal range of 40-70%. All measurements were performed after intracoronary administration of nifedipine and nitroglycerin. Stenosis dimensions were assessed from magnified cinefilms, using hand-held calipers. Highly significant overall correlation was found between measured and calculated pressure gradients with correction for the impact of the intracoronary catheter (P < 0.00001, r = 0.84). In particular, a substantial number of stenoses with haemodynamically-insignificant pressure gradients were identified by hydrodynamic calculations. In conclusion, the great majority of the coronary artery stenoses could be classified reliably by QCA as being haemodynamically insignificant or significant, respectively.

  14. Prognostic Value of Coronary Computed Tomography Imaging in Patients at High Risk Without Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease.

    PubMed

    Dedic, Admir; Ten Kate, Gert-Jan R; Roos, Cornelis J; Neefjes, Lisan A; de Graaf, Michiel A; Spronk, Angela; Delgado, Victoria; van Lennep, Jeanine E Roeters; Moelker, Adriaan; Ouhlous, Mohamed; Scholte, Arthur J H A; Boersma, Eric; Sijbrands, Eric J G; Nieman, Koen; Bax, Jeroen J; de Feijter, Pim J

    2016-03-01

    At present, traditional risk factors are used to guide cardiovascular management of asymptomatic subjects. Intensified surveillance may be warranted in those identified as high risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aims to determine the prognostic value of coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography (CCTA) next to the coronary artery calcium score (CACS) in patients at high CVD risk without symptoms suspect for coronary artery disease (CAD). A total of 665 patients at high risk (mean age 56 ± 9 years, 417 men), having at least one important CVD risk factor (diabetes mellitus, familial hypercholesterolemia, peripheral artery disease, or severe hypertension) or a calculated European systematic coronary risk evaluation of >10% were included from outpatient clinics at 2 academic centers. Follow-up was performed for the occurrence of adverse events including all-cause mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina, or coronary revascularization. During a median follow-up of 3.0 (interquartile range 1.3 to 4.1) years, adverse events occurred in 40 subjects (6.0%). By multivariate analysis, adjusted for age, gender, and CACS, obstructive CAD on CCTA (≥50% luminal stenosis) was a significant predictor of adverse events (hazard ratio 5.9 [CI 1.3 to 26.1]). Addition of CCTA to age, gender, plus CACS, increased the C statistic from 0.81 to 0.84 and resulted in a total net reclassification index of 0.19 (p <0.01). In conclusion, CCTA has incremental prognostic value and risk reclassification benefit beyond CACS in patients without CAD symptoms but with high risk of developing CVD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Signs and Symptoms of Artery Disease | Coronary Artery Disease | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

    MedlinePlus

    ... of this page please turn Javascript on. Feature: Coronary Artery Disease Signs and Symptoms of Artery Disease Past Issues / ... a condition called coronary artery disease (CAD) or coronary heart disease (CHD) occurs. A common symptom is angina . Angina ...

  16. Diagnosis and therapy of coronary artery disease: Second edition

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cohn, P.F.

    1985-01-01

    This book contains 18 selections. Some of the titles are: Nuclear cardiology; Diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction; Therapy of angina pectoris; Psychosocial aspects of coronary artery disease; Nonatherosclerotic coronary artery disease; and The epidemiology of coronary artery disease.

  17. Management of coronary artery disease

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Safri, Z.

    2018-03-01

    Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, therefore it’s important to early and accurate detection and appropriate management. Diagnosis of CAD include clinical examination, noninvasive techniques such as biochemical testing, a resting ECG, possibly ambulatory ECG monitoring, resting echocardiography, chest X-ray in selected patients; and catheterization. Managements of CAD patients include lifestyle modification, control of CAD risk factors, pharmacologic therapy, and patient education. Revascularization consists of percutaneous coronary angioplasty and coronary artery bypass grafting. Cardiac rehabilitation should be considered in all patients with CAD. This comprehensive review highlights strategies of management in patients with CAD.

  18. Left main coronary artery disease: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment.

    PubMed

    Collet, Carlos; Capodanno, Davide; Onuma, Yoshinobu; Banning, Adrian; Stone, Gregg W; Taggart, David P; Sabik, Joseph; Serruys, Patrick W

    2018-06-01

    The advent of coronary angiography in the 1960s allowed for the risk stratification of patients with stable angina. Patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease have an increased risk of death related to the large amount of myocardium supplied by this vessel. Although coronary angiography remains the preferred imaging modality for the evaluation of left main coronary artery stenosis, this technique has important limitations. Angiograms of the left main coronary artery segment can be difficult to interpret, and almost one-third of patients can be misclassified when fractional flow reserve is used as the reference. In patients with clinically significant unprotected left main coronary artery disease, surgical revascularization was shown to improve survival compared with medical therapy and has been regarded as the treatment of choice for unprotected left main coronary artery disease. Two large-scale clinical trials published in 2016 support the usefulness of catheter-based revascularization in selected patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease. In this Review, we describe the pathophysiology of unprotected left main coronary artery disease, discuss diagnostic approaches in light of new noninvasive and invasive imaging techniques, and detail risk stratification models to aid the Heart Team in the decision-making process for determining the best revascularization strategy for these patients.

  19. The Role of an Organized Exercise and Diet Program in the Primary Prevention of Ischemic Coronary Artery Disease in the U.S. Air Force Aviators

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1997-05-01

    33.3% in 1988 and 25.4% in 1980."° This upward trend in obesity has been attributed to Americans leading a more sedentary lifestyle (i.e. lack of...has revealed several articles which link hypercholesterolemia and sedentary lifestyle epidemiologically to ischemic coronary artery disease.’ 49...and eventually can obstruct coronary arteries. Biological plausibility is therefore demonstrated by a high TC/HDL ratio and sedentary lifestyle hastening

  20. Coronary artery disease (image)

    MedlinePlus

    ... through these arteries is critical for the heart. Coronary artery disease usually results from the build-up of fatty material and plaque, a condition called atherosclerosis. As the ... blood to the heart can slow or stop, causing chest pain (stable ...

  1. Coronary artery surgery: indications and recent experience.

    PubMed Central

    Robinson, P. S.; Coltart, D. J.; Jenkins, B. S.; Webb-Peploe, M. M.; Braimbridge, M. V.; Williams, B. T.

    1978-01-01

    The comprehensive experience of coronary artery surgery in a Cardiothoracic Unit over a 31-month period is reviewed. Hospital mortality for elective bypass grafting was 3.9% overall and 2.5% in those with good pre-operative left ventricular function. Major influences on hospital mortality were pre-operative left ventricular function, extent of coronary artery disease and extent of the surgical procedure undertaken in terms of number of aortocoronary grafts inserted, coronary endarterectomy and particularly concomitant valve surgery or aneurysm resection. Follow-up experience shows 74% of grafted patients to be symptom-free and 85% symptomatically improved one year after surgery with 70% symptom-free and 80% improved at two years. Early post-operative deaths appear related to early graft closure and recurrence of symptoms postoperatively to late graft closure or progression of coronary disease in the native circulation. The study provides a guide to the relative risks of coronary artery surgery for symptomatic coronary artery disease and expected symptomatic results in the early follow-up period. PMID:310999

  2. Greater effect of stroke thrombolysis in the presence of arterial obstruction.

    PubMed

    De Silva, Deidre A; Churilov, Leonid; Olivot, Jean-Marc; Christensen, Soren; Lansberg, Maarten G; Mlynash, Michael; Campbell, Bruce C V; Desmond, Patricia; Straka, Matus; Bammer, Roland; Albers, Gregory W; Davis, Stephen M; Donnan, Geoffrey A

    2011-10-01

    Recanalization of arterial obstruction is associated with improved clinical outcomes. There are no controlled data demonstrating whether arterial obstruction status predicts the treatment effect of intravenous (IV) tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). We aimed to determine if the presence of arterial obstruction improves the treatment effect of IV tPA over placebo in attenuating infarct growth. We analyzed 175 ischemic stroke patients treated in the 3-6 hour time window from the Echoplanar Imaging Thrombolytic Evaluation Trial (EPITHET) trial (randomized to IV tPA or placebo) and Diffusion and perfusion imaging Evaluation For Understanding Stroke Evolution (DEFUSE) study (all treated with IV tPA). Infarct growth was calculated as the difference between baseline diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and final T2 lesion volumes. Baseline arterial obstruction of large intracranial arteries was graded on magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). Among the 116 patients with adequate baseline MRA and final lesion assessment, 72 had arterial obstruction (48 tPA, 24 placebo) and 44 no arterial obstruction (33 tPA, 11 placebo). Infarct growth was lower in the tPA than placebo group (median difference 26ml, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1-50) in patients with arterial obstruction, but was similar in patients with no arterial obstruction (median difference 5ml, 95%CI, -3 to 9). Infarct growth attenuation with tPA over placebo treatment was greater among patients with arterial obstruction than those without arterial obstruction by a median of 32ml (95%CI, 21-43, p < 0.001). The treatment effect of IV tPA over placebo was greater with baseline arterial obstruction, supporting arterial obstruction status as a consideration in selecting patients more likely to benefit from IV thrombolysis. Copyright © 2011 American Neurological Association.

  3. Influence of coronary artery diameter on eNOS protein content

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Laughlin, M. H.; Turk, J. R.; Schrage, W. G.; Woodman, C. R.; Price, E. M.

    2003-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the content of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) protein (eNOS protein/g total artery protein) increases with decreasing artery diameter in the coronary arterial tree. Content of eNOS protein was determined in porcine coronary arteries with immunoblot analysis. Arteries were isolated in six size categories from each heart: large arteries [301- to 2,500-microm internal diameter (ID)], small arteries (201- to 300-microm ID), resistance arteries (151- to 200-microm ID), large arterioles (101- to 150-microm ID), intermediate arterioles (51- to 100-microm ID), and small arterioles(<50-microm ID). To obtain sufficient protein for analysis from small- and intermediate-sized arterioles, five to seven arterioles 1-2 mm in length were pooled into one sample for each animal. Results establish that the number of smooth muscle cells per endothelial cell decreases from a number of 10 to 15 in large coronary arteries to 1 in the smallest arterioles. Immunohistochemistry revealed that eNOS is located only in endothelial cells in all sizes of coronary artery and in coronary capillaries. Contrary to our hypothesis, eNOS protein content did not increase with decreasing size of coronary artery. Indeed, the smallest coronary arterioles had less eNOS protein per gram of total protein than the large coronary arteries. These results indicate that eNOS protein content is greater in the endothelial cells of conduit arteries, resistance arteries, and large arterioles than in small coronary arterioles.

  4. [Pre- and post-test probability of obstructive coronary artery disease in two diagnostic strategies: relative contributions of exercise ECG and coronary CT angiography].

    PubMed

    Faria Alves, Miguel; Ferreira, António Miguel; Cardoso, Gonçalo; Saraiva Lopes, Ricardo; Correia, Maria da Graça; Machado Gil, Victor

    2013-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess the change in theoretical probability of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with suspected CAD undergoing coronary CT angiography (CCTA) as first line test vs. patients who underwent CCTA after an exercise ECG. Pre- and post-test probabilities of CAD were assessed in 158 patients with suspected CAD undergoing dual-source CCTA as the first-line test (Group A) and in 134 in whom CCTA was performed after an exercise ECG (Group B). Pre-test probabilities were calculated based on age, gender and type of chest pain. Post-test probabilities were calculated according to Bayes' theorem. There were no significant differences between the groups regarding pre-test probability (median 23.5% [13.3-37.8] in group A vs. 20.5% [13.4-34.5] in group B; p=0,479). In group A, the percentage of patients with intermediate likelihood of disease (10-90%) was 90% before testing and 15% after CCTA (p<0,001), while in group B, it was 95% before testing, 87% after exercise ECG (p=NS), and 17% after CCTA (p<0,001). Unlike exercise testing, CCTA is able to reclassify the risk in the majority of patients with an intermediate probability of obstructive CAD. The use of CCTA as a first-line diagnostic test for CAD may be beneficial in this setting. Copyright © 2012 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

  5. Coronary Artery Spasm: Review and Update

    PubMed Central

    Hung, Ming-Jui; Hu, Patrick; Hung, Ming-Yow

    2014-01-01

    Coronary artery spasm (CAS), an intense vasoconstriction of coronary arteries that causes total or subtotal vessel occlusion, plays an important role in myocardial ischemic syndromes including stable and unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death. Coronary angiography and provocative testing usually is required to establish a definitive diagnosis. While the mechanisms underlying the development of CAS are still poorly understood, CAS appears to be a multifactorial disease but is not associated with the traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease. The diagnosis of CAS has important therapeutic implications, as calcium antagonists, not β-blockers, are the cornerstone of medical treatment. The prognosis is generally considered benign; however, recurrent episodes of angina are frequently observed. We provide a review of the literature and summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the pathogenesis of CAS. PMID:25249785

  6. Anomalous right coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery and constrictive pericarditis: an unusual association

    PubMed Central

    Silvestre, Odilson Marcos; Adam, Eduardo Leal; de Melo, Dirceu Thiago Pessoa; Dias, Ricardo Ribeiro; Ramires, Felix J. A.; Mady, Charles

    2013-01-01

    ABSTRACT The association of anomalous right coronary artery originating from the pulmonary artery and constrictive pericarditis has never been showed in the literature. We present the first case of this unusual association in a patient with right heart failure. After diagnosis, the patient was referred to surgery and underwent phrenic-to-phrenic pericardiectomy; graft implant of right internal thoracic artery to right coronary artery; and ligation of the anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the pulmonary artery. Such procedures solved the potential risk of sudden death related to anomalous right coronary artery originating from the pulmonary artery and alleviated the symptoms of heart failure caused by constrictive pericarditis. PMID:24136766

  7. Contrast Media Delivery in the Assessment of Anomalous Left Coronary Artery From the Pulmonary Artery.

    PubMed

    Saade, Charbel; Al-Hamra, Salam; Al-Mohiy, Hussain; El-Merhi, Fadi

    2016-05-01

    A patient with a history of mitral valve prolapse and regurgitation that was corrected with a mitral ring repair 15 years earlier received a diagnosis of anomalous left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery and underwent repair. Coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) was employed to image the patient before surgical intervention. Synchronizing contrast media administration to opacify the right coronary artery in the arterial phase and the left coronary artery in the venous phase required a test-bolus approach. Matching compromised cardiovascular dynamics with patient-specific contrast media administration protocols was improved considerably with the use of a test-bolus technique during electrocardiography-gated coronary CTA.

  8. Stress-induced ST-segment deviation in relation to the presence and severity of coronary artery disease in patients with normal myocardial perfusion imaging.

    PubMed

    Weinsaft, Jonathan W; Manoushagian, Shant J; Patel, Taral; Shakoor, Aqsa; Kim, Robert J; Mirchandani, Sunil; Lin, Fay; Wong, Franklin J; Szulc, Massimiliano; Okin, Peter M; Kligfield, Paul D; Min, James K

    2009-01-01

    To assess the utility of stress electrocardiography (ECG) for identifying the presence and severity of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) defined by coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) among patients with normal nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). The study population comprised 119 consecutive patients with normal MPI who also underwent CCTA (interval 3.5+/-3.8 months). Stress ECG was performed at the time of MPI. CCTA and MPI were interpreted using established scoring systems, and CCTA was used to define the presence and extent of CAD, which was quantified by a coronary artery jeopardy score. Within this population, 28 patients (24%) had obstructive CAD identified by CCTA. The most common CAD pattern was single-vessel CAD (61%), although proximal vessel involvement was present in 46% of patients. Patients with CAD were nearly three times more likely to have positive standard test responses (1 mm ST-segment deviation) than patients with patent coronary arteries (36 vs. 13%, P=0.007). In multivariate analysis, a positive ST-segment test response was an independent marker for CAD (odds ratio: 2.02, confidence interval: 1.09-3.78, P=0.03) even after adjustment for a composite of clinical cardiac risk factors (odds ratio: 1.85, confidence interval: 1.05-3.23, P=0.03). Despite uniformly normal MPI, mean coronary jeopardy score was three-fold higher among patients with positive compared to those with negative ST-segment response to exercise or dobutamine stress (1.9+/-2.7 vs. 0.5+/-1.4, P=0.03). Stress-induced ST-segment deviation is an independent marker for obstructive CAD among patients with normal MPI. A positive stress ECG identifies patients with a greater anatomic extent of CAD as quantified by coronary jeopardy score.

  9. [Valvular heart disease associated with coronary artery disease].

    PubMed

    Yildirir, Aylin

    2009-07-01

    Nowadays, age-related degenerative etiologies have largely replaced the rheumatic ones and as a natural result of this etiologic change, coronary artery disease has become associated with valvular heart disease to a greater extent. Degenerative aortic valve disease has an important pathophysiological similarity to atherosclerosis and is the leader in this association. There is a general consensus that severely stenotic aortic valve should be replaced during bypass surgery for severe coronary artery disease. For moderate degree aortic stenosis, aortic valve replacement is usually performed during coronary bypass surgery. Ischemic mitral regurgitation has recently received great attention from both diagnostic and therapeutic points of view. Ischemic mitral regurgitation significantly alters the prognosis of the patient with coronary artery disease. Severe ischemic mitral regurgitation should be corrected during coronary bypass surgery and mitral valve repair should be preferred to valve replacement. For moderate degree ischemic mitral regurgitation, many authors prefer valve surgery with coronary bypass surgery. In this review, the main characteristics of patients with coronary artery disease accompanying valvular heart disease and the therapeutic options based on individual valve pathology are discussed.

  10. Valve-in-valve using an Edwards Sapien XT into a JenaValve in a patient with a low originating left coronary artery and a heavily calcified aorta.

    PubMed

    Fujita, Buntaro; Scholtz, Smita; Ensminger, Stephan

    2016-04-01

    Coronary obstruction during transcatheter aortic valve implantation is a potentially life-threatening complication. Most of the widely used transcatheter heart valves require a certain distance between the basal aortic annular plane and the origins of the coronary arteries. We report the case of a successful valve-in-valve procedure with an Edwards SAPIEN XT valve into a JenaValve as a bail-out procedure in a patient with a low originating left coronary artery and a heavily calcified aorta. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Sudden Cardiac Death in Women With Suspected Ischemic Heart Disease, Preserved Ejection Fraction, and No Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease: A Report From the Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation Study.

    PubMed

    Mehta, Puja K; Johnson, B Delia; Kenkre, Tanya S; Eteiba, Wafia; Sharaf, Barry; Pepine, Carl J; Reis, Steven E; Rogers, William J; Kelsey, Sheryl F; Thompson, Diane V; Bittner, Vera; Sopko, George; Shaw, Leslee J; Bairey Merz, C Noel

    2017-08-21

    Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is often the first presentation of ischemic heart disease; however, there is limited information on SCD among women with and without obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). We evaluated SCD incidence in the WISE (Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation) study. Overall, 904 women with suspected ischemic heart disease with preserved ejection fraction and core laboratory coronary angiography were followed for outcomes. In case of death, a death certificate and/or a physician or family narrative of the circumstances of death was obtained. A clinical events committee rated all deaths as cardiovascular or noncardiovascular and as SCD or non-SCD. In total, 96 women (11%) died over a median of 6 years (maximum: 8 years). Among 65 cardiovascular deaths, 42% were SCD. Mortality per 1000 person-hours increased linearly with CAD severity (no CAD: 5.8; minimal: 15.9; obstructive: 38.6; P <0.0001). However, the proportion of SCD was similar across CAD severity: 40%, 58%, and 38% for no, minimal, and obstructive CAD subgroups, respectively ( P value not significant). In addition to traditional risk factors (age, diabetes mellitus, smoking), a history of depression ( P =0.018) and longer corrected QT interval ( P =0.023) were independent SCD predictors in the entire cohort. Corrected QT interval was an independent predictor of SCD in women without obstructive CAD ( P =0.033). SCD contributes substantially to mortality in women with and without obstructive CAD. Corrected QT interval is the single independent SCD risk factor in women without obstructive CAD. In addition to management of traditional risk factors, these data indicate that further investigation should address mechanistic understanding and interventions targeting depression and corrected QT interval in women. © 2017 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.

  12. Morphological differences in coronary arteries following rotational atherectomy versus balloon angioplasty: ultrasound and angioscopic observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bass, Theodore A.; Gilmore, Paul S.; White, Christopher J.; Chami, Youssef G.; Kircher, Barbara J.; Conetta, Donald A.

    1993-09-01

    Percutaneous transluminal coronary rotational atherectomy (PTCRA) is an exciting new device to recannulate obstructed coronary arteries. This device works as a high speed `drill,' selectively cutting hard atherosclerotic plaque while preferentially sparing the softer, less diseased vascular luminal surface. At speeds as high as 200,000 rpm the plaque is pulverized into small particles easily handled by the circulatory system with no untoward clinical sequela. Balloon angioplasty does not remove atherosclerotic plaque. It dilates the vessel by mechanically stretching, compressing and splitting the plaque and vessel lining. We compare morphological and surface luminal characteristics of vessels post PTCRA to vessels post PTCA.

  13. Severe coronary artery disease after radiation therapy of the chest and mediastinum: clinical presentation and treatment.

    PubMed Central

    Orzan, F; Brusca, A; Conte, M R; Presbitero, P; Figliomeni, M C

    1993-01-01

    OBJECTIVE--To define the clinical and angiographic features and the therapeutic problems in patients with coronary artery disease after therapeutic irradiation of the chest. DESIGN--An observational retrospective study. SETTING--The cardiac catheterisation laboratory, university medical school. PATIENTS--15 subjects (8 men and 7 women, aged 25-56 years, mean 44) examined in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory, who had significant coronary artery disease years after having radiation treatment to the chest and anterior mediastinum. In the early stages of the study angiography was performed because of typical symptoms of ischaemic heart disease. Later on it was performed because of a high index of suspicion in people with signs of extensive radiation heart damage. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Clinical and electrocardiographic evidence of ischaemic heart disease; echocardiographic signs of pericardial, myocardial or valvar involvement; angiographic evidence of coronary arterial stenosis, with special attention to the ostia; haemodynamic and angiographic signs of pericardial, myocardial, and valvar disease. Survival and symptomatic and functional status were ascertained after medical or surgical treatment. RESULTS--The patients were relatively young and had no risk factors. Seven patients had no signs or symptoms of ischaemic heart disease. Ten patients had ostial stenosis, which was associated with extensive involvement of other cardiac structures in nine of them. Seven required surgical treatment for coronary artery disease. Two died, one at surgery and the other one six months later. Five patients had complications associated with irradiation. CONCLUSIONS--Coronary arterial disease can be reasonably ascribed to the effects of chest irradiation when the patients are young and free from risk factors, especially if the obstructions are ostial and there is important damage to other cardiac structures. In patients with damage to other cardiac structures angina and infarction

  14. [Single coronary artery and right aortic arch].

    PubMed

    Martínez-Quintana, Efrén; Rodríguez-González, Fayna

    2015-01-01

    Coronary anomalies are mostly asymptomatic and diagnosed incidentally during coronary angiography or echocardiography. However, they must be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of angina, dyspnea, syncope, acute myocardial infarction or sudden death in young patients. The case is presented of two rare anomalies, single coronary artery originating from right sinus of Valsalva and right aortic arch, in a 65 year-old patient with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease treated percutaneously. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Arteriosclerosis. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

  15. A Combination of Two Rare Coronary Anomalies Makes It Even Rarer: Right Sided Single Coronary Artery with Dual Left Anterior Descending Artery

    PubMed Central

    Addai, Theodore; Kola, Monahar; Raqeem, Muhammad Wajih; Barsamyan, Sergey; Mirrakhimov, Aibek E.

    2016-01-01

    An 82-year-old female with history of hyperlipidemia and hypertension presented to the clinic with chief complaint of nonradiating chest tightness accompanied by exertional dyspnea. Cardiac catheterization showed the absence of left coronary system; the entire coronary system originated from the right aortic sinus as a common trunk which then gave off the right coronary artery and the left main coronary artery. Cardiac catheterization demonstrated also another rare coronary anomaly: dual left anterior descending artery. Patient underwent percutaneous coronary intervention and subsequent multidetector computed tomography angiography confirmed the above angiography findings. Patient was subsequently discharged home on double antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel and has been asymptomatic since then. PMID:27293909

  16. Emergence of Nonobstructive Coronary Artery Disease: A Woman's Problem and Need for Change in Definition on Angiography

    PubMed Central

    Pepine, Carl J.; Ferdinand, Keith C.; Shaw, Leslee J; Light-McGroary, KellyAnn; Shah, Rashmee U.; Gulati, Martha; Duvernoy, Claire; Walsh, Mary Norine; Bairey Merz, C. Noel

    2015-01-01

    Recognition of ischemic heart disease (IHD) is often delayed or deferred in women. Thus, many at risk for adverse outcomes are not provided specific diagnostic, preventive, and/or treatment strategies. This lack of recognition is related to sex-specific IHD pathophysiology that differs from traditional models using data from men with flow-limiting coronary artery disease (CAD) obstructions. Symptomatic women are less likely to have obstructive CAD than men with similar symptoms, and tend to have coronary microvascular dysfunction, plaque erosion, and thrombus formation. Emerging data document that more extensive, nonobstructive CAD involvement, hypertension, and diabetes are associated with major adverse events similar to those with obstructive CAD. A central emerging paradigm is the concept of nonobstructive CAD as a cause of IHD and related adverse outcomes among women. This position paper summarizes currently available knowledge and gaps in that knowledge, and recommends management options that could be useful until additional evidence emerges. PMID:26493665

  17. Coronary surgery and coronary angioplasty in patients with two-vessel coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Weintraub, W S; King, S B; Jones, E L; Douglas, J S; Craver, J M; Liberman, H A; Morris, D C; Guyton, R A

    1993-03-01

    There is uncertainty regarding the selection between coronary artery surgery and angioplasty in many patients with coronary artery disease, especially in those with 2-vessel disease. Whereas randomized trials will provide the best possible and most detailed data comparing therapy in these patients, clinical data bases may be used to provide a current perspective. The purpose of this study was to compare the long-term outcome of patients with 2-vessel coronary artery disease undergoing coronary surgery or angioplasty at Emory University hospitals in the years 1984 and 1985. Data on all patients with 2-vessel disease diagnosed at Emory University who underwent elective angioplasty or coronary surgery in the years 1984 and 1985 were compared. Categoric variables were analyzed by chi-square and continuous variables by unpaired t test. Survival was determined by the Kaplan-Meier method and differences in survival by the Mantel-Cox method. Determinants of survival were determined by Cox model analysis. There were 415 angioplasty patients and 454 surgical patients. Surgical patients were older and had more frequent systemic hypertension, diabetes mellitus, prior myocardial infarction, severe angina and congestive failure, and more significant narrowing in the left anterior descending coronary artery, totally occluded vessels and left ventricular dysfunction than did angioplasty patients. Complete revascularization was achieved more often in surgical patients. There was no difference in Q-wave myocardial infarction in the hospital. No angioplasty patient died compared with 1.1% of surgical patients (p = 0.03). Whereas 5-year survival was 93% in angioplasty patients and 89% in surgical patients (p = 0.11), there was no difference in risk-adjusted survival.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  18. Coronary Artery Fistula

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-04-01

    man with a single episode of vague sub- sternal chest pain was referred for evaluation of possible coronary artery disease. His medical history was...significant for hypertension and type-II diabetes mellitus. The patient had no prior history of thoracic trauma or surgery. During an exercise...Figure 1A; oblique, Figure 1B), the left circumflex artery was identified by its black central lumen and noted to arise normally from the left main

  19. Morphometry of the coronary ostia and the structure of coronary arteries in the shorthair domestic cat

    PubMed Central

    Barszcz, Karolina; Kupczyńska, Marta; Klećkowska-Nawrot, Joanna; Janeczek, Maciej; Goździewska-Harłajczuk, Karolina; Dzierzęcka, Małgorzata; Janczyk, Paweł

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to measure the area of the coronary ostia, assess their localization in the coronary sinuses and to determine the morphology of the stem of the left and right coronary arteries in the domestic shorthair cat. The study was conducted on 100 hearts of domestic shorthair cats of both sexes, aged 2–18 years, with an average body weight of 4.05 kg. A morphometric analysis of the coronary ostia was carried out on 52 hearts. The remaining 48 hearts were injected with a casting material in order to carry out a morphological assessment of the left and right coronary arteries. In all the studied animals, the surface of the left coronary artery ostium was larger than the surface of the right coronary artery ostium. There were four types of the left main coronary artery: type I (23 animals, 49%)–double-branched left main stem (giving off the left circumflex branch and the interventricular paraconal branch, which in turn gave off the septal branch), type II (12 animals, 26%)–double-branched left main stem (giving off the left circumflex branch and the interventricular paraconal branch without the septal branch), type III (11 animals, 23%)–triple-branched left main stem (giving off the left circumflex branch, interventricular branch and the septal branch, type IV (1 animal, 2%)–double-branched left main stem (giving off the interventricular paraconal branch and the left circumflex branch, which in turn gave off the septal branch). The left coronary artery ostium is greater than the right one. There is considerable diversity in the branches of proximal segment of the left coronary artery, while the right coronary artery is more conservative. These results can be useful in defining the optimal strategies in the endovascular procedures involving the coronary arteries or the aortic valve in the domestic shorthair cat. PMID:29020103

  20. Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: MedlinePlus Health Topic

    MedlinePlus

    ... Coronary Artery Bypass (Texas Heart Institute) Also in Spanish Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (Beyond the Basics) ( ... Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish Living With Cardiac Rehabilitation: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National ...

  1. Myocardial blood flow reserve is impaired in patients with aortic valve calcification and unobstructed epicardial coronary arteries.

    PubMed

    Nel, Karen; Nam, Michael C Y; Anstey, Chris; Boos, Christopher J; Carlton, Edward; Senior, Roxy; Kaski, Juan Carlos; Khattab, Ahmed; Shamley, Delva; Byrne, Christopher D; Stanton, Tony; Greaves, Kim

    2017-12-01

    Although calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is associated with coronary atherosclerosis, it is not known whether early CAVD is associated with coronary microcirculatory dysfunction (CMD). We sought to investigate the relationship between myocardial blood flow reserve (MBFR) - a measure of CMD, and early CAVD in the absence of obstructive epicardial coronary artery disease. We also determined whether this relationship was independent of coronary artery disease (CAD) and hs-CRP, a marker of systemic inflammation. 183 patients with chest pain and unobstructed coronary arteries were studied. Aortic valve calcification score (AVCS), coronary total plaque length (TPL), and coronary calcium score were quantified from multislice CT. MBFR was assessed using vasodilator myocardial contrast echocardiography. Hs-CRP was measured from venous blood using a particle-enhanced immunoassay. Mean (±SD) participant age was 59.8 (9.6) years. Mean AVCS was 68 (258) AU, TPL was 15.6 (22.2) mm, and median coronary calcification score was 43.5AU. Mean MBFR was 2.20 (0.52). Mean hs-CRP was 2.52 (3.86) mg/l. Multivariable linear regression modelling incorporating demographics, coronary plaque characteristics, MBFR, and inflammatory markers, demonstrated that age (β=0.05, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.08, P=0.007), hs-CRP (β=0.09, CI: 0.02, 0.16, P=0.010) and diabetes (β=1.03, CI: 0.08, 1.98, P=0.033), were positively associated with AVCS. MBFR (β=-0.87, CI: -1.44, -0.30, P=0.003), BMI (β=-0.11, CI: -0.21, -0.01, P=0.033), and LDL (β=-0.32, CI: -0.61, -0.03, P=0.029) were negatively associated with AVCS. TPL and coronary calcium score were not independently associated with AVCS when included in the regression model. Coronary microvascular function as determined by measurement of myocardial blood flow reserve is independently associated with early CAVD. This effect is independent of the presence of coronary artery disease and also systemic inflammation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights

  2. An Evaluation of the Numbers and Locations of Coronary Artery Disease with Some of the Major Atherosclerotic Risk Factors in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

    PubMed Central

    Naghshtabrizi, Behshad; Moradi, Abbas; Amiri, Jalaleddin; Aarabi, Sepide

    2017-01-01

    Introduction Despite definite recognition of major atherosclerotic risk factors, the relationship between the pattern of coronary artery disease and these risk factors is unknown. Aim The aim of this study was to identify the relationship between some of the major atherosclerotic risk factors and the number and pattern of coronary artery disease in patients with coronary artery disease who presented to Farshchian Heart University Hospital, Hamadan, Iran. Materials and Methods In this descriptive cross-sectional study, we investigated some of the major atherosclerotic risk factors and their relationships with the type of coronary artery disease in terms of number and location of disease. A total of 1100 patients were enrolled with coronary artery disease confirmed by selective coronary angiography from 2010-2014. A p-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results A total of 1100 patients enrolled in this study. The patient population consisted of 743 (67.5%) males and 357 (32.5%) females. A meaningful relationship existed between ageing, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and 3-Vessel Disease (3VD, p<0.001) as well as between hyperlipidemia and Single Vessel Disease (SVD, p<0.001). Patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia showed greater potential to develop coronary artery disease at the proximal section of the coronary arteries. Conclusion Based on the relationship between some of the major risk factors and the pattern of coronary artery disease in the current study, prospective studies should investigate other risk factors. We recommend that a plan should be developed to reduce adjustable risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hyperlipidemia in order to decrease coronary artery disease. PMID:28969179

  3. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection as a cause of myocardial infarction

    PubMed Central

    Aksakal, Aytekin; Arslan, Uğur; Yaman, Mehmet; Urumdaş, Mehmet; Ateş, Ahmet Hakan

    2014-01-01

    Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare disease that is usually seen in young women in left descending coronary artery and result in events like sudden cardiac death and acute myocardial infarction. A 70-year-old man was admitted to the emergency department with chest pain which started 1 h ago during a relative’s funeral. The initial electrocardiography demonstrated 2 mm ST-segment depression in leads V1-V3 and the patient underwent emergent coronary angiography. SCAD simultaneously in two different coronary arteries [left anterior descending (LAD) artery and left circumflex (LCx)] artery was detected and SCAD in LCx artery was causing total occlusion which resulted in acute myocardial infarction. Successful stenting was performed thereafter for both lesions. In addition to the existence of SCAD simultaneously in two different coronary arteries, the presence of muscular bridge and SCAD together at the same site of the LAD artery was another interesting point which made us report this case. PMID:25548620

  4. Contribution of cardiovascular magnetic resonance in the evaluation of coronary arteries

    PubMed Central

    Mavrogeni, Sophie; Markousis-Mavrogenis, George; Kolovou, Genovefa

    2014-01-01

    Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) allows the nonradiating assessment of coronary arteries; to achieve better image quality cardiorespiratory artefacts should be corrected. Coronary MRA (CMRA) at the moment is indicated only for the detection of abnormal coronary origin, coronary artery ectasia and/or aneurysms (class I indication) and coronary bypass grafts (class II indication). CMRA utilisation for coronary artery disease is not yet part of clinical routine. However, the lack of radiation is of special value for the coronary artery evaluation in children and women. CMRA can assess the proximal part of coronary arteries in almost all cases. The best results have been observed in the evaluation of the left anterior descending and the right coronary artery, while the left circumflex, which is located far away from the coil elements, is frequently imaged with reduced quality, compared to the other two. Different studies detected an increase in wall thickness of the coronaries in patients with type I diabetes and abnormal renal function. Additionally, the non-contrast enhanced T1-weighed images detected the presence of thrombus in acute myocardial infarction. New techniques using delayed gadolinium enhanced imaging promise the direct visualization of inflamed plaques in the coronary arteries. The major advantage of CMR is the potential of an integrated protocol offering assessment of coronary artery anatomy, cardiac function, inflammation and stress perfusion-fibrosis in the same study, providing an individualized clinical profile of patients with heart disease. PMID:25349650

  5. Single left coronary ostium and an anomalous prepulmonic right coronary artery in 2 dogs with congenital pulmonary valve stenosis.

    PubMed

    Visser, Lance C; Scansen, Brian A; Schober, Karsten E

    2013-06-01

    A coronary artery anomaly characterized by the presence of a single left coronary ostium with absence of the right coronary ostium and an anomalous prepulmonic right coronary artery course was observed in two dogs with concurrent congenital pulmonary valve stenosis. This unique coronary artery anatomy is similar to the previously described single right coronary ostium with anomalous prepulmonic left coronary artery, the so-called type R2A anomaly, in that an anomalous coronary artery encircles the pulmonary valve annulus. Both dogs of this report, a boxer and an English bulldog, were of breeds known to be at risk for the type R2A anomaly. As such, veterinarians should be aware that the echocardiographic presence of a left coronary ostium in a dog with pulmonary valve stenosis does not exclude the possibility of a prepulmonic coronary artery anomaly that may enhance the risk of complications during balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty. A descriptive naming convention for coronary artery anomalies in dogs is also presented, which may be preferable to the older coding classification scheme. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Robotic totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass for isolated ostial stenosis of the left coronary artery

    PubMed Central

    Kuo, Chia-Cheng; Hsing, Chung-Hsi; Chen, Chun-I; Lee, Chen-Hui

    2017-01-01

    Isolated ostial stenosis (IOS) is a rare disease that encroaches on aorto-coronary junction of uncertain etiology. All distal coronary vessels present normally. IOS occurs predominantly in premenopausal young women with few risk factors for atherosclerotic disease. Here, we report a 40-year-old woman who had experienced crescendo angina for 4 months. Surgical revascularization was achieved by robotic totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass (TECAB) with left internal thoracic artery (LITA) graft. She resumed her daily tasks without difficulties 1 week after the operation. Postoperative computed tomographic angiography disclosed good opacification of the LITA graft and distal runoff. Robotic TECAB is a potentially feasible alternative for IOS patients, particularly in premenopausal young woman, with obvious benefits of cosmetic appearance and speedy recovery. PMID:29312766

  7. Regulation of coronary blood flow. Effect of coronary artery stenosis.

    PubMed

    Duncker, D J; Merkus, D

    2004-12-01

    The consistently high level of myocardial oxygen extraction requires tight control of coronary blood flow, because an increase in myocardial oxygen demand, as occurs during exercise, cannot be obtained by a further increase in oxygen extraction. Consequently, adequate control of coronary vascular resistance is critical. Coronary resistance vessel tone is the result of a myriad of vasodilator and vasoconstrictor influences, which are exerted by the myocardium, endothelium and neurohumoral status. Unraveling of the integrative mechanisms controlling metabolic vasodilation has been difficult, more than likely due to the redundancy design of vasomotor control. In contrast to the traditional view that myocardial ischemia produced by a coronary artery stenosis causes maximal microvascular dilation, more recent studies have shown that the coronary microvessels retain some degree of vasodilator reserve during ischemia and remain responsive to vasoconstrictor stimuli. These observations raise the question of whether pharmacologic vasodilators acting at the microvascular level might be therapeutically useful. The critical property of effective vasodilator therapy requires selective dilation of small arteries, while avoiding coronary steal by not interfering with metabolic vasoregulation at the level of the arterioles.

  8. Advantage of vein grafts for anomalous origin of a right coronary artery.

    PubMed

    Kansaku, Rei; Saitoh, Hirofumi; Eguchi, Shoji; Maruyama, Yukio; Ohtsuka, Hideaki; Higuchi, Kotaro

    2009-03-01

    A 66-year-old man with anomalous origin of the right coronary artery suffered from chest pain. The results of coronary angiography and multidetector computer tomography indicated that the proximal right coronary artery was intermittently compressed, causing the ischemia. Coronary artery bypass grafting was regarded as a reliable treatment compared with percutaneous coronary intervention or other surgeries. Because of plentiful flow of the right coronary artery, we decided to use a vein graft to avoid competitive flow. Postoperative coronary angiography revealed intact flow in both the native coronary artery and the vein graft 1 year after the surgery. The myocardial ischemia seen on scintigraphy and the chest pain had disappeared.

  9. Hydroxychloroquine, a promising choice for coronary artery disease?

    PubMed

    Sun, Lizhe; Liu, Mengping; Li, Ruifeng; Zhao, Qiang; Liu, Junhui; Yang, Yanjie; Zhang, Lisha; Bai, Xiaofang; Wei, Yuanyuan; Ma, Qiangqiang; Zhou, Juan; Yuan, Zuyi; Wu, Yue

    2016-08-01

    Coronary artery disease is a common disease that seriously threaten the health of more than 150 million people per year. Atherosclerosis is considered to be the main cause of coronary artery disease which begins with damage or injury to the inner layer of a coronary artery, sometimes as early as childhood. The damage may be caused by various factors, including: smoking, high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes and insulin resistance. Once a coronary artery disease has developed, all patients need to be treated with long term standard treatment, including heart-healthy lifestyle changes, medicines, and medical procedures or surgery. Hydroxychloroquine, an original antimalarial drug, prevents inflammation caused by lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. It is relatively safe and well-tolerated during the treatment. Since atherosclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis have resemble mechanism and increasing clinical researches confirm that hydroxychloroquine has an important role in both anti-rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular protection (such as anti-platelet, anti-thrombotic, lipid-regulating, anti-hypertension, hypoglycemia, and so on), we hypothesize that hydroxychloroquine might be a promising choice to coronary artery disease patients for its multiple benefits. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Effect of simulated hyperemia on the flow field in a mildly atherosclerotic coronary artery casting of man

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cho, Y. I.; Back, L. H.; Crawford, D. W.

    1985-01-01

    Changes in an arterial flow field due to mild atherosclerosis were determined using a main coronary artery casting with a maximum obstruction of about 50 percent by area. Local pressure changes were measured using six pressure tap holes along the wall of the casting. The test-fluid was a 33 percent sugar-water solution of approximately the same viscosity as human blood. Flow visualization results were obtained by injecting blue-dye through the pressure tap holes. Measurement of local pressure demonstrated a significant Reynolds number effect. At Reynolds numbers of 80-710, a local pressure rise was observed downstream of the mild atherosclerotic constriction due to momentum changes. The Reynolds number necessary for flow separation in the divergent region of the coronary casting was about 330. The experimental results can be used to obtain a quantitative relation between coronary morphology and the fluid dynamic consequences of mild diffuse disease under conditions of maximum cardiac demand i.e., higher coronary flow rates and Reynolds numbers associated with space and atmospheric flight.

  11. Non-Acute Coronary Syndrome Anginal Chest Pain

    PubMed Central

    Agarwal, Megha; Mehta, Puja K.; Merz, C. Noel Bairey

    2010-01-01

    Anginal chest pain is one of the most common complaints in the outpatient setting. While much of the focus has been on identifying obstructive atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) as the cause of anginal chest pain, it is clear that microvascular coronary dysfunction (MCD) can also cause anginal chest pain as a manifestation of ischemic heart disease (IHD), and carries an increased cardiovascular risk. Epicardial coronary vasospasm, aortic stenosis, left ventricular hypertrophy, congenital coronary anomalies, mitral valve prolapse and abnormal cardiac nociception can also present as angina of cardiac origin. For non-acute coronary syndrome (ACS) stable chest pain, exercise treadmill testing (ETT) remains the primary tool for diagnosis of ischemia and cardiac risk stratification; however, in certain subsets of patients, such as women, ETT has a lower sensitivity and specificity for identifying obstructive CAD. When combined with an imaging modality, such as nuclear perfusion or echocardiography testing, the sensitivity and specificity of stress testing for detection of obstructive CAD improves significantly. Advancements in stress cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enables detection of perfusion abnormalities in a specific coronary artery territory, as well as subendocardial ischemia associated with MCD. Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) enables visual assessment of obstructive CAD, albeit with a higher radiation dose. Invasive coronary angiography (CA) remains the gold standard for diagnosis and treatment of obstructive lesions that cause medically refractory stable angina. Furthermore, in patients with normal coronary angiograms, the addition of coronary reactivity testing (CRT) can help diagnose endothelial dependent and independent microvascular dysfunction. Life-style modification and pharmacologic intervention remains the cornerstone of therapy to reduce morbidity and mortality in patients with stable angina. This review focuses on

  12. Experiments On Flow In A Coronary Artery

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Back, Lloyd H.; Kwack, Eug-Yon; Liem, Timothy K.; Crawford, Donald W.

    1993-01-01

    Report describes experiments on simulated flow of blood in atherosclerotic human coronary artery. Experiments performed on polyurethane cast made from S-shaped coronary artery of cadaver. Sucrose solution with viscosity of blood pumped through cast at physiologically realistic rates, and flow made pulsatile by mechanism alternately compressing and releasing elastic tube just upstream of cast.

  13. Nonobstructive coronary artery disease and risk of myocardial infarction.

    PubMed

    Maddox, Thomas M; Stanislawski, Maggie A; Grunwald, Gary K; Bradley, Steven M; Ho, P Michael; Tsai, Thomas T; Patel, Manesh R; Sandhu, Amneet; Valle, Javier; Magid, David J; Leon, Benjamin; Bhatt, Deepak L; Fihn, Stephan D; Rumsfeld, John S

    2014-11-05

    Little is known about cardiac adverse events among patients with nonobstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). To compare myocardial infarction (MI) and mortality rates between patients with nonobstructive CAD, obstructive CAD, and no apparent CAD in a national cohort. Retrospective cohort study of all US veterans undergoing elective coronary angiography for CAD between October 2007 and September 2012 in the Veterans Affairs health care system. Patients with prior CAD events were excluded. Angiographic CAD extent, defined by degree (no apparent CAD: no stenosis >20%; nonobstructive CAD: ≥1 stenosis ≥20% but no stenosis ≥70%; obstructive CAD: any stenosis ≥70% or left main [LM] stenosis ≥50%) and distribution (1, 2, or 3 vessel). The primary outcome was 1-year hospitalization for nonfatal MI after the index angiography. Secondary outcomes included 1-year all-cause mortality and combined 1-year MI and mortality. Among 37,674 patients, 8384 patients (22.3%) had nonobstructive CAD and 20,899 patients (55.4%) had obstructive CAD. Within 1 year, 845 patients died and 385 were rehospitalized for MI. Among patients with no apparent CAD, the 1-year MI rate was 0.11% (n = 8, 95% CI, 0.10%-0.20%) and increased progressively by 1-vessel nonobstructive CAD, 0.24% (n = 10, 95% CI, 0.10%-0.40%); 2-vessel nonobstructive CAD, 0.56% (n = 13, 95% CI, 0.30%-1.00%); 3-vessel nonobstructive CAD, 0.59% (n = 6, 95% CI, 0.30%-1.30%); 1-vessel obstructive CAD, 1.18% (n = 101, 95% CI, 1.00%-1.40%); 2-vessel obstructive CAD, 2.18% (n = 110, 95% CI, 1.80%-2.60%); and 3-vessel or LM obstructive CAD, 2.47% (n = 137, 95% CI, 2.10%-2.90%). After adjustment, 1-year MI rates increased with increasing CAD extent. Relative to patients with no apparent CAD, patients with 1-vessel nonobstructive CAD had a hazard ratio (HR) for 1-year MI of 2.0 (95% CI, 0.8-5.1); 2-vessel nonobstructive HR, 4.6 (95% CI, 2.0-10.5); 3-vessel nonobstructive HR, 4.5 (95% CI, 1.6-12.5); 1

  14. Coronary artery size and disease in UK South Asian and Caucasian men.

    PubMed

    Zindrou, Dlear; Taylor, Kenneth M; Bagger, Jens Peder

    2006-04-01

    South Asian patients in the UK have a higher mortality rate after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) than Caucasian patients. As coronary artery size has been shown to correlate to outcome from bypass grafting, it has been suggested that smaller coronary arteries in South Asians as compared to Caucasians could contribute to a poorer outcome in the Asian population. We aimed to measure coronary artery size and disease in matched South Asian and Caucasian men undergoing first time coronary artery bypass grafting. Coronary arteriograms from 53 matched first generation South Asian and Caucasian men were examined. The patients had no history of myocardial infarction, coronary revascularisation, familial dyslipidaemia, diabetes or renal disease. They were individually matched for age, height, weight, body mass index and body surface area. Thereafter, coronary artery diameters and significant (> or =50%) diameter stenoses were measured in a blinded fashion using quantitative coronary angiography (QCA). In South Asian men, diameters of the left main stem (LMS) and the proximal left anterior descending, the circumflex and the right coronary arteries were 4.6+/-0.9 mm, 3.5+/-0.8 mm, 3.4+/-0.8 mm and 3.5+/-0.8 mm, respectively. The corresponding arterial diameters among Caucasian men (4.5+/-0.9 mm, 3.5+/-0.7 mm, 3.5+/-0.8 mm and 3.8+/-0.8 mm) did not differ from those in South Asians. There was no difference in the number of significant coronary artery stenoses between the two groups and no difference in bypass and cross-clamp times or in adverse outcome (one from each group died after coronary artery bypass grafting). Proximal coronary artery size and number of significant coronary stenoses did not differ between matched pairs of South Asian and Caucasian men using strict inclusion/exclusion criteria.

  15. Patent ductus arteriosus associated with congenital anomaly of coronary artery.

    PubMed

    Maleki, Majid; Azizian, Nassrin; Esmaeilzadeh, Maryam; Moradi, Bahieh

    2013-11-01

    We reported a case of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) with congenital anomaly of coronary arteries as abnormal origin of right coronary artery (RCA) and left coronary artery (LCA) from a single ostium of the right coronary sinus. A 21-year-old man referred to our institution for evaluation of cardiac murmur. He has suffered from palpitation and atypical chest pain for three months. On physical examination, a continuous murmur was heard in the second left parasternal space. Transthoracic echocardiography showed normal left and right ventricular size and systolic function (LVEF = 55%). Main pulmonary artery (PA) and left pulmonary artery (LPA) branch were considerably dilated. Considering normal coronary flow, lack of clinical evidence of myocardial ischemia and echocardiography findings, patient underwent surgical closure of PDA via left thoracotomy and after five days discharged uneventfully.

  16. Abnormalities of the Coronary Arteries in Children: Looking beyond the Origins.

    PubMed

    Saling, Lauren J; Raptis, Demetrios A; Parekh, Keyur; Rockefeller, Toby A; Sheybani, Elizabeth F; Bhalla, Sanjeev

    2017-10-01

    Coronary arterial abnormalities are uncommon findings in children that have profound clinical implications. Although anomalies of the coronary origins are well described, there are many other disease processes that affect the coronary arteries. Immune system-mediated diseases (eg, Kawasaki disease, polyarteritis nodosa, and other vasculiditides) can result in coronary arterial aneurysms, strictures, and abnormal tapering of the vessels. Because findings at imaging are an important component of diagnosis in these diseases, the radiologist's understanding of them is essential. Congenital anomalies may present at varying ages, and findings in hemodynamically significant anomalies, such as fistulas, are key for both diagnosis and preoperative planning. Pediatric heart surgery can result in wide-ranging postoperative imaging appearances of the coronary arteries and also predisposes patients to a multitude of complications affecting the heart and coronary arteries. In addition, although rare, accidental trauma can lead to injury of the coronary arteries, and awareness and detection of these conditions are important for diagnosis in the acute setting. Patients with coronary arterial conditions at presentation may range from being asymptomatic to having findings of myocardial infarction. Recognition of the imaging findings is essential to direct appropriate treatment. © RSNA, 2017.

  17. Scaling of myocardial mass to flow and morphometry of coronary arteries.

    PubMed

    Choy, Jenny Susana; Kassab, Ghassan S

    2008-05-01

    There is no doubt that scaling relations exist between myocardial mass and morphometry of coronary vasculature. The purpose of this study is to quantify several morphological (diameter, length, and volume) and functional (flow) parameters of the coronary arterial tree in relation to myocardial mass. Eight normal porcine hearts of 117-244 g (mean of 177.5 +/- 32.7) were used in this study. Various coronary subtrees of the left anterior descending, right coronary, and left circumflex arteries were perfused at pressure of 100 mmHg with different colors of a polymer (Microfil) to obtain rubber casts of arterial trees corresponding to different regions of myocardial mass. Volume, diameter, and cumulative length of coronary arteries were reconstructed from casts to analyze their relationship to the perfused myocardial mass. Volumetric flow was measured in relationship with perfused myocardial mass. Our results show that arterial volume is linearly related to regional myocardial mass, whereas the sum of coronary arterial branch lengths, vessel diameters, and volumetric flow show an approximately 3/4, 3/8, and 3/4 power-law relationship, respectively, in relation to myocardial mass. These scaling laws suggest fundamental design principles underlying the structure-function relationship of the coronary arterial tree that may facilitate diagnosis and management of diffuse coronary artery disease.

  18. Characterisation of clot microstructure properties in stable coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Sabra, Ahmed; Lawrence, Matthew James; Aubrey, Robert; Obaid, Daniel; Chase, Alexander; Smith, Dave; Thomas, Phillip; Storton, Sharon; Davies, Gareth R; Hawkins, Karl; Williams, Phylip Rhodri; Morris, Keith; Evans, Phillip Adrian

    2017-01-01

    Coronary artery disease (CAD) is associated with an increased prothrombotic tendency and is also linked to unfavourably altered clot microstructure. We have previously described a biomarker of clot microstructure (d f ) that is unfavourably altered in acute myocardial infarction. The d f biomarker assesses whether the blood will form denser or looser microstructures when it clots. In this study we assessed in patients with stable chest pain whether d f can differentiate between obstructed and unobstructed CAD. A blood sample prior to angiography was obtained from 251 consecutive patients undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography. Patients were categorised based on angiographic findings as presence or absence of obstructive CAD (stenosis ≥50%). The blood sample was assessed using the d f biomarker, standard laboratory markers and platelet aggregometry (Multiplate). A significant difference (p=0.028) in d f was observed between obstructive CAD (1.748±0.057, n=83) and unobstructive CAD (1.732±0.052, n=168), where patients with significant CAD produce denser, more tightly packed clots. d f was also raised in men with obstructive CAD compared with women (1.745±0.055 vs 1.723±0.052, p=0.007). Additionally d f significantly correlated with the platelets response to arachidonic acid as measured by the ASPItest area under the curve readings from platelet aggregometry (correlation coefficient=0.166, p=0.008), a low value of the ASPItest indicating effective aspirin use was associated with looser, less dense clots. For the first time, we characterise clot microstructure, as measured by d f , in patients with stable CAD. d f can potentially be used to risk-stratify patients with stable CAD and assess the efficacy of therapeutic interventions by measuring changes in clot microstructure.

  19. Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease The Coronary Arterial Circulation

    PubMed Central

    Perloff, Joseph K

    2012-01-01

    Background: The coronary circulation in cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD) includes the extramural coronary arteries, basal coronary blood flow, flow reserve, the coronary microcirculation, and coronary atherogenesis. Methods: Coronary arteriograms were analyzed in 59 adults with CCHD. Dilated extramural coronaries were examined histologically in six patients. Basal coronary blood flow was determined with N-13 positron emission tomography in 14 patients and in 10 controls. Hyperemic flow was induced by intravenous dipyridamole pharmacologic stress. Immunostaining against SM alpha-actin permitted microcirculatory morphometric analysis. Non-fasting total cholesterols were retrieved in 279 patients divided into four groups: Group A---143 cyanotic unoperated, Group B---47 rendered acyanotic by reparative surgery, Group C---41 acyanotic unoperated, Group D---48 acyanotic before and after operation. Results: Extramural coronary arteries were mildly or moderately dilated to ectatic in 49/59 angiograms. Histologic examination disclosed loss of medial smooth muscle, increased medial collagen, and duplication of internal elastic lamina. Basal coronary flow was appreciably increased. Hyperemic flow was comparable to controls. Remodeling of the microcirculation was based upon coronary arteriolar length, volume and surface densities. Coronary atherosclerosis was absent in both the arteriograms and the necropsy specimens. Conclusions: Extramural coronary arteries in CCHD dilate in response to endothelial vasodilator substances supplemented by mural attenuation caused by medial abnormalities. Basal coronary flow was appreciably increased, but hyperemic flow was normal. Remodeling of the microcirculation was responsible for preservation of flow reserve. The coronaries were atheroma-free because of the salutory effects of hypocholesterolemia, hypoxemia, upregulated nitric oxide, low platelet counts, and hyperbilirubinrmia. PMID:22845810

  20. Cyanotic congenital heart disease the coronary arterial circulation.

    PubMed

    Perloff, Joseph K

    2012-02-01

    The coronary circulation in cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD) includes the extramural coronary arteries, basal coronary blood flow, flow reserve, the coronary microcirculation, and coronary atherogenesis. Coronary arteriograms were analyzed in 59 adults with CCHD. Dilated extramural coronaries were examined histologically in six patients. Basal coronary blood flow was determined with N-13 positron emission tomography in 14 patients and in 10 controls. Hyperemic flow was induced by intravenous dipyridamole pharmacologic stress. Immunostaining against SM alpha-actin permitted microcirculatory morphometric analysis. Non-fasting total cholesterols were retrieved in 279 patients divided into four groups: Group A---143 cyanotic unoperated, Group B---47 rendered acyanotic by reparative surgery, Group C---41 acyanotic unoperated, Group D---48 acyanotic before and after operation. Extramural coronary arteries were mildly or moderately dilated to ectatic in 49/59 angiograms. Histologic examination disclosed loss of medial smooth muscle, increased medial collagen, and duplication of internal elastic lamina. Basal coronary flow was appreciably increased. Hyperemic flow was comparable to controls. Remodeling of the microcirculation was based upon coronary arteriolar length, volume and surface densities. Coronary atherosclerosis was absent in both the arteriograms and the necropsy specimens. Extramural coronary arteries in CCHD dilate in response to endothelial vasodilator substances supplemented by mural attenuation caused by medial abnormalities. Basal coronary flow was appreciably increased, but hyperemic flow was normal. Remodeling of the microcirculation was responsible for preservation of flow reserve. The coronaries were atheroma-free because of the salutory effects of hypocholesterolemia, hypoxemia, upregulated nitric oxide, low platelet counts, and hyperbilirubinrmia.

  1. Friable but treatable: coronary artery dissections in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

    PubMed

    Zago, Alexandre C; Matte, Bruno S

    2013-01-01

    Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a rare connective tissue disorder associated with arterial dissection or rupture. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is often critical in patients with this syndrome because their coronary arteries are prone to dissection, enhancing the risk of stent borders dissection when conventional stent deployment pressures are used. Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) treatment for these patients may also raise concerns because the left internal mammary artery is probably friable. Therefore, coronary artery revascularization in vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome either using PCI or CABG is challenging due to the arteries friability. A small number of cases have been published describing the friability of the vessels and associated complications; nevertheless, the optimum treatment remains unclear. We report the case of a 54-year-old woman treated successfully with PCI and CABG in two different acute coronary syndrome episodes, in which specific technical issues related to both procedures were decisive. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Obstructive sleep apnea and postoperative complications in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a need for preventive strategies.

    PubMed

    Amra, Babak; Niknam, Nasim; Sadeghi, Mohsen Mir Mohammad; Rabbani, Majid; Fietze, Ingo; Penzel, Thomas

    2014-11-01

    Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is very frequent and often unrecognized in surgical patients. OSA is associated with perioperative complications. We evaluated the effects of OSA on postoperative complications and hospital outcomes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Candidates of elective CABG were evaluated by the Berlin questionnaire for OSA. After surgery, patients were assessed for postoperative complications, re-admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), duration of intubation, re-intubation, days spent in the ICU and the hospital. We studied 61 patients who underwent CABG from which 25 (40.9%) patients had OSA. Patients with OSA had higher body mass index (29.5 ± 3.9 vs. 26.0 ± 3.7 kg/m(2), P = 0.003) and higher frequency of hypertension (68.0% vs. 30.5%, P = 0.003), dyslipidemia (36.0% vs. 5.5%, P = 0.004), and pulmonary disease (16.0 vs. 2.7%, P = 0.08). Regarding the surgical outcomes, OSA patients had longer intubation duration (0.75 ± 0.60 vs. 0.41 ± 0.56 days, P = 0.03). Obstructive sleep apnea is frequent, but unrecognized among patients undergoing CABG. In these patients, OSA is associated with prolonged intubation duration. Preventing these problems may be possible by early diagnosis and management of OSA in cardiac surgery patients. Further studies with larger sample of patients and longer follow-ups are required in this regard.

  3. Everolimus-Eluting Bioresorbable Scaffolds for Coronary Artery Disease.

    PubMed

    Ellis, Stephen G; Kereiakes, Dean J; Metzger, D Christopher; Caputo, Ronald P; Rizik, David G; Teirstein, Paul S; Litt, Marc R; Kini, Annapoorna; Kabour, Ameer; Marx, Steven O; Popma, Jeffrey J; McGreevy, Robert; Zhang, Zhen; Simonton, Charles; Stone, Gregg W

    2015-11-12

    In patients with coronary artery disease who receive metallic drug-eluting coronary stents, adverse events such as late target-lesion failure may be related in part to the persistent presence of the metallic stent frame in the coronary-vessel wall. Bioresorbable vascular scaffolds have been developed to attempt to improve long-term outcomes. In this large, multicenter, randomized trial, 2008 patients with stable or unstable angina were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive an everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular (Absorb) scaffold (1322 patients) or an everolimus-eluting cobalt-chromium (Xience) stent (686 patients). The primary end point, which was tested for both noninferiority (margin, 4.5 percentage points for the risk difference) and superiority, was target-lesion failure (cardiac death, target-vessel myocardial infarction, or ischemia-driven target-lesion revascularization) at 1 year. Target-lesion failure at 1 year occurred in 7.8% of patients in the Absorb group and in 6.1% of patients in the Xience group (difference, 1.7 percentage points; 95% confidence interval, -0.5 to 3.9; P=0.007 for noninferiority and P=0.16 for superiority). There was no significant difference between the Absorb group and the Xience group in rates of cardiac death (0.6% and 0.1%, respectively; P=0.29), target-vessel myocardial infarction (6.0% and 4.6%, respectively; P=0.18), or ischemia-driven target-lesion revascularization (3.0% and 2.5%, respectively; P=0.50). Device thrombosis within 1 year occurred in 1.5% of patients in the Absorb group and in 0.7% of patients in the Xience group (P=0.13). In this large-scale, randomized trial, treatment of noncomplex obstructive coronary artery disease with an everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold, as compared with an everolimus-eluting cobalt-chromium stent, was within the prespecified margin for noninferiority with respect to target-lesion failure at 1 year. (Funded by Abbott Vascular; ABSORB III Clinical

  4. Coronary Artery Development: Progenitor Cells and Differentiation Pathways

    PubMed Central

    Sharma, Bikram; Chang, Andrew; Red-Horse, Kristy

    2017-01-01

    Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the number one cause of death worldwide and involves the accumulation of plaques within the artery wall that can occlude blood flow to the heart and cause myocardial infarction. The high mortality associated with CAD makes the development of medical interventions that repair and replace diseased arteries a high priority for the cardiovascular research community. Advancements in arterial regenerative medicine could benefit from a detailed understanding of coronary artery development during embryogenesis and of how these pathways might be reignited during disease. Recent research has advanced our knowledge on how the coronary vasculature is built and revealed unexpected features of progenitor cell deployment that may have implications for organogenesis in general. Here, we highlight these recent findings and discuss how they set the stage to interrogate developmental pathways during injury and disease. PMID:27959616

  5. Stable coronary syndromes: pathophysiology, diagnostic advances and therapeutic need

    PubMed Central

    Corcoran, David

    2018-01-01

    The diagnostic management of patients with angina pectoris typically centres on the detection of obstructive epicardial CAD, which aligns with evidence-based treatment options that include medical therapy and myocardial revascularisation. This clinical paradigm fails to account for the considerable proportion (approximately one-third) of patients with angina in whom obstructive CAD is excluded. This common scenario presents a diagnostic conundrum whereby angina occurs but there is no obstructive CAD (ischaemia and no obstructive coronary artery disease—INOCA). We review new insights into the pathophysiology of angina whereby myocardial ischaemia results from a deficient supply of oxygenated blood to the myocardium, due to various combinations of focal or diffuse epicardial disease (macrovascular), microvascular dysfunction or both. Macrovascular disease may be due to the presence of obstructive CAD secondary to atherosclerosis, or may be dynamic due to a functional disorder (eg, coronary artery spasm, myocardial bridging). Pathophysiology of coronary microvascular disease may involve anatomical abnormalities resulting in increased coronary resistance, or functional abnormalities resulting in abnormal vasomotor tone. We consider novel clinical diagnostic techniques enabling new insights into the causes of angina and appraise the need for improved therapeutic options for patients with INOCA. We conclude that the taxonomy of stable CAD could improve to better reflect the heterogeneous pathophysiology of the coronary circulation. We propose the term ‘stable coronary syndromes’ (SCS), which aligns with the well-established terminology for ‘acute coronary syndromes’. SCS subtends a clinically relevant classification that more fully encompasses the different diseases of the epicardial and microvascular coronary circulation. PMID:29030424

  6. Uncontrolled angiogenic precursor expansion causes coronary artery anomalies in mice lacking Pofut1.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yidong; Wu, Bingruo; Lu, Pengfei; Zhang, Donghong; Wu, Brian; Varshney, Shweta; Del Monte-Nieto, Gonzalo; Zhuang, Zhenwu; Charafeddine, Rabab; Kramer, Adam H; Sibinga, Nicolas E; Frangogiannis, Nikolaos G; Kitsis, Richard N; Adams, Ralf H; Alitalo, Kari; Sharp, David J; Harvey, Richard P; Stanley, Pamela; Zhou, Bin

    2017-09-18

    Coronary artery anomalies may cause life-threatening cardiac complications; however, developmental mechanisms underpinning coronary artery formation remain ill-defined. Here we identify an angiogenic cell population for coronary artery formation in mice. Regulated by a DLL4/NOTCH1/VEGFA/VEGFR2 signaling axis, these angiogenic cells generate mature coronary arteries. The NOTCH modulator POFUT1 critically regulates this signaling axis. POFUT1 inactivation disrupts signaling events and results in excessive angiogenic cell proliferation and plexus formation, leading to anomalous coronary arteries, myocardial infarction and heart failure. Simultaneous VEGFR2 inactivation fully rescues these defects. These findings show that dysregulated angiogenic precursors link coronary anomalies to ischemic heart disease.Though coronary arteries are crucial for heart function, the mechanisms guiding their formation are largely unknown. Here, Wang et al. identify a unique, endocardially-derived angiogenic precursor cell population for coronary artery formation in mice and show that a DLL4/NOTCH1/VEGFA/VEGFR2 signaling axis is key for coronary artery development.

  7. Scaling of Myocardial Mass to Flow and Morphometry of Coronary Arteries

    PubMed Central

    Choy, Jenny Susana; Kassab, Ghassan S.

    2009-01-01

    There is no doubt that scaling relations exist between myocardial mass and morphometry of coronary vasculature. The purpose of this study is to quantify several morphological (diameter, length, and volume) and functional (flow) parameters of the coronary arterial tree in relation to myocardial mass. Eight normal porcine hearts of 117-244 g (mean of 177.5±32.7) were used in this study. Various coronary sub-trees of the Left Anterior Descending (LAD), Right Coronary (RCA) and Left Circumflex (LCX) arteries were perfused at pressure of 100 mmHg with different colors of a polymer (Microfil) in order to obtain rubber casts of arterial trees corresponding to different regions of myocardial mass. Volume, diameter and cumulative length of coronary arteries were reconstructed from casts to analyze their relationship to the perfused myocardial mass. Volumetric flow was measured in relationship with perfused myocardial mass. Our results show that arterial volume is linearly related to regional myocardial mass, whereas the sum of coronary arterial branch lengths, vessel diameters and volumetric flow show an approximately 3/4, 3/8 and 3/4 power-law relationship, respectively, in relation to myocardial mass. These scaling laws suggest fundamental design principles underlying the structure-function relationship of the coronary arterial tree that may facilitate diagnosis and management of diffuse coronary artery disease. PMID:18323461

  8. Coronary artery abnormalities in children with systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

    PubMed

    Lefèvre-Utile, Alain; Galeotti, Caroline; Koné-Paut, Isabelle

    2014-05-01

    Still's disease (Systemic-onset Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: SoJIA) is characterised by high-spiking daily fevers, arthritis and evanescent rashes. Diagnosis of Still's disease is often challenging. Infectious diseases and other inflammatory conditions, especially in young children, Kawasaki disease may look similar. Clinicians often rely on echocardiographic evidence of coronary artery abnormalities to differentiate between Kawasaki disease and Still's disease. Coronary artery dilation would typically favour the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease. We present four children with Still's disease and coronary artery abnormalities who were initially misdiagnosed as Kawasaki disease. The first patient had pericarditis and an irregular wall of the left coronary artery, without dilation on echocardiography. The second patient had a left coronary artery dilatation and a pericarditis. The third patient had thickened left coronary artery walls, and the fourth patient had a hyperechogenicity of the left and right coronary arteries. They received IVIG without success. The diagnosis of Still's disease was made secondary with evidence of persistent arthritis. All but one patient finally needed biologic treatments. Coronary abnormalities may be observed during various febrile conditions and do not exclude the diagnosis of Still's disease. Copyright © 2013 Société française de rhumatologie. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

  9. Missiles in the heart causing coronary artery disease 44 years after injury.

    PubMed

    Seipelt, R G; Vazquez-Jimenez, J F; Messmer, B J

    2000-09-01

    We present a case of two missiles in the heart causing coronary artery disease with first onset 44 years after the injury. The missiles were close to the right coronary artery and the left anterior descending coronary artery. The missiles initiated local arteriosclerosis in these vessels, with an extremely stretched time frame from injury to the onset of symptoms for coronary artery disease.

  10. Coronary artery atherosclerosis associated with shift work in chemical plant workers by using coronary CT angiography.

    PubMed

    Kang, WonYang; Park, Won-Ju; Jang, Keun-Ho; Kim, Soo-Hyeon; Gwon, Do-Hyeong; Lim, Hyeong-Min; Ahn, Ji-Sung; Moon, Jai-Dong

    2016-08-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate whether shift work is related to elevated risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) by determining the coronary artery calcium (CAC) score and the presence of coronary artery stenosis by using coronary artery CT angiography (CCTA). In this study, 110 male workers participated and underwent a CCTA examination for CAC scoring, which represents coronary artery plaque, and were evaluated for luminal stenosis. All of the participants were working in the same chemical plant, of whom 70 worked day shifts and 40 worked rotating shifts. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, including age, smoking status, alcohol consumption, regular exercise and waist circumference, shift work was associated with a 2.89-fold increase in the odds of developing coronary plaque compared with day work (OR, 2.89; 95% CI 1.07 to 7.82). The association between shift work and coronary plaque was strong after adjustment for age, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes mellitus (OR, 2.92; 95% CI 1.02 to 8.33). In addition, the number of years of shift work employment was associated with coronary plaque. However, no association was found between shift work and coronary artery stenosis. Shift work could induce CAD onset via the atherosclerotic process, and shift work employment duration was associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis in male workers. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  11. Surgical management for achalasia after coronary artery bypass graft using the right gastroepiploic artery: a case report.

    PubMed

    Muranushi, Ryo; Miyazaki, Tatsuya; Saito, Hideyuki; Kuriyama, Kengo; Yoshida, Tomonori; Kumakura, Yuji; Honjyo, Hiroaki; Yokobori, Takehiko; Sakai, Makoto; Sohda, Makoto; Kuwano, Hiroyuki

    2017-12-01

    The right gastroepiploic artery is commonly used in coronary artery bypass grafting. Appropriate strategies are required when performing upper abdominal surgeries after the right gastroepiploic artery has been used in coronary artery bypass grafting because compressing or injuring the graft may cause myocardial ischemia and fatal arrhythmias. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of surgery for achalasia performed after coronary artery bypass grafting using the right gastroepiploic artery. We have discussed the surgical procedure and particular intraoperative considerations. A 62-year-old man who had undergone coronary artery bypass grafting using the right gastroepiploic artery presented with achalasia. Because medication and balloon dilation had been ineffective and he was having difficulty ingesting food, we performed a Heller-Dor procedure via laparotomy. The right gastroepiploic artery was not damaged during this surgery, and there were no perioperative cardiovascular complications. Adequate control of symptoms was achieved. When performing upper abdominal surgeries after coronary artery bypass grafting with the right gastroepiploic artery, it is necessary to investigate the patient carefully preoperatively and adapt the intraoperative procedure to minimize risk of injury to the graft and consequent cardiovascular complications.

  12. Off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass surgery in patients with actively treated diabetes and multivessel coronary disease.

    PubMed

    Benedetto, Umberto; Caputo, Massimo; Vohra, Hunaid; Davies, Alan; Hillier, James; Bryan, Alan; Angelini, Gianni D

    2016-11-01

    We conducted a single-center analysis on short-term outcomes and long-term survival in actively treated diabetic patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass versus on-pump coronary artery bypass surgery. The final population consisted of 2450 patients with actively treated diabetes (mean age, 66 ± 9 years; female/male 545/1905, 22%). Of those, 1493 subjects were orally treated and 1011 subjects were taking insulin. Off-pump coronary artery bypass and on-pump coronary artery bypass were performed in 1253 and 1197 patients, respectively. Propensity score matching was used to compare the 2 matched groups. When compared with on-pump coronary artery bypass, off-pump coronary artery bypass was associated with a significant risk reduction for postoperative cerebrovascular accident (odds ratio, 0.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.25-0.99; P = .04), need for postoperative intra-aortic balloon pump (odds ratio, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.30-0.77; P = .002), and reexploration for bleeding (odds ratio, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.33-0.94; P = .02). Off-pump coronary artery bypass did not significantly affect early (hazard ratio [HR], 1.32; 95% CI, 0.73-2.40; P = .36) and late (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.92-1.28; P = .32) mortality. However, off-pump coronary artery bypass with incomplete revascularization was associated with reduced survival when compared with off-pump coronary artery bypass with complete revascularization (HR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.34-2.46; P = .0002) and on-pump coronary artery bypass with complete revascularization (HR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.36-2.47; P < .0001). Off-pump coronary artery bypass is a safe and feasible option for diabetic patients with multivessel disease, reduces the incidence of early complications including postoperative cerebrovascular events, and provides excellent long-term survival similar to on-pump coronary artery bypass surgery in case of complete revascularization. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Coronary Artery Formation Is Driven by Localized Expression of R-spondin3.

    PubMed

    Da Silva, Fabio; Rocha, Ana Sofia; Motamedi, Fariba Jian; Massa, Filippo; Basboga, Cem; Morrison, Harris; Wagner, Kay Dietrich; Schedl, Andreas

    2017-08-22

    Coronary arteries are essential to support the heart with oxygen, and coronary heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The coronary arteries form at highly stereotyped locations and are derived from the primitive vascular plexus of the heart. How coronary arteries are remodeled and the signaling molecules that govern this process are poorly understood. Here, we have identified the Wnt-signaling modulator Rspo3 as a crucial regulator of coronary artery formation in the developing heart. Rspo3 is specifically expressed around the coronary stems at critical time points in their development. Temporal ablation of Rspo3 at E11.5 leads to decreased β-catenin signaling and a reduction in arterial-specific proliferation. As a result, the coronary stems are defective and the arterial tree does not form properly. These results identify a mechanism through which localized expression of RSPO3 induces proliferation of the coronary arteries at their stems and permits their formation. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Recurrent syncope attributed to left main coronary artery severe stenosis.

    PubMed

    Li, Min; Zheng, Xinyi; Liu, Hua; Liu, Yujie

    2015-01-01

    Patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) rarely manifest as recurrent syncope due to malignant ventricular arrhythmia. We report a case of a 56-year-old Chinese male with complaints of paroxysmal chest burning sensation and distress for 2 weeks as well as loss of consciousness for 3 days. The electrocardiogram (ECG) revealed paroxysmal multimorphologic ventricular tachycardia during attack and normal heart rhythm during intervals. Coronary angiograph showed 90% stenosis in left main coronary artery and 80% stenosis in anterior descending artery. Two stents sized 4.0∗18 mm and 2.75∗18 mm were placed at left main coronary artery and anterior descending artery, respectively, during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The patient was discharged and never had ventricular arrhythmia again during a 3-month follow-up since the PCI. This indicated that ventricular tachycardia was correlated with persistent severe myocardial ischemia. Coronary vasospasm was highly suspected to be the reason of the sudden attack and acute exacerbation. PCI is recommended in patients with both severe coronary artery stenosis and ventricular arrhythmia. Removing myocardial ischemia may stop or relieve ventricular arrhythmia and prevent cardiac arrest.

  15. Long-Term Prognostic Value of Coronary CT Angiography in Asymptomatic Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

    PubMed

    Kang, Se Hun; Park, Gyung-Min; Lee, Seung-Whan; Yun, Sung-Cheol; Kim, Young-Hak; Cho, Young-Rak; Park, Hyun Woo; Suh, Jon; Yang, Dong Hyun; Kang, Joon-Won; Lim, Tae-Hwan; Jung, Chang Hee; Koh, Eun Hee; Lee, Woo Je; Kim, Min-Seon; Lee, Ki-Up; Park, Joong-Yeol

    2016-11-01

    This study sought to evaluate the long-term prognostic value of coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) in asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. There are limited data on the long-term prognostic impact of coronary CTA in asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study analyzed clinical outcomes of 591 consecutive asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who underwent coronary CTA (mean age 62.2 ± 8.3 years and 352 men [59.6%]). A cardiac event was defined as a composite of cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina requiring hospitalization, or late coronary revascularization. Patients were categorized into 3 groups according to severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) on coronary CTA: normal coronary arteries, nonobstructive CAD (<50%), and obstructive CAD (≥50%). One hundred sixty-eight patients (28.4%) had normal coronary arteries, whereas 236 (39.9%) patients had nonobstructive CAD and 187 (31.6%) had obstructive CAD. During the follow-up period (median 5.3 years [interquartile range: 4.7 to 5.8 years]), 37 cardiac events occurred in 29 patents: 10 cardiac deaths, 2 nonfatal myocardial infarctions, 8 cases of unstable angina, and 17 late coronary revascularizations. The 6-year event-free survival rates were 99.3 ± 0.7% in patients with normal coronary arteries, 96.7 ± 1.2% in patients with nonobstructive CAD, and 86.2 ± 3.0% in patients with obstructive CAD (log-rank p < 0.001). Asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with normal coronary arteries or nonobstructive CAD on coronary CTA show excellent clinical outcomes over a follow-up period of more than 5 years, whereas prognosis is worse in patients with obstructive CAD. These findings suggest long-term prognostic value of coronary CTA for asymptomatic type 2 diabetes mellitus. Copyright © 2016 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Anatomical factors determining surgical decision-making in patients with transposition of the great arteries with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction.

    PubMed

    Honjo, Osami; Kotani, Yasuhiro; Bharucha, Tara; Mertens, Luc; Caldarone, Christopher A; Redington, Andrew N; Van Arsdell, Glen

    2013-12-01

    Transposition of the great arteries (TGA) and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) with or without ventricular septal defect have multiple surgical treatment options. We sought to identify pre- and intraoperative factors that determine the timing of repair, procedure type and subsequent LVOT outcome. Twenty-eight (8.2% of all TGA) patients with TGA with LVOTO (double outlet ventricle, n = 5, TGA/intact septum, n = 1) between 2000 and 2012 were reviewed. Anatomical factors were identified by prerepair echocardiography. LVOTO complexity was characterized by the degree of obstruction (0 = none, 0.33 = mild, 0.66 moderate and 1 = severe) at various levels: pulmonary valve (PV) dysplasia/hypoplasia, posterior deviation of the infundibular septum, fibromuscular ridge, tissue tag and abnormal chordal attachment. Summation of the obstruction score, at each level, yielded the LVOT complexity score. The descriptive analysis of intraoperative decision-making at late repair was performed. early arterial switch operation (ASO) + LVOT resection (n = 9, 32%), late ASO + LVOT resection (n = 3, 10%), Nikaidoh (n = 8, 29%), Rastelli (n = 6, 21%), single-ventricle palliation (n = 2, 7%). The primary LVOT obstruction mechanism was posterior deviation of the infundibular septum (n = 16, 57%) and PV dysplasia (n = 6, 21%). The early ASO group had a lower PV complexity score (0.42 ± 0.22 vs 0.96 ± 0.55, P = 0.007), tissue tag score (0.03 ± 0.15 vs 0.26 ± 0.34, P = 0.018) and LVOT complexity score (2.11 ± 0.86 vs 3.2 ± 0.96, P = 0.006). The LVOT complexity score in the Nikaidoh group was higher than in the late ASO group (P = 0.019). Of 16 candidates for the Nikaidoh procedure, 6 patients underwent a Rastelli operation due to coronary artery patterns (single coronary, n = 3, 1RL-2Cx, n = 2 or an abnormal left anterior descending coronary artery course, n = 1). Two patients underwent single-ventricle palliation due to the interference of essential chordae. All patients

  17. Right sided single coronary artery origin: surgical interventions without clinical consequences.

    PubMed

    Hamid, Tahir; Rose, Samman; Horner, Simon

    2011-11-01

    Congenital coronary anomalies are uncommon and are usually diagnosed incidentally during coronary angiogram or autopsy. Isolated coronary artery anomalies and the anomalous origin of left main stem (LMS) from the proximal portion of the right coronary artery or from the right sinus of valsalva are extremely rare. A 68 years old woman with atypical chest pains was referred for risk assessment for the general anaesthesia. A stress exercise treadmill test and myocardial perfusion scan revealed evidence of mild myocardial ischemia. Her coronary angiography revealed her left coronary artery to have a single origin with the right coronary artery. There were no flowlimiting lesions. A CT aortography confirmed a retro-aortic course of the left coronary artery. She successfully underwent multiple surgical procedures under general anaesthesia including total abdominal hysterectomy, Burch colposuspension (twice) for stress incontinence, intravesical botox injection for urge incontinence and haemorrhoidectomy for recurrent rectal mucosal prolapse. Various anaesthetic agents including halothane, thiopentone, suxamethonium, pancuronium, enflurane, fentanyl, propofol and isoflurane were used without any adverse clinical consequences. She remained well on 48 months follow-up.

  18. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and coronary disease: COPDCoRi, a simple and effective algorithm for predicting the risk of coronary artery disease in COPD patients.

    PubMed

    Cazzola, Mario; Calzetta, Luigino; Matera, Maria Gabriella; Muscoli, Saverio; Rogliani, Paola; Romeo, Francesco

    2015-08-01

    Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often associated with cardiovascular artery disease (CAD), representing a potential and independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify an algorithm for predicting the risk of CAD in COPD patients. We analyzed data of patients afferent to the Cardiology ward and the Respiratory Diseases outpatient clinic of Tor Vergata University (2010-2012, 1596 records). The study population was clustered as training population (COPD patients undergoing coronary arteriography), control population (non-COPD patients undergoing coronary arteriography), test population (COPD patients whose records reported information on the coronary status). The predicting model was built via causal relationship between variables, stepwise binary logistic regression and Hosmer-Lemeshow analysis. The algorithm was validated via split-sample validation method and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis. The diagnostic accuracy was assessed. In training population the variables gender (men/women OR: 1.7, 95%CI: 1.237-2.5, P < 0.05), dyslipidemia (OR: 1.8, 95%CI: 1.2-2.5, P < 0.01) and smoking habit (OR: 1.5, 95%CI: 1.2-1.9, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with CAD in COPD patients, whereas in control population also age and diabetes were correlated. The stepwise binary logistic regressions permitted to build a well fitting predictive model for training population but not for control population. The predictive algorithm shown a diagnostic accuracy of 81.5% (95%CI: 77.78-84.71) and an AUC of 0.81 (95%CI: 0.78-0.85) for the validation set. The proposed algorithm is effective for predicting the risk of CAD in COPD patients via a rapid, inexpensive and non-invasive approach. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Anatomical Consideration and Potential Complications of Coronary Sinus Catheterisation.

    PubMed

    Mehra, Lalit; Raheja, Shashi; Agarwal, Sneh; Rani, Yashoda; Kaur, Kulwinder; Tuli, Anita

    2016-02-01

    Coronary venous catheterisation has been used for performing various cardiologic interventions. The procedure might become complicated due to obstruction offered by the valve of coronary sinus (Thebesian valve) the acute bend of the Great Cardiac Vein (GCV). The present study sought to expound the anatomical considerations of coronary venous catheterization and to elucidate the potential causes of obstruction and the complications of this procedure. In this cross-sectional observational study, coronary sinus and GCV were dissected in 40, formalin fixed, adult cadaveric human hearts. Course, length, diameter and angle of bend of GCV, length of coronary sinus and its diameter at its ostium in right atrium were recorded. Thebesian valve morphology and percentage coverage of coronary sinus ostium was recorded. Relation of the coronary sinus and GCV with their neighbouring arteries was described. Coronary sinus: near its termination was directly related to the left atrium. Length: 35.35±4.43 mm (1 SD). Diameter: 11.75 ± 2.66mm. Diameter of CS ostium was more in hearts where Thebesian valve was absent. GCV travelled superficial or deep to the left diagonal artery and crossed circumflex artery superficially. Length: 96.23 ±22.52mm. Diameter: 5.99 ±1.02mm. Angle of bend: 107 ±6.74 degrees. Thebesian valve: Absent in 3 hearts. Various morphologies were observed: thin band, thin band with fenestrations, broad band with fenestrations, well developed semilunar valve (Thin/thick). In five hearts, valve covered more than 50% of coronary sinus ostium. Coronary sinus and GCV diameter will help cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons to choose an appropriate sized catheter and their length will decide the length of catheter advancement. Thebesian valve may cause obstruction to the catheter due to an extensive coverage of coronary sinus ostium, which is seen in 12.5% cases. The obtuse angle of GCV has to be negotiated in order to enter this vessel. Arteries lying deep to

  20. [Coronary artery disease and cardiac ischemic disease: two different pathologies with different diagnostic procedures].

    PubMed

    Vallejo, Enrique

    2009-01-01

    Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains the leading cause of death in the Western world, and early detection of CAD allows optimal therapeutic management. The gold standard has always been invasive coronary angiography, but over the years various non-invasive techniques have been developed to detect CAD, including cardiac SPECT and cardiac computed tomography (Cardiac CT). Cardiac SPECT permitted visualization of myocardial perfusion and have focused on the assessment of the hemodynamic consequences of obstructive coronary lesions as a marker of CAD. Cardiac CT focuses on the detection of atherosclerosis rather than ischemia, and permit detection of CAD at an earlier stage. Objectives of this manuscript are to discuss the clinical experience with both modalities and to provide a critical review of the strengths and limitations of Cardiac SPECT and Cardiac CT for the diagnostic and management of patients with suspected CAD or cardiac ischemic disease.

  1. Mechanisms underlying capsaicin effects in canine coronary artery: implications for coronary spasm

    PubMed Central

    Hiett, S. Christopher; Owen, Meredith K.; Li, Wennan; Chen, Xingjuan; Riley, Ashley; Noblet, Jillian; Flores, Sarah; Sturek, Michael; Tune, Johnathan D.; Obukhov, Alexander G.

    2014-01-01

    Aims The TRPV1, transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1, agonist capsaicin is considered to be beneficial for cardiovascular health because it dilates coronary arteries through an endothelial-dependent mechanism and may slow atheroma progression. However, recent reports indicate that high doses of capsaicin may constrict coronary arterioles and even provoke myocardial infarction. Thus far, the mechanisms by which TRPV1 activation modulates coronary vascular tone remain poorly understood. This investigation examined whether there is a synergistic interplay between locally acting vasoconstrictive pro-inflammatory hormones (autacoids) and capsaicin effects in the coronary circulation. Methods and results Experiments were performed in canine conduit coronary artery rings and isolated smooth muscle cells (CASMCs). Isometric tension measurements revealed that 1–10 μM capsaicin alone did not affect resting tension of coronary artery rings. In contrast, in endothelium-intact rings pre-contracted with a Gq/11-coupled FP/TP (prostaglandin F/thromboxane) receptor agonist, prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α; 10 μM), capsaicin first induced transient dilation that was followed by sustained contraction. In endothelium-denuded rings pre-contracted with PGF2α or thromboxane analogue U46619 (1 μM, a TP receptor agonist), capsaicin induced only sustained contraction. Blockers of the TP receptor or TRPV1 significantly inhibited capsaicin effects, but these were still observed in the presence of 50 μM nifedipine and 70 mM KCl. Capsaicin also potentiated 20 mM KCl-induced contractions. Fluorescence imaging experiments in CASMCs revealed that the Gq/11-phospholipase C (PLC)-protein kinase C (PKC) and Ca2+-PLC-PKC pathways are likely involved in sensitizing CASMC TRPV1 channels. Conclusion Capsaicin alone does not cause contractions in conduit canine coronary artery; however, pre-treatment with pro-inflammatory prostaglandin–thromboxane agonists may unmask capsaicin

  2. A Review of Coronary Artery Disease Research in Malaysia.

    PubMed

    Ang, C S; Chan, K M J

    2016-06-01

    Coronary artery disease is the major cause of mortality and morbidity in Malaysia and worldwide. This paper reviews all research and publications on coronary artery disease in Malaysia published between 2000-2015. 508 papers were identified of which 146 papers were selected and reviewed on the basis of their relevance. The epidemiology, etiology, risk factors, prevention, assessment, treatment, and outcomes of coronary artery disease in the country are reviewed and summarized. The clinical relevance of the studies done in the country are discussed along with recommendations for future research.

  3. Myocardial Blood Flow in Man: Effects of Coronary Collateral Circulation and Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Sidney C.; Gorlin, Richard; Herman, Michael V.; Taylor, Warren J.; Collins, John J.

    1972-01-01

    The effects of coronary artery bypass graft (CAB) and coronary collaterals (CC) on myocardial blood flow (MBF) were studied in 24 patients undergoing 29 CAB's. MBF after CAB was compared to preexisting MBF by intraoperatively injecting 133xenon via distal CAB with proximal CAB first occluded then open. Pressure gradients across bypassed obstructions were measured. The results were correlated with preoperative coronary arteriograms to determine the effects of CC on MBF and postobstructive perfusion pressures. Mean MBF was increased by CAB from 32±6 (se) ml/min per 100 g (CAB occluded) to 118±13 ml/min per 100 g (CAB open). The 133Xe clearance curves with CAB open were resolved into slow (19±2 ml/min per 100 g) and rapid (133±12 ml/min per 100 g) phases, suggesting that MBF remained heterogeneous after CAB. Vessels with less than 80% stenosis by angiography had pressure gradients less than 20 mm Hg across obstructions, high postobstructive perfusion pressures (75±7 mm Hg), and normal MBF (87±6 ml/min per 100 g) even with CAB occluded. Vessels with greater than 80% stenosis or total occlusion by angiography had significant pressure gradients with marked reduction of postobstructive MBF. No significant difference in postobstructive MBF was found when vessels with CC (21±4 ml/min per 100 g) were compared to those without CC (17±4 ml/min per 100 g) (P > 0.4). These studies demonstrate that (a) mean MBF increased 268% after CAB, (b) heterogeneous MBF persisted after CAB, (c) CC were not associated with significant increases in MBF, and (d) vessels with less than 80% stenosis had less than 20 mm Hg gradient with minimal effect on resting MBF. Images PMID:5056655

  4. Pre-test probability of obstructive coronary stenosis in patients undergoing coronary CT angiography: Comparative performance of the modified diamond-Forrester algorithm versus methods incorporating cardiovascular risk factors.

    PubMed

    Ferreira, António Miguel; Marques, Hugo; Tralhão, António; Santos, Miguel Borges; Santos, Ana Rita; Cardoso, Gonçalo; Dores, Hélder; Carvalho, Maria Salomé; Madeira, Sérgio; Machado, Francisco Pereira; Cardim, Nuno; de Araújo Gonçalves, Pedro

    2016-11-01

    Current guidelines recommend the use of the Modified Diamond-Forrester (MDF) method to assess the pre-test likelihood of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). We aimed to compare the performance of the MDF method with two contemporary algorithms derived from multicenter trials that additionally incorporate cardiovascular risk factors: the calculator-based 'CAD Consortium 2' method, and the integer-based CONFIRM score. We assessed 1069 consecutive patients without known CAD undergoing coronary CT angiography (CCTA) for stable chest pain. Obstructive CAD was defined as the presence of coronary stenosis ≥50% on 64-slice dual-source CT. The three methods were assessed for calibration, discrimination, net reclassification, and changes in proposed downstream testing based upon calculated pre-test likelihoods. The observed prevalence of obstructive CAD was 13.8% (n=147). Overestimations of the likelihood of obstructive CAD were 140.1%, 9.8%, and 18.8%, respectively, for the MDF, CAD Consortium 2 and CONFIRM methods. The CAD Consortium 2 showed greater discriminative power than the MDF method, with a C-statistic of 0.73 vs. 0.70 (p<0.001), while the CONFIRM score did not (C-statistic 0.71, p=0.492). Reclassification of pre-test likelihood using the 'CAD Consortium 2' or CONFIRM scores resulted in a net reclassification improvement of 0.19 and 0.18, respectively, which would change the diagnostic strategy in approximately half of the patients. Newer risk factor-encompassing models allow for a more precise estimation of pre-test probabilities of obstructive CAD than the guideline-recommended MDF method. Adoption of these scores may improve disease prediction and change the diagnostic pathway in a significant proportion of patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Diagnostic Value of Transthoracic Echocardiography in Patients With Anomalous Origin of the Left Coronary Artery From the Pulmonary Artery

    PubMed Central

    Li, Rong-Juan; Sun, Zhonghua; Yang, Jiao; Yang, Ya; Li, Yi-Jia; Leng, Zhao-Ting; Liu, Guo-Wen; Pu, Li-Hong

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare congenital coronary abnormality associated with early infant mortality and sudden death in adults. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) plays an important role in early detection and diagnosis of ALCAPA as a noninvasive modality. However, its diagnostic value is not well studied. The purpose of this study is to determine the performance of TTE in the diagnostic assessment of ALCAPA as compared with coronary CT and invasive coronary angiography. A total of 22 patients (13 women and 9 men, mean age, 12.9 ± 19.5 years) with ALCAPA who underwent echocardiographic examination for clinical diagnosis were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Transthoracic echocardiographic features of ALCAPA were analyzed and its diagnostic value was compared with invasive coronary angiography and coronary CT angiography (CTA) with surgical findings serving as the gold standard. Surgery was performed in all of the patients to establish the dual coronary artery system. Five underwent the Takeuchi procedure and 17 had re-implantation of the anomalous left coronary artery. Of 20 patients, echocardiographic diagnoses were in good agreement with findings at surgery, resulting in the diagnostic accuracy of 90.9%. Two cases were misdiagnosed—one as the right coronary artery to pulmonary artery fistula and the other as rheumatic heart disease. The echocardiographic features of these patients with ALCAPA included: abnormal left coronary ostium arising from the pulmonary trunk with retrograde coronary artery flow in 20 patients; enlargement of the right coronary artery in 17 patients; abundant intercoronary septal collaterals in 17 patients; and moderate and significant mitral regurgitation in 14 patients. The diagnostic accuracy of invasive coronary angiography (in 17 patients) and coronary CTA (in 9 patients) was 100%. This study shows that TTE is an accurate, noninvasive imaging modality

  6. Harmonic Skeleton Guided Evaluation of Stenoses in Human Coronary Arteries

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Yan; Zhu, Lei; Haker, Steven; Tannenbaum, Allen R.; Giddens, Don P.

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a novel approach that three-dimensionally visualizes and evaluates stenoses in human coronary arteries by using harmonic skeletons. A harmonic skeleton is the center line of a multi-branched tubular surface extracted based on a harmonic function, which is the solution of the Laplace equation. This skeletonization method guarantees smoothness and connectivity and provides a fast and straightforward way to calculate local cross-sectional areas of the arteries, and thus provides the possibility to localize and evaluate coronary artery stenosis, which is a commonly seen pathology in coronary artery disease. PMID:16685882

  7. Harmonic skeleton guided evaluation of stenoses in human coronary arteries.

    PubMed

    Yang, Yan; Zhu, Lei; Haker, Steven; Tannenbaum, Allen R; Giddens, Don P

    2005-01-01

    This paper presents a novel approach that three-dimensionally visualizes and evaluates stenoses in human coronary arteries by using harmonic skeletons. A harmonic skeleton is the center line of a multi-branched tubular surface extracted based on a harmonic function, which is the solution of the Laplace equation. This skeletonization method guarantees smoothness and connectivity and provides a fast and straightforward way to calculate local cross-sectional areas of the arteries, and thus provides the possibility to localize and evaluate coronary artery stenosis, which is a commonly seen pathology in coronary artery disease.

  8. Anomalous Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery: Masquerading as Peripartum Cardiomyopathy.

    PubMed

    Frigault, Jonathan; Lafrenière-Bessi, Valérie; Perron, Jean; Bédard, Élisabeth; Philippon, François; Poirier, Paul; Larose, Éric; Jacques, Frédéric

    2018-03-09

    Diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy 8 years earlier, a 45-year-old female suffered sudden cardiac death. Following resuscitation, the patient was diagnosed with an anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery and underwent a successful coronary repair. The management of a patient with clinical features of cardiomyopathy is reviewed. Anomalous left coronary artery originating from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare but potentially lethal congenital anomaly affecting 1 in 300,000 live births 1 . Infants may have clinical features of myocardial ischemia and congestive heart failure 2 . Most surgically untreated patients die within the first year of life 3 . Although rare in teenagers and adults, this syndrome can cause sudden cardiac death 3 . ALCAPA that becomes clinically significant in the peripartum period and that is misdiagnosed for a postpartum cardiomyopathy, such as presented herein, is a very rare occurrence. Copyright © 2018 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Does grafting coronary arteries with only moderate stenosis affect long-term mortality?

    PubMed Central

    Sabik, Joseph F.; Olivares, Gabriel; Raza, Sajjad; Lytle, Bruce W.; Houghtaling, Penny L.; Blackstone, Eugene H.

    2016-01-01

    Objective Stenting coronary arteries with non–ischemia-producing moderate stenosis leads to worse outcomes than leaving them unstented. We sought to determine whether grafting coronary arteries with angiographically moderate stenosis is associated with worse long-term survival than leaving them ungrafted. Methods From 1972 to 2011, 55,567 patients underwent primary isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG); 8531 had a single coronary artery with moderate (50%-69%) stenosis, bypassed in 6598 (77%) and not bypassed in 1933 (23%). These arteries were grafted with internal thoracic arteries (ITAs) in 1806 patients (27%) and with saphenous veins (SVs) in 4625 (70%). Mean follow-up for all-cause mortality was 13.0 ± 9.7 years. Results Survival was similar for patients with and without a graft to the moderately stenosed coronary artery (P = .3): 97%, 76%, 43%, and 18% at 1, 10, 20, and 30 years among patients receiving no graft; 97%, 74%, 41%, and 18% among those receiving an SV graft; and 98%, 82%, 51%, and 23% among those receiving an ITA graft. After adjusting for patient characteristics, SV grafting versus nongrafting of moderately stenosed coronary arteries was associated with similar long-term mortality (P = .2), whereas ITA grafting was associated with 22% lower long-term mortality (hazard ratio 0.78; 68% confidence interval 0.75–0.82; P<.0001). Conclusions Grafting coronary arteries with angiographically moderate stenosis is not harmful. Instead, ITA grafting of such coronary arteries is associated with lower long-term mortality. Thus, after placing the first ITA to the left anterior descending, the second ITA should be placed to the second most important coronary artery, even if it is moderately stenosed. PMID:26611750

  10. Does grafting coronary arteries with only moderate stenosis affect long-term mortality?

    PubMed

    Sabik, Joseph F; Olivares, Gabriel; Raza, Sajjad; Lytle, Bruce W; Houghtaling, Penny L; Blackstone, Eugene H

    2016-03-01

    Stenting coronary arteries with non-ischemia-producing moderate stenosis leads to worse outcomes than leaving them unstented. We sought to determine whether grafting coronary arteries with angiographically moderate stenosis is associated with worse long-term survival than leaving them ungrafted. From 1972 to 2011, 55,567 patients underwent primary isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG); 8531 had a single coronary artery with moderate (50%-69%) stenosis, bypassed in 6598 (77%) and not bypassed in 1933 (23%). These arteries were grafted with internal thoracic arteries (ITAs) in 1806 patients (27%) and with saphenous veins (SVs) in 4625 (70%). Mean follow-up for all-cause mortality was 13.0 ± 9.7 years. Survival was similar for patients with and without a graft to the moderately stenosed coronary artery (P = .3): 97%, 76%, 43%, and 18% at 1, 10, 20, and 30 years among patients receiving no graft; 97%, 74%, 41%, and 18% among those receiving an SV graft; and 98%, 82%, 51%, and 23% among those receiving an ITA graft. After adjusting for patient characteristics, SV grafting versus nongrafting of moderately stenosed coronary arteries was associated with similar long-term mortality (P = .2), whereas ITA grafting was associated with 22% lower long-term mortality (hazard ratio 0.78; 68% confidence interval 0.75-0.82; P < .0001). Grafting coronary arteries with angiographically moderate stenosis is not harmful. Instead, ITA grafting of such coronary arteries is associated with lower long-term mortality. Thus, after placing the first ITA to the left anterior descending, the second ITA should be placed to the second most important coronary artery, even if it is moderately stenosed. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  11. Responsiveness of Coronary Arteries to Nitroglycerin under Hypoxia: The Importance of the Endothelium.

    PubMed

    Tawa, Masashi; Shimosato, Takashi; Sakonjo, Hiroshi; Okamura, Tomio

    2017-01-01

    Nitroglycerin is widely used as a coronary vasodilator in the treatment of ischemic heart diseases. This study investigated the influence of hypoxia on nitroglycerin-induced relaxation in endothelium-intact and -denuded rabbit, monkey, and porcine coronary arteries. Helically cut strips of coronary arteries were suspended in organ chambers, and isometric tension was recorded. Nitroglycerin concentration dependently relaxed endothelium-intact rabbit coronary arteries, which were not different under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. On the other hand, nitroglycerin-induced relaxation of endothelium-denuded arteries was significantly attenuated by hypoxia. Similarly, the relaxant response of endothelium-intact monkey coronary arteries to nitroglycerin was not affected by hypoxia, whereas that of endothelium-denuded arteries was impaired. As is the case with rabbit and monkey coronary arteries, exposure to hypoxia resulted in impaired relaxation by nitroglycerin in endothelium-denuded but not endothelium-intact porcine coronary arteries. These findings suggest that coronary endothelium plays a pivotal role in preventing the hypoxia-induced impairment of nitroglycerin responsiveness, regardless of the animal species. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  12. Association of vascular fluoride uptake with vascular calcification and coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Li, Yuxin; Berenji, Gholam R; Shaba, Wisam F; Tafti, Bashir; Yevdayev, Ella; Dadparvar, Simin

    2012-01-01

    The feasibility of a fluoride positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan for imaging atherosclerosis has not been well documented. The purpose of this study was to assess fluoride uptake of vascular calcification in various major arteries, including coronary arteries. We retrospectively reviewed the imaging data and cardiovascular history of 61 patients who received whole-body sodium [¹⁸F]fluoride PET/CT studies at our institution from 2009 to 2010. Fluoride uptake and calcification in major arteries, including coronary arteries, were analyzed by both visual assessment and standardized uptake value measurement. Fluoride uptake in vascular walls was demonstrated in 361 sites of 54 (96%) patients, whereas calcification was observed in 317 sites of 49 (88%) patients. Significant correlation between fluoride uptake and calcification was observed in most of the arterial walls, except in those of the abdominal aorta. Fluoride uptake in coronary arteries was demonstrated in 28 (46%) patients and coronary calcifications were observed in 34 (56%) patients. There was significant correlation between history of cardiovascular events and presence of fluoride uptake in coronary arteries. The coronary fluoride uptake value in patients with cardiovascular events was significantly higher than in patients without cardiovascular events. sodium [¹⁸F]fluoride PET/CT might be useful in the evaluation of the atherosclerotic process in major arteries, including coronary arteries. An increased fluoride uptake in coronary arteries may be associated with an increased cardiovascular risk.

  13. Two cases of Bezold-Jarisch reflex induced by intra-arterial nitroglycerin in critical left main coronary artery stenosis.

    PubMed

    Shah, Sachin P; Waxman, Sergio

    2013-01-01

    The Bezold-Jarisch reflex, a well-described phenomenon, occurs upon the stimulation of intracardiac mechanoreceptors and is mediated by vagal afferent nerve fibers. Several factors can sensitize the cardiovascular system to develop this reflex, including acute myocardial ischemia, natriuretic peptides, and, rarely, nitroglycerin administration in the setting of acute myocardial infarction. The development of the Bezold-Jarisch reflex in the presence of severe coronary artery stenosis, specifically left main coronary artery stenosis, has not been described. We report 2 cases of patients who underwent elective coronary angiography and were given intra-arterial nitroglycerin during radial sheath insertion to reduce radial artery spasm. In both patients, bradycardia and hypotension developed along with diaphoresis, consistent with the Bezold-Jarisch reflex. Coronary angiography revealed critical (>90%) left main coronary artery stenosis in both patients. Critical left main coronary artery stenosis might sensitize mechanoreceptors or vagal afferents to the development of the Bezold-Jarisch reflex after intra-arterial nitroglycerin use; however, the mechanism of this possible relationship is unclear. In addition to discussing our patients' cases, we review the medical literature relevant to the Bezold-Jarisch reflex.

  14. Everolimus-Eluting Stents or Bypass Surgery for Left Main Coronary Artery Disease.

    PubMed

    Stone, Gregg W; Sabik, Joseph F; Serruys, Patrick W; Simonton, Charles A; Généreux, Philippe; Puskas, John; Kandzari, David E; Morice, Marie-Claude; Lembo, Nicholas; Brown, W Morris; Taggart, David P; Banning, Adrian; Merkely, Béla; Horkay, Ferenc; Boonstra, Piet W; van Boven, Ad J; Ungi, Imre; Bogáts, Gabor; Mansour, Samer; Noiseux, Nicolas; Sabaté, Manel; Pomar, José; Hickey, Mark; Gershlick, Anthony; Buszman, Pawel; Bochenek, Andrzej; Schampaert, Erick; Pagé, Pierre; Dressler, Ovidiu; Kosmidou, Ioanna; Mehran, Roxana; Pocock, Stuart J; Kappetein, A Pieter

    2016-12-08

    Patients with obstructive left main coronary artery disease are usually treated with coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG). Randomized trials have suggested that drug-eluting stents may be an acceptable alternative to CABG in selected patients with left main coronary disease. We randomly assigned 1905 eligible patients with left main coronary artery disease of low or intermediate anatomical complexity to undergo either percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with fluoropolymer-based cobalt-chromium everolimus-eluting stents (PCI group, 948 patients) or CABG (CABG group, 957 patients). Anatomic complexity was assessed at the sites and defined by a Synergy between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score of 32 or lower (the SYNTAX score reflects a comprehensive angiographic assessment of the coronary vasculature, with 0 as the lowest score and higher scores [no upper limit] indicating more complex coronary anatomy). The primary end point was the rate of a composite of death from any cause, stroke, or myocardial infarction at 3 years, and the trial was powered for noninferiority testing of the primary end point (noninferiority margin, 4.2 percentage points). Major secondary end points included the rate of a composite of death from any cause, stroke, or myocardial infarction at 30 days and the rate of a composite of death, stroke, myocardial infarction, or ischemia-driven revascularization at 3 years. Event rates were based on Kaplan-Meier estimates in time-to-first-event analyses. At 3 years, a primary end-point event had occurred in 15.4% of the patients in the PCI group and in 14.7% of the patients in the CABG group (difference, 0.7 percentage points; upper 97.5% confidence limit, 4.0 percentage points; P=0.02 for noninferiority; hazard ratio, 1.00; 95% confidence interval, 0.79 to 1.26; P=0.98 for superiority). The secondary end-point event of death, stroke, or myocardial infarction at 30 days occurred in 4.9% of the

  15. Excess Cardiovascular Risk in Women Relative to Men Referred for Coronary Angiography Is Associated With Severely Impaired Coronary Flow Reserve, Not Obstructive Disease.

    PubMed

    Taqueti, Viviany R; Shaw, Leslee J; Cook, Nancy R; Murthy, Venkatesh L; Shah, Nishant R; Foster, Courtney R; Hainer, Jon; Blankstein, Ron; Dorbala, Sharmila; Di Carli, Marcelo F

    2017-02-07

    Cardiovascular disease (CVD) fatality rates are higher for women than for men, yet obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) is less prevalent in women. Coronary flow reserve (CFR), an integrated measure of large- and small-vessel CAD and myocardial ischemia, identifies patients at risk for CVD death, but is not routinely measured in clinical practice. We sought to investigate the impact of sex, CFR, and angiographic CAD severity on adverse cardiovascular events. Consecutive patients (n=329, 43% women) referred for invasive coronary angiography after stress testing with myocardial perfusion positron emission tomography and with left ventricular ejection fraction >40% were followed (median, 3.0 years) for a composite end point of major adverse cardiovascular events, including cardiovascular death and hospitalization for nonfatal myocardial infarction or heart failure. The extent and severity of angiographic CAD were estimated by using the CAD prognostic index, and CFR was quantified by using positron emission tomography. Although women in comparison with men had lower pretest clinical scores, rates of prior myocardial infarction, and burden of angiographic CAD (P<0.001), they demonstrated greater risk of CVD events, even after adjustment for traditional risk factors, imaging findings, and early revascularization (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-4.02; P=0.03). Impaired CFR was similarly present among women and men, but in patients with low CFR (<1.6, n=163), women showed a higher frequency of nonobstructive CAD, whereas men showed a higher frequency of severely obstructive CAD (P=0.002). After also adjusting for CFR, the effect of sex on outcomes was no longer significant. When stratified by sex and CFR, only women with severely impaired CFR demonstrated significantly increased adjusted risk of CVD events (P<0.0001, P for interaction=0.04). Women referred for coronary angiography had a significantly lower burden of obstructive CAD in

  16. Relationship of Hypertension to Coronary Atherosclerosis and Cardiac Events in Patients With Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography.

    PubMed

    Nakanishi, Rine; Baskaran, Lohendran; Gransar, Heidi; Budoff, Matthew J; Achenbach, Stephan; Al-Mallah, Mouaz; Cademartiri, Filippo; Callister, Tracy Q; Chang, Hyuk-Jae; Chinnaiyan, Kavitha; Chow, Benjamin J W; DeLago, Augustin; Hadamitzky, Martin; Hausleiter, Joerg; Cury, Ricardo; Feuchtner, Gudrun; Kim, Yong-Jin; Leipsic, Jonathon; Kaufmann, Philipp A; Maffei, Erica; Raff, Gilbert; Shaw, Leslee J; Villines, Todd C; Dunning, Allison; Marques, Hugo; Pontone, Gianluca; Andreini, Daniele; Rubinshtein, Ronen; Bax, Jeroen; Jones, Erica; Hindoyan, Niree; Gomez, Millie; Lin, Fay Y; Min, James K; Berman, Daniel S

    2017-08-01

    Hypertension is an atherosclerosis factor and is associated with cardiovascular risk. We investigated the relationship between hypertension and the presence, extent, and severity of coronary atherosclerosis in coronary computed tomographic angiography and cardiac events risk. Of 17 181 patients enrolled in the CONFIRM registry (Coronary CT Angiography Evaluation for Clinical Outcomes: An International Multicenter Registry) who underwent ≥64-detector row coronary computed tomographic angiography, we identified 14 803 patients without known coronary artery disease. Of these, 1434 hypertensive patients were matched to 1434 patients without hypertension. Major adverse cardiac events risk of hypertension and non-hypertensive patients was evaluated with Cox proportional hazards models. The prognostic associations between hypertension and no-hypertension with increasing degree of coronary stenosis severity (nonobstructive or obstructive ≥50%) and extent of coronary artery disease (segment involvement score of 1-5, >5) was also assessed. Hypertension patients less commonly had no coronary atherosclerosis and more commonly had nonobstructive and 1-, 2-, and 3-vessel disease than the no-hypertension group. During a mean follow-up of 5.2±1.2 years, 180 patients experienced cardiac events, with 104 (2.0%) occurring in the hypertension group and 76 (1.5%) occurring in the no-hypertension group (hazard ratios, 1.4; 95% confidence intervals, 1.0-1.9). Compared with no-hypertension patients without coronary atherosclerosis, hypertension patients with no coronary atherosclerosis and obstructive coronary disease tended to have higher risk of cardiac events. Similar trends were observed with respect to extent of coronary artery disease. Compared with no-hypertension patients, hypertensive patients have increased presence, extent, and severity of coronary atherosclerosis and tend to have an increase in major adverse cardiac events. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  17. Metabolic Profiles Predict Adverse Events Following Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

    PubMed Central

    Shah, Asad A.; Craig, Damian M.; Sebek, Jacqueline K.; Haynes, Carol; Stevens, Robert C.; Muehlbauer, Michael J.; Granger, Christopher B.; Hauser, Elizabeth R.; Newby, L. Kristin; Newgard, Christopher B.; Kraus, William E.; Hughes, G. Chad; Shah, Svati H.

    2012-01-01

    Objectives Clinical models incompletely predict outcomes following coronary artery bypass grafting. Novel molecular technologies may identify biomarkers to improve risk stratification. We examined whether metabolic profiles can predict adverse events in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Methods The study population comprised 478 subjects from the CATHGEN biorepository of patients referred for cardiac catheterization who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting after enrollment. Targeted mass spectrometry-based profiling of 69 metabolites was performed in frozen, fasting plasma samples collected prior to surgery. Principal-components analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression modeling were used to assess the relation between metabolite factor levels and a composite outcome of post-coronary artery bypass grafting myocardial infarction, need for percutaneous coronary intervention, repeat coronary artery bypass grafting, or death. Results Over a mean follow-up of 4.3 ± 2.4 years, 126 subjects (26.4%) suffered an adverse event. Three principal-components analysis-derived factors were significantly associated with adverse outcome in univariable analysis: short-chain dicarboxylacylcarnitines (factor 2, P=0.001); ketone-related metabolites (factor 5, P=0.02); and short-chain acylcarnitines (factor 6, P=0.004). These three factors remained independently predictive of adverse outcome after multivariable adjustment: factor 2 (adjusted hazard ratio 1.23; 95% confidence interval [1.10-1.38]; P<0.001), factor 5 (1.17 [1.01-1.37], P=0.04), and factor 6 (1.14 [1.02-1.27], P=0.03). Conclusions Metabolic profiles are independently associated with adverse outcomes following coronary artery bypass grafting. These profiles may represent novel biomarkers of risk that augment existing tools for risk stratification of coronary artery bypass grafting patients and may elucidate novel biochemical pathways that mediate risk. PMID:22306227

  18. Coronary Artery Diagnosis Aided by Neural Network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stefko, Kamil

    2007-01-01

    Coronary artery disease is due to atheromatous narrowing and subsequent occlusion of the coronary vessel. Application of optimised feed forward multi-layer back propagation neural network (MLBP) for detection of narrowing in coronary artery vessels is presented in this paper. The research was performed using 580 data records from traditional ECG exercise test confirmed by coronary arteriography results. Each record of training database included description of the state of a patient providing input data for the neural network. Level and slope of ST segment of a 12 lead ECG signal recorded at rest and after effort (48 floating point values) was the main component of input data for neural network was. Coronary arteriography results (verified the existence or absence of more than 50% stenosis of the particular coronary vessels) were used as a correct neural network training output pattern. More than 96% of cases were correctly recognised by especially optimised and a thoroughly verified neural network. Leave one out method was used for neural network verification so 580 data records could be used for training as well as for verification of neural network.

  19. Does Previous Transradial Catheterization Preclude Use of the Radial Artery as a Conduit in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery?

    PubMed

    Mounsey, Craig A; Mawhinney, Jamie A; Werner, Raphael S; Taggart, David P

    2016-08-30

    The radial artery (RA) is a commonly used conduit for coronary artery bypass grafting, and recent studies have demonstrated that it provides superior long-term patency rates to the saphenous vein in most situations. In addition, the RA is also being used with increasing frequency as the access point for coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary interventions. However, there has been concern for many years that these transradial procedures may have a detrimental impact on the function of RA grafts used in coronary artery bypass grafting, and there is now comprehensive evidence that such interventions cause morphologic and functional damage to the artery in situ. Despite this, there remain remarkably few studies investigating the use of previously cannulated RAs as grafts in coronary artery bypass surgery, and there are no clear guidelines on the use of the RA in coronary artery bypass grafting after its catheterization. This article will review concisely the evidence that transradial procedures cause damage to the RA, and discuss the impact this could have on previously cannulated RAs used as coronary artery bypass grafting conduits. On the basis of the evidence assessed, we make a number of recommendations to both surgeons and cardiologists regarding use of the RA in cardiovascular procedures. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

  20. Prevalence and pattern of abnormal myocardial perfusion in patients with isolated coronary artery ectasia: study by 99mTc-sestamibi radionuclide scintigraphy.

    PubMed

    Ismail, Ahmed M; Rayan, Mona; Adel, Amr; Demerdash, Salah; Atef, Mohamed; Abdallah, Mohamed; Nammas, Wail

    2014-02-01

    We explored the prevalence and pattern of abnormal myocardial perfusion in patients with isolated coronary artery ectasia (CAE), as demonstrated by (99m)Tc-sestamibi scintigraphy. Prospectively, we enrolled 35 patients with angiographically documented CAE and no significant coronary obstruction, who underwent elective coronary angiography. Patients underwent Stress-rest (99m)Tc-sestamibi scintigraphy within 4 days of coronary angiography. They were divided into 2 groups: group I: with normal perfusion scan; and group II: with reversible perfusion defects. The mean age was 49.6 ± 6.9 years; 34 (97.1 %) were males. Seventy-nine (75.2 %) arteries were affected by CAE. Among 79 arteries affected by CAE, affection was diffuse in 37 (46.8 %). Thirteen (37.1 %) patients had normal perfusion scan (group I), whereas 22 (62.9 %) had reversible perfusion defects (group II). Among 22 patients with reversible perfusion defects, 20 (90.9 %) had mild and 2 (9.1 %) had moderate ischemia. Among 49 myocardial segments with reversible perfusion defects, 22 (44.9 %) were basal, 18 (36.7 %) mid-, and 9 (18.4 %) apical segments. Diffuse CAE was significantly more prevalent in group II versus group I, in all 3 major coronary arteries (p < 0.05 for all). In patients with isolated CAE who underwent elective coronary angiography, reversible perfusion defects demonstrated by (99m)Tc-sestamibi scintigraphy were rather prevalent, mostly mild, more likely to affect the basal and mid-segments of the myocardium, and more frequently associated with diffuse ectasia.

  1. Anomalous origin of circumflex coronary artery from right pulmonary artery in a hypoplastic left heart syndrome child

    PubMed Central

    Kansy, Andrzej; Łaniewski-Wołłk, Przemysław

    2014-01-01

    We describe the case of a newborn with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and aberrant origin of the circumflex coronary artery from the right pulmonary artery. The patient underwent a modified Norwood procedure with direct reimplantation of the circumflex coronary artery to the neo-aorta, but died on the 5th postoperative day because of myocardial failure. Detailed assessment of coronary arteries as part of the routine echocardiographic evaluation of HLHS and intraoperative inspection of them is crucial. PMID:26336423

  2. Intravascular Optical Imaging Technology for Investigating the Coronary Artery

    PubMed Central

    Suter, Melissa J.; Nadkarni, Seemantini K.; Weisz, Giora; Tanaka, Atsushi; Jaffer, Farouc A.; Bouma, Brett E.; Tearney, Guillermo J.

    2012-01-01

    There is an ever-increasing demand for new imaging methods that can provide additional information about the coronary wall to better characterize and stratify high-risk plaques, and to guide interventional and pharmacologic management of patients with coronary artery disease. While there are a number of imaging modalities that facilitate the assessment of coronary artery pathology, this review paper focuses on intravascular optical imaging modalities that provide information on the microstructural, compositional, biochemical, biomechanical, and molecular features of coronary lesions and stents. The optical imaging modalities discussed include angioscopy, optical coherence tomography, polarization sensitive-optical coherence tomography, laser speckle imaging, near-infrared spectroscopy, time-resolved laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and near-infrared fluorescence molecular imaging. Given the wealth of information that these techniques can provide, optical imaging modalities are poised to play an increasingly significant role in the evaluation of the coronary artery in the future. PMID:21920342

  3. Smokers' rights to coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

    PubMed

    Heath, Janie; Braun, Mary Ann; Brindle, Margaret

    2002-06-01

    Imagine a health maintenance organization creating a policy to deny all smokers access to nonemergent coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The cost savings to the organization and society would be potentially significant. Now envision the smoker, a hardworking father with daily angina, and the provider, writing costly prescriptions to manage the angina. What ethical and legal questions do you suppose would present in that setting? Now imagine how you would respond if given this scenario of denying smokers access to nonemergent coronary artery bypass graft. This article discusses the implications of resource allocation with self-inflicted health behaviors such as smoking. Tough questions are raised that explore both the pros and the cons of smokers' rights to coronary artery bypass graft.

  4. Narrowing the gap: early and intermediate outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass graft procedures in California, 1997 to 2006.

    PubMed

    Carey, Joseph S; Danielsen, Beate; Milliken, Jeffrey; Li, Zhongmin; Stabile, Bruce E

    2009-11-01

    Percutaneous coronary intervention is increasingly used to treat multivessel coronary artery disease. Coronary artery bypass graft procedures have decreased, and as a result, percutaneous coronary intervention has increased. The overall impact of this treatment shift is uncertain. We examined the in-hospital mortality and complication rates for these procedures in California using a combined risk model. The confidential dataset of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development patient discharge database was queried for 1997 to 2006. A risk model was developed using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification procedures and diagnostic codes from the combined pool of isolated coronary artery bypass graft and percutaneous coronary intervention procedures performed during 2005 and 2006. In-hospital mortality was corrected for "same-day" transfers to another health care institution. Early failure rate was defined as in-hospital mortality rate plus reintervention for another percutaneous coronary intervention or cardiac surgery procedure within 90 days. Coronary artery bypass graft volume decreased from 28,495 (1997) to 15,520 (2006), whereas percutaneous coronary intervention volume increased from 38,098 to 53,703. Risk-adjusted mortality rate decreased from 4.7% to 2.1% for coronary artery bypass graft procedures and from 3.4% to 1.9% for percutaneous coronary intervention. Expected mortality rate increased for both procedures. Early failure rate decreased from 13.1% to 8.0% for percutaneous coronary intervention and from 6.5% to 5.4% for coronary artery bypass graft. For the years 2004 and 2005, the risk of recurrent myocardial infarction or need for coronary artery bypass graft during the first postoperative year was 12% for percutaneous coronary intervention and 6% for coronary artery bypass grafts. This study shows that as volume shifted from coronary artery bypass grafts to percutaneous coronary intervention, expected

  5. Invasion of Human Coronary Artery Cells by Periodontal Pathogens

    PubMed Central

    Dorn, Brian R.; Dunn, William A.; Progulske-Fox, Ann

    1999-01-01

    There is an emerging paradigm shift from coronary heart disease having a purely hereditary and nutritional causation to possibly having an infectious etiology. Recent epidemiological studies have shown a correlation between periodontal disease and coronary heart disease. However, to date, there is minimal information as to the possible disease mechanisms of this association. It is our hypothesis that invasion of the coronary artery cells by oral bacteria may start and/or exacerbate the inflammatory response in atherosclerosis. Since a few periodontal pathogens have been reported to invade oral epithelial tissues, we tested the ability of three putative periodontal pathogens—Eikenella corrodens, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Prevotella intermedia—to invade human coronary artery endothelial cells and coronary artery smooth muscle cells. In this study we demonstrate by an antibiotic protection assay and electron microscopy that specific species and strains invade coronary artery cells at a significant level. Actin polymerization and eukaryotic protein synthesis in metabolically active cells were required since the corresponding inhibitors nearly abrogated invasion. Many intracellular P. gingivalis organisms were seen to be present in multimembranous vacuoles resembling autophagosomes by morphological analysis. This is the first report of oral microorganisms invading human primary cell cultures of the vasculature. PMID:10531230

  6. Coronary ostia obstruction after replacement of aortic valve prostesis

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is the gold standard for the treatment of severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. Complications directly related to surgical procedure are relatively infrequent. Coronary ostial stenosis is, generally, referred as late complication. Anecdotal reports concern coronary ostial stenosis as acute complication. A unique fatal case of intraoperative, bilateral coronary ostial obstruction by prosthetic valve leading to an extensive myocardial infarction is reported. Surgeons must have a high level of vigilance regarding the occurrence of acute myocardial ischemia and sudden death soon after AVR. PMID:21810231

  7. Influence of chronic total occlusions on coronary artery bypass graft surgical outcomes.

    PubMed

    Banerjee, Subhash; Master, Ryan G; Peltz, Matthias; Willis, Bernice; Mohammed, Atif; Little, Bertis B; DiMaio, Michael J; Jessen, Michael E; Brilakis, Emmanouil S

    2012-11-01

    Presence of epicardial coronary artery chronic total occlusion (CTO) predicts higher referral rates for coronary bypass graft surgery (CABG). However, the impact of coronary artery CTO on CABG outcomes has never been systematically studied. We examined one-year outcomes in 605 consecutive Veterans, discharged post-CABG between June 2005 and December 2008. A coronary CTO was present in 256 patients (42%), predominantly (48.3%) in the right coronary artery distribution. Baseline clinical characteristics and medical therapy were similar in patients with and without a coronary CTO. A single CTO was present in 73.8%, and 26.2% patients had multiple CTO. All left anterior descending coronary artery CTO were successfully bypassed, as were >92% in left circumflex and right coronary arteries and 85% CTO in multiple coronary artery distributions. During the mean follow-up of 348.9 ± 4.5 days, incidence of all-cause death and myocardial infarction were similar in both groups (7.1% in CTO group and 7.4% in non-CTO group; p = 0.97). CTO >20 mm in length constituted 74.9% and >40 mm 37.8%. One-year survival post-CABG was significantly lower in patients with CTO lengths >40 mm compared to ≤20 mm (p = 0.04). CTO >40 mm was an independent predictor of post-CABG mortality controlling for age, number of CTO, comorbid diseases, clopidogrel use, severity of coronary artery disease, renal failure, and left ventricular ejection fraction. CABG achieves high success in grafting epicardial coronary vessels with CTO; however, presence of long coronary CTO (>40 mm) is an independent predictor of post-CABG survival. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Secondary Coronary Artery Vasospasm Promotes Cardiomyopathy Progression

    PubMed Central

    Wheeler, Matthew T.; Korcarz, Claudia E.; Collins, Keith A.; Lapidos, Karen A.; Hack, Andrew A.; Lyons, Matthew R.; Zarnegar, Sara; Earley, Judy U.; Lang, Roberto M.; McNally, Elizabeth M.

    2004-01-01

    Genetic defects in the plasma membrane-associated sarcoglycan complex produce cardiomyopathy characterized by focal degeneration. The infarct-like pattern of cardiac degeneration has led to the hypothesis that coronary artery vasospasm underlies cardiomyopathy in this disorder. We evaluated the coronary vasculature of γ-sarcoglycan mutant mice and found microvascular filling defects consistent with arterial vasospasm. However, the vascular smooth muscle sarcoglycan complex was intact in the coronary arteries of γ-sarcoglycan hearts with perturbation of the sarcoglycan complex only within the adjacent myocytes. Thus, in this model, coronary artery vasospasm derives from a vascular smooth muscle-cell extrinsic process. To reduce this secondary vasospasm, we treated γ-sarcoglycan-deficient mice with the calcium channel antagonist verapamil. Verapamil treatment eliminated evidence of vasospasm and ameliorated histological and functional evidence of cardiomyopathic progression. Echocardiography of verapamil-treated, γ-sarcoglycan-null mice showed an improvement in left ventricular fractional shortening (44.3 ± 13.3% treated versus 37.4 ± 15.3% untreated), maximal velocity at the aortic outflow tract (114.9 ± 27.9 cm/second versus 92.8 ± 22.7 cm/second), and cardiac index (1.06 ± 0.30 ml/minute/g versus 0.67 ± 0.16 ml/minute/g, P < 0.05). These data indicate that secondary vasospasm contributes to the development of cardiomyopathy and is an important therapeutic target to limit cardiomyopathy progression. PMID:14982859

  9. Right coronary artery fistula misdiagnosed as right atrial cardiac myxoma: A case report.

    PubMed

    Wen, Bing; Yang, Junya; Jiao, Zhouyang; Fu, Guowei; Zhao, Wenzeng

    2016-06-01

    The current study describes a case of right coronary artery fistula (CAF) misdiagnosed as right atrial myxoma (RAM). A 33-year-old man presented with a 13-year history of intermittent chest pain, and aggravation for 3 days. Echocardiography revealed an occupying lesion in the right atrium producing a partial dynamic tricuspid obstruction. The initial diagnosis was RAM, which causes partial right ventricular inflow tract obstruction. During cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, a giant mass was detected in the anterior wall of the right ventricle and an abnormal vascular fistula was observed at the bottom of the mass. Successful excision of the mass and closure of the fistula completely relieved the patient's presenting symptoms. The disease was subsequently diagnosed as right CAF draining to the myocardial void. The surgical management and misdiagnosis of the case are discussed herein.

  10. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Off-Pump Coronary Surgery.

    PubMed

    Ovalı, Cengiz; Şahin, Aykut

    2018-05-18

    To determine to what extent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects mortality and morbidity rates in patients treated with off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). A total of 321 patients treated with off-pump CABG were included in the present study. Of the 321 patients, 46 patients had COPD and they were designated as Group 1 and the remaining 275 patients did not have COPD and they were considered as Group 2. We compared the data obtained from the patients in both groups. While preoperative spirometry values and arterial blood gas oxygen saturation levels were significantly lower, the partial values of carbon dioxide were higher in Group 1. Likewise, extubation time, the amount of drainage and blood transfusion, inotropic support, prolonged intubation, pulmonary complications, the use of bronchodilators, and steroids were statistically higher in Group 1 when compared with Group 2. Overall, there was no marked difference between the two groups in terms of mortality incidence. We found similar morbidity and mortality rates among the patients with COPD and without COPD when they were treated with off-pump CABG. Therefore, the present results indicate that the presence of COPD is not associated with in-hospital mortality or severe morbidity post-CABG by off-pump approach.

  11. Urinary Bisphenol A Concentration and Angiography-Defined Coronary Artery Stenosis

    PubMed Central

    Melzer, David; Gates, Phil; Osborn, Nicholas J.; Henley, William E.; Cipelli, Ricardo; Young, Anita; Money, Cathryn; McCormack, Paul; Schofield, Peter; Mosedale, David; Grainger, David; Galloway, Tamara S.

    2012-01-01

    Background Bisphenol A is widely used in food and drinks packaging. There is evidence of associations between raised urinary bisphenol A (uBPA) and increased incidence of reported cardiovascular diagnoses. Methodology/Principal Findings To estimate associations between BPA exposure and angiographically graded coronary atherosclerosis. 591 patients participating in The Metabonomics and Genomics in Coronary Artery Disease (MaGiCAD) study in Cambridgeshire UK, comparing urinary BPA (uBPA) with grades of severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) on angiography. Linear models were adjusted for BMI, occupational social class and diabetes status. Severe (one to three vessel) CAD was present in 385 patients, 86 had intermediate disease (n = 86) and 120 had normal coronary arteries. The (unadjusted) median uBPA concentration was 1.28 ng/mL with normal coronary arteries, and 1.53 ng/mL with severe CAD. Compared to those with normal coronary arteries, uBPA concentration was significantly higher in those with severe CAD (OR per uBPA SD = 5.96 ng/ml OR = 1.43, CI 1.03 to 1.98, p = 0.033), and near significant for intermediate disease (OR = 1.69, CI 0.98 to 2.94, p = 0.061). There was no significant uBPA difference between patients with severe CAD (needing surgery) and the remaining groups combined. Conclusions/Significance BPA exposure was higher in those with severe coronary artery stenoses compared to those with no vessel disease. Larger studies are needed to estimate true dose response relationships. The mechanisms underlying the association remain to be established. PMID:22916252

  12. Incidence and Risk Factors for Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction after the Arterial Switch Operation.

    PubMed

    Cleuziou, Julie; Vitanova, Keti; Pabst von Ohain, Jelena; Ono, Masamichi; Tanase, Daniel; Burri, Melchior; Lange, Rüdiger

    2018-05-01

     The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and risk factors for the development of right ventricular outflow tract obstruction (RVOTO) after the arterial switch operation (ASO).  Between 1983 and 2014, a total of 688 patients underwent ASO. RVOTO was defined as any obstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) requiring reintervention.  RVOTO developed in 79 patients (11%) at a median time of 3.8 years (range, 1 day-23.6 years) after ASO. Freedom from RVOT reintervention was 96 ± 1, 89 ± 1, and 83 ± 2% at 1, 10, and 25 years, respectively. Independent risk factors for the development of RVOTO in a Cox's regression model were side-by-side great arteries ( p  < 0.001), aortic arch anomalies ( p  < 0.001), use of a pericardial patch for augmentation of the coronary buttons ( p  < 0.001), and a peak gradient more than 20 mm Hg over the RVOT at discharge ( p  < 0.001).  The incidence of RVOTO after ASO is not negligible. Complex morphology, such as side-by-side great arteries and aortic arch anomalies influences the development of RVOTO. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  13. Anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery with a large patent ductus arteriosus: aversion of a catastrophe.

    PubMed

    Aggarwal, Sanjeev; Delius, Ralph E; Pettersen, Michael D

    2013-01-01

    We present an infant who had an anomalous left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) and a large patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), who was diagnosed before a potentially catastrophic closure of PDA. In the presence of normal left ventricular function and the absence of coronary artery collaterals, it is difficult to diagnose ALCAPA. A disproportionate degree of left ventricular dilation and severity of mitral valve regurgitation relative to the degree of PDA shunt, and echogenic papillary muscles on an echocardiogram should raise a suspicion of coronary artery anomalies. The infant underwent surgical ligation of PDA with translocation of coronary arteries and had an uneventful recovery. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Calcium/Vitamin D Supplementation and Coronary Artery Calcification

    PubMed Central

    Manson, JoAnn E.; Allison, Matthew A.; Carr, J. Jeffrey; Langer, Robert D.; Cochrane, Barbara B.; Hendrix, Susan L.; Hsia, Judith; Hunt, Julie R.; Lewis, Cora E.; Margolis, Karen L.; Robinson, Jennifer G.; Rodabough, Rebecca J.; Thomas, Asha M.

    2010-01-01

    Objectives Coronary artery calcified plaque is a marker for atheromatous plaque burden and predicts future risk of cardiovascular events. The relationship between calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and coronary artery calcium (CAC) has not been previously assessed in a randomized trial setting. We compared coronary artery calcium scores among women randomized to calcium/vitamin D supplementation versus placebo following trial completion. Methods In an ancillary substudy of women randomized to calcium carbonate (1000 mg of elemental calcium daily) plus vitamin D3 (400 IU daily) versus placebo, nested within the Women’s Health Initiative trial of estrogen among women with hysterectomy, we measured CAC with cardiac computed tomography in 754 women aged 50–59 years at randomization. Imaging for CAC was performed at 28 of 40 centers following a mean of 7 years of treatment and scans were read centrally. Coronary artery calcium scores were measured by a central reading center with masking to randomization assignments. Results Post-trial CAC measurements were similar in women randomized to calcium/vitamin D supplementation (calcium/D) and those receiving placebo. The mean CAC score was 91.6 for calcium/D and 100.5 for placebo (rank test p-value=0.74). After adjustment for coronary risk factors, multivariate odds ratios for increasing CAC score cutpoints (CAC >0, ≥10, and ≥100) for calcium/D vs placebo were 0.92 (95% confidence interval, 0.64–1.34), 1.29 (0.88–1.87), and 0.90 (0.56–1.44), respectively. Corresponding odds ratios among women with >50% adherence to study pills and for higher levels of CAC (>300), were similar. Conclusions Treatment with moderate doses of calcium plus vitamin D3 did not appear to alter coronary artery calcified plaque burden among postmenopausal women. PMID:20551849

  15. Structural remodeling of coronary resistance arteries: effects of age and exercise training

    PubMed Central

    Hanna, Mina A.; Taylor, Curtis R.; Chen, Bei; La, Hae-Sun; Maraj, Joshua J.; Kilar, Cody R.; Behnke, Bradley J.; Delp, Michael D.

    2014-01-01

    Age is known to induce remodeling and stiffening of large-conduit arteries; however, little is known of the effects of age on remodeling and mechanical properties of coronary resistance arteries. We employed a rat model of aging to investigate whether 1) age increases wall thickness and stiffness of coronary resistance arteries, and 2) exercise training reverses putative age-induced increases in wall thickness and stiffness of coronary resistance arteries. Young (4 mo) and old (21 mo) Fischer 344 rats remained sedentary or underwent 10 wk of treadmill exercise training. Coronary resistance arteries were isolated for determination of wall-to-lumen ratio, effective elastic modulus, and active and passive responses to changes in intraluminal pressure. Elastin and collagen content of the vascular wall were assessed histologically. Wall-to-lumen ratio increased with age, but this increase was reversed by exercise training. In contrast, age reduced stiffness, and exercise training increased stiffness in coronary resistance arteries from old rats. Myogenic responsiveness was reduced with age and restored by exercise training. Collagen-to-elastin ratio (C/E) of the wall did not change with age and was reduced with exercise training in arteries from old rats. Thus age induces hypertrophic remodeling of the vessel wall and reduces the stiffness and myogenic function of coronary resistance arteries. Exercise training reduces wall-to-lumen ratio, increases wall stiffness, and restores myogenic function in aged coronary resistance arteries. The restorative effect of exercise training on myogenic function of coronary resistance arteries may be due to both changes in vascular smooth muscle phenotype and expression of extracellular matrix proteins. PMID:25059239

  16. Sensitivity and specificity of the hyperdense artery sign for arterial obstruction in acute ischemic stroke.

    PubMed

    Mair, Grant; Boyd, Elena V; Chappell, Francesca M; von Kummer, Rüdiger; Lindley, Richard I; Sandercock, Peter; Wardlaw, Joanna M

    2015-01-01

    In acute ischemic stroke, the hyperdense artery sign (HAS) on noncontrast computed tomography (CT) is thought to represent intraluminal thrombus and, therefore, is a surrogate of arterial obstruction. We sought to assess the accuracy of HAS as a marker of arterial obstruction by thrombus. The Third International Stroke Trial (IST-3) was a randomized controlled trial testing the use of intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke in patients who did not clearly meet the prevailing license criteria. Some participating IST-3 centers routinely performed CT or MR angiography at baseline. One reader assessed all relevant scans independently, blinded to all other data; we checked observer reliability. We combined IST-3 data with a systematic review and meta-analysis of all studies that assessed the accuracy of HAS using angiography (any modality). IST-3 had 273 patients with baseline CT or MR angiography and was the largest study of HAS accuracy. The meta-analysis (n=902+273=1175, including IST-3) found sensitivity and specificity of HAS for arterial obstruction on angiography to be 52% and 95%, respectively. HAS was more commonly identified in proximal than distal arteries (47% versus 37%; P=0.015), and its sensitivity increased with thinner CT slices (r=-0.73; P=0.001). Neither extent of obstruction nor time after stroke influenced HAS accuracy. When present in acute ischemic stroke, HAS indicates a high likelihood of arterial obstruction, but its absence indicates only a 50/50 chance of normal arterial patency. Thin-slice CT improves sensitivity of HAS detection. http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN25765518. Unique identifier: ISRCTN25765518. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

  17. Automatic identification of origins of left and right coronary arteries in CT angiography for coronary arterial tree tracking and plaque detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Chuan; Chan, Heang-Ping; Chightai, Aamer; Wei, Jun; Hadjiiski, Lubomir M.; Agarwal, Prachi; Kuriakose, Jean W.; Kazerooni, Ella A.

    2013-03-01

    Automatic tracking and segmentation of the coronary arterial tree is the basic step for computer-aided analysis of coronary disease. The goal of this study is to develop an automated method to identify the origins of the left coronary artery (LCA) and right coronary artery (RCA) as the seed points for the tracking of the coronary arterial trees. The heart region and the contrast-filled structures in the heart region are first extracted using morphological operations and EM estimation. To identify the ascending aorta, we developed a new multiscale aorta search method (MAS) method in which the aorta is identified based on a-priori knowledge of its circular shape. Because the shape of the ascending aorta in the cCTA axial view is roughly a circle but its size can vary over a wide range for different patients, multiscale circularshape priors are used to search for the best matching circular object in each CT slice, guided by the Hausdorff distance (HD) as the matching indicator. The location of the aorta is identified by finding the minimum HD in the heart region over the set of multiscale circular priors. An adaptive region growing method is then used to extend the above initially identified aorta down to the aortic valves. The origins at the aortic sinus are finally identified by a morphological gray level top-hat operation applied to the region-grown aorta with morphological structuring element designed for coronary arteries. For the 40 test cases, the aorta was correctly identified in 38 cases (95%). The aorta can be grown to the aortic root in 36 cases, and 36 LCA origins and 34 RCA origins can be identified within 10 mm of the locations marked by radiologists.

  18. Leptin receptors are expressed in coronary arteries, and hyperleptinemia causes significant coronary endothelial dysfunction.

    PubMed

    Knudson, Jarrod D; Dincer, U Deniz; Zhang, Cuihua; Swafford, Albert N; Koshida, Ryoji; Picchi, Andrea; Focardi, Marta; Dick, Gregory M; Tune, Johnathan D

    2005-07-01

    Obesity is associated with marked increases in plasma leptin concentration, and hyperleptinemia is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease. As a result, the purpose of this investigation was to test the following hypotheses: 1) leptin receptors are expressed in coronary endothelial cells; and 2) hyperleptinemia induces coronary endothelial dysfunction. RT-PCR analysis revealed that the leptin receptor gene is expressed in canine coronary arteries and human coronary endothelium. Furthermore, immunocytochemistry demonstrated that the long-form leptin receptor protein (ObRb) is present in human coronary endothelium. The functional effects of leptin were determined using pressurized coronary arterioles (<130 microm) isolated from Wistar rats, Zucker rats, and mongrel dogs. Leptin induced pharmacological vasodilation that was abolished by denudation and the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(omega)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester and was absent in obese Zucker rats. Intracoronary leptin dose-response experiments were conducted in anesthetized dogs. Normal and obese concentrations of leptin (0.1-3.0 microg/min ic) did not significantly change coronary blood flow or myocardial oxygen consumption; however, obese concentrations of leptin significantly attenuated the dilation to graded intracoronary doses of acetylcholine (0.3-30.0 microg/min). Additional experiments were performed in canine coronary rings, and relaxation to acetylcholine (6.25 nmol/l-6.25 micromol/l) was significantly attenuated by obese concentrations of leptin (625 pmol/l) but not by physiological concentrations of leptin (250 pmol/l). The major findings of this investigation were as follows: 1) the ObRb is present in coronary arteries and coupled to pharmacological, nitric oxide-dependent vasodilation; and 2) hyperleptinemia produces significant coronary endothelial dysfunction.

  19. Posttraumatic growth in post-surgical coronary artery bypass graft patients

    PubMed Central

    Waight, Catherine A; Sheridan, Judith; Tesar, Peter

    2015-01-01

    Recent research in posttraumatic growth has been applied to people with life-threatening illnesses to optimise recovery. There is a lack of research exploring posttraumatic growth in coronary artery bypass graft patients. This article describes the recovery experience of 14 coronary artery bypass graft patients (13 males and 1 female) at their first outpatient review post-surgery. Grounded theory analysis was used to develop a model of distinct and shared pathways to growth depending on whether patients were symptomatic or asymptomatic pre-coronary artery bypass graft. Outcomes of posttraumatic growth in this sample included action-based healthy lifestyle growth and two forms of cognitive growth: appreciation of life and new possibilities. The model of posttraumatic growth developed in this study may be helpful in guiding future research into promoting posttraumatic growth and behaviour change in coronary artery bypass graft patients. PMID:28070351

  20. Anomalous origin of left coronary artery from pulmonary artery in older children and adults: direct aortic implantation.

    PubMed

    Kottayil, Brijesh P; Jayakumar, Karunakaran; Dharan, Baiju S; Pillai, Vivek V; Ajitkumar, Valaparambil; Menon, Sabarinath; Sanjay, Ganapathi

    2011-02-01

    Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) presents rarely in adulthood and is treated by different surgical techniques with varying results. This study was undertaken to evaluate the feasibility of reestablishment of a dual coronary system in older children and adults with emphasis on direct aortic implantation. From 2002 to 2010, 10 patients aged 10 to 51 years (median age, 24 years) underwent surgical correction of ALCAPA. Median weight was 44.5 kg. All the patients except 2 were symptomatic. Two patients were in atrial fibrillation. Eight patients had varying degrees of mitral regurgitation, which was severe in 2. In all patients, the left coronary artery was arising from the facing sinus of the pulmonary artery. Direct left main coronary implantation into the aorta was feasible in all patients. Mitral valve replacement was done in 4 patients. At a median follow-up of 5.5 years there was no new angina or infarction. One patient died 3 months postsurgery due to intracerebral bleed. Echocardiography demonstrated normal antegrade flow in the transferred left coronary artery, with 2 patients having persistent moderate mitral regurgitation. Coronary angiography done on follow-up in one patient revealed a patent transferred left coronary artery with distal development of new atherosclerotic lesion. Direct reimplantation of the ALCAPA is considered technically more difficult and hazardous in adults. With increased experience with coronary transfer technique, direct aortic implantation is feasible in adult cases. This provides a more physiologic correction and reestablishment of a dual coronary system with a better outcome. Copyright © 2011 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Non-invasive coronary angiography for patients with acute atypical chest pain discharged after negative screening including maximal negative treadmill stress test. A prospective study.

    PubMed

    Bonello, L; Armero, S; Jacquier, A; Com, O; Sarran, A; Sbragia, P; Panuel, M; Arques, S; Paganelli, F

    2009-05-01

    Among patients admitted in the emergency department for acute atypical chest pain those with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who are mistakenly discharged home have high mortality. A recent retrospective study has demonstrated that multislice computed tomography (MSCT) coronary angiography could improve triage of these patients. We aimed to prospectively confirm these data on patients with a negative screening including maximal treadmill stress. 30 patients discharged from the emergency department after negative screening for an ACS were included. All patients underwent MSCT angiography of the coronary artery. Patients with coronary atheroma on MSCT had an invasive coronary angiography to confirm these findings. Seven patients (23%) had obstructive coronary artery disease on MSCT. Invasive coronary angiography (ICA) confirmed the diagnosis in all patients. In patients with no previously known coronary artery disease admitted to the emergency department with atypical acute chest pain and discharged after negative screening, including maximal treadmill stress test, MSCT coronary angiography is useful for the diagnosis of obstructive coronary artery disease.

  2. Relation between coronary arterial dominance and left ventricular ejection fraction after ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction in patients having percutaneous coronary intervention.

    PubMed

    Veltman, Caroline E; Hoogslag, Georgette E; Kharbanda, Rohit K; de Graaf, Michiel A; van Zwet, Erik W; van der Hoeven, Bas L; Delgado, Victoria; Bax, Jeroen J; Scholte, Arthur J H A

    2014-12-01

    The presence of a left dominant coronary artery system is associated with worse outcome after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) compared with right dominance or a balanced coronary artery system. However, the association between coronary arterial dominance and left ventricular (LV) function at follow-up after STEMI is unclear. The present study aimed at evaluating the relation between coronary arterial dominance and LV ejection fraction (LVEF) shortly after STEMI and at 12-month follow-up. A total of 741 patients with STEMI (mean age 60 ± 11 years and 77% men) were evaluated with 2-dimentional echocardiography within 48 hours of admission (baseline) and at 12-month follow-up after STEMI. Coronary arterial dominance was assessed on the angiographic images obtained during primary percutaneous coronary intervention. A right, left, and balanced dominant coronary artery system was noted in 640 (86%), 58 (8%), and 43 (6%) patients, respectively. At baseline, significant difference in LV function was observed, with slightly lower LVEF in patients with a left dominant coronary artery system (LVEF 45 ± 8% vs 48 ± 9% and 50 ± 9%, for left dominant, right dominant, and balanced coronary artery system respectively, p = 0.03). However, at 12-month follow-up no differences in LV function or volumes were observed among the different coronary arterial dominance groups. In conclusion, patients with a left dominant coronary artery system had lower LVEF early after STEMI. At 12-month follow-up, differences in LVEF were no longer present among the different coronary arterial dominance groups. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. [THE INFLUENCE OF MONO- AND MULTIVASCULAR LESIONS OF CORONARY ARTERIES ON THE COURSE OF CORONARY HEART DISEASE IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MELLITUS TYPE 2].

    PubMed

    Sypalo, A; Kravchun, P; Kadykova, O

    2017-03-01

    The article assesses the influence of mono- and multivascular lesions of coronary arteries on the course of coronary heart disease at patients with diabetes mellitus type 2. For this purpose, a comprehensive survey of 75 patients with coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus type 2 was arranged. Depending on the number of vascular lesions of the coronary arteries, according to the data of coronary arteries computer tomography, all patients were divided into two subgroups. The first subgroup included 27 patients with coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus type 2 with monovascular lesions of coronary arteries. To the second subgroup were included 48 patients with coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus type 2 with multivascular lesions of coronary arteries. During the analysis of carbohydrate metabolism in cases of coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus type 2 the HOMA index increase by 25.40% and insulin level increase by 17.05% were revealed at patients with multivascular lesions of coronary arteries in comparison with patients with monovascular lesions of coronary arteries, respectively. The combination of coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus type 2 with multivascular lesions of coronary arteries was associated with an increase of sortilin level (233,47±47,85 ng/l). A significant increase in triglycerides, lipoprotein cholesterol of very low density influences greatly on the progression of coronary atherosclerosis with lesions of greater number of coronary arteries at patients surveyed. At patients with coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus type 2 with multivascular lesions of coronary arteries the left ventricle myocardial re-modeling occurred through the increase of left ventricle's size and cavity.

  4. Heart Attack Coronary Artery Disease

    MedlinePlus

    ... our e-newsletter! Aging & Health A to Z Heart Attack Coronary Artery Disease, Angina Basic Facts & Information What ... and oxygen supply; this is what causes a heart attack. If the damaged area is small, however, your ...

  5. Interposition vein graft for giant coronary aneurysm repair

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Firstenberg, M. S.; Azoury, F.; Lytle, B. W.; Thomas, J. D.

    2000-01-01

    Coronary aneurysms in adults are rare. Surgical treatment is often concomitant to treating obstructing coronary lesions. However, the ideal treatment strategy is poorly defined. We present a case of successful treatment of a large coronary artery aneurysm with a reverse saphenous interposition vein graft. This modality offers important benefits over other current surgical and percutaneous techniques and should be considered as an option for patients requiring treatment for coronary aneurysms.

  6. Risk factors for coronary artery calcification in Japanese patients.

    PubMed

    Shikada, Tomoki; Washio, Masakazu; Nishizaki, Akiko; Kakino, Takamori; Ooe, Kensuke; Ishibashi, Yuuji; Sagara, Shuuichirou; Morishige, Kunio; Tashiro, Hideki

    2015-07-01

    Because the prevalence of coronary artery calcification is lower among Japanese than among Western individuals, aspects of the Japanese lifestyle might be related to the development of calcification. We aimed to clarify the relationship between coronary artery calcium scores in Japanese patients and various lifestyle factors among the Japanese population. Study subjects were patients aged ≥20 years who underwent multidetector-row computed tomography. A total of 201 patients agreed to take part in this study and answered a questionnaire regarding lifestyle, medical history, and other factors. Old age, current and former smoking, sedentary work, short sleep time, coronary artery stenosis, treatment with statins, medical history of cerebrovascular disease, medical history of angina pectoris, medical history of ischemic heart disease, and medical history of dyslipidemia were associated with higher odds ratios than the other factors examined, while the Japanese-style breakfast (e.g. boiled rice, miso soup, grilled fish) was associated with lower odds ratios. In this study, smoking, sedentary work, short sleep time, and the Japanese-style breakfast were lifestyle factors related to coronary artery calcification. The lifestyle of Japanese people may be related to coronary calcification. Copyright © 2014 Japanese College of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Identification of coronary artery anatomy on dual-source cardiac computed tomography before arterial switch operation in newborns and young infants: comparison with transthoracic echocardiography.

    PubMed

    Goo, Hyun Woo

    2018-02-01

    Considering inherent limitations of transthoracic echocardiography, the diagnostic accuracy of cardiac CT in identifying coronary artery anatomy before arterial switch operation needs to be investigated with recently improved coronary artery visibility using electrocardiogram (ECG)-synchronized dual-source CT. To compare diagnostic accuracy between cardiac CT using a dual-source scanner and transthoracic echocardiography in identifying coronary artery anatomy before arterial switch operation in newborns and young infants. The study included 101 infants (median age 4 days, range 0 days to 10 months; M:F=78:23) who underwent ECG-synchronized cardiac dual-source CT and transthoracic echocardiography before arterial switch operation between July 2011 and December 2016. We evaluated and classified coronary artery anatomy on cardiac CT and transthoracic echocardiography. With the surgical findings as the reference standard, we compared the diagnostic accuracy for identifying coronary artery anatomy between cardiac CT and transthoracic echocardiography. The most common coronary artery pattern was the usual pattern (left coronary artery from sinus 1 and right coronary artery from sinus 2; 64.4%, 65/101), followed by a single coronary artery from sinus 2 and a conal branch from sinus 1 (7.9%, 8/101), the inverted pattern (5.9%, 6/101), the right coronary artery and left anterior descending artery from sinus 1 and the left circumflex artery from sinus 2 (5.9%, 6/101), and others. In 96 infants with surgically proven coronary artery anatomy, the diagnostic accuracy of cardiac CT was significantly higher than that of transthoracic echocardiography (91.7%, 88/96 vs. 54.2%, 52/96; P<0.0001). Diagnostic accuracy of cardiac CT is significantly higher than that of echocardiography in identifying coronary artery anatomy before arterial switch operation in newborns and young infants.

  8. Increased plasma xanthine oxidoreductase activity deteriorates coronary artery spasm.

    PubMed

    Watanabe, Ken; Shishido, Tetsuro; Otaki, Yoichiro; Watanabe, Tetsu; Sugai, Takayuki; Toshima, Taku; Takahashi, Tetsuya; Yokoyama, Miyuki; Kinoshita, Daisuke; Murase, Takayo; Nakamura, Takashi; Wanezaki, Masahiro; Tamura, Harutoshi; Nishiyama, Satoshi; Takahashi, Hiroki; Arimoto, Takanori; Yamauchi, So; Yamanaka, Tamon; Miyamoto, Takuya; Kubota, Isao; Watanabe, Masafumi

    2018-06-23

    Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) contributes to the development of endothelial dysfunction, which is involved in coronary artery spasm (CAS). Xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) plays a pivotal role in producing both uric acid and ROS. However, the association between plasma XOR activity and CAS has not been elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate whether plasma XOR activity is associated with CAS. We measured XOR activity in 104 patients suspected for CAS, who presented without significant coronary artery stenosis and underwent intracoronary acetylcholine provocation tests. CAS was provoked in 44 patients and they had significantly higher XOR activity as compared with those without CAS. The patients were divided into three groups based on the XOR activity. The prevalence rate of CAS was increased with increasing XOR activity. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the 3rd tertile group exhibited a higher incidence of CAS as compared with the 1st tertile group [odds ratio (OR) 6.9, P = 0.001) and the 2nd tertile group (OR 3.2, P = 0.033) after adjustment for conventional CAS risk factors, respectively. The C index was significantly improved by the addition of XOR activity to the baseline model based on CAS risk factors. Furthermore, the 3rd tertile group had the highest incidence of severe spasm defined as total obstruction, flow-limiting stenosis, diffuse spasm, multivessel spasm, and/or lethal arrhythmia. This is a first report to elucidate the association of plasma XOR activity with CAS. Increased plasma XOR activity is significantly associated with CAS.

  9. Coronary artery anomalies overview: The normal and the abnormal

    PubMed Central

    Villa, Adriana DM; Sammut, Eva; Nair, Arjun; Rajani, Ronak; Bonamini, Rodolfo; Chiribiri, Amedeo

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this review is to give a comprehensive and concise overview of coronary embryology and normal coronary anatomy, describe common variants of normal and summarize typical patterns of anomalous coronary artery anatomy. Extensive iconography supports the text, with particular attention to images obtained in vivo using non-invasive imaging. We have divided this article into three groups, according to their frequency in the general population: Normal, normal variant and anomaly. Although congenital coronary artery anomalies are relatively uncommon, they are the second most common cause of sudden cardiac death among young athletes and therefore warrant detailed review. Based on the functional relevance of each abnormality, coronary artery anomalies can be classified as anomalies with obligatory ischemia, without ischemia or with exceptional ischemia. The clinical symptoms may include chest pain, dyspnea, palpitations, syncope, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death. Moreover, it is important to also identify variants and anomalies without clinical relevance in their own right as complications during surgery or angioplasty can occur. PMID:27358682

  10. Asymptomatic subjects with zero coronary calcium score: coronary CT angiographic features of plaques in event-prone patients.

    PubMed

    Lee, Min Su; Chun, Eun Ju; Kim, Kil Joong; Kim, Jeong A; Yoo, Jin Young; Choi, Sang Il

    2013-06-01

    The aims of this study were: (a) to assess clinical predictors and coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) characteristics of noncalcified coronary plaques (NCP) in subjects who had cardiac events despite a zero coronary artery calcium score (CACS), and (b) to describe computed tomography (CT) plaque characteristics in subjects with cardiac events. A total of 7,961 subjects with zero CACS were evaluated; 6,531 subjects underwent CCTA as part of a health check-up. Those who had zero CACS were included in our mid-term follow-up study. Cardiac events included cardiac death, acute coronary syndrome or revascularization with stable angina. More than one NCP was identified in 441 subjects with zero CACS, including 48 subjects with obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) caused by NCPs. Age, male gender, hypertension, diabetes and low density lipoprotein were independent predictors of obstructive CAD. Among subjects with obstructive CAD, young adults were classified into low (79.2 %) or moderate (72.9 %) risk groups by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction III guidelines. Approximately 0.2 % of subjects had cardiac events during our follow-up period. All patients with cardiac events had NCPs with significantly lower mean CT numbers, higher remodeling indexes and worse degree of stenosis. In asymptomatic subjects with zero CACS, NCP was associated with cardiac events. CCTA might be useful for risk stratification among select populations with CAD and zero CACS who have certain plaque characteristics associated with cardiac events.

  11. Coronary artery calcium score and CT angiography in asymptomatic elderly patients with high pretest probability for coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Imanzadeh, Amir; George, Elizabeth; Kondo, Takeshi; Takase, Shinichi; Amanuma, Makoto; Rybicki, Frank J; Kumamaru, Kanako K

    2016-02-01

    To evaluate the role of coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) and/or coronary CT angiography (CCTA) in asymptomatic elderly patients with high pretest probability for coronary artery disease (CAD). Forty-eight consecutive asymptomatic elderly (>65 years) subjects who had a high pretest probability and underwent CACS/CCTA were included. Each CCTA was evaluated for adequacy for assessment of coronary stenosis. Significant stenosis (>50% diameter narrowing) was assessed on evaluable CT images and by invasive catheter angiography (ICA). All subjects were men with mean CACS of 880 ± 1779. Among those with low (0-99), intermediate (100-399), and high (400-999) CACS, ICA-verified significant stenosis was present in 8% (1/13), 23% (2/13), and 67% (8/12), respectively. Among those with very high CACS (≥ 1000) (n = 10), 90% of CCTAs were not evaluable for stenosis. In asymptomatic elderly subjects with high pretest probability, CACS followed by CCTA may be considered for those with intermediate to high CACS.

  12. Imaging of all three coronary arteries by transthoracic echocardiography. an illustrated guide

    PubMed Central

    Krzanowski, Marek; Bodzoń, Wojciech; Dimitrow, Paweł Petkow

    2003-01-01

    Background Improvements in ultrasound technology has enabled direct, transthoracic visualization of long portions of coronary arteries : the left anterior descending (LAD), circumflex (Cx) and right coronary artery (RCA). Transthoracic measurements of coronary flow velocity were proved to be highly reproducible and correlated with invasive measurements. While clinical applications of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) of principal coronary arteries are still very limited they will likely grow. The echocardiographers may therefore be interested to know the ultrasonic views, technique of examination and be aware where to look for coronary arteries and how to optimize the images. Methods A step-by-step approach to direct, transthoracic visualization of the LAD, Cx and RCA is presented. The technique of examination is discussed, correlations with basic coronary angiography views and heart anatomy are shown and extensively illustrated with photographs and movie-pictures. Hints concerning optimization of ultrasound images are presented and artifacts of imaging are discussed. Conclusions Direct, transthoracic examination of the LAD, Cx and RCA in adults is possible and may become a useful adjunct to other methods of coronary artery examination but studies are needed to establish its role. PMID:14622441

  13. Coronary artery bypass grafting in octogenarians: only when percutaneous coronary intervention is not feasible?

    PubMed

    Nicolini, Francesco

    2015-11-01

    The aim of this study was to review recent literature reporting the results of coronary revascularization by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients older than 80 years. The review of recent studies on octogenarians demonstrates a surgical CABG advantage in the case of patients with increasing baseline coronary risk, such as severe multivessel disease, chronic total occlusions, and left ventricular dysfunction. PCI seems to be more appropriate for less severe degree and distribution of coronary lesions, and for subgroups of patients with higher surgical risk, such as acute coronary syndromes, reoperations, malignancy, dementia, poor mobility, frailty, and serious comorbidities contraindicating extracorporeal circulation. It is not the case that CABG is indicated only when there are contraindications to PCI. CABG confers more benefit than PCI in patients with increasing baseline cardiac risk, in the absence of serious systemic diseases that can reasonably reduce their life expectancy.CABG and PCI, with proper selection, should be considered complementary rather than competitive procedures in the therapy of octogenarians affected by coronary artery disease.

  14. Vascular mechanics of the coronary artery

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Veress, A. I.; Vince, D. G.; Anderson, P. M.; Cornhill, J. F.; Herderick, E. E.; Klingensmith, J. D.; Kuban, B. D.; Greenberg, N. L.; Thomas, J. D.

    2000-01-01

    This paper describes our research into the vascular mechanics of the coronary artery and plaque. The three sections describe the determination of arterial mechanical properties using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), a constitutive relation for the arterial wall, and finite element method (FEM) models of the arterial wall and atheroma. METHODS: Inflation testing of porcine left anterior descending coronary arteries was conducted. The changes in the vessel geometry were monitored using IVUS, and intracoronary pressure was recorded using a pressure transducer. The creep and quasistatic stress/strain responses were determined. A Standard Linear Solid (SLS) was modified to reproduce the non-linear elastic behavior of the arterial wall. This Standard Non-linear Solid (SNS) was implemented into an axisymetric thick-walled cylinder numerical model. Finite element analysis models were created for five age groups and four levels of stenosis using the Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis Youth (PDAY) database. RESULTS: The arteries exhibited non-linear elastic behavior. The total tissue creep strain was epsilon creep = 0.082 +/- 0.018 mm/mm. The numerical model could reproduce both the non-linearity of the porcine data and time dependent behavior of the arterial wall found in the literature with a correlation coefficient of 0.985. Increasing age had a strong positive correlation with the shoulder stress level, (r = 0.95). The 30% stenosis had the highest shoulder stress due to the combination of a fully formed lipid pool and a thin cap. CONCLUSIONS: Studying the solid mechanics of the arterial wall and the atheroma provide important insights into the mechanisms involved in plaque rupture.

  15. Comparison of one-year outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention versus coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndromes (from the CUSTOMIZE Registry).

    PubMed

    Caggegi, Anna; Capodanno, Davide; Capranzano, Piera; Chisari, Alberto; Ministeri, Margherita; Mangiameli, Andrea; Ronsivalle, Giuseppe; Ricca, Giovanni; Barrano, Giombattista; Monaco, Sergio; Di Salvo, Maria Elena; Tamburino, Corrado

    2011-08-01

    Uncertainty surrounds the optimal revascularization strategy for patients with left main coronary artery disease presenting with acute coronary syndromes (ACSs), and adequately sized specific comparisons of percutaneous and surgical revascularization in this scenario are lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of 1-year major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in patients with left main coronary artery disease and ACS treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and drug-eluting stent implantation or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). A total of 583 patients were included. At 1 year, MACEs were significantly higher in patients treated with PCI (n = 222) compared to those treated with CABG (n = 361, 14.4% vs 5.3%, p <0.001), driven by a higher rate of target lesion revascularization (8.1% vs 1.7%, p = 0.001). This finding was consistent after statistical adjustment for MACEs (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 2.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2 to 5.9, p = 0.01) and target lesion revascularization (adjusted HR 8.0, 95% CI 2.2 to 28.7, p = 0.001). No statistically significant differences between PCI and CABG were noted for death (adjusted HR 1.1, 95% CI 0.4 to 3.0, p = 0.81) and myocardial infarction (adjusted HR 4.8, 95% CI 0.3 to 68.6, p = 0.25). No interaction between clinical presentation (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction or unstable angina/non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction) and treatment (PCI or CABG) was observed (p for interaction = 0.68). In conclusion, in patients with left main coronary artery disease and ACS, PCI is associated with similar safety compared to CABG but higher risk of MACEs driven by increased risk of repeat revascularization. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. MDCT detection of anomalous origins of the left main coronary artery: report of 2 cases.

    PubMed

    Matsumoto, Naoya; Sato, Yuichi; Kunimasa, Taeko; Yoda, Shunichi; Yokoyama, Shinichiro; Takayama, Tadateru; Komatsu, Sei; Achenbach, Stephan; Saito, Satoshi; Hirayama, Atsushi

    2008-11-28

    The left main coronary artery (LMCA) arising either from the right sinus of Valsalva, separately from the right coronary artery (RCA), or from the RCA as a single coronary artery is an extremely rare coronary artery anomaly. We report 2 cases of anomalous origins of the LMCA detected by multidetector-row computed tomography.

  17. Successful transradial intervention for two lesions with dual anomalous origins of coronary arteries.

    PubMed

    Masuda, Naoki; Matsukage, Takashi; Ikari, Yuji

    2011-05-01

    A 76-year-old male was admitted to our hospital for effort angina pectoris. His coronary computed tomography and coronary angiography revealed anomalous origins of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) from the proximal right coronary artery (RCA) and the left circumflex coronary artery (LCX) from the separate ostium in the right coronary cusp. Severe stenoses were present in the proximal segment of the LAD and in the middle segment of the LCX, which were successfully treated by 5 French (Fr) transradial approach intervention. Congenital coronary anomalies are relatively rare, with a prevalence of approximately 1.3% in a large-series study undergoing coronary angiography. Such anomalies occur in several anatomical arrangements, which have been classified in a number of research reports. Here we describe previously unreported dual anomalous origins of coronary arteries associated with significant atherosclerotic lesions, which were successfully treated by 5 Fr transradial approach intervention.

  18. Severity of coronary artery disease in obese patients undergoing coronary angiography: "obesity paradox" revisited.

    PubMed

    Niraj, Ashutosh; Pradhan, Jyotiranjan; Pradahan, Jyotiranjan; Fakhry, Hesham; Veeranna, Vikas; Afonso, Luis

    2007-08-01

    Recent studies have highlighted the existence of an 'obesity paradox' in patients undergoing coronary angiography, i.e., a high body mass Index (BMI) is associated with less severe coronary lesions. We sought to confirm the existence of this phenomenon in the US patient population. Study subjects included 770 consecutive patients (470 men, 428 African-Americans, 212 Caucasians) referred for coronary angiography to a tertiary care center. Duke myocardial jeopardy score, a prognostication tool predictive of 1-year mortality in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients, was assigned to angiographic data. Patients were classified according to their BMI (kg/m2) as normal (21-24), overweight (25-29), obesity class I (30-34), class II (35-39) and class III (40 or above). Patients in the increasing obesity class had a higher prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia and were more likely to be women. A negative correlation was observed between BMI and age (R = - 0.15 p < 0.001) as well as between BMI and Duke Jeopardy score (r = - 0.07, p < 0.05) indicating that patients with higher BMI were referred for coronary angiography at a younger age, and had a lower coronary artery disease (CAD) burden. BMI was not an independent predictor of coronary lesion severity on multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis. Obese patients are referred for coronary angiography at an earlier age and have a lower CAD burden lending further credence to the existence of an apparent "obesity paradox". However, obesity per se, after adjustment for comorbidities, is not an independent predictor of severity of coronary artery disease. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. CPAP Does Not Reduce Inflammatory Biomarkers in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease and Nonsleepy Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

    PubMed

    Thunström, Erik; Glantz, Helena; Yucel-Lindberg, Tülay; Lindberg, Kristin; Saygin, Mustafa; Peker, Yüksel

    2017-11-01

    Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and enhanced vascular inflammation coexist in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is first-line treatment for OSA with daytime sleepiness. This analysis of data from the RICCADSA (Randomized Intervention with CPAP in Coronary Artery Disease and Sleep Apnea) trial investigated the effects of CPAP on inflammatory markers in patients with CAD and nonsleepy OSA. This single-center, randomized, controlled, open-label trial enrolled consecutive revascularized patients with nonsleepy OSA (apnea-hypopnea index >15/h; Epworth Sleepiness Scale score <10). Levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured in blood samples taken at baseline (median 94 days after revascularization) and after 1 year of follow-up in patients randomized to CPAP or no-CPAP. A total of 220 patients with analyzable blood samples at baseline and 1 year were included. Baseline IL-6 levels were significantly lower in the CPAP versus no-CPAP group (median 3.1 pmol/L [interquartile range 1.3-5.7] vs. 4.2 pmol/L [2.0-8.9], respectively; p = .005). At 1-year follow-up, median IL-6 levels were significantly reduced in both groups (to 2.2 pmol/L [1.2-3.9] in the CPAP group and to 2.2 [1.2-4.7] in no-CPAP group; both p < .001 vs. baseline). IL-8, hs-CRP, and TNF-α did not change significantly from baseline. There was no association between CPAP adherence and changes in inflammatory marker levels. In patients with stable CAD and nonsleepy OSA, inflammatory biomarkers did not change significantly over time except for IL-6 levels, which reduced to the same extent in the CPAP and no-CPAP groups. ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT00519597; researchweb.org, VGSKAS-4731. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

  20. Coronary artery stenosis detection with holographic display of 3D angiograms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ritman, Erik L.; Schwanke, Todd D.; Simari, Robert D.; Schwartz, Robert S.; Thomas, Paul J.

    1995-05-01

    The objective of this study was to establish the accuracy of an holographic display approach for detection of stenoses in coronary arteries. The rationale for using an holographic display approach is that multiple angles of view of the coronary arteriogram are provided by a single 'x-ray'-like film, backlit by a special light box. This should be more convenient in that the viewer does not have to page back and forth through a cine angiogram to obtain the multiple angles of view. The method used to test this technique involved viewing 100 3D coronary angiograms. These images were generated from the 3D angiographic images of nine normal coronary arterial trees generated with the Dynamic Spatial Reconstructor (DSR) fast CT scanner. Using our image processing programs, the image of the coronary artery lumen was locally 'narrowed' by an amount and length and at a location determined by a random look-up table. Two independent, blinded, experienced angiographers viewed the holographic displays of these angiograms and recorded their confidence about the presence, location, and severity of the stenoses. This procedure evaluates the sensitivity and specificity of the detection of coronary artery stenoses as a function of the severity, size, and location along the arteries.

  1. [Minimally invasive coronary artery surgery].

    PubMed

    Zalaquett, R; Howard, M; Irarrázaval, M J; Morán, S; Maturana, G; Becker, P; Medel, J; Sacco, C; Lema, G; Canessa, R; Cruz, F

    1999-01-01

    There is a growing interest to perform a left internal mammary artery (LIMA) graft to the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) on a beating heart through a minimally invasive access to the chest cavity. To report the experience with minimally invasive coronary artery surgery. Analysis of 11 patients aged 48 to 79 years old with single vessel disease that, between 1996 and 1997, had a LIMA graft to the LAD performed through a minimally invasive left anterior mediastinotomy, without cardiopulmonary bypass. A 6 to 10 cm left parasternal incision was done. The LIMA to the LAD anastomosis was done after pharmacological heart rate and blood pressure control and a period of ischemic pre conditioning. Graft patency was confirmed intraoperatively by standard Doppler techniques. Patients were followed for a mean of 11.6 months (7-15 months). All patients were extubated in the operating room and transferred out of the intensive care unit on the next morning. Seven patients were discharged on the third postoperative day. Duplex scanning confirmed graft patency in all patients before discharge; in two patients, it was confirmed additionally by arteriography. There was no hospital mortality, no perioperative myocardial infarction and no bleeding problems. After follow up, ten patients were free of angina, in functional class I and pleased with the surgical and cosmetic results. One patient developed atypical angina on the seventh postoperative month and a selective arteriography confirmed stenosis of the anastomosis. A successful angioplasty of the original LAD lesion was carried out. A minimally invasive left anterior mediastinotomy is a good surgical access to perform a successful LIMA to LAD graft without cardiopulmonary bypass, allowing a shorter hospital stay and earlier postoperative recovery. However, a larger experience and a longer follow up is required to define its role in the treatment of coronary artery disease.

  2. Multicenter Evaluation Of Coronary Dual-Source CT angiography in patients with intermediate Risk of Coronary Artery Stenoses (MEDIC): study design and rationale.

    PubMed

    Marwan, Mohamed; Hausleiter, Jörg; Abbara, Suhny; Hoffmann, Udo; Becker, Christoph; Ovrehus, Kristian; Ropers, Dieter; Bathina, Ravi; Berman, Dan; Anders, Katharina; Uder, Michael; Meave, Aloha; Alexánderson, Erick; Achenbach, Stephan

    2014-01-01

    The diagnostic performance of multidetector row CT to detect coronary artery stenosis has been evaluated in numerous single-center studies, with only limited data from large cohorts with low-to-intermediate likelihood of coronary disease and in multicenter trials. The Multicenter Evaluation of Coronary Dual-Source CT Angiography in Patients with Intermediate Risk of Coronary Artery Stenoses (MEDIC) trial determines the accuracy of dual-source CT (DSCT) to identify persons with at least 1 coronary artery stenosis among patients with low-to-intermediate pretest likelihood of disease. The MEDIC trial was designed as a prospective, multicenter, international trial to evaluate the diagnostic performance of DSCT for the detection of coronary artery stenosis compared with invasive coronary angiography. The study includes 8 sites in Germany, India, Mexico, the United States, and Denmark. The study population comprises patients referred for a diagnostic coronary angiogram because of suspected coronary artery disease with an intermediate pretest likelihood as determined by sex, age, and symptoms. All evaluations are performed by blinded core laboratory readers. The primary outcome of the MEDIC trial is the accuracy of DSCT to identify the presence of coronary artery stenoses with a luminal diameter narrowing of 50% or more on a per-vessel basis. Secondary outcome parameters include per-patient and per-segment diagnostic accuracy for 50% stenoses and accuracy to identify stenoses of 70% or more. Furthermore, secondary outcome parameters include the influence of heart rate, Agatston score, body weight, body mass index, image quality, and diagnostic confidence on the accuracy to detect coronary artery stenoses >50% on a per-vessel basis. The results of the MEDIC trial will assess the clinical utility of coronary CT angiography in the evaluation of patients with intermediate pretest likelihood of coronary artery disease. Copyright © 2014 Society of Cardiovascular Computed

  3. Pitfalls in 16-detector row CT of the coronary arteries.

    PubMed

    Nakanishi, Tadashi; Kayashima, Yasuyo; Inoue, Rintaro; Sumii, Kotaro; Gomyo, Yukihiko

    2005-01-01

    Recently developed 16-detector row computed tomography (CT) has been introduced as a reliable noninvasive imaging modality for evaluating the coronary arteries. In most cases, with appropriate premedication that includes beta-blockers and nitroglycerin, ideal data sets can be acquired from which to obtain excellent-quality coronary CT angiograms, most often with multiplanar reformation, thin-slab maximum intensity projection, and volume rendering. However, various artifacts associated with data creation and reformation, postprocessing methods, and image interpretation can hamper accurate diagnosis. These artifacts can be related to pulsation (nonassessable segments, pseudostenosis) as well as rhythm disorders, respiratory issues, partial volume averaging effect, high-attenuation entities, inappropriate scan pitch, contrast material enhancement, and patient body habitus. Some artifacts have already been resolved with technical advances, whereas others represent partially inherent limitations of coronary CT angiography. Familiarity with the pitfalls of coronary angiography with 16-detector row CT, coupled with the knowledge of both the normal anatomy and anatomic variants of the coronary arteries, can almost always help radiologists avoid interpretive errors in the diagnosis of coronary artery stenosis. (c) RSNA, 2005.

  4. Coronary imaging of anomalous origins and aneurysms of the left coronary artery by multislice computed tomography.

    PubMed

    Castorina, Sergio; Luca, Tonia; Privitera, Giovanna; Riccioli, Vincenzo

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we describe two cases of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery and two cases of aneurysm on the left coronary artery. Detailed three-dimensional images were acquired by the multislice computed tomography (MSCT) SOMATOM Sensation Cardiac 64 during clinical studies of cardiac diseases. Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  5. Impact of Antithrombotic Therapy in Atrial Fibrillation on the Presentation of Coronary Artery Disease

    PubMed Central

    Chan, Pak Hei; Li, Wen Hua; Hai, Jo Jo; Tse, Hung Fat; Siu, Chung Wah

    2015-01-01

    Background Little is known about whether atrial fibrillation is a presentation of coronary disease. There is a paucity of knowledge about their causal relationship and also the impact of different antithrombotic strategies on the subsequent presentation of symptomatic coronary disease. Methods and Results We studied 7,526 Chinese patients diagnosed with non-valvular atrial fibrillation and no documented history of coronary artery disease. The primary endpoint was the new occurrence of coronary artery disease—either stable coronary artery disease or acute coronary syndrome. After a mean follow-up of 3.2±3.5 years (24,071 patient-years), a primary endpoint occurred in 987 patients (13.1%). The overall annual incidence of coronary artery disease was 4.10%/year. No significant differences in age, sex, and mean CHA2DS2-VASc score were observed between patients with and without the primary endpoint. When stratified according to the antithrombotic strategies applied for stroke prevention, the annual incidence of coronary artery disease was 5.49%/year, 4.45%/year and 2.16%/year respectively in those prescribed no antithrombotic therapy, aspirin, and warfarin. Similar trends were observed in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Diabetes mellitus, smoking history and renal failure requiring dialysis were predictors for primary endpoint in all antithrombotic therapies. Conclusion In patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, there is a modest association with coronary artery disease. Patients prescribed warfarin had the lowest risk of new onset coronary artery disease. PMID:26098876

  6. Intravascular ultrasound in coronary atherosclerosis: a new approach to clinical assessment.

    PubMed

    Liebson, P R; Klein, L W

    1992-06-01

    Intravascular ultrasound evaluation of the coronary arteries by means of a selective coronary catheter attached to an ultrasound unit has afforded precise depiction of coronary lumen diameter and area at the level of the catheter tip. The arterial wall at this level can be evaluated for lipid, fibrous tissue, calcification, wall dissections, and intraluminal thrombi. The technique has the advantage over coronary angioscopy and angiography in that it does not require infusions or injections to allow visualization, and it has the ability to depict the inside of the arterial wall. The current disadvantages include the inability to visualize the vessel segments distal to the catheter tip. Three-dimensional reconstruction techniques allow depiction of the segment of the artery traversed by the catheter tip. The use of Doppler ultrasound imaging provides information on coronary flow velocities through coronary obstructions. Intravascular ultrasound images may provide information that complements the coronary arteriogram and may have an impact on patient care and clinical investigation strategies.

  7. Aortic stiffness improves the prediction of both diagnosis and severity of coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Yannoutsos, Alexandra; Ahouah, Mathieu; Dreyfuss Tubiana, Céline; Topouchian, Jirar; Safar, Michel E; Blacher, Jacques

    2018-02-01

    Elective coronography has low diagnostic yield for obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). We aim to determine whether non-invasive aortic stiffness assessment improves diagnostic accuracy of CAD screening by reducing the number of false-positive results from the cardiac stress test. A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2013 to September 2014 in our medical center. Electrocardiogram (ECG) stress test coupled with nuclear imaging was performed in 367 consecutive patients routinely followed for myocardial ischemia screening. Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) was assessed by applanation tonometry in the overall population. Forty-two patients underwent elective coronography because of ischemia. Theoretical PWV was calculated according to age, blood pressure and gender. The results were expressed as an index ((measured PWV-theoretical PWV)/theoretical PWV) for each patient. Ten patients presented with obstructive CAD, 16 patients had non-obstructive CAD and 16 patients had normal coronary angiography. PWV index and severity of CAD were positively correlated (P=0.001). All patients with obstructive CAD had a positive PWV index. When considering the PWV index retrospectively, the false positive results of cardiac stress test were significantly reduced (P<0.001). Twenty-three procedures may have been avoided in the present study cohort. The salient finding of this study was that in patients with known or suspected CAD, routinely followed aortic PWV index may be considered clinically useful for reducing the rate of unnecessary invasive angiographies. The clinical relevance of this individualized decision approach should be confirmed in a large-scale study. Prospective studies have the potential to evaluate the PWV index as a marker of CAD.

  8. Cigarette smoking in British men and selection for coronary artery bypass surgery.

    PubMed Central

    Morris, R. W.; McCallum, A. K.; Walker, M.; Whincup, P. H.; Ebrahim, S.; Shaper, A. G.

    1996-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation between smoking status, clinical need, and likelihood of coronary artery bypass grafting in middle aged men. DESIGN: A prospective study of cardiovascular disease in British men aged 40 to 59 years, screened in 1978-80 and followed until December 1991. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: 7735 men drawn from one general practice in each of 24 British towns. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Coronary artery bypass graft surgery. RESULTS: Of the 3185 current smokers, 38 (1.03/1000/year) underwent coronary artery bypass surgery compared with 47 of 2715 (1.45/1000/year) ex-smokers, and 19 of 1817 (0.85/1000/year) never-smokers. Ex-smokers had a lower incidence of major ischaemic heart disease during follow up than current smokers. After adjustment for incidence of ischaemic heart disease during follow up, the hazard ratio of coronary artery bypass surgery for ex-smokers compared with smokers was 1.52 (95% confidence interval 0.99 to 2.34). Ex-smokers were more likely at screening to recall a doctor diagnosis of ischaemic heart disease than smokers (7.1% v 5.3%), but among those who recalled a doctor diagnosis, smokers were less likely to undergo coronary artery bypass surgery than ex-smokers (9.4% v 3.5%, P = 0.026). By 1992, men defined as smokers at screening were no less likely than ex-smokers to have been referred to a cardiologist (18.5% v 18.8%), nor to report having undergone coronary angiography less frequently than ex-smokers (12.7% v 11.4%). CONCLUSION: Even allowing for the strong relation between coronary artery bypass surgery and clinical need, continuing smokers were less likely to undergo coronary artery bypass surgery than ex-smokers. A complex interplay exists between the men's experience of heart disease, the decision to stop smoking, and the willingness of doctors to consider coronary artery bypass surgery. PMID:8697156

  9. Coronary artery analysis: Computer-assisted selection of best-quality segments in multiple-phase coronary CT angiography

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhou, Chuan, E-mail: chuan@umich.edu; Chan, Heang-

    Purpose: The authors are developing an automated method to identify the best-quality coronary arterial segment from multiple-phase coronary CT angiography (cCTA) acquisitions, which may be used by either interpreting physicians or computer-aided detection systems to optimally and efficiently utilize the diagnostic information available in multiple-phase cCTA for the detection of coronary artery disease. Methods: After initialization with a manually identified seed point, each coronary artery tree is automatically extracted from multiple cCTA phases using our multiscale coronary artery response enhancement and 3D rolling balloon region growing vessel segmentation and tracking method. The coronary artery trees from multiple phases are thenmore » aligned by a global registration using an affine transformation with quadratic terms and nonlinear simplex optimization, followed by a local registration using a cubic B-spline method with fast localized optimization. The corresponding coronary arteries among the available phases are identified using a recursive coronary segment matching method. Each of the identified vessel segments is transformed by the curved planar reformation (CPR) method. Four features are extracted from each corresponding segment as quality indicators in the original computed tomography volume and the straightened CPR volume, and each quality indicator is used as a voting classifier for the arterial segment. A weighted voting ensemble (WVE) classifier is designed to combine the votes of the four voting classifiers for each corresponding segment. The segment with the highest WVE vote is then selected as the best-quality segment. In this study, the training and test sets consisted of 6 and 20 cCTA cases, respectively, each with 6 phases, containing a total of 156 cCTA volumes and 312 coronary artery trees. An observer preference study was also conducted with one expert cardiothoracic radiologist and four nonradiologist readers to visually rank vessel

  10. [Rotation angioplasty of chronic coronary artery stenosis].

    PubMed

    Kaltenbach, M; Vallbracht, C

    1990-10-01

    Coronary artery occlusion of more than six months duration can only rarely be recanalized with conventional techniques. For this reason, rotational angioplasty, which has been successfully applied for occlusion of peripheral arteries, has been employed in modified form for recanalization of chronic coronary artery occlusion. Rotational angioplasty is based on the concept that the slowly revolving, dull and relatively thick head of the flexible rotation catheter will seek the path of least resistance which, even in the case of relatively old arterial occlusions, mostly represents thrombotic material. The elastic, high-torque rotational catheter constructed of several V2A spiral steel wires has an interior lumen for insertion of exchange guidewires up to 0.014" and injection of contrast medium and an olive-shaped head of V2A steel with a diameter of 1.3 to 1.6 mm. A protection catheter made of polyethylene with metal markers and conically-tapered tip provides variable stiffness of the rotating catheter and protection of the endothelium in the proximal vascular segment. The slow rotation of 200 r.p.m. is performed with a small electric motor. Between April 1987 and February 1988, rotation angioplasty was performed in 20 patients, 17 with occlusion of the right coronary artery, two with occlusion of the left anterior descending artery and one with bypass graft occlusion to the left anterior descending artery in whom a conventional guidewire through the chronic occlusion could not be advanced. The duration of occlusion, based on previous angiograms anginal complaints or myocardial infarction, ranged from one month to twelve years, in twelve patients more than six months. In all patients, the indication for revascularization was clearly established.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  11. Inadequate increase in the volume of major epicardial coronary arteries compared with that in left ventricular mass. Novel concept for characterization of coronary arteries using 64-slice computed tomography.

    PubMed

    Ehara, Shoichi; Okuyama, Takuhiro; Shirai, Nobuyuki; Sugioka, Kenichi; Oe, Hiroki; Itoh, Toshihide; Matsuoka, Toshiyuki; Ikura, Yoshihiro; Ueda, Makiko; Naruko, Takahiko; Hozumi, Takeshi; Yoshiyama, Minoru

    2009-08-01

    Previous studies have shown a correlation between coronary artery cross-sectional diameter and left ventricular (LV) mass. However, no studies have examined the correlation between actual coronary artery volume (CAV) and LV mass. In the present study, measurements of CAV by 64-multislice computed tomography (MSCT) were validated and the relationship between CAV and LV mass was investigated. First, coronary artery phantoms consisting of syringes filled with solutions of contrast medium moving at simulated heart rates were scanned by 64-MSCT. Display window settings permitting accurate calculation of small volumes were optimized by evaluating volume-rendered images of the segmented contrast medium at different window settings. Next, 61 patients without significant coronary artery stenosis were scanned by 64-MSCT with the same protocol as for the phantoms. Coronary arteries were segmented on a workstation and the same window settings were applied to the volume-rendered images to calculate total CAV. Significant correlations between total CAV and LV mass (r=0.660, P<0.0001) were found, whereas an inverse relation was present between total CAV per 100 g of LV mass and LV mass. The novel concept of "CAV" for the characterization of coronary arteries may prove useful for future research, particularly on the causes of LV hypertrophy.

  12. Anomalous Coronary Artery From the Opposite Sinus (ACAOS): Technical Challenges During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

    PubMed

    Sinha, Santosh Kumar; Razi, Mahmodula; Mahrotra, Anupam; Aggarwal, Puneet; Singh, Anupam; Rekwal, Lokendra; Tripathi, Sunil; Abhishekh, Nishant Kumar; Krishna, Vinay

    2018-04-01

    Anomalies of the coronary arteries are reported in 1-2% of patients among diagnostic angiogram. Ectopic origin of right coronary artery (RCA) from opposite sinus is one of the most common and they are mainly benign, but at times may be malignant. We report a case of a 69-year-old male who underwent early invasive percutaneous coronary intervention for non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) where RCA arising from left sinus at the root of left main artery was culprit and various technical challenges were encountered while intervening in form of cannulation to tracking of hardwares. RCA was cannulated with floating wire technique using hockey stick guide catheter and revascularized by deployment of 3.5 × 38 mm Promus Premier Everolimus eluting stent (Boston Scientific, USA). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first ever report of ectopic RCA being revascularized by using hockey stick catheter.

  13. Percutaneous Coronary Intervention of Left Main Disease: Pre- and Post-EXCEL (Evaluation of XIENCE Everolimus Eluting Stent Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left Main Revascularization) and NOBLE (Nordic-Baltic-British Left Main Revascularization Study) Era.

    PubMed

    Park, Duk-Woo; Park, Seung-Jung

    2017-06-01

    For nearly half a century, coronary artery bypass grafting has been the standard treatment for patients with obstructive left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease. However, there has been considerable evolution in the field of percutaneous coronary intervention, and especially, percutaneous coronary intervention for LMCA disease has been rapidly expanded with adoption of drug-eluting stents. Some, but not all randomized trials, have shown that percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents might be a suitable alternative for selected patients with LMCA disease instead of bypass surgery. However, none of previous trials involving early-generation drug-eluting stents was sufficiently powered and comparative trials using contemporary drug-eluting stents were limited. Recently, primary results of 2 new trials of EXCEL (Evaluation of XIENCE Everolimus Eluting Stent Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left Main Revascularization) and NOBLE (Nordic-Baltic-British Left Main Revascularization Study) were reported. However, these trials showed conflicting results, which might pose uncertainty on the optimal revascularization strategy for LMCA disease. In this article, with the incorporation of a key review on evolution of LMCA treatment, we summarize the similarity or disparity of the EXCEL and NOBLE trials, focus on how they relate to previous trials in the field, and finally speculate on how the treatment strategy may be changed or recommended for LMCA treatment. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  14. [Successful correction with stent-graft of coronary artery rupture after angioplasty].

    PubMed

    Demin, V V

    2003-01-01

    Rupture and perforation of coronary arteries complicate in average 0.5% of radiosurgical coronary interventions and often are accompanied by serious consequences and high mortality. According to-type of coronary perforation different methods of correction are used, ranging from conservative measures to urgent cardiosurgical interventions. Coronary stent-grafts with 'sandwich' type of construction ore composed from two metal stents and PTFE layer between them. Development of such stents enabled effective radioguided endovascular repair of coronary ruptures. The paper presents the first Russian experience of stout-graft implantation for coronary artery rupture occurred during direct stenting of proximal anterior descending artery and balloon angioplasty in distal segment. The rupture occurred probably because of wall fragility between affected segment and muscular bridge. Stent-graft JoStent 16 mm in length connected with 3-mm balloon was implanted with subsequent complete restitution of blood flow, resolution of pain syndrome and ECG normalization. Echocardiography in operative theatre and one day after surgery showed no intrapericardial fluid. Stent-graft devices for urgent implantation in cases of coronary rupture must be included into obligatory equipment of radiosurgical facilities.

  15. Impact of gender on outcome after coronary artery bypass surgery.

    PubMed

    Ennker, Ina C; Albert, Alexander; Pietrowski, Detlef; Bauer, Kerstin; Ennker, Juergen; Florath, Ines

    2009-06-01

    Following recent studies concerning the increased risk of coronary artery bypass surgery for women, the impact of sex is still a controversial issue. Between 1996 and 2006, 9,527 men and 3,079 women underwent isolated coronary artery bypass in our institute. To adjust for dissimilarities in preoperative risk profiles, propensity score-based matching was applied. Before adjustment, clinical outcomes in terms of operative mortality, arrhythmias, intensive care unit stay, and maximum creatine kinase-MB levels were significantly different for men and women. After balancing the preoperative characteristics, including height, no significant differences in clinical outcomes were observed. However, there was decreased use of internal mammary artery, less total arterial revascularization, and increasing creatine kinase-MB levels with decreasing height. This study supports the theory that female sex per se does not increase operative risk, but shorter height, which is more common in women, affects the outcome, probably due to technical difficulties in shorter patients with smaller internal mammary arteries and coronary vessels. Thus women may especially benefit from sequential arterial grafting.

  16. Percutaneous coronary angioplasty of a left anterior descending artery implanted on a Dacron coronary prosthesis on an aortic conduit.

    PubMed

    Drobinski, G; Thomas, D; Funck, F; Metzger, J P; Canny, M; Grosgogeat, Y

    1986-08-01

    Certain surgical techniques may make it difficult to catheterize the coronary ostia and perform percutaneous coronary angioplasty. We report the case of a 48 year old patient who developed unstable angina four years after a Bentall's procedure with reimplantation of the coronary arteries on a Dacron coronary prosthesis. The anginal pain was related to very severe stenosis of the proximal segment of the left anterior descending artery. The difficulties encountered during the dilatation procedure were due to: (a) the ectopic position of the ostium of the prosthesis on the anterior aortic wall; (b) the forces exerted on the aortic prosthesis wall and on the valvular prosthesis during positioning of the guiding catheter which were poorly tolerated and induced a vagal reaction; (c) the direction taken by the distal tip of the guiding catheter, perpendicular to the wall of the aortic prosthesis; (d) the sinuosity of the arterial trajectory: the left coronary segment of the coronary prosthesis was directed towards the left circumflex artery rather than towards the left anterior descending artery. Coronary angioplasty succeeded after relatively complex technical procedures: special guiding catheter, unusual intra-aortic manoeuvres for positioning the guiding catheter, dilatation catheter change on a 3-metre long guide wire in order to cross the stenotic segment; this was performed with a super low-profiled dilatation catheter. There were no complications and anginal pain disappeared.

  17. Coronary artery disease risk in young women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

    PubMed

    Ding, Dah-Ching; Tsai, I-Ju; Wang, Jen-Hung; Lin, Shinn-Zong; Sung, Fung-Chang

    2018-02-02

    Women with polycystic ovary syndrome are characterized by obesity, menstruation irregularity, hirsutism and infertility, and prevalent with cardiometabolic comorbidities, but population-based studies on the risk of developing coronary artery disease are limited. From claims data of the Taiwan National Health Insurance, we identified 8048 women with polycystic ovary syndrome aged 15-49 years newly diagnosed in 1998-2013, and 32192 women without the syndrome and CAD as controls, frequency matched by age and diagnosis date. By the end of 2013, after a mean follow-up period of 5.9 years, the overall incidence of coronary artery disease was 63% higher in women with polycystic ovary syndrome than in controls (2.25 vs. 1.38 per 1000 person-years). The adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] of coronary artery disease was 1.44 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.14-1.81) for women with polycystic ovary syndrome, compared with controls. Hazards of coronary artery disease were significant during follow-up periods of 3-4 years (aHR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.00-2.30) and of 5-9 years (aHR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.07-2.32). The incidence of coronary artery disease increased further in those with cardiometabolic comorbidities. Among women with polycystic ovary syndrome, those with comorbid diabetes had an incidence of 35.2 per 1000 person-years, 20-fold greater than those without cardiometabolic comorbidities. In conclusion, women with polycystic ovary syndrome are at an elevated risk of coronary artery disease. Preventive interventions should be provided to them, particularly for those with the comorbidity of metabolism symptom.

  18. Rescue percutaneous coronary recanalization of right coronary artery by retrograde approach

    PubMed Central

    Kameczura, Tomasz; Surowiec, Sławomir; Dudek, Dariusz; Czarnecka, Danuta

    2013-01-01

    We describe the case of a 62-year-old female patient in whom there was an occlusion of collaterals and acute inferior wall ischemia during the opening procedure of right coronary artery (RCA) chronic total occlusion. Rescue percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of RCA by the retrograde approach was performed preventing heart muscle damage. In this article we discuss the issue of PCI by the retrograde technique. PMID:24570712

  19. Analysis of myocardial temperature changes in conventional isolated coronary artery bypass grafting.

    PubMed

    Okamoto, Hiroshi; Tamenishi, Akinori; Nishi, Toshihiko; Niimi, Takao

    2014-12-01

    To determine whether cold blood cardioplegia (CBCP) can get over coronary artery lesions, we analyzed the relationship between myocardial temperature changes and lesion severity of major coronary arteries. From April 1991 to October 2003, we measured myocardial temperature before and after antegrade and retrograde delivery of CBCP in 492 patients undergoing conventional coronary artery bypass grafting. Stenotic severity of three major coronary arteries was classified into four grades according to preoperative coronary arteriography; grade 0 for 50 % or less, 1 for 75 %, 2 for 90 %, 3 for 99 % or 100 %. We analyzed relationships between myocardial temperature changes [ΔT-A (antegrade) & ΔT-R (retrograde)] and the coronary artery lesion's severity. Average ΔT-A of the right coronary artery had no relationship with stenotic grades. Mean ΔT-A of the left anterior descending (LAD) became less and less in proportion to its stenotic grade [9.7 °C for grade 0, 8.2 °C for grade 1, 7.1 °C for grade 2, and 6.0 °C for grade 3, respectively, (p = 0.0042)]. ΔT-A of the circumflex artery showed similar but weaker tendency than those of LAD. Significant inverse correlations were found between ΔT-A and ΔT-R1 in each territory (p < 0.001). Antegrade delivery was less effective in situations with tight proximal lesion, especially in the LAD territory. Retrograde delivery supplemented antegrade delivery. Myocardial temperature monitoring enables us to deal with inadequate cardioplegic delivery, and is a good indicator of myocardial protection.

  20. Anomalous Aortic Origin of a Coronary Artery is Always a Surgical Disease.

    PubMed

    Vouhé, Pascal R

    2016-01-01

    Anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery is a congenital anomaly in which a major coronary artery arises from the wrong sinus of Valsalva (left coronary from right sinus or right coronary from left sinus) and courses between the great arteries before reaching its normal epicardial course. Although the risk of sudden death is clearly established, the indications for surgery remain controversial. The risk of sudden death is increased in symptomatic patients, in anomalous left coronary artery, as well as in the presence of some risk factors (intense physical activity, young age [<35 years], aggravating anatomical features [intramural interarterial course, slit-like ostium, acute angle of take-off]). As far as is currently known, surgical management using an anatomical repair can prevent sudden death, provided that normal coronary anatomy and function are achieved and that extensive return-to-play testing is performed. A precise evaluation of the benefit/risk ratio is mandatory on an individual basis, but surgery may be indicated in the vast majority of patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Cranial Mesenteric Arterial Obstruction Due To Strongylus vulgaris Larvae in a Donkey (Equus asinus).

    PubMed

    Borji, Hassan; Moosavi, Zahra; Ahmadi, Fatemeh

    2014-09-01

    Arteritis due to Strongylus vulgaris is a well-known cause of colic in horses and donkeys. The current report describes a fatal incidence of arterial obstruction in cranial mesenteric artery caused by S. vulgaris infection in an adult donkey in which anthelmintic treatment was not regularly administered. Necropsy findings of the abdominal cavity revealed a complete cranial mesenteric arterial obstruction due to larvae of S. vulgaris, causing severe colic. To the authors' knowledge, a complete cranial mesenteric arterial obstruction due to verminous arteritis has rarely been described in horses and donkeys. Based on recent reports of fatal arterial obstruction due to S. vulgaris infection in donkeys, it may be evident to consider acute colic caused by this pathogenic parasite a re-emerging disease in donkeys and horses.

  2. Sex-based prognostic implications of nonobstructive coronary artery disease: results from the international multicenter CONFIRM study.

    PubMed

    Leipsic, Jonathon; Taylor, Carolyn M; Gransar, Heidi; Shaw, Leslee J; Ahmadi, Amir; Thompson, Angus; Humphries, Karin; Berman, Daniel S; Hausleiter, Jörg; Achenbach, Stephan; Al-Mallah, Mouaz; Budoff, Matthew J; Cademartiri, Fillippo; Callister, Tracy Q; Chang, Hyuk-Jae; Chow, Benjamin J W; Cury, Ricardo C; Delago, Augustin J; Dunning, Allison L; Feuchtner, Gudrun M; Hadamitzky, Martin; Kaufmann, Philipp A; Lin, Fay Y; Chinnaiyan, Kavitha M; Maffei, Erica; Raff, Gilbert L; Villines, Todd C; Gomez, Millie J; Min, James K

    2014-11-01

    To determine the clinical outcomes of women and men with nonobstructive coronary artery disease ( CAD coronary artery disease ) with coronary computed tomographic (CT) angiography data in patients who were similar in terms of CAD coronary artery disease risk factors, angina typicality, and CAD coronary artery disease extent and distribution. Institutional review board approval was obtained for all participating sites, with either informed consent or waiver of informed consent. In a prospective international multicenter cohort study of 27 125 patients undergoing coronary CT angiography at 12 centers, 18 158 patients with no CAD coronary artery disease or nonobstructive (<50% stenosis) CAD coronary artery disease were examined. Men and women were propensity matched for age, CAD coronary artery disease risk factors, angina typicality, and CAD coronary artery disease extent and distribution, which resulted in a final cohort of 11 462 subjects. Nonobstructive CAD coronary artery disease presence and extent were related to incident major adverse cardiovascular events ( MACE major adverse cardiovascular events ), which were inclusive of death and myocardial infarction and were estimated by using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. At a mean follow-up ± standard deviation of 2.3 years ± 1.1, MACE major adverse cardiovascular events occurred in 164 patients (0.6% annual event rate). After matching, women and men experienced identical annualized rates of myocardial infarction (0.2% vs 0.2%, P = .72), death (0.5% vs 0.5%, P = .98), and MACE major adverse cardiovascular events (0.6% vs 0.6%, P = .94). In multivariable analysis, nonobstructive CAD coronary artery disease was associated with similarly increased MACE major adverse cardiovascular events for both women (hazard ratio: 1.96 [95% confidence interval { CI confidence interval }: 1.17, 3.28], P = .01) and men (hazard ratio: 1.77 [95% CI confidence interval : 1.07, 2.93], P = .03). When matched for age, CAD

  3. Successful embolization of iatrogenic ruptured coronary artery using Onyx: a new technique.

    PubMed

    Asouhidou, I; Katsaridis, V

    2014-12-01

    Iatrogenic perforation of coronary artery is rare during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI); however the complications are life-threatening. Patients in this clinical setting may be treated either by stent placement, closure of the perforation with fibrin glue or coils, or with emergency bypass surgery. Onyx, a new material that has been used successfully in cerebral arteries, represents a new and safe alternative. The advantage of Onyx is that it is easily injected through a microcatheter and it allows for a longer injection time having also the ability to reach difficult anatomical locations. We present the first case of successful embolization of a right coronary artery perforation during coronary angiography using Onyx.

  4. A new arena in cardiac surgery: Pediatric coronary artery bypass surgery

    PubMed Central

    KITAMURA, Soichiro

    2018-01-01

    Prior to the 1970s, pediatric coronary artery bypass surgery (PCABS) was seldomly performed due to the lack of compelling surgical indications. The advent of coronary sequelae secondary to Kawasaki disease (KD) and the occurrence of coronary artery complications due to newly developed procedures, such as the arterial switch operation and early repair for intrinsic congenital coronary malformations, necessitated the development of PCABS. Because children grow rapidly and their life expectancy is very long, with increasing exercise capability requirements, the strategy for PCABS should differ from that for bypass surgery in adults. PCABS utilizing unilateral and bilateral internal thoracic arteries (ITA) has become the most reliable surgical method for children because of the distinct structure of ITAs being resistant to KD, growth potential according to the child’s somatic growth and long-term patency without wall degeneration. This operation utilizing ITA grafts is now being performed worldwide and is referred to as the “Kitamura operation” for KD coronary sequelae. Notably, the use of vein grafts should be avoided in children. Likewise, this operation can now be successfully performed in infants using a surgical microscope, for congenital coronary disorders. Currently, PCABS with ITAs has been established as a new arena in cardiac surgery, following our initial attempts. PMID:29321443

  5. Randomized comparison of percutaneous coronary intervention with coronary artery bypass grafting in diabetic patients. 1-year results of the CARDia (Coronary Artery Revascularization in Diabetes) trial.

    PubMed

    Kapur, Akhil; Hall, Roger J; Malik, Iqbal S; Qureshi, Ayesha C; Butts, Jeremy; de Belder, Mark; Baumbach, Andreas; Angelini, Gianni; de Belder, Adam; Oldroyd, Keith G; Flather, Marcus; Roughton, Michael; Nihoyannopoulos, Petros; Bagger, Jens Peder; Morgan, Kenneth; Beatt, Kevin J

    2010-02-02

    The purpose of this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stenting against coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with diabetes and symptomatic multivessel coronary artery disease. CABG is the established method of revascularization in patients with diabetes and multivessel coronary disease, but with advances in PCI, there is uncertainty whether CABG remains the preferred method of revascularization. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke, and the main secondary outcome included the addition of repeat revascularization to the primary outcome events. A total of 510 diabetic patients with multivessel or complex single-vessel coronary disease from 24 centers were randomized to PCI plus stenting (and routine abciximab) or CABG. The primary comparison used a noninferiority method with the upper boundary of the 95% confidence interval (CI) not to exceed 1.3 to declare PCI noninferior. Bare-metal stents were used initially, but a switch to Cypher (sirolimus drug-eluting) stents (Cordis, Johnson & Johnson, Bridgewater, New Jersey) was made when these became available. At 1 year of follow-up, the composite rate of death, MI, and stroke was 10.5% in the CABG group and 13.0% in the PCI group (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.25, 95% CI: 0.75 to 2.09; p=0.39), all-cause mortality rates were 3.2% and 3.2%, and the rates of death, MI, stroke, or repeat revascularization were 11.3% and 19.3% (HR: 1.77, 95% CI: 1.11 to 2.82; p=0.02), respectively. When the patients who underwent CABG were compared with the subset of patients who received drug-eluting stents (69% of patients), the primary outcome rates were 12.4% and 11.6% (HR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.51 to 1.71; p=0.82), respectively. The CARDia (Coronary Artery Revascularization in Diabetes) trial is the first randomized trial of coronary revascularization in diabetic patients, but the 1-year results did not show that PCI

  6. Frequency and clinical predictors of coronary artery disease in chronic renal failure renal transplant candidates.

    PubMed

    de Albuquerque Seixas, Emerson; Carmello, Beatriz Leone; Kojima, Christiane Akemi; Contti, Mariana Moraes; Modeli de Andrade, Luiz Gustavo; Maiello, José Roberto; Almeida, Fernando Antonio; Martin, Luis Cuadrado

    2015-05-01

    Cardiovascular diseases are major causes of mortality in chronic renal failure patients before and after renal transplantation. Among them, coronary disease presents a particular risk; however, risk predictors have been used to diagnose coronary heart disease. This study evaluated the frequency and importance of clinical predictors of coronary artery disease in chronic renal failure patients undergoing dialysis who were renal transplant candidates, and assessed a previously developed scoring system. Coronary angiographies conducted between March 2008 and April 2013 from 99 candidates for renal transplantation from two transplant centers in São Paulo state were analyzed for associations between significant coronary artery diseases (≥70% stenosis in one or more epicardial coronary arteries or ≥50% in the left main coronary artery) and clinical parameters. Univariate logistic regression analysis identified diabetes, angina, and/or previous infarction, clinical peripheral arterial disease and dyslipidemia as predictors of coronary artery disease. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified only diabetes and angina and/or previous infarction as independent predictors. The results corroborate previous studies demonstrating the importance of these factors when selecting patients for coronary angiography in clinical pretransplant evaluation.

  7. What Is a Coronary Artery Spasm?

    MedlinePlus

    ... by quitting smoking and controlling high cholesterol and high blood pressure. With Rekha Mankad, M.D. Hung MJ, et al. Coronary artery spasm: Review and update. International Journal of Medical Sciences. 2014;11:1161. Bonow RO, ...

  8. Diastolic stress echocardiography detects coronary artery disease in patients with asymptomatic type II diabetes.

    PubMed

    Paraskevaidis, Ioannis A; Tsougos, Elias; Panou, Fotios; Dagres, Nikolaos; Karatzas, Dimitrios; Boutati, Eleni; Varounis, Christos; Kremastinos, Dimitrios Th

    2010-03-01

    Diabetes mellitus is considered as an equivalent of coronary artery disease (CAD). Aim of the study was to investigate whether in asymptomatic patients with type II diabetes, diastolic stress echocardiography may represent an alternative tool for the detection of CAD. The study population consisted of 105 patients with diabetes mellitus (age 61+/-9 years, 26% female, duration of diabetes 37+/-14 months). We performed an exercise stress test, followed by an echo-study and a single-positron emission tomography. Coronary angiography was performed within 1 month. Coronary angiography revealed a coronary artery stenosis of at least 70% in 72 patients (69%, CAD group), while the remaining formed the non-CAD group. Exercise induced an increase of both E/E' lateral and septal ratios as well as their average in the CAD group and on the contrary a decrease of these ratios in the non-CAD group. Receiver operating curve analysis for discrimination between patients with and without obstructive CAD showed an optimal cut-off value of -0.0708 for the exercise-induced change of E/E' average (area under curve 0.892, P<0.001). Sensitivities of scintigraphy and of diastolic stress echocardiography for detection of CAD were 75.0 and 93.1%, respectively; specificity was 78.8% for both methods. In asymptomatic patients, sensitivities of scintigraphy and diastolic stress echocardiography were 76.9 and 92.3%; specificity of both was 80%. In patients with type II diabetes, diastolic stress echocardiography, by means of E/E' ratio exercise-induced changes, can be used for the diagnosis and severity of CAD and for the detection of occult myocardial ischemia.

  9. A 36-Year-Old Woman with Coronary Artery Dissection Two Weeks after Abortion.

    PubMed

    Salari, Arsalan; Gholipur, Mahboobe; Rezaeidanesh, Maedeh; Barzigar, Anoosh; Rahmani, Shahram; Pursadeghi, Mohadeseh; Ebrahimi, Hannan

    2016-04-13

    Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare cause of acute coronary syndrome and sudden cardiac death. We report coronary artery dissection in a 36-year-old woman with retrosternal chest pain 2 weeks after abortion. Electrocardiography showed ST elevation in leads V2-V4 and ST depression in the inferior leads. Lab data were normal. Cardiac catheterization showed a suspicious thrombotic lesion at the proximal portion of the left anterior descending artery with a smooth contour consistent with distal haziness and dissection site. Final diagnosis was coronary artery dissection. At 1 week's follow-up, the patient was in good physical condition. At 1 month's follow-up, she had no complaints of discomfort. And finally, 8 months after having suffered a heart attack, she presented no evidence of angina, dyspnea, or congestive heart failure Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare disease that mainly affects younger women. Compared with earlier reports, the prognosis seems to be improved by early diagnosis and interventional treatment.

  10. ECG-triggered high-pitch CT for simultaneous assessment of the aorta and coronary arteries.

    PubMed

    Hachulla, Anne-Lise; Ronot, Maxime; Noble, Stéphane; Becker, Christoph D; Montet, Xavier; Vallée, Jean-Paul

    2016-01-01

    To study the image quality of ECG-gated-computed tomography (CT) acquisition with a high-pitch CT imaging for the exploration of both the aorta and coronary arteries. Eighty-four patients underwent high-pitch ECG-gated aortic CT without β-blockers with iterative reconstruction algorithms. Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between vessels and adjacent perivascular fat tissue were calculated on the aorta and the coronary arteries. Dose-length-products (DLP) were recorded. Two blinded readers graded image quality of the aorta and the coronary arteries on a 3-point scale. Coronary artery stenoses were compared with coronary angiograms in 24 patients. Kappa values were calculated. High-pitch acquisition resulted in a mean DLP of 234 ± 93 mGy cm(4.2 mSv) for an acquisition of the entire aorta, (mean 73 ± 16 bpm). CNR for ascending aorta was 10.6 ± 4 and CNR for coronary arteries was 9.85 ± 4.1. Image quality was excellent in 79/84 patients (94%), and excellent or moderate but diagnostic in 1087/1127 coronary artery segments (96%). 74 significant stenoses were observed, and 38/40 significant stenoses were confirmed by coronary angiography (K = 0.91, Sensitivity = 0.97, Specificity = 0.98). High-pitch ECG-gated aortic CT with iterative reconstructions allows an accurate exploration of both aorta and coronary arteries during the same acquisition, with limited dose deposition, despite the lack of β-blockers and relatively high heart rate. Radiologists need to be aware of the necessity to analyze and report coronary artery disease in aortic examination. Copyright © 2016 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Deep Learning for Prediction of Obstructive Disease From Fast Myocardial Perfusion SPECT: A Multicenter Study.

    PubMed

    Betancur, Julian; Commandeur, Frederic; Motlagh, Mahsaw; Sharir, Tali; Einstein, Andrew J; Bokhari, Sabahat; Fish, Mathews B; Ruddy, Terrence D; Kaufmann, Philipp; Sinusas, Albert J; Miller, Edward J; Bateman, Timothy M; Dorbala, Sharmila; Di Carli, Marcelo; Germano, Guido; Otaki, Yuka; Tamarappoo, Balaji K; Dey, Damini; Berman, Daniel S; Slomka, Piotr J

    2018-03-12

    The study evaluated the automatic prediction of obstructive disease from myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) by deep learning as compared with total perfusion deficit (TPD). Deep convolutional neural networks trained with a large multicenter population may provide improved prediction of per-patient and per-vessel coronary artery disease from single-photon emission computed tomography MPI. A total of 1,638 patients (67% men) without known coronary artery disease, undergoing stress 99m Tc-sestamibi or tetrofosmin MPI with new generation solid-state scanners in 9 different sites, with invasive coronary angiography performed within 6 months of MPI, were studied. Obstructive disease was defined as ≥70% narrowing of coronary arteries (≥50% for left main artery). Left ventricular myocardium was segmented using clinical nuclear cardiology software and verified by an expert reader. Stress TPD was computed using sex- and camera-specific normal limits. Deep learning was trained using raw and quantitative polar maps and evaluated for prediction of obstructive stenosis in a stratified 10-fold cross-validation procedure. A total of 1,018 (62%) patients and 1,797 of 4,914 (37%) arteries had obstructive disease. Area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for disease prediction by deep learning was higher than for TPD (per patient: 0.80 vs. 0.78; per vessel: 0.76 vs. 0.73: p < 0.01). With deep learning threshold set to the same specificity as TPD, per-patient sensitivity improved from 79.8% (TPD) to 82.3% (deep learning) (p < 0.05), and per-vessel sensitivity improved from 64.4% (TPD) to 69.8% (deep learning) (p < 0.01). Deep learning has the potential to improve automatic interpretation of MPI as compared with current clinical methods. Copyright © 2018 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Primary cardiac malignant fibrous histiocytoma in the right ventricular infundibulum treated with a cavo-pulmonary shunt and coronary embolization.

    PubMed

    Owa, M; Higashikata, T; Shimada, H; Kitahara, H; Asano, M; Nakayama, J; Hikita, H; Koyama, J; Sakurai, S; Ikeda, S

    2000-12-01

    A 51-year-old woman presented with progressive right ventricular infundibular wall thickening and outflow obstruction. She had had an aorto-coronary bypass for left main coronary artery disease 1 year after radiation therapy for left mammary cancer. Enhanced computed tomography showed a mass in the right ventricular free wall with no connection to the mediastinum; the tumor extended into the main pulmonary artery, but there was no other evidence of a primary or metastatic tumor. A biopsy specimen was obtained and based on the microscopic and immuno-histochemical findings (vimentin and Kp-1 positive) the diagnosis was primary cardiac malignant fibrous histiocytoma, which is very rare. A cavo-pulmonary artery connection lessened her symptoms, but embolization of the coronary artery to try and to reduce the mass had minimal effect. Four months after the tumor was diagnosed she died of extended pulmonary artery obstruction.

  13. Coronary artery disease risk in young women with polycystic ovary syndrome

    PubMed Central

    Ding, Dah-Ching; Tsai, I-Ju; Wang, Jen-Hung; Lin, Shinn-Zong; Sung, Fung-Chang

    2018-01-01

    Women with polycystic ovary syndrome are characterized by obesity, menstruation irregularity, hirsutism and infertility, and prevalent with cardiometabolic comorbidities, but population-based studies on the risk of developing coronary artery disease are limited. From claims data of the Taiwan National Health Insurance, we identified 8048 women with polycystic ovary syndrome aged 15-49 years newly diagnosed in 1998-2013, and 32192 women without the syndrome and CAD as controls, frequency matched by age and diagnosis date. By the end of 2013, after a mean follow-up period of 5.9 years, the overall incidence of coronary artery disease was 63% higher in women with polycystic ovary syndrome than in controls (2.25 vs. 1.38 per 1000 person-years). The adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] of coronary artery disease was 1.44 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.14–1.81) for women with polycystic ovary syndrome, compared with controls. Hazards of coronary artery disease were significant during follow-up periods of 3-4 years (aHR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.00–2.30) and of 5–9 years (aHR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.07–2.32). The incidence of coronary artery disease increased further in those with cardiometabolic comorbidities. Among women with polycystic ovary syndrome, those with comorbid diabetes had an incidence of 35.2 per 1000 person-years, 20-fold greater than those without cardiometabolic comorbidities. In conclusion, women with polycystic ovary syndrome are at an elevated risk of coronary artery disease. Preventive interventions should be provided to them, particularly for those with the comorbidity of metabolism symptom. PMID:29492235

  14. Direct injury to right coronary artery in patients undergoing tricuspid annuloplasty.

    PubMed

    Díez-Villanueva, Pablo; Gutiérrez-Ibañes, Enrique; Cuerpo-Caballero, Gregorio P; Sanz-Ruiz, Ricardo; Abeytua, Manuel; Soriano, Javier; Sarnago, Fernando; Elízaga, Jaime; González-Pinto, Angel; Fernández-Avilés, Francisco

    2014-04-01

    Direct injury to the right coronary artery as a result of reparative operation on the tricuspid valve is a rare, probably underdiagnosed, but serious complication, which often involves dramatic clinical consequences. So far, only five cases have been described in the literature. We describe our single-center experience of this complication, and review and analyze relevant clinical and anatomic considerations related to this entity. Cases previously reported in the literature were also reviewed. We describe four cases of direct injury to the right coronary artery in patients undergoing tricuspid annuloplasty (DeVega annuloplasty, 3; ring annuloplasty, 1) in our institution since 2005. All patients had right ventricular dilatation and severely dilated tricuspid annulus. Right coronary artery occlusion always occurred between the right marginal artery and the crux of the heart. Patients presented with hemodynamic or electrical instability. Coronary flow could be restored in 2 patients (percutaneously 1; surgically 1), both of whom finally survived, while it was not technically possible in the other 2 (1 died). Occlusion of the right coronary artery in patients undergoing tricuspid annuloplasty is a rare complication that may occur if great annulus dilatation is present, thus altering both normal annular geometry and the relationship between the right coronary artery and the tricuspid annulus, particularly when DeVega annuloplasty is performed. Such an entity should be considered in the immediate postoperative period in an unstable patient, especially when complementary tests support this diagnosis. Prompt recognition and treatment can positively affect the patient's outcome, most often by means of an emergency revascularization strategy. Copyright © 2014 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Genetics and Genomics of Coronary Artery Disease.

    PubMed

    Pjanic, Milos; Miller, Clint L; Wirka, Robert; Kim, Juyong B; DiRenzo, Daniel M; Quertermous, Thomas

    2016-10-01

    Coronary artery disease (or coronary heart disease), is the leading cause of mortality in many of the developing as well as the developed countries of the world. Cholesterol-enriched plaques in the heart's blood vessels combined with inflammation lead to the lesion expansion, narrowing of blood vessels, reduced blood flow, and may subsequently cause lesion rupture and a heart attack. Even though several environmental risk factors have been established, such as high LDL-cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure, the underlying genetic composition may substantially modify the disease risk; hence, genome composition and gene-environment interactions may be critical for disease progression. Ongoing scientific efforts have seen substantial advancements related to the fields of genetics and genomics, with the major breakthroughs yet to come. As genomics is the most rapidly advancing field in the life sciences, it is important to present a comprehensive overview of current efforts. Here, we present a summary of various genetic and genomics assays and approaches applied to coronary artery disease research.

  16. Multislice Computed Tomography Accurately Detects Stenosis in Coronary Artery Bypass Conduits

    PubMed Central

    Duran, Cihan; Sagbas, Ertan; Caynak, Baris; Sanisoglu, Ilhan; Akpinar, Belhhan; Gulbaran, Murat

    2007-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of multislice computed tomography in detecting graft stenosis or occlusion after coronary artery bypass grafting, using coronary angiography as the standard. From January 2005 through May 2006, 25 patients (19 men and 6 women; mean age, 54 ± 11.3 years) underwent diagnostic investigation of their bypass grafts by multislice computed tomography within 1 month of coronary angiography. The mean time elapsed after coronary artery bypass grafting was 6.2 years. In these 25 patients, we examined 65 bypass conduits (24 arterial and 41 venous) and 171 graft segments (the shaft, proximal anastomosis, and distal anastomosis). Compared with coronary angiography, the segment-based sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of multislice computed tomography in the evaluation of stenosis were 89%, 100%, 100%, and 99%, respectively. The patency rate for multislice compu-ted tomography was 85% (55/65: 3 arterial and 7 venous grafts were occluded), with 100% sensitivity and specificity. From these data, we conclude that multislice computed tomography can accurately evaluate the patency and stenosis of bypass grafts during outpatient follow-up. PMID:17948078

  17. Impact of coronary calcium score on the prevalence of coronary artery stenosis on dual source CT coronary angiography in caucasian patients with an intermediate risk.

    PubMed

    Meyer, Mathias; Henzler, Thomas; Fink, Christian; Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn; Barraza, J Michael; Nance, John W; Apfaltrer, Paul; Schoenberg, Stefan O; Wasser, Klaus

    2012-11-01

    To investigate the prevalence of significant coronary artery stenosis on coronary computed tomography angiography (cCTA) in symptomatic Caucasian patients with an intermediate risk score at different levels of coronary artery calcification (CAC). In total, 383 consecutive symptomatic Caucasian patients (147 females, 60 ± 13 years) with an intermediate risk score underwent nonenhanced CT for CAC scoring immediately before contrast-enhanced cCTA on a dual-source CT scanner. Additionally clinically indicated invasive coronary angiography (ICA) was performed in 90 patients. The prevalence of significant coronary artery stenosis (>50%) on cCTA and ICA was correlated at different CAC score levels. Of 121 patients with a zero CAC score, none had significant coronary artery stenosis on cCTA or ICA. Coronary CTA diagnosed in 54 of 70 patients with high CAC score (>400), a significant stenosis. Subsequent ICA confirmed significant stenosis in 30 of 32 patients. Sensitivity and a negative predictive value of CAC score ruling out significant stenosis on cCTA were 100% and 100%, respectively, using cutoff value of zero and specificity and positive predictive value to predict significant stenosis on cCTA were 79% and 51%, respectively, using a cutoff value of >400. Significant coronary artery stenosis is extremely unlikely, with an estimated risk of 4 in 1000 patients in symptomatic Caucasian patients with an intermediate risk score and negative CAC score. To reduce radiation exposure, radiation-free tests should be considered for differential diagnosis of chest pain in these patients. Copyright © 2012 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. The circumflex branch of the left coronary artery in the human infant.

    PubMed Central

    Reig, J; Loncán, M P; Martin, S; Doménech, J M

    1987-01-01

    Coronary arterial vascularisation in the human infant in the first five weeks of life, was studied by radiological and injection-corrosion techniques. The main differences lay in the characteristics of the circumflex artery and its distribution over the myocardial wall. These differences were age-related. Coronary arterial anastomoses were detected in 61% of the hearts. PMID:3503054

  19. Complimentary use of epicardial echo imaging and Doppler in quantification of coronary artery stenoses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Richards, Kent L.; Cannon, Scott R.

    1990-08-01

    As more advanced therapeutic procedures are performed on coronary arteries during open chest surgery more advanced diagnostic procedures will be required to define the location and severity of coronary artery disease. This manuscript describes our preliminary experiences in identifying human coronary artery stenoses using epicardial two-dimensional color flow Doppler. Once the lesions were identified we used standard echo Doppler and imaging techniques to define their severity. The accuracy of stenotic cross sectional area calculated using the continuity equation and pressure gradient calculated using the Bernoulli equation were defined using a pulsatile flow model of the coronary circulation. Suggestions about further hardware development required to allow easy clinical application of this technique are described. 1 - CLINICAL NEED FOR INTRA-OPERATIVE EVAUJATION OFCORONARY ARTERIES The severity of coronary artery disease in adults who require coronary bypass surgery has changed significantly in the last ten years. More effective medications used to control angina pectoris and the wide use of percutaneous y artery angioplasty have delayed the timing of surgery until atherosclerotic involvement is more extensive. In addition patients who have had initial coronary bypass operations are now reaching ages at which atherosclerotic involvement of their bypass grafts and native vessels has progressed and reoperation is required. To meet the challenge of coronary arteries with multiple lesions or diffuse disease intraoperative angioplasty devices are being developed. Whether bypass surgery for advanced lesions or reoperation of

  20. Takayasu Arteritis of the Coronary Arteries Presenting as Sudden Death in a White Teenager.

    PubMed

    Hlavaty, Leigh; Diaz, Francisco; Sung, LokMan

    2015-09-01

    Takayasu arteritis is a rare disease that expresses chronic, large vessel inflammation. The etiology remains unclear and its presentation depends on the affected arteries. With coronary artery involvement, manifestations range from chest pain and shortness of breath to sudden death. We report a case of a 15-year-old white girl who presented with syncope immediately before passing. On autopsy, all 3 major coronary arteries grossly contained multiple proximal lesions that were consistent with Takayasu arteritis, microscopically. Takayasu arteritis solely affecting multiple coronary arteries is exceedingly rare. This report discusses the significance of coronary involvement in Takayasu arteritis at autopsy and sudden death.

  1. A Finite Element Study on Variations in Mass Transport in Stented Porcine Coronary Arteries Based on Location in the Coronary Arterial Tree

    PubMed Central

    Keyes, Joseph T.; Simon, Bruce R.; Vande Geest, Jonathan P.

    2013-01-01

    Drug-eluting stents have a significant clinical advantage in late-stage restenosis due to the antiproliferative drug release. Understanding how drug transport occurs between coronary arterial locations can better help guide localized drug treatment options. Finite element models with properties from specific porcine coronary artery sections (left anterior descending (LAD), right (RCA); proximal, middle, distal regions) were created for stent deployment and drug delivery simulations. Stress, strain, pore fluid velocity, and drug concentrations were exported at different time points of simulation (0–180 days). Tests indicated that the highest stresses occurred in LAD sections. Higher-than-resting homeostatic levels of stress and strain existed at upwards of 3. mm away from the stented region, whereas concentration of species only reached 2.7 mm away from the stented region. Region-specific concentration showed 2.2 times higher concentrations in RCA artery sections at times corresponding to vascular remodeling (peak in the middle segment) compared to all other segments. These results suggest that wall transport can occur differently based on coronary artery location. Awareness of peak growth stimulators and where drug accumulation occurs in the vasculature can better help guide local drug delivery therapies. PMID:23699720

  2. [Geographical differences in clinical characteristics and management of stable outpatients with coronary artery disease: comparison between the Italian and international population included in the Worldwide CLARIFY registry].

    PubMed

    Pozzoli, Massimo; Tavazzi, Luigi

    2014-04-01

    Limited data are available regarding specific differences among countries in demographic and clinical characteristics and treatment of patients with stable coronary artery disease. CLARIFY is an international, prospective and longitudinal registry including more than 33 000 patients with stable coronary artery disease enrolled in 45 countries worldwide. Data were used to compare the characteristics of patients enrolled in Italy with those enrolled in Europe and in the rest of the world. Baseline data were available for 33 283 patients, 2112 of whom from Italy and 12 614 from the remaining western European countries. Italian patients were found to be older, more frequently smoker, hypertensive and with sedentary habits. In addition, they presented more frequently a history of myocardial infarction, carotid arterial disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In addition, when compared with patients of both European and international cohorts, more Italian patients had undergone coronary angiography and angioplasty. As far as treatment was concerned, a greater number of Italian patients were taking ivabradine, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and/or angiotensin receptor blockers, nitrates, thienopyridines, while those taking beta-blockers, calcium antagonists and other antianginal medications were fewer. Among ambulatory patients with stable coronary artery disease, there are important geographic differences in terms of risk factors, clinical characteristics, surgical and pharmacological treatment.

  3. Acute left main coronary artery occlusion

    PubMed Central

    Burgazli, K. Mehmet; Bilgin, Mehmet; Soydan, Nedim; Chasan, Ridvan; Erdogan, Ali

    2013-01-01

    The treatment of an acute left main coronary artery occlusion still poses a challenge. In this case report we present a 50-year-old patient with an acute occlusion of the left main artery. After a successful angioplasty without “stenting” due to the complexity of the stenosis the patient underwent a successful bypass surgery. We discuss the therapeutic options of acute left main occlusion regarding medical, interventional and surgical options. PMID:24353543

  4. Percutaneous coronary intervention vs coronary artery bypass grafting for left main coronary artery disease? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

    PubMed

    Sharma, Sharan P; Dahal, Khagendra; Khatra, Jaspreet; Rosenfeld, Alan; Lee, Juyong

    2017-06-01

    It is not clear whether percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is as effective and safe as coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for left main coronary artery disease. We aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared PCI and CABG in left main coronary disease. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Scopus and relevant references for RCTs (inception through, November 20, 2016 without language restrictions) and performed meta-analysis using random-effects model. All-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, revascularization rate, stroke, and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) were the measured outcomes. Six RCTs with a total population of 4700 were analyzed. There was no difference in all-cause mortality at 30-day, one-year, and five-year (1.8% vs 1.1%; OR 0.60; 95% CI: 0.26-1.39; P=.23; I 2 =9%) follow-up between PCI and CABG. CABG group had less myocardial infarction (MI) at five-year follow-up than PCI (5% vs 2.5%; OR 2.04; CI: 1.30-3.19; P=.002; I 2 =1%). Revascularization rate favored CABG in one-year (8.6% vs 4.5%; OR 2; CI: 1.46-2.73; P<.0001; I 2 =45%) and five-year (15.9% vs 9.9%; OR 1.73; CI: 1.36-2.20; P<.0001; I 2 =0%) follow-up. Although stroke rate was lower in PCI group at 1 year, there was no difference in longer follow-up. MACCE at 5 years favored CABG (24% vs 18%; OR 1.45; CI: 1.19-1.76; P=.0001; I 2 =0%). On subgroup analysis, MACCE were not different between two groups in low-to-intermediate SYNTAX group while it was higher for PCI group with high SYNTAX group. Percutaneous coronary intervention could be as safe and effective as CABG in a select group of left main coronary artery disease patients. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Cephalic pancreaticoduodenectomy with preservation of a right coronary artery bypass graft using the right gastro-epiploic artery: a case report.

    PubMed

    Homsy, K; Paquay, J-L; Farghadani, H

    2018-02-20

    Pancreatic cancer is a rare disease with a high mortality rate, for which complete surgical resection, when possible, is the preferred therapeutic. Pancreaticoduodenectomy represents the surgical technique of choice. Abdominal surgeons can be faced with the challenge of patients with a history of coronary artery bypass graft in which the right gastro-epiploic artery is used. We report the case of a patient with an adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head, stage IIA, having previously undergone a triple coronary artery bypass, one of which being a right gastro-epiploic graft. Our challenge was underlined by the necessity of a complete oncological resection through a cephalic pancreaticoduodenectomy while preserving the necessary cardiac perfusion via the right gastro-epiploic artery. We have been able to preserve a right gastro-epiploic artery as a coronary bypass during a cephalic pancreaticoduodenectomy for a cephalic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. We have successfully been able to preserve and re-implant the right gastro-epiploic artery to the origin of the gastroduodenal artery while insuring R0 resection of the tumor. A coronary artery bypass using the right gastro-epiploic artery should therefore not be considered as an obstacle to a Whipple's procedure if total oncological resection is obtainable.

  6. Determination of human coronary artery composition by Raman spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Brennan, J F; Römer, T J; Lees, R S; Tercyak, A M; Kramer, J R; Feld, M S

    1997-07-01

    We present a method for in situ chemical analysis of human coronary artery using near-infrared Raman spectroscopy. It is rapid and accurate and does not require tissue removal; small volumes, approximately 1 mm3, can be sampled. This methodology is likely to be useful as a tool for intravascular diagnosis of artery disease. Human coronary artery segments were obtained from nine explanted recipient hearts within 1 hour of heart transplantation. Minces from one or more segments were obtained through grinding in a mortar and pestle containing liquid nitrogen. Artery segments and minces were excited with 830 nm near-infrared light, and Raman spectra were collected with a specially designed spectrometer. A model was developed to analyze the spectra and quantify the amounts of cholesterol, cholesterol esters, triglycerides and phospholipids, and calcium salts present. The model provided excellent fits to spectra from the artery segments, indicating its applicability to intact tissue. In addition, the minces were assayed chemically for lipid and calcium salt content, and the results were compared. The relative weights obtained using the Raman technique agreed with those of the standard assays within a few percentage points. The chemical composition of coronary artery can be quantified accurately with Raman spectroscopy. This opens the possibility of using histochemical analysis to predict acute events such as plaque rupture, to follow the progression of disease, and to select appropriate therapeutic interventions.

  7. Coronary atherosclerosis evaluation among Iranian patients with zero coronary calcium score in computed tomography coronary angiography.

    PubMed

    Moradi, Maryam; Varasteh, Elham

    2016-01-01

    Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a specific indicator of and a sensitive marker for the atherosclerotic disease process. However, calcium scoring may miss noncalcified plaques with clinical importance. The present study aimed to identify the presence and extent of coronary plaques in computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) in patients with a zero CAC score and the secondary endpoint was to evaluate the association between coronary risk factors and the presence of noncalcified plaques. In a retrospective descriptive-analytic study, a total of 2000 consecutive patients who undergone CTCA between September 2012 and September 2014 at Alzahra Hospital in Isfahan, Iran were analyzed. Three hundred and eighty-five patients with a zero calcium score were included in the study. The demographic information and coronary artery disease (CAD), risk factors including diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, hyperlipidemia, smoking, and family history of CAD, were obtained from the questionnaire. Furthermore, the presence of plaques and extent of stenosis were evaluated in patients with zero CAC score. Of the 385 patients with a zero calcium score, 16 (4.2%) had atherosclerotic plaques. Among them, 6 (1.6%) had significant (>50%) coronary stenosis, and 10 (2.6%) had no significant (<50%) coronary stenosis. Hyperlipidemia, DM, and smoking were significantly associated with obstructive CAD. Furthermore, in patients with zero calcium score, DM, hyperlipidemia, and smoking had odds ratios of 5.9, 14, and 32.5 for the development of coronary artery plaques, respectively. Although, CAC scoring is a noninvasive and valuable method to evaluate CAD; but zero CAC score does not absolutely exclude the CAD, especially in the presence of risk factors such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and smoking.

  8. Estimation of shear stress by using a myocardial bridge-mural coronary artery simulating device.

    PubMed

    Ding, Hao; Yang, Qian; Shang, Kun; Lan, Hailian; Lv, Jie; Liu, Zhilin; Liu, Yang; Sheng, Lixing; Zeng, Yanjun

    2017-01-01

    This study was aimed at developing a myocardial bridge-mural coronary artery simulative device and analyzing the relationship between shear stress on the mural coronary artery and atherosclerosis. A myocardial bridge-mural coronary artery simulative device was used to simulate experiments in vitro. In the condition of maintaining any related parameters such as system temperature, average flow rate, and heart rate, we calculated and observed changes in proximal and distal mean values, and oscillatory value of shear stress on the mural coronary artery by regulating the compression level of the myocardial bridge to the mural coronary artery. Under 0% compression, no significant differences were observed in distal and proximal mean values and oscillatory value of the shear stress on the mural coronary artery. With the increase in the degree of compression, the mean shear stress at the distal end was greater than that at the proximal end, but the oscillatory value of the shear stress at the proximal end was greater than that at the distal end. The experimental results of this study indicate that myocardial bridge compression leads to abnormal hemodynamics at the proximal end of the mural coronary artery. This abnormal phenomenon is of great significance in the study of atherosclerosis hemodynamic pathogenesis, which has potential clinical value for pathological effects and treatments of myocardial bridge.

  9. Prognosis of patients with non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction and nonobstructive coronary artery disease: propensity-matched analysis from the Acute Catheterization and Urgent Intervention Triage Strategy trial.

    PubMed

    Planer, David; Mehran, Roxana; Ohman, E Magnus; White, Harvey D; Newman, Jonathan D; Xu, Ke; Stone, Gregg W

    2014-06-01

    Troponin elevation is a risk factor for mortality in patients with non-ST-segment-elevation acute coronary syndromes. However, the prognosis of patients with troponin elevation and nonobstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) is unknown. Our objective was therefore to evaluate the impact of nonobstructive CAD in patients with non-ST-segment-elevation acute coronary syndromes and troponin elevation enrolled in the Acute Catheterization and Urgent Intervention Triage Strategy (ACUITY) trial. In the ACUITY trial, 3-vessel quantitative coronary angiography was performed in a formal substudy of 6921 patients presenting with non-ST-segment-elevation acute coronary syndromes. Patients with elevated admission troponin levels were stratified by the presence or absence of obstructive CAD (any lesion with quantitative diameter stenosis >50%). Propensity score matching was performed to adjust for baseline characteristics. Of 2442 patients with elevated troponin, 197 (8.8%) had nonobstructive CAD. Maximum diameter stenosis was 87.4 (73.2, 100.0) versus 22.6 (19.2, 25.7; P<0.0001) in patients with versus without obstructive CAD, respectively. Propensity matching yielded 117 patients with nonobstructive CAD and 331 patients with obstructive CAD, with no significant baseline differences between groups. In the matched cohort, overall 1-year mortality was significantly higher in patients with nonobstructive CAD (5.2% versus 1.6%; hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]=3.44 [1.05, 11.28]; P=0.04), driven by greater noncardiac mortality. Conversely, recurrent myocardial infarction and unplanned revascularization rates were significantly higher in patients with obstructive CAD. Patients with non-ST-segment-elevation acute coronary syndromes and elevated troponin levels but without obstructive CAD, while having low rates of subsequent myocardial infarction and unplanned revascularization, are still at considerable risk for 1-year mortality from noncardiac causes. http

  10. Chest pain, panic disorder and coronary artery disease: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Soares-Filho, Gastão L F; Arias-Carrión, Oscar; Santulli, Gaetano; Silva, Adriana C; Machado, Sergio; Valenca, Alexandre M; Nardi, Antonio E

    2014-01-01

    Chest pain may be due benign diseases but often suggests an association with coronary artery disease, which justifies a quick search for medical care. However, some people have anxiety disorder with symptoms that resemble clearly an acute coronary syndrome. More specifically, during a panic attack an abrupt feeling of fear accompanied by symptoms such as breathlessness, palpitations and chest pain, makes patients believe they have a heart attack and confuse physicians about the diagnosis. The association between panic disorder and coronary artery disease has been extensively studied in recent years and, although some studies have shown anxiety disorders coexisting or increasing the risk of heart disease, one causal hypothesis is still missing. The aim of this systematic review is to present the various ways in which the scientific community has been investigating the relation between chest pain, panic disorder and coronary artery disease.

  11. Effect of Permanent Right Internal Mammary Artery Closure on Coronary Collateral Function and Myocardial Ischemia.

    PubMed

    Stoller, Michael; Seiler, Christian

    2017-06-01

    The objective of this study is to test the effect of permanent right internal mammary artery device closure on coronary collateral function and myocardial ischemia. This was a prospective, open-label clinical trial in 50 patients with coronary artery disease. The primary study end point was coronary collateral flow index as obtained during a 1-minute proximal right coronary artery (RCA) and left coronary artery balloon occlusion at baseline before and at follow-up examination 6 weeks after distal right internal mammary artery device closure. Collateral flow index is the ratio between simultaneously recorded mean coronary occlusive pressure divided by mean aortic pressure, both subtracted by central venous pressure. Secondary study end points were fractional flow reserve during vessel patency, the quantitative intracoronary ECG ST-segment elevation, and angina pectoris during the same 1-minute coronary occlusion. Collateral flow index in the untreated RCA and left coronary artery changed from 0.071±0.082 at baseline to 0.132±0.117 ( P <0.0001) at follow-up examination and from 0.106±0.092 to 0.081±0.079 ( P =0.29), respectively. RCA fractional flow reserve increased significantly ( P =0.0029) from baseline to follow-up examination, despite deferral of coronary intervention in all patients. There was a decrease in intracoronary ECG ST-elevation during RCA occlusion from baseline to follow-up examination ( P =0.0015); it did not change in the left coronary artery. Angina pectoris during RCA occlusion tended to occur in fewer patients at follow-up versus baseline examination ( P =0.06). Permanent right internal mammary artery device closure seems to augment extracardiac ipsilateral coronary supply to the effect of reducing ischemia in the dependent myocardial region. URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02475408. © 2017 The Authors.

  12. Associations of Coffee, Tea, and Caffeine Intake with Coronary Artery Calcification and Cardiovascular Events.

    PubMed

    Miller, P Elliott; Zhao, Di; Frazier-Wood, Alexis C; Michos, Erin D; Averill, Michelle; Sandfort, Veit; Burke, Gregory L; Polak, Joseph F; Lima, Joao A C; Post, Wendy S; Blumenthal, Roger S; Guallar, Eliseo; Martin, Seth S

    2017-02-01

    Coffee and tea are 2 of the most commonly consumed beverages in the world. The association of coffee and tea intake with coronary artery calcium and major adverse cardiovascular events remains uncertain. We examined 6508 ethnically diverse participants with available coffee and tea data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Intake for each was classified as never, occasional (<1 cup per day), and regular (≥1 cup per day). A coronary artery calcium progression ratio was derived from mixed effect regression models using loge(calcium score+1) as the outcome, with coefficients exponentiated to reflect coronary artery calcium progression ratio versus the reference. Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to evaluate the association between beverage intake and incident cardiovascular events. Over a median follow-up of 5.3 years for coronary artery calcium and 11.1 years for cardiovascular events, participants who regularly drank tea (≥1 cup per day) had a slower progression of coronary artery calcium compared with never drinkers after multivariable adjustment. This correlated with a statistically significant lower incidence of cardiovascular events for ≥1 cup per day tea drinkers (adjusted hazard ratio 0.71; 95% confidence interval 0.53-0.95). Compared with never coffee drinkers, regular coffee intake (≥1 cup per day) was not statistically associated with coronary artery calcium progression or cardiovascular events (adjusted hazard ratio 0.97; 95% confidence interval 0.78-1.20). Caffeine intake was marginally inversely associated with coronary artery calcium progression. Moderate tea drinkers had slower progression of coronary artery calcium and reduced risk for cardiovascular events. Future research is needed to understand the potentially protective nature of moderate tea intake. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  13. Associations between Coffee, Tea, and Caffeine Intake with Coronary Artery Calcification and Cardiovascular Events

    PubMed Central

    Miller, P. Elliott; Zhao, Di; Frazier-Wood, Alexis C.; Michos, Erin D.; Averill, Michelle; Sandfort, Veit; Burke, Gregory L.; Polak, Joseph F.; Lima, Joao A.C.; Post, Wendy S.; Blumenthal, Roger S.; Guallar, Eliseo; Martin, Seth S.

    2016-01-01

    Background Coffee and tea are two of the most commonly consumed beverages in the world. The association of coffee and tea intake with coronary artery calcium and major adverse cardiovascular events remains uncertain. Methods We examined 6,508 ethnically-diverse participants with available coffee and tea data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Intake for each was classified as never, occasional (<1 cup/day), and regular (≥1 cup/day). A coronary artery calcium progression ratio was derived from mixed effect regression models using loge(calcium score+1) as the outcome with coefficients exponentiated to reflect coronary artery calcium progression ratio vs. the reference. Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to evaluate the association between beverage intake and incident cardiovascular events. Results Over a median follow-up of 5.3 years for coronary artery calcium and 11.1 years for cardiovascular events, participants who regularly drank tea (≥1 cup/day) had a slower progression of coronary artery calcium compared with never drinkers after multivariable adjustment. This correlated with a statistically significant lower incidence of cardiovascular events for ≥1 cup/day tea drinkers (adjusted HR 0.71; 95% CI 0.53–0.95). Compared to never coffee drinkers, regular coffee intake (≥1 cup/day) was not statistically associated with coronary artery calcium progression or cardiovascular events (adjusted HR 0.97 [0.78, 1.20]). Caffeine intake was marginally inversely associated with coronary artery calcium progression. Conclusions Moderate tea drinkers had slower progression of coronary artery calcium and reduced risk for cardiovascular events. Future research is needed to understand the potentially protective nature of moderate tea intake. PMID:27640739

  14. Effect of obstructive sleep apnoea on severity and short-term prognosis of acute coronary syndrome.

    PubMed

    Barbé, Ferran; Sánchez-de-la-Torre, Alicia; Abad, Jorge; Durán-Cantolla, Joaquin; Mediano, Olga; Amilibia, Jose; Masdeu, Maria José; Florés, Marina; Barceló, Antonia; de la Peña, Mónica; Aldomá, Albina; Worner, Fernando; Valls, Joan; Castellà, Gerard; Sánchez-de-la-Torre, Manuel

    2015-02-01

    The goal of this study was to evaluate the influence of obstructive sleep apnoea on the severity and short-term prognosis of patients admitted for acute coronary syndrome. Obstructive sleep apnoea was defined as an apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) >15 h(-1). We evaluated the acute coronary syndrome severity (ejection fraction, Killip class, number of diseased vessels, and plasma peak troponin) and short-term prognosis (length of hospitalisation, complications and mortality). We included 213 patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (mean±sd AHI 30±14 h(-1), 61±10 years, 80% males) and 218 controls (AHI 6±4 h(-1), 57±12 years, 82% males). Patients with obstructive sleep apnoea exhibited a higher prevalence of systemic hypertension (55% versus 37%, p<0.001), higher body mass index (29±4 kg·m(-2) versus 26±4 kg·m(-2), p<0.001), and lower percentage of smokers (61% versus 71%, p=0.04). After adjusting for smoking, age, body mass index and hypertension, the plasma peak troponin levels were significantly elevated in the obstructive sleep apnoea group (831±908 ng·L(-1) versus 987±884 ng·L(-1), p=0.03) and higher AHI severity was associated with an increased number of diseased vessels (p=0.04). The mean length of stay in the coronary care unit was higher in the obstructive sleep apnoea group (p=0.03). This study indicates that obstructive sleep apnoea is related to an increase in the peak plasma troponin levels, number of diseased vessels, and length of stay in the coronary care unit. Copyright ©ERS 2015.

  15. Dermatoglyphs in Coronary Artery Disease Among Ningxia Population of North China

    PubMed Central

    Lu, Hong; Qian, Wenli; Geng, Zhi; Sheng, Youjing; Yu, Haochen; Ma, Zhanbing

    2015-01-01

    Background Coronary artery disease (CAD) is an enormous health problem in the world. Dermatoglyphs are cutaneous ridges on the fingers, palms, and soles, formed by genetic regulation and control during early intrauterine life. The Dermatoglyphic traits do not change significantly as the growth of the age. They may be the phenotypic characters of individual genes and represent the predisposition to certain diseases. Aims and Objectives The study was carried out to document characteristic dermatoglyphic patterns in coronary artery disease which could be useful in early diagnosis of the disease. Materials and Methods Dermatoglyphic study of 258 male (129 coronary artery disease cases and 129 normal subjects) of Ningxia China were studied in the present cross-sectional study. It involved the digital patterns, ATD angles, A-B ridge counts on the hands. Chi-square test, t-test were used for the statistical analysis in this study. Results The overall frequency of whorls was higher followed by loop and arch in both two groups. It was observed that there was significant difference of digital frequency of whorls and ulnar loops in patients in both hands as compared to controls (p≤0.01). The mean value of finger ridge counts, total ridge counts were similar between two groups. The A-B ridge counts were significantly higher in coronary artery disease compared with controls on the right palm (p≤0.01). However, the mean ATD angle values were significantly higher in cases than those of in normal on both hands (p<0.05). Conclusion: Abnormally high A-B ridge count, ATD angles and the frequency of whorls are characteristic dermatoglyphic patterns of coronary artery disease. Dermatoglyphics may have an important role in early diagnosis of coronary artery disease in future. PMID:26816877

  16. Endothelium dependent and independent responses in coronary artery disease measured at angioplasty.

    PubMed Central

    Holdright, D R; Clarke, D; Poole-Wilson, P A; Fox, K; Collins, P

    1993-01-01

    OBJECTIVE--To investigate the effects of substance P and papaverine, two drugs that increase coronary blood flow by different mechanisms, on vasomotion in stenotic coronary arteries at percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). DESIGN--Coronary blood flow responses to substance P and papaverine were measured in stenotic coronary arteries at the time of PTCA with quantitative angiography and a Doppler flow probe. SETTING--A cardiothoracic referral centre. PATIENTS--15 patients undergoing elective PTCA of a discrete epicardial coronary artery stenosis. INTERVENTIONS--Pharmacological coronary flow reserve was determined with papaverine 5-10 minutes before and after successful PTCA. Endothelium dependent responses to 2 minute infusions of substance P (10-15 pmol.min-1) were assessed immediately before PTCA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Coronary blood flow responses and changes in epicardial coronary artery area at stenotic, proximal, and distal sites with papaverine and substance P. RESULTS--Stenotic sites dilated with papaverine before PTCA (17.7%(6.9%) (mean (SEM)) area increase, p < 0.05 v baseline). Substance P dilated stenotic sites (16.8%(5.7%) area increase, p < 0.05) and proximal (14.3%(5.4%), p < 0.05) and distal sites (41.7%(9.3%), p < 0.005). Coronary flow reserve increased but did not reach normal values after PTCA (2.3(0.4) before PTCA v 3.0(0.4) after PTCA, p < 0.05) and was associated with an increase in peak flow with papaverine. Angioplasty did not alter baseline flow. After PTCA papaverine caused significant vasoconstriction at the stenotic site (-13.6%(4.3%) area decrease, p < 0.05). There was a negative correlation (r = -0.68, p < 0.05) between the dilator response with papaverine before PTCA and the constrictor response after PTCA. CONCLUSIONS--Substance P causes endothelium dependent dilatation in atheromatous coronary arteries, even at sites of overt atheroma. The cause of the paradoxical constrictor response to papaverine after PTCA is

  17. Betel nut usage is a major risk factor for coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Khan, Muhammad Shahzeb; Bawany, Faizan Imran; Ahmed, Muhammad Umer; Hussain, Mehwish; Khan, Asadullah; Lashari, Muhammad Nawaz

    2013-12-27

    The objective of our study was to assess betel nut usage as one of the major risk factors associated with coronary artery disease. This case control study consisted of 300 controls and 300 cases. A structured questionnaire was administered to the participants to assess consumption of betel nut and confounding variables. A respondent was considered a regular consumer of betel nut if he/she consumed one or more pieces of betel nut every day for a period of greater than 6 months. About 8 in 10 betel nut chewers developed coronary artery disease. After adjusting for diabetes and hypertension, the odds ratio analysis depicted 7.72 times greater likelihood for coronary artery disease in patients who chewed betel nut for more than 10 years. Our study concludes that betel nut chewing is a significant risk factor leading to the development of coronary artery disease.

  18. Betel Nut Usage Is a Major Risk Factor for Coronary Artery Disease

    PubMed Central

    Khan, Muhammad Shahzeb; Bawany, Faizan Imran; Ahmed, Muhammad Umer; Hussain, Mehwish; Khan, Asadullah; Lashari, Muhammad Nawaz

    2014-01-01

    Aim: The objective of our study was to assess betel nut usage as one of the major risk factors associated with coronary artery disease. Methods: This case control study consisted of 300 controls and 300 cases. A structured questionnaire was administered to the participants to assess consumption of betel nut and confounding variables. A respondent was considered a regular consumer of betel nut if he/she consumed one or more pieces of betel nut every day for a period of greater than 6 months. Results: About 8 in 10 betel nut chewers developed coronary artery disease. After adjusting for diabetes and hypertension, the odds ratio analysis depicted 7.72 times greater likelihood for coronary artery disease in patients who chewed betel nut for more than 10 years. Conclusion: Our study concludes that betel nut chewing is a significant risk factor leading to the development of coronary artery disease. PMID:24576380

  19. Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 as a Predictor of Coronary Atherosclerosis in Patients Receiving Coronary Angiography.

    PubMed

    Mahler, Simon A; Register, Thomas C; Riley, Robert F; D'Agostino, Ralph B; Stopyra, Jason P; Miller, Chadwick D

    2018-06-01

    Animal studies suggest that monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is a promising biomarker for coronary artery atherosclerosis (CAA), but human studies have been inconclusive. To determine potential relationships between plasma MCP-1 and CAA in patients with acute chest pain. A secondary analysis of 150 patients enrolled in emergency department chest pain risk stratification clinical investigations was conducted. Participants with stored blood and known coronary phenotypes (determined by coronary angiography) were selected using stratified randomization such that 50 patients were included into 3 groups: (1) no angiographic evidence of CAA, (2) nonobstructive CAA, and (3) obstructive CAA (stenosis ≥ 70%). Plasma MCP-1 levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The association between MCP-1 and obstructive CAA or any CAA was modeled using logistic regression. Variables in the unreduced model included age, sex, race, prior diagnosis of CAA or acute coronary syndrome, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and cardiac troponin I measurement. Among the 150 participants, 65.3% (98/150) had invasive coronary angiography and 34.7% (52/150) had coronary computed tomographic angiography. Myocardial infarction occurred in 27.3% (41/150) and coronary revascularization occurred in 26% (39/150) of the participants. Each 10 pg/mL increase in MCP-1 measurement was associated with an odds ratio of 1.12 (95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.19) for obstructive CAA. MCP-1 remained a significant predictor of obstructive CAA and any CAA after adjustment for age, sex, race, traditional cardiac risk factors, and cardiac troponin I. MCP-1 is independently associated with CAA among emergency department patients with chest pain.

  20. Very Long-Term (10 to 14 Year) Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease in the Bare-Metal Stent Era.

    PubMed

    Shiomi, Hiroki; Yamaji, Kyohei; Morimoto, Takeshi; Shizuta, Satoshi; Nakatsuma, Kenji; Higami, Hirooki; Furukawa, Yutaka; Nakagawa, Yoshihisa; Kadota, Kazushige; Ando, Kenji; Sakata, Ryuzo; Okabayashi, Hitoshi; Hanyu, Michiya; Shimamoto, Mitsuomi; Nishiwaki, Noboru; Komiya, Tatsuhiko; Kimura, Takeshi

    2016-08-01

    Many of the previous randomized trials comparing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease reported equivalent or better survival with CABG as compared with PCI at 5-year follow-up. However, 5-year follow-up might be too short to evaluate the true differences in long-term clinical outcomes between PCI and CABG. Among 8934 patients enrolled in the extended 10- to 14-year follow-up study of the CREDO-Kyoto registry cohort-1 (Coronary Revascularization Demonstrating Outcome study in Kyoto) conducted in the bare-metal stent era, 5152 (PCI: n=3490 and CABG: n=1662) patients had multivessel coronary artery disease without left main disease. Median follow-up duration was 11.2 (interquartile range: 10.2-12.2) years. The cumulative 10-year incidence of all-cause death was not significantly different between PCI and CABG (32.2% versus 31.7%; log-rank P=0.93). After adjusting for confounders, however, the mortality risk of PCI was significantly higher than that of CABG (hazard ratio, 1.19 [95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.39]; P=0.03). Within 5 years after the index procedure, the risk for all-cause death was significantly higher after PCI than after CABG (hazard ratio, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.12-1.79; P=0.004). By a landmark analysis at 5 years, however, the cumulative 10-year incidence of and adjusted risk for all-cause death beyond 5 years were not significantly different between PCI and CABG (19.3% versus 20.0%; log-rank P=0.22 and hazard ratio, 1.02, 95% confidence interval, 0.83-1.26; P=0.82). CABG as compared with PCI was associated with better 10-year survival in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease. However, the benefit of CABG compared with PCI on late mortality beyond 5 years was not observed in this study. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

  1. Percutaneous Coronary Intervention versus Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients with Diabetic Nephropathy and Left Main Coronary Artery Disease.

    PubMed

    Li, Hsin-Ru; Hsu, Chiao-Po; Sung, Shih-Hsien; Shih, Chun-Che; Lin, Shing-Jong; Chan, Wan-Leong; Wu, Cheng-Hsueh; Lu, Tse-Min

    2017-03-01

    Patients with diabetic nephropathy and unprotected left main (LM) coronary artery disease suffer from high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Although surgical revascularization is currently recommended in this special patient population, the optimal revascularization method for this distinct patient group has remained unclear. We collected 99 consecutive patients with unprotected LM disease and diabetic nephropathy, including 46 patients who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and 53 who had coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), with a mean age of 72 ± 10; with 80.8% male. Diabetic nephropathy was defined as overt proteinuria (proteinuria > 500 mg/day) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) by the modified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation of less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . The baseline characteristics, angiographic results and long-term clinical outcomes were retrospectively analyzed. The baseline characteristic of all patients were similar except for smokers, low density lipoprotein (LDL) level and extension of coronary artery disease involvement. The median follow-up period was 3.8 years. There were 73 patients (74%) considered as high risk with additive European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) ≥ 6. During follow-up period, the long term rate of all-cause death (PCI vs. CABG: 45.7% vs. 58.5%, p = 0.20) and all-cause death/myocardial infarction (MI)/stroke (PCI vs. CABG: 52.2% vs. 60.4%, p = 0.41) were comparable between the PCI and CABG group, whereas the repeat revascularization rate was significantly higher in the PCI group (PCI vs. CABG: 32.6% vs. 9.4%, p < 0.01). eGFR remained an independent predictor for all-cause death [hazard ratio: 0.97, 95% confidence interval: 0.96 to 0.99; p = 0.002] in multivariate logistic regression. In the real-world practice of high-risk patients with unprotected LM disease and diabetic nephropathy, we found that PCI was a comparable alternative

  2. Early and long-term outcomes of coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with acute coronary syndrome versus stable angina pectoris.

    PubMed

    Fukui, Toshihiro; Tabata, Minoru; Morita, Satoshi; Takanashi, Shuichiro

    2013-06-01

    The aim of the present study was to determine the early and long-term outcomes of coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with acute coronary syndrome and stable angina pectoris. From September 2004 to September 2011, 382 patients with acute coronary syndrome (unstable angina pectoris and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction) and 851 patients with stable angina pectoris underwent first-time isolated coronary artery bypass grafting at our institute. The early and long-term outcomes were compared between the 2 groups. Patients with acute coronary syndrome were older, were more likely to be women, had a smaller body surface area, and were more likely to have left main coronary artery disease. In both groups, bilateral internal thoracic artery grafts were used in approximately 89% of the patients, and off-pump techniques in approximately 97% of the patients. The acute coronary syndrome group had a greater operative death rate (2.6% vs 0.1%) and a greater incidence of low output syndrome (3.1% vs 1.2%) and hemodialysis requirement (2.9% vs 1.1%). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that age, acute coronary syndrome, lower ejection fraction, and higher creatinine level before surgery were independent predictors of operative death. However, among the hospital survivors, no differences were seen in freedom from all death (85.4% ± 2.5% vs 87.7% ± 2.0%), cardiac death (97.4% ± 0.9% vs 96.5% ± 0.9%), or major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (78.0% ± 2.9% vs 78.1% ± 2.3%) at 7 years between the patients with acute coronary syndrome and stable angina pectoris. Although acute coronary syndrome is an independent predictor of early mortality in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, the long-term outcomes after surgery were similar between patients with acute coronary syndrome and stable angina pectoris who survived the early postoperative period. Copyright © 2013 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by

  3. A different kind of Christmas tree: anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ARCAPA).

    PubMed

    Afolabi-Brown, Olayinka; Witzke, Christian; Moldovan, Raul; Pressman, Gregg

    2014-02-01

    Anomalous right coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ARCAPA) is a rare congenital coronary anomaly that has an incidence of 0.002%. We report a case of a previously healthy female who presented to our hospital with pneumonia and was incidentally discovered to have ARCAPA. This was initially diagnosed on echocardiography by the unusual echocardiographic finding of multiple color flow Doppler signals around the right ventricular free wall and apex which were subsequently confirmed by angiography to be due to extensive collateral circulation between the left and right coronary arteries. This represents an unusual echocardiographic manifestation of this very rare condition. © 2013, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Relation of coronary collateral circulation with epicardial fat volume in patients with stable coronary artery disease

    PubMed Central

    Enhos, Asım; Sahin, Irfan; Can, Mehmet Mustafa; Biter, Ibrahim; Dinckal, Mustafa Hakan; Serebruany, Victor

    2013-01-01

    Objective To investigated the relationship between epicardial fat volume (EFV) and coronary collateral circulation (CCC) in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods The study population consisted of 152 consecutive patients with CAD who underwent coronary angiography and were found to have at least 95% significiant lesion in at least one major coronary artery. EFV was assessed utilizing 64-multislice computed tomography. The patients were classifield into impaired CCC group (Group 1, Rentrop grades 0−1, n = 58), or adequate CCC (Group 2, Rentrop grades 2−3, n = 94). Results The EFV values were significantly higher in paitients with adequate CCC than in those with impaired CCC. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, EFV (OR = 1.059; 95% CI: 1.035−1.085; P = 0.001); and presence of angina were independent predictors of adequate CCC. In receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, the EFV value > 106.5 mL yielded an area under the curve value of 0.84, with the test sensitivity of 49.3%, and with 98.3% specifity. Conclusions High EFV, and the presence of angina independently predict adequate CCC in patients with stable coronary artery disease. This association offers new diagnostic opportinities to assess collateral flow by conventional ultrasound techniques. PMID:24454327

  5. Presence and severity of noncalcified coronary plaque on 64-slice computed tomographic coronary angiography in patients with zero and low coronary artery calcium.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Victor Y; Lepor, Norman E; Madyoon, Hooman; Eshaghian, Shervin; Naraghi, Ashkan L; Shah, Prediman K

    2007-05-01

    How well absence of coronary artery calcium (CAC) predicts the absence of noncalcified coronary artery plaque (NCAP) has not been elucidated. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 554 outpatients to quantify NCAP prevalence as a function of CAC score. All patients underwent CAC scoring followed by 64-slice computed tomographic coronary angiography. Patients were categorized as having 0 CAC (416 patients) or low CAC (138 patients; men with CAC scores from 1 to 50 and women with scores from 1 to 10). Prevalence of detectable NCAP was 6.5% in patients with 0 CAC and 65.2% in those with low CAC. Compared with patients with 0 CAC, those with low CAC had markedly increased rates of NCAP occluding <50% of the arterial lumen (56.5% vs 6.0%, p <0.001) and > or =50% of the arterial lumen (8.7% vs 0.5%, p <0.001). In conclusion, in outpatients with a low to intermediate risk presentation and no known coronary artery disease, absence of CAC predicts low prevalence of any NCAP and very low prevalence of significantly occlusive NCAP. Low but detectable CAC scores are significantly less reliable in predicting plaque burden due to their association with high overall NCAP prevalence and nearly a 10% rate of significantly occlusive NCAP.

  6. The anatomy and development of normal and abnormal coronary arteries.

    PubMed

    Spicer, Diane E; Henderson, Deborah J; Chaudhry, Bill; Mohun, Timothy J; Anderson, Robert H

    2015-12-01

    At present, there is significant interest in the morphology of the coronary arteries, not least due to the increasingly well-recognised association between anomalous origin of the arteries and sudden cardiac death. Much has also been learnt over the last decade regarding the embryology of the arteries. In this review, therefore, we provide a brief introduction into the recent findings regarding their development. In particular, we emphasise that new evidence, derived using the developing murine heart, points to the arterial stems growing out from the adjacent sinuses of the aortic root, rather than the arteries growing in, as is currently assumed. As we show, the concept of outgrowth provides an excellent explanation for several of the abnormal arrangements encountered in the clinical setting. Before summarising these abnormal features, we draw attention to the need to describe the heart in an attitudinally appropriate manner, following the basic rule of human anatomy, rather than describing the cardiac components with the heart in the "Valentine" orientation. We then show how the major abnormalities involving the coronary arteries in humans can be summarised in terms of abnormal origin from the pulmonary circulation, abnormal aortic origin, or fistulous communications between the coronary arteries and the cardiac cavities. In the case of abnormal aortic origin, we highlight those malformations known to be associated with sudden cardiac death.

  7. Asymptomatic peripheral artery disease can limit maximal exercise capacity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients regardless of airflow obstruction and lung hyperinflation.

    PubMed

    Crisafulli, Ernesto; Scelfo, Chiara; Tzani, Panagiota; Aiello, Marina; Bertorelli, Giuseppina; Chetta, Alfredo

    2017-06-01

    Background Silent/asymptomatic peripheral artery disease may occur in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but it is poorly investigated. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients the impact of asymptomatic/silent peripheral artery disease on maximal exercise capacity; the secondary aim was to search for predictors of peripheral artery disease. Methods We prospectively enrolled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease outpatients. Data on anthropometric characteristics, lung function, cardiopulmonary exercise test and ankle-brachial index were recorded. The cut-off of ankle-brachial index used to define patients with peripheral artery disease was ≤0.90. Results We studied 47 patients and found 24 patients (51%) who showed peripheral artery disease. As compared to patients without peripheral artery disease, patients with peripheral artery disease had lower values of peak oxygen uptake, peak workload, energy expenditure (metabolic equivalents) and heart rate recovery, but showed the same degree of airflow obstruction and static and dynamic hyperinflation. In a multivariate linear regression model performed to identify variables predicting metabolic equivalents, ankle-brachial index (β 2.59; 95% confidence interval 0.51-4.67; p = 0.016) was an independent variable. In the search for predictors of peripheral artery disease, heart rate recovery (odds ratio 8.80; 95% confidence interval 1.30-59.35; p = 0.026) increased the risk of peripheral artery disease, whereas metabolic equivalents (odds ratio 0.50; 95% confidence interval 0.26-0.94, p = 0.033) and inhaled corticosteroids+long-acting β 2 agonists (odds ratio 0.13; 95% confidence interval 0.02-0.83; p = 0.030) reduced this risk. Conclusions In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease outpatients, asymptomatic/silent peripheral artery disease affects the maximal exercise capacity regardless of airflow obstruction and lung

  8. Late Diagnosed Left Coronary to the Pulmonary Artery Large Fistulae: An Interesting and Incidental Cath Lab Finding

    PubMed Central

    de Melo, Pedro H. M. Craveiro; Abreu-Silva, Érlon O.; Coura, Fernando Barbiero; Rios, Gleyson Moraes; Potério, Daniel Izzet

    2016-01-01

    Coronary artery anomalies are congenital changes in their origin, course, and/or structure. Most of them are discovered as incidental findings during coronary angiographic studies or at autopsies. A coronary artery fistulae involve a communication between a coronary artery and a chamber of the heart or any segment of the systemic or pulmonary circulation. We present herein the case of a 67-year-old man with a recent history of exertional angina and dyspnea to usual daily activities whose coronary angiogram revealed an interesting and incidental coronary-pulmonary artery large fistulae. PMID:28053791

  9. Late Diagnosed Left Coronary to the Pulmonary Artery Large Fistulae: An Interesting and Incidental Cath Lab Finding.

    PubMed

    Oliveira, Marcos Danillo P; de Melo, Pedro H M Craveiro; Abreu-Silva, Érlon O; Coura, Fernando Barbiero; Rios, Gleyson Moraes; Potério, Daniel Izzet

    2016-01-01

    Coronary artery anomalies are congenital changes in their origin, course, and/or structure. Most of them are discovered as incidental findings during coronary angiographic studies or at autopsies. A coronary artery fistulae involve a communication between a coronary artery and a chamber of the heart or any segment of the systemic or pulmonary circulation. We present herein the case of a 67-year-old man with a recent history of exertional angina and dyspnea to usual daily activities whose coronary angiogram revealed an interesting and incidental coronary-pulmonary artery large fistulae.

  10. Management standards for stable coronary artery disease in India.

    PubMed

    Mishra, Sundeep; Ray, Saumitra; Dalal, Jamshed J; Sawhney, J P S; Ramakrishnan, S; Nair, Tiny; Iyengar, S S; Bahl, V K

    2016-12-01

    Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the important causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality globally, giving rise to more than 7 million deaths annually. An increasing burden of CAD in India is a major cause of concern with angina being the leading manifestation. Stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) is characterised by episodes of transient central chest pain (angina pectoris), often triggered by exercise, emotion or other forms of stress, generally triggered by a reversible mismatch between myocardial oxygen demand and supply resulting in myocardial ischemia or hypoxia. A stabilised, frequently asymptomatic phase following an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is also classified as SCAD. This definition of SCAD also encompasses vasospastic and microvascular angina under the common umbrella. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  11. Classification of coronary artery tissues using optical coherence tomography imaging in Kawasaki disease

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abdolmanafi, Atefeh; Prasad, Arpan Suravi; Duong, Luc; Dahdah, Nagib

    2016-03-01

    Intravascular imaging modalities, such as Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) allow nowadays improving diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and even prevention of coronary artery disease in the adult. OCT has been recently used in children following Kawasaki disease (KD), the most prevalent acquired coronary artery disease during childhood with devastating complications. The assessment of coronary artery layers with OCT and early detection of coronary sequelae secondary to KD is a promising tool for preventing myocardial infarction in this population. More importantly, OCT is promising for tissue quantification of the inner vessel wall, including neo intima luminal myofibroblast proliferation, calcification, and fibrous scar deposits. The goal of this study is to classify the coronary artery layers of OCT imaging obtained from a series of KD patients. Our approach is focused on developing a robust Random Forest classifier built on the idea of randomly selecting a subset of features at each node and based on second- and higher-order statistical texture analysis which estimates the gray-level spatial distribution of images by specifying the local features of each pixel and extracting the statistics from their distribution. The average classification accuracy for intima and media are 76.36% and 73.72% respectively. Random forest classifier with texture analysis promises for classification of coronary artery tissue.

  12. Patient specific 3-d modeling of blood flow in a multi-stenosed left coronary artery.

    PubMed

    Kamangar, Sarfaraz; Badruddin, Irfan Anjum; Ameer Ahamad, N; Soudagar, Manzoor Elahi M; Govindaraju, Kalimuthu; Nik-Ghazali, N; Salman Ahmed, N J; Yunus Khan, T M

    2017-01-01

    The current study investigates the effect of multi stenosis on the hemodynamic parameters such as wall pressure, velocity and wall shear stress in the realistic left coronary artery. Patients CT scan image data of normal and diseased left coronary artery was chosen for the reconstruction of 3D coronary artery models. The diseased 3D model of left coronary artery shows a narrowing of more than 70% and 80% of area stenosis (AS) at the left main stem (LMS) and left circumflex (LCX) respectively. The results show that the decrease in pressure was found downstream to the stenosis as compared to the coronary artery without stenosis. The maximum pressure drop was noted across the 80% AS at the left circumflex branch. The recirculation zone was also observed immediate to the stenosis and highest wall shear stress was found across the 80% area stenosis. Our analysis provides an insight into the distribution of wall shear stress and pressure drop, thus improving our understanding on the hemodynamics in realistic coronary artery.

  13. Frequency, origins and courses of anomalous coronary arteries in 607 Turkish children with tetralogy of Fallot.

    PubMed

    Kervancioglu, Mehmet; Tokel, Kursad; Varan, Birgul; Yildirim, Selman Vefa

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence, origins and courses of coronary artery anomalies using a combination of angiographic and surgical methods in Turkish children with tetralogy of Fallot (ToF). Seventy-seven patients in whom coronary artery anomalies had been identified by angiography and/or at operation out of 549 ToF and 58 Fallot-type double outlet right ventricle (total 607) patients, were enrolled in the study. Coronary artery anomalies were identified in 12.7% of the patients. The incidence was 12.2% (67/549) in patients with aortic overriding 50%, and 17.2% (10/58) with aortic overriding 〉 50% (p 〉 0.05). The incidence of anomalous coronary arteries crossing the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) was 7.91%. The commonest anomaly was the left anterior descending artery (LAD) or accessory LAD arising from the right coronary artery (RCA; n = 25). Other frequent anomalies were single coronary ostium (n = 21) and enlarged conal branch of RCA (n = 18). In 62.3% (48/77) of the patients with a coronary anomaly, the anomalous vessels were crossing the RVOT. The ratio of crossing the RVOT was 92.0% for LAD arising from the RCA, 66.7% for conal branch, and 42.9% for single coronary ostium. Two thirds of the anomalous coronary arteries were crossing the RVOT, and had surgical importance. The most frequent coronary artery anomaly that crossed the RVOT was the LAD or the accessory LAD arising from the RCA. Also, an enlarged conus artery should be considered as an anomaly because of its surgical importance, given its high rate of crossing the RVOT.

  14. Coronary anatomy in patients with various manifestations of three vessel coronary artery disease.

    PubMed Central

    Quyyumi, A A; Al-Rufaie, H K; Olsen, E G; Fox, K M

    1985-01-01

    The histology of coronary arteries was compared in patients with rest and effort angina. The arteries came from six patients with three vessel disease who died within four weeks of arteriography and ambulatory ST segment monitoring. Sections of all macroscopically visible arteries were taken every 5 mm and examined histologically. Episodes of ST segment depression had occurred on exertion in two patients, during exertion and rest (nocturnal) in two, and two patients had had no episodes of ST segment depression during ambulatory monitoring. Concentric (29%) or eccentric (62%) intimal thickening due to atheroma or fibroelastic tissue was found in 91% of sections. All but two normal intimal sections (1%) were found to be diseased in patients with ambulatory ST segment changes. Eccentric lesions with medial smooth muscle preservation in areas without intimal thickening, where further luminal narrowing could occur due to increases in smooth muscle tone, were found in 15% of sections. But these areas were not found in the proximal 3.5 cm of any of the major coronary arteries of the two patients with rest and effort ischaemia. Spasm could not have caused total occlusion in any of these arteries because the lumen was splinted by the lesion. There was no difference in mean luminal narrowing between patients with exertional and rest ischaemia and exertional ischaemia only (mean 74%), but mean luminal narrowing was lower in patients with no ambulatory episodes of ST segment change (39%). Thus medial smooth muscle spasm was unlikely to have caused occlusion in patients with ambulatory ST segment changes, although it could have altered lumen diameter. There are no histological differences in the coronary arteries of patients with rest or effort induced myocardial ischaemia. Images PMID:4052277

  15. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection—A review

    PubMed Central

    Yip, Amelia

    2015-01-01

    Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an infrequent and often missed diagnosis among patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Unfortunately, SCAD can result in significant morbidities such as myocardial ischemia and infarction, ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Lack of angiographic recognition from clinicians is a major factor of under-diagnosis. With the advent of new imaging modalities, particularly with intracoronary imaging, there has been improved diagnosis of SCAD. The aim of this paper is to review the epidemiology, etiology, presentation, diagnosis and management of SCAD. PMID:25774346

  16. Nonrigid registration-based coronary artery motion correction for cardiac computed tomography

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bhagalia, Roshni; Pack, Jed D.; Miller, James V.

    2012-07-15

    Purpose: X-ray computed tomography angiography (CTA) is the modality of choice to noninvasively monitor and diagnose heart disease with coronary artery health and stenosis detection being of particular interest. Reliable, clinically relevant coronary artery imaging mandates high spatiotemporal resolution. However, advances in intrinsic scanner spatial resolution (CT scanners are available which combine nearly 900 detector columns with focal spot oversampling) can be tempered by motion blurring, particularly in patients with unstable heartbeats. As a result, recently numerous methods have been devised to improve coronary CTA imaging. Solutions involving hardware, multisector algorithms, or {beta}-blockers are limited by cost, oversimplifying assumptions aboutmore » cardiac motion, and populations showing contraindications to drugs, respectively. This work introduces an inexpensive algorithmic solution that retrospectively improves the temporal resolution of coronary CTA without significantly affecting spatial resolution. Methods: Given the goal of ruling out coronary stenosis, the method focuses on 'deblurring' the coronary arteries. The approach makes no assumptions about cardiac motion, can be used on exams acquired at high heart rates (even over 75 beats/min), and draws on a fast and accurate three-dimensional (3D) nonrigid bidirectional labeled point matching approach to estimate the trajectories of the coronary arteries during image acquisition. Motion compensation is achieved by employing a 3D warping of a series of partial reconstructions based on the estimated motion fields. Each of these partial reconstructions is created from data acquired over a short time interval. For brevity, the algorithm 'Subphasic Warp and Add' (SWA) reconstruction. Results: The performance of the new motion estimation-compensation approach was evaluated by a systematic observer study conducted using nine human cardiac CTA exams acquired over a range of average heart rates between

  17. Association of aortic coarctation and malignant right coronary artery anomaly: an unusual cause of angina pectoris

    PubMed Central

    Filho, Rubens Sirtoli; de Almeida, Leonardo Cao Cãmbra; Sirtoli, Maysa Godoy Gomes Mazurek; Pilatti, Liliana Pena; de Carvalho, Marcelo Valladão; Schafranski, Marcelo

    2011-01-01

    A 53-year-old man with exercise-induced ischemia was referred for investigation. Coronary angiography revealed a right coronary artery originating from the trunk of the left coronary artery, and an aortic coarctation was observed on aortography. A CT angiogram confirmed these findings. Resection of the aortic coarctation and reimplantation of the ostial portion of right coronary artery into its native site was performed, and resulted in a satisfactory outcome. The association of an anomalous right coronary artery with aortic coarctation has rarely been described and represents a critical situation where early diagnosis and prompt intervention are essential. PMID:23754906

  18. [Comparison of 64 MDCT coronary CTA and coronary angiography in the detection of coronary artery stenosis in low risk patients with stable angina and acute coronary syndrome].

    PubMed

    Cazalas, G; Sarran, A; Amabile, N; Chaumoitre, K; Marciano-Chagnaud, S; Jacquier, A; Paganelli, F; Panuel, M

    2009-09-01

    To determine the accuracy of 64 MDCT coronary CTA (CCTA) compared to coronary angiography in low risk patients with stable angina and acute coronary syndrome and determine the number of significant coronary artery stenoses ( 50%) in these patients. Materials and methods. Fifty-five patients underwent CCTA using a 32 MDCT unit with z flying focus allowing the acquisition of 64 slices of 0.6 mm thickness as well as coronary angiography (gold standard). Nine patients were excluded due to prior coronary artery bypass surgery (n=4), insufficient breath hold (n=3), calcium scoring>1000 (n=1) and delay between both examinations over 4 months (n=1). Forty-six patients: 27 males and 19 females were included. CCTA results were compared to coronary angiography per segment and artery with threshold detection of stenoses 50%. The degree of correlation between both examinations was performed using a regression analysis with a Pearson correlation coefficient<0.05 considered significant. The overall accuracy of CCTA was 90%; limitations related to the presence of calcifications, motion artifacts or insufficient vessel opacification. The correlation for all analyzed segments was 96.4%. Thirty-eight of 50 significant stenoses seen on coronary angiography were correctly detected on CCTA. Sensitivity, specificity, PPVC and NPV for detection of stenoses 50% were 76%, 98.3%, 80.3% and 97.7% respectively. Evaluation per segment had a NPV of 96.8% (interventricular and diagonal segments) to 100% (main trunk). Our results for specificity and NPV are similar to reports from the literature. This suggests that CCTA in this clinical setting may replace coronary angiography.

  19. Coronary artery compression by teflon pledget granuloma following aortic valve replacement.

    PubMed

    Cohle, S D; Delavan, J W

    1997-09-01

    We describe a massive fatal posterior myocardial infarct resulting from compression of the right coronary artery by a Teflon pledget granuloma in a patient who had undergone aortic valve replacement six months before death. Other iatrogenic causes of coronary artery occlusion or compression are discussed in this paper. To our knowledge this is the first report of this surgical complication.

  20. Depression and Anxiety following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft: Current Indian Scenario

    PubMed Central

    Saini, Rajiv; Bakhla, Ajay Kumar; Singh, Jaswinder

    2016-01-01

    Epidemiological studies have shown a high prevalence of coronary artery disease among the Indian Population. Due to increasing availability and affordability of tertiary care in many parts of India, carefully selected patients undergo coronary artery bypass surgery to improve cardiac function. However, the procedure is commonly associated with depression and anxiety which can adversely affect overall prognosis. The objective of this review is to highlight early identifiable symptoms of depression and anxiety following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) in Indian context so as to facilitate prompt intervention for better outcome. The current review was able to establish firm evidence in support of screening for depression and anxiety following CABG. Management of depression and anxiety following CABG is briefly reviewed. PMID:27034884

  1. Noninvasive coronary artery angiography using electron beam computed tomography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rumberger, John A.; Rensing, Benno J.; Reed, Judd E.; Ritman, Erik L.; Sheedy, Patrick F., II

    1996-04-01

    Electron beam computed tomography (EBCT), also known as ultrafast-CT or cine-CT, uses a unique scanning architecture which allows for multiple high spatial resolution electrocardiographic triggered images of the beating heart. A recent study has demonstrated the feasibility of qualitative comparisons between EBCT derived 3D coronary angiograms and invasive angiography. Stenoses of the proximal portions of the left anterior descending and right coronary arteries were readily identified, but description of atherosclerotic narrowing in the left circumflex artery (and distal epicardial disease) was not possible with any degree of confidence. Although these preliminary studies support the notion that this approach has potential, the images overall were suboptimal for clinical application as an adjunct to invasive angiography. Furthermore, these studies did not examine different methods of EBCT scan acquisition, tomographic slice thicknesses, extent of scan overlap, or other segmentation, thresholding, and interpolation algorithms. Our laboratory has initiated investigation of these aspects and limitations of EBCT coronary angiography. Specific areas of research include defining effects of cardiac orientation; defining the effects of tomographic slice thickness and intensity (gradient) versus positional (shaped based) interpolation; and defining applicability of imaging each of the major epicardial coronary arteries for quantitative definition of vessel size, cross-sectional area, taper, and discrete vessel narrowing.

  2. Identical mitochondrial somatic mutations unique to chronic periodontitis and coronary artery disease

    PubMed Central

    Pallavi, Tokala; Chandra, Rampalli Viswa; Reddy, Aileni Amarender; Reddy, Bavigadda Harish; Naveen, Anumala

    2016-01-01

    Context: The inflammatory processes involved in chronic periodontitis and coronary artery diseases (CADs) are similar and produce reactive oxygen species that may result in similar somatic mutations in mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA). Aims: The aims of the present study were to identify somatic mtDNA mutations in periodontal and cardiac tissues from subjects undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery and determine what fraction was identical and unique to these tissues. Settings and Design: The study population consisted of 30 chronic periodontitis subjects who underwent coronary artery surgery after an angiogram had indicated CAD. Materials and Methods: Gingival tissue samples were taken from the site with deepest probing depth; coronary artery tissue samples were taken during the coronary artery bypass grafting procedures, and blood samples were drawn during this surgical procedure. These samples were stored under aseptic conditions and later transported for mtDNA analysis. Statistical Analysis Used: Complete mtDNA sequences were obtained and aligned with the revised Cambridge reference sequence (NC_012920) using sequence analysis and auto assembler tools. Results: Among the complete mtDNA sequences, a total of 162 variations were spread across the whole mitochondrial genome and present only in the coronary artery and the gingival tissue samples but not in the blood samples. Among the 162 variations, 12 were novel and four of the 12 novel variations were found in mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 complex I gene (33.3%). Conclusions: Analysis of mtDNA mutations indicated 162 variants unique to periodontitis and CAD. Of these, 12 were novel and may have resulted from destructive oxidative forces common to these two diseases. PMID:27041832

  3. Diagnostic performance of an acoustic-based system for coronary artery disease risk stratification.

    PubMed

    Winther, Simon; Nissen, Louise; Schmidt, Samuel Emil; Westra, Jelmer Sybren; Rasmussen, Laust Dupont; Knudsen, Lars Lyhne; Madsen, Lene Helleskov; Kirk Johansen, Jane; Larsen, Bjarke Skogstad; Struijk, Johannes Jan; Frost, Lars; Holm, Niels Ramsing; Christiansen, Evald Høj; Botker, Hans Erik; Bøttcher, Morten

    2018-06-01

    Diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD) continues to require substantial healthcare resources. Acoustic analysis of transcutaneous heart sounds of cardiac movement and intracoronary turbulence due to obstructive coronary disease could potentially change this. The aim of this study was thus to test the diagnostic accuracy of a new portable acoustic device for detection of CAD. We included 1675 patients consecutively with low to intermediate likelihood of CAD who had been referred for cardiac CT angiography. If significant obstruction was suspected in any coronary segment, patients were referred to invasive angiography and fractional flow reserve (FFR) assessment. Heart sound analysis was performed in all patients. A predefined acoustic CAD-score algorithm was evaluated; subsequently, we developed and validated an updated CAD-score algorithm that included both acoustic features and clinical risk factors. Low risk is indicated by a CAD-score value ≤20. Haemodynamically significant CAD assessed from FFR was present in 145 (10.0%) patients. In the entire cohort, the predefined CAD-score had a sensitivity of 63% and a specificity of 44%. In total, 50% had an updated CAD-score value ≤20. At this cut-off, sensitivity was 81% (95% CI 73% to 87%), specificity 53% (95% CI 50% to 56%), positive predictive value 16% (95% CI 13% to 18%) and negative predictive value 96% (95% CI 95% to 98%) for diagnosing haemodynamically significant CAD. Sound-based detection of CAD enables risk stratification superior to clinical risk scores. With a negative predictive value of 96%, this new acoustic rule-out system could potentially supplement clinical assessment to guide decisions on the need for further diagnostic investigation. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02264717; Results. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  4. Computational fluid dynamics comparisons of wall shear stress in patient-specific coronary artery bifurcation using coronary angiography and optical coherence tomography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Poon, Eric; Thondapu, Vikas; Chin, Cheng; Scheerlinck, Cedric; Zahtila, Tony; Mamon, Chris; Nguyen, Wilson; Ooi, Andrew; Barlis, Peter

    2016-11-01

    Blood flow dynamics directly influence biology of the arterial wall, and are closely linked with the development of coronary artery disease. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solvers may be employed to analyze the hemodynamic environment in patient-specific reconstructions of coronary arteries. Although coronary X-ray angiography (CA) is the most common medical imaging modality for 3D arterial reconstruction, models reconstructed from CA assume a circular or elliptical cross-sectional area. This limitation can be overcome with a reconstruction technique fusing CA with intravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT). OCT scans the interior of an artery using near-infrared light, achieving a 10-micron resolution and providing unprecedented detail of vessel geometry. We compared 3D coronary artery bifurcation models generated using CA alone versus OCT-angiography fusion. The model reconstructed from CA alone is unable to identify the detailed geometrical variations of diseased arteries, and also under-estimates the cross-sectional vessel area compared to OCT-angiography fusion. CFD was performed in both models under pulsatile flow in order to identify and compare regions of low wall shear stress, a hemodynamic parameter directly linked with progression of atherosclerosis. Supported by ARC LP150100233 and VLSCI VR0210.

  5. DECT evaluation of noncalcified coronary artery plaque

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ravanfar Haghighi, Rezvan; Chatterjee, S.; Tabin, Milo

    2015-10-15

    Purpose: Composition of the coronary artery plaque is known to have critical role in heart attack. While calcified plaque can easily be diagnosed by conventional CT, it fails to distinguish between fibrous and lipid rich plaques. In the present paper, the authors discuss the experimental techniques and obtain a numerical algorithm by which the electron density (ρ{sub e}) and the effective atomic number (Z{sub eff}) can be obtained from the dual energy computed tomography (DECT) data. The idea is to use this inversion method to characterize and distinguish between the lipid and fibrous coronary artery plaques. Methods: For the purposemore » of calibration of the CT machine, the authors prepare aqueous samples whose calculated values of (ρ{sub e}, Z{sub eff}) lie in the range of (2.65 × 10{sup 23} ≤ ρ{sub e} ≤ 3.64 × 10{sup 23}/cm{sup 3}) and (6.80 ≤ Z{sub eff} ≤ 8.90). The authors fill the phantom with these known samples and experimentally determine HU(V{sub 1}) and HU(V{sub 2}), with V{sub 1},V{sub 2} = 100 and 140 kVp, for the same pixels and thus determine the coefficients of inversion that allow us to determine (ρ{sub e}, Z{sub eff}) from the DECT data. The HU(100) and HU(140) for the coronary artery plaque are obtained by filling the channel of the coronary artery with a viscous solution of methyl cellulose in water, containing 2% contrast. These (ρ{sub e}, Z{sub eff}) values of the coronary artery plaque are used for their characterization on the basis of theoretical models of atomic compositions of the plaque materials. These results are compared with histopathological report. Results: The authors find that the calibration gives ρ{sub e} with an accuracy of ±3.5% while Z{sub eff} is found within ±1% of the actual value, the confidence being 95%. The HU(100) and HU(140) are found to be considerably different for the same plaque at the same position and there is a linear trend between these two HU values. It is noted that pure lipid type

  6. Acute fatal coronary artery dissection following exercise-related blunt chest trauma.

    PubMed

    Barbesier, Marie; Boval, Catherine; Desfeux, Jacques; Lebreton, Catherine; Léonetti, Georges; Piercecchi, Marie-Dominique

    2015-01-01

    Coronary artery injury such as acute coronary dissection is an uncommon and potentially life-threatening complication after blunt chest trauma. The authors report an unusual autopsy case of a 43-year-old healthy man who suddenly collapsed after receiving a punch to the chest during the practice of kung fu. The occurrence of the punch was supported by the presence of one recent contusion on the left lateral chest area at the external examination and by areas of hemorrhage next to the left lateral intercostal spaces at the internal examination. The histological examination revealed the presence of an acute dissection of the proximal segment of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Only few cases of coronary artery dissection have been reported due to trauma during sports activities such as rugby and soccer games, but never during the practice of martial arts, sports usually considered as safe and responsible for only minor trauma. © 2014 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  7. Coronary artery dilatation in toxic shock-like syndrome: the Kawasaki disease shock syndrome.

    PubMed

    Yim, Deane; Ramsay, James; Kothari, Darshan; Burgner, David

    2010-11-01

    Kawasaki disease is a common systemic vasculitis of childhood that may result in life-threatening coronary artery abnormalities. Despite an overlap of clinical features with toxic shock syndrome, children with Kawasaki disease generally do not develop shock. We report two cases of older children who presented with a toxic shock-like illness, and were diagnosed with Kawasaki disease when coronary artery abnormalities were found on echocardiography, in keeping with the recently described 'Kawasaki disease shock syndrome'. Clinicians should consider Kawasaki disease in all children presenting with toxic shock and assess for coronary artery damage.

  8. Coronary Artery Disease - Multiple Languages

    MedlinePlus

    ... Cantonese dialect) (繁體中文) French (français) Hindi (हिन्दी) Japanese (日本語) Korean (한국어) Portuguese (português) Russian (Русский) Somali ( ... हिन्दी (Hindi) Bilingual PDF Health Information Translations Japanese (日本語) Expand Section Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) - 日本語 ( ...

  9. Myocardial scintigraphy using a fatty acid analogue detects coronary artery disease in hemodialysis patients.

    PubMed

    Nishimura, Masato; Hashimoto, Tetsuya; Kobayashi, Hiroyuki; Fukuda, Toyofumi; Okino, Koji; Yamamoto, Noriyuki; Fujita, Hiroshi; Inoue Tsunehiko Nishimura, Naoto; Ono, Toshihiko

    2004-08-01

    Coronary artery disease contributes significantly to mortality in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) using an iodinated fatty acid analogue, iodine-123-methyl iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (123I-BMIPP), can assess fatty acid metabolism in the myocardium. We investigated the ability of 123I-BMIPP SPECT to detect coronary artery disease in hemodialysis patients compared with 201thallium chloride (201Tl) SPECT. We prospectively studied 130 ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis for a mean of 88.6 months (male/female, 77/53; mean age, 63.8 years). Dual SPECT using 123I-BMIPP and 201Tl was performed, followed by coronary angiography. SPECT findings were graded in 17 segments on a five-point scale (0, normal uptake; 4, none) and assessed as a summed score. By coronary angiography, 71.5% of patients (93/130) had significant coronary stenosis (> or =75%), and five patients showed coronary spasm without coronary stenosis. When a BMIPP summed score of 6 or more was defined as abnormal, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for detecting coronary artery disease by BMIPP SPECT were 98.0%, 65.6%, and 90.0%, respectively; in contrast, these parameters for detecting coronary artery disease by Tl SPECT were 84.7%, 46.9%, and 75.0%, respectively, when a Tl summed score of 1 or more was defined as abnormal. In receiver operating characteristic analysis, the area under the curve was 0.895 in BMIPP and 0.727 in Tl SPECT, respectively. Resting BMIPP SPECT is superior to Tl SPECT for detecting coronary lesions, and provides safe screening for coronary artery disease among maintenance hemodialysis patients.

  10. Stent-induced coronary artery stenosis characterized by multimodal nonlinear optical microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Han-Wei; Simianu, Vlad; Locker, Mattew J.; Cheng, Ji-Xin; Sturek, Michael

    2011-02-01

    We demonstrate for the first time the applicability of multimodal nonlinear optical (NLO) microscopy to the interrogation of stented coronary arteries under different diet and stent deployment conditions. Bare metal stents and Taxus drug-eluting stents (DES) were placed in coronary arteries of Ossabaw pigs of control and atherogenic diet groups. Multimodal NLO imaging was performed to inspect changes in arterial structures and compositions after stenting. Sum frequency generation, one of the multimodalities, was used for the quantitative analysis of collagen content in the peristent and in-stent artery segments of both pig groups. Atherogenic diet increased lipid and collagen in peristent segments. In-stent segments showed decreased collagen expression in neointima compared to media. Deployment of DES in atheromatous arteries inhibited collagen expression in the arterial media.

  11. ABSORB: Postmarketing Surveillance Registry to Monitor the Everolimus-eluting Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

    ClinicalTrials.gov

    2016-12-08

    Cardiovascular Diseases; Coronary Artery Disease; Myocardial Ischemia; Coronary Disease; Coronary Restenosis; Heart Diseases; Coronary Stenosis; Arteriosclerosis; Arterial Occlusive Diseases; Vascular Diseases

  12. Stopping vs. Continuing Aspirin before Coronary Artery Surgery.

    PubMed

    Myles, Paul S; Smith, Julian A; Forbes, Andrew; Silbert, Brendan; Jayarajah, Mohandas; Painter, Thomas; Cooper, D James; Marasco, Silvana; McNeil, John; Bussières, Jean S; Wallace, Sophie

    2016-02-25

    Most patients with coronary artery disease receive aspirin for primary or secondary prevention of myocardial infarction, stroke, and death. Aspirin poses a risk of bleeding in patients undergoing surgery, but it is unclear whether aspirin should be stopped before coronary artery surgery. We used a 2-by-2 factorial trial design to randomly assign patients who were scheduled to undergo coronary artery surgery and were at risk for perioperative complications to receive aspirin or placebo and tranexamic acid or placebo. The results of the aspirin trial are reported here. Patients were randomly assigned to receive 100 mg of aspirin or matched placebo preoperatively. The primary outcome was a composite of death and thrombotic complications (nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke, pulmonary embolism, renal failure, or bowel infarction) within 30 days after surgery. Among 5784 eligible patients, 2100 were enrolled; 1047 were randomly assigned to receive aspirin and 1053 to receive placebo. A primary outcome event occurred in 202 patients in the aspirin group (19.3%) and in 215 patients in the placebo group (20.4%) (relative risk, 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.80 to 1.12; P=0.55). Major hemorrhage leading to reoperation occurred in 1.8% of patients in the aspirin group and in 2.1% of patients in the placebo group (P=0.75), and cardiac tamponade occurred at rates of 1.1% and 0.4%, respectively (P=0.08). Among patients undergoing coronary artery surgery, the administration of preoperative aspirin resulted in neither a lower risk of death or thrombotic complications nor a higher risk of bleeding than that with placebo. (Funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and others; Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number, ACTRN12605000557639.).

  13. Circulating tocopherols and risk of coronary artery disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Li, Guangxiao; Li, Ying; Chen, Xin; Sun, Hao; Hou, Xiaowen; Shi, Jingpu

    2016-05-01

    Circulating level of tocopherols was supposed to be associated with risk of coronary artery disease. However, the results from previous studies remain controversial. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis based on observational studies to evaluate the association between circulating tocopherols and coronary artery disease risk for the first time. Meta-analysis. PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched to retrieve articles published during January 1995 and May 2015. Articles were included if they provided sufficient information to calculate the weighted mean difference and its corresponding 95% confidence interval. Circulating level of total tocopherols was significantly lower in coronary artery disease patients than that in controls (weighted mean difference -4.33 μmol/l, 95% confidence interval -6.74 to -1.91, P < 0.01). However, circulating α-tocopherol alone was not significantly associated with coronary artery disease risk. Results from subgroup analyses showed that a lower level of circulating total tocopherols was merely associated with higher coronary artery disease risk in studies with higher sex ratio in cases (<2, weighted mean difference -0.07 μmol/l, 95% confidence interval -1.15 to 1.00, P = 0.90; ≥ 2, weighted mean difference -6.00 μmol/l, 95% confidence interval -9.76 to -2.22, P < 0.01). Similarly, a lower level of circulating total tocopherols was associated with early onset coronary artery disease rather than late onset coronary artery disease (<60 years, weighted mean difference -5.40 μmol/l, 95% confidence interval -9.22 to -1.57, P < 0.01; ≥ 60 years, weighted mean difference -1.37 μmol/l, 95% confidence interval -3.48 to 0.74, P = 0.20). We also found some discrepancies in circulating total tocopherols when the studies were stratified by matching status and assay methods. Our findings suggest that a deficiency in circulating total tocopherols might be associated with higher coronary

  14. Sustained contraction and endothelial dysfunction induced by reactive oxygen species in porcine coronary artery.

    PubMed

    Ishihara, Yasuhiro; Sekine, Masaya; Hatano, Ai; Shimamoto, Norio

    2008-09-01

    A combination of purine and xanthine oxidase (XOD) dose-dependently elicited sustained contraction of porcine coronary arterial rings and resulted in increased concentrations of superoxide anions and hydrogen peroxide. These contractile responses appeared, with a delay, after the application of purine and XOD, used as a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating system. Coronary arteries precontracted with prostaglandin F(2alpha) failed to relax in response to substance P after exposing the arterial preparation to this ROS-generating system. The contractile response of the coronary artery to the ROS-generating system was almost completely inhibited by catalase (130 U/ml), and was partially inhibited by superoxide dismutase (60 U/ml), or mannitol (30 mM). A voltage-dependent L-type Ca(2+) channel antagonist, nicardipine, had no effect on contraction. Dysfunction of endothelial cells was completely prevented by catalase, but not by superoxide dismutase or mannitol. These results suggest that superoxide anions, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals might be involved in eliciting sustained, delayed-onset coronary artery contraction, which is not related to L-type Ca(2+) channels. They also suggest that hydrogen peroxide might play a major role in endothelial dysfunction of the porcine coronary artery.

  15. Accuracy of MRI to Identify the Coronary Artery Plaque: A Comparative Study With Intravascular Ultrasound

    PubMed Central

    He, Yi; Zhang, Zhaoqi; Dai, Qinyi; Zhou, Yujie; Yang, Ya; Yu, Wei; An, Jing; Jin, Lixin; Jerecic, Renate; Yuan, Chun; Li, Debiao

    2014-01-01

    Purpose To evaluate the ability of black-blood coronary arterial wall MRI to identify the coronary artery plaque, using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) as the golden standard. Materials and Methods Nineteen consecutive patients underwent IVUS and coronary artery wall MRI. Cross-sectional images were acquired on the lesion of coronary artery from the ostium to the middle segment continuously. The vessel cross-sectional area (CSA), luminal CSA, plaque burden, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were measured in each slice which was then compared with the IVUS images. Results Sixteen of 19 patients completed coronary artery MRA and wall imaging. 41 of 67 slices were found plaques on both IVUS and MRI; The maximal wall thickness, plaque burden, SNR, CNR in the coronary wall containing plaque were greater compared with the normal coronary wall (1.70 ± 0.51 versus 1.24 ± 0.24; 0.71 ± 0.13 versus 0.59 ± 0.12; 1.86 ± 0.41 versus 1.47 ± 0.23; 5.10 ± 2.21 versus 2.99 ± 1.17; respectively, P < 0.05). The matched MRI and IVUS showed good correlation for vessel CSA (16.77 ± 10.67 versus 16.97 ± 8.36; r = 0.79; P < 0.01), luminal CSA (5.18 ± 5.01 versus 7.13 ± 5.14; r = 0.88; P < 0.01), plaque burden (0.71 ± 0.13 versus 0.59 ± 0.15; r = 0.67; P < 0.01). in segments containing plaques, especially the luminal CSA were strongly correlated. Conclusion MRI coronary artery wall imaging can identify coronary plaque in the proximal segments. It also has the potential to assess coronary artery size. PMID:21989946

  16. Phaeochromocytoma presenting with labile blood pressures following coronary artery bypass grafting.

    PubMed

    Roy, James; Akhunji, Zakir; Kushwaha, Virag; Mackie, James; Jepson, Nigel

    2016-12-01

    Pheochromocytomas have been reported prior to and during coronary artery bypass surgery. We present a patient with an undiagnosed pheochromocytoma who presented with labile hypertension following coronary artery bypass surgery. This case calls attention to the inclusion of an undiagnosed pheochromocytoma in the differential diagnosis for all patients who develop labile hypertension in the postoperative period following cardiac surgery. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. Is there a role for robotic totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass in patients with a colostomy?

    PubMed

    Gibber, Marc; Lehr, Eric J; Kon, Zachary N; Wehman, P Brody; Griffith, Bartley P; Bonatti, Johannes

    2014-01-01

    Preoperative colostomy presents a significant risk of sternal wound complications, mediastinitis, and ostomy injury in patients requiring coronary artery bypass grafting. Less invasive procedures in coronary surgery have a potential to reduce the risk of sternal wound healing problems. Robotic totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with a colostomy has not been reported. We describe a case of completely endoscopic coronary surgery using the da Vinci Si system in a patient with a transverse colostomy. Single left internal mammary artery grafting to the left anterior coronary artery was performed successfully on the beating heart. We regard this technique as the least invasive method of surgical coronary revascularization with a potential to reduce the risk of surgical site infection and mediastinitis in patients with a colostomy.

  18. Coronary artery calcification and large artery stiffness in renal transplant recipients.

    PubMed

    Stróżecki, Paweł; Serafin, Zbigniew; Adamowicz, Andrzej; Flisiński, Mariusz; Włodarczyk, Zbigniew; Manitius, Jacek

    2015-09-01

    Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is an independent predictor of cardiovascular (CV) events in renal transplant recipients (RTR). Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), a non-invasive measure of large artery stiffness, also predicts CV events in RTR. The study investigated the relationship between CAC and PWV in RTR and assessed the performance of PWV measurement in predicting CAC. The study was performed as cross-sectional analysis in 104 RTR. CAC was determined as total calcium score (CS) and calcium mass (CM). Carotid-femoral PWV was also measured. Sensitivity, specificity and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to assess the performance of PWV as diagnostic test for presence of CAC. CAC was found in 69% of participants. PWV was higher in RTR with CAC than in RTR without CAC (10.2±2.2 vs. 8.6±15; p<0.001). In univariate analysis CS was significantly correlated with age, duration of hypertension, waist circumference, PWV, hemoglobin concentration, and serum glucose. In multiple linear regression analysis CS was independently associated with age only, but not with PWV. Sensitivity and specificity of PWV>7.6m/s as cut-off for detecting CAC>0 was 0.889 and 0.406, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of PWV>10.2m/s as cut-off for detecting severe CAC (CS>400) was 0.319 and 0.969, respectively. The study confirmed high prevalence of coronary artery calcification in renal transplant recipients. The study does not support the hypothesis that aortic stiffness is independently associated with coronary artery calcification in RTR. PWV measurement may be useful in excluding severe CAC in RTR. Copyright © 2015 Medical University of Bialystok. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

  19. Effects of incomplete stent apposition on the changes in hemodynamics inside a curved and calcified coronary artery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Poon, Eric; Ooi, Andrew; Barlis, Peter; Hayat, Umair; Moore, Stephen

    2014-11-01

    Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the modern gold standard for treatment of coronary artery disease. Stenting (a common PCI procedure) of simple lesion inside a relatively straight segment of coronary artery has proven to be highly successful. However, incomplete stent apposition (ISA) where there is a lack of contact between the stent struts and lumen wall is not uncommon in curved and calcified coronary arteries. Computational fluid dynamics simulations are carried out to study the changes in hemodynamics as a result of ISA inside a curved and calcified coronary artery. For a 3 mm coronary artery, we simulate a resting condition at 80 mL/min and a range of hyperemic conditions with coronary flow reserve in between 1 and 2. The heartbeat is fixed at 75 BPM. Five different curvatures of the coronary artery are considered. Negative effects on hemodynamic variables, such as low wall shear stress (<0.5 Pa); high wall shear stress gradient (>5,000 Pa/m) and oscillation shear index (0 <= OSI <= 0.5), are employed to identify locations with high possibilities of adverse clinical events. This study will lead to better understandings of ISA in curved and calcified coronary arteries and help improve future coronary stent deployment. Supported by the Australian Research Council (LP120100233) and Victorian Life Sciences Computation Initiative (VR0210).

  20. Widowhood and severity of coronary artery disease: a multicenter study.

    PubMed

    Daoulah, Amin; Alama, Mohamed N; Elkhateeb, Osama E; Al-Murayeh, Mushabab; Al-Kaabi, Salem; Al-Faifi, Salem M; Alosaimi, Hind M; Lotfi, Amir; Asiri, Khalid S; Elimam, Ahmed M; Abougalambo, Ayman S; Murad, Waheed; Haddara, Mamdouh M; Dixon, Ciaran M; Alsheikh-Ali, Alawi A

    2017-03-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the association of widowhood with the severity and extent of coronary artery disease (CAD), and whether it is modified by sex or socioeconomic status. A total of 1068 patients undergoing coronary angiography at five centers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were included in the study. CAD was defined as more than 70% lumen stenosis in a major epicardial vessel or more than 50% in the left main coronary artery. Multivessel disease was defined as more than one diseased vessel. Of 1068 patients, 65 (6%) were widowed. Widowed patients were older (65±15 vs. 59±12), more likely to be female (75 vs. 25%), less likely to be smokers (18 vs. 47%), of lower economic and education status, and more likely to have undergone coronary angiography for urgent/emergent indications (75 vs. 61%) (P<0.05 for all). There was a significant association between widowhood and the number of coronary arteries with more than 70% lumen stenosis. Consequently, such a high degree of lumen stenosis in those who were widowed was more likely to require coronary artery bypass graft surgery (38 vs. 16%; P<0.01). After adjusting for baseline differences, widowhood was associated with a significantly higher odds of CAD [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 3.6; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-10.5] and multivessel disease (adjusted OR 4.6; 95% CI 2.2-9.6), but not left main disease (adjusted OR 1.3; 95% CI 0.5-3.1). All associations were consistent in men and women and not modified by age, community setting (urban vs. rural), employment, income, or educational levels (Pinteraction>0.1 for all). Widowhood is associated with the severity and extent of CAD. The association is not modified by sex or socioeconomic status.

  1. Preservation of myocardium during coronary artery bypass surgery.

    PubMed

    Kinoshita, Takeshi; Asai, Tohru

    2012-08-01

    Myocardial protection aims to prevent reversible post-ischemic cardiac dysfunction (myocardial stunning) and irreversible myocardial cell death (myocardial infarction) that occur as a consequence of myocardial ischemia and/or ischemic-reperfusion injury. Although the mortality rate for isolated coronary artery bypass grafting has been markedly reduced during the past decade, myocardial death, as evidenced by elevation in creatine kinase-myocardial band and/or cardiac troponin, is common. This is ascribed to suboptimal myocardial protection during cardiopulmonary bypass or with off-pump technique, early graft failure, distal embolization, and regional or global myocardial ischemia during surgery. An unmet need in contemporary coronary bypass surgery is to find more effective cardioprotective strategies that have the potential for decreasing the morbidity and mortality associated with suboptimal cardioprotection. In the present review article on myocardial protection in contemporary coronary artery bypass surgery, we attempt to elucidate the clinical problems, summarize the outcomes of selected phase III trials, and introduce new perspectives.

  2. Effects of diabetes and hypertension on structure and distensibilty of human small coronary arteries.

    PubMed

    Lynch, Fiona M; Izzard, Ashley S; Austin, Clare; Prendergast, Brian; Keenan, Daniel; Malik, Rayaz A; Heagerty, Anthony M

    2012-02-01

    Previous studies have demonstrated that hypertension and diabetes induce significant structural remodelling of resistance arteries from various vascular beds. The hypothesis of this study is that structural alterations of small coronary arteries may occur during hypertension and diabetes. This study is the first to compare human coronary small resistance artery structure from normotensive and hypertensive patients, with and without diabetes undergoing coronary arterial bypass graft surgery. Small arteries were dissected from the atrial appendage removed from nondiabetic normotensive patients, nondiabetic hypertension and diabetic normotensive patients and hypertensive diabetic patients. Arteries were mounted in a pressure myograph and lumen diameter and wall thickness were measured across the pressure range of 3-100 mmHg to assess vessel structure and distensibility. There were no significant differences in the lumen diameter, wall thickness, wall-to-lumen ratio and cross-sectional area of arteries in all groups. Arteries from nondiabetic patients with hypertension demonstrated decreased distensibility compared with nondiabetic normotensive patients. There is no difference in distensibility between vessels from diabetic hypertensive patients and either diabetic or nondiabetic normotensive patients. Neither diabetes nor hypertension appears to have influenced arterial structure which may indicate that successful treatment of hypertension is associated with normal vascular structure in coronary small arteries.

  3. Impact of Coronary Calcification on Clinical Management in Patients With Acute Chest Pain

    PubMed Central

    Bittner, Daniel O.; Mayrhofer, Thomas; Bamberg, Fabian; Hallett, Travis R.; Janjua, Sumbal; Addison, Daniel; Nagurney, John T.; Udelson, James E.; Lu, Michael T.; Truong, Quynh A.; Woodard, Pamela K.; Hollander, Judd E.; Miller, Chadwick; Chang, Anna Marie; Singh, Harjit; Litt, Harold; Hoffmann, Udo; Ferencik, Maros

    2018-01-01

    Background Coronary artery calcification (CAC) may impair diagnostic assessment of coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA). We determined whether CAC affects efficiency of coronary CTA in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods and Results This is a pooled analysis of ACRIN-PA-4005 and ROMICAT-II trial comparing an initial coronary CTA strategy to standard of care in acute chest pain patients. In the CTA arms, we investigated appropriateness of downstream testing, cost and diagnostic yield to identify patients with obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) on subsequent invasive coronary angiography (ICA) across CAC score strata (Agatston score: 0, >0–10, >10–100, >100–400, >400). Out of 1,234 patients (mean age 51±8.8 years), 80 (6.5%) had obstructive CAD (≥70% stenosis), and 68 (5.5%) had ACS. Prevalence of obstructive CAD (1% to 64%), ACS (1% to 44%), downstream testing (4% to 72%), total (2337 US$ to 8484 US$) and diagnostic cost (2310 US$ to 6678 US$) increased across CAC strata (p<0.001). As the increase in testing and cost were lower than the increase of ACS rate in patients with CAC>400, cost to diagnose one ACS was lowest in this group (19,283 US$ vs. 464,399 US$) as compared to patients without CAC. The diagnostic yield of ICA was highest in patients with CAC>400 (87% vs. 38%). Conclusion Downstream testing, total and diagnostic cost increased with increasing CAC, but were found to be appropriate, as obstructive CAD and ACS were more prevalent in patients with high CAC. In patients with acute chest pain undergoing coronary CTA, cost efficient testing and excellent diagnostic yield can be achieved even with high CAC burden. Clinical Trial Registration Information URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01084239 and NCT00933400. PMID:28487318

  4. External Compression of Epicardial Coronary Arteries with Partial Calcific Pericarditis.

    PubMed

    Khan, Zubair Ahmed; Sardar, Muhammad Rizwan; Topalian, Simon K

    2017-01-01

    Calcific pericarditis (CP) is a rare disease which results from long-standing pericardial inflammation. Pericardial calcification may completely or partially encase the ventricles, resulting in impaired diastolic filling. We present a case of a 53-year-old male who was incidentally found to have annular CP resulting in external compression of a large territory diagonal branch (D1) reaching the apex with likely chronically occluded left anterior descending artery with collateral circulation from the right coronary artery with hemodynamic compromise on coronary angiography. This was emergently treated with a drug-eluting stent with improved D1 flow and entailed the importance of percutaneous coronary intervention as a viable option in cases of CP resulting in acute hemodynamic compromise.

  5. Development of a model of the coronary arterial tree for the 4D XCAT phantom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fung, George S. K.; Segars, W. Paul; Gullberg, Grant T.; Tsui, Benjamin M. W.

    2011-09-01

    A detailed three-dimensional (3D) model of the coronary artery tree with cardiac motion has great potential for applications in a wide variety of medical imaging research areas. In this work, we first developed a computer-generated 3D model of the coronary arterial tree for the heart in the extended cardiac-torso (XCAT) phantom, thereby creating a realistic computer model of the human anatomy. The coronary arterial tree model was based on two datasets: (1) a gated cardiac dual-source computed tomography (CT) angiographic dataset obtained from a normal human subject and (2) statistical morphometric data of porcine hearts. The initial proximal segments of the vasculature and the anatomical details of the boundaries of the ventricles were defined by segmenting the CT data. An iterative rule-based generation method was developed and applied to extend the coronary arterial tree beyond the initial proximal segments. The algorithm was governed by three factors: (1) statistical morphometric measurements of the connectivity, lengths and diameters of the arterial segments; (2) avoidance forces from other vessel segments and the boundaries of the myocardium, and (3) optimality principles which minimize the drag force at the bifurcations of the generated tree. Using this algorithm, the 3D computational model of the largest six orders of the coronary arterial tree was generated, which spread across the myocardium of the left and right ventricles. The 3D coronary arterial tree model was then extended to 4D to simulate different cardiac phases by deforming the original 3D model according to the motion vector map of the 4D cardiac model of the XCAT phantom at the corresponding phases. As a result, a detailed and realistic 4D model of the coronary arterial tree was developed for the XCAT phantom by imposing constraints of anatomical and physiological characteristics of the coronary vasculature. This new 4D coronary artery tree model provides a unique simulation tool that can be

  6. Association of Severity of Coronary Artery Aneurysms in Patients With Kawasaki Disease and Risk of Later Coronary Events.

    PubMed

    Miura, Masaru; Kobayashi, Tohru; Kaneko, Tetsuji; Ayusawa, Mamoru; Fukazawa, Ryuji; Fukushima, Naoya; Fuse, Shigeto; Hamaoka, Kenji; Hirono, Keiichi; Kato, Taichi; Mitani, Yoshihide; Sato, Seiichi; Shimoyama, Shinya; Shiono, Junko; Suda, Kenji; Suzuki, Hiroshi; Maeda, Jun; Waki, Kenji; Kato, Hitoshi; Saji, Tsutomu; Yamagishi, Hiroyuki; Ozeki, Aya; Tomotsune, Masako; Yoshida, Makiko; Akazawa, Yohei; Aso, Kentaro; Doi, Shouzaburoh; Fukasawa, Yoshi; Furuno, Kenji; Hayabuchi, Yasunobu; Hayashi, Miyuki; Honda, Takafumi; Horita, Norihisa; Ikeda, Kazuyuki; Ishii, Masahiro; Iwashima, Satoru; Kamada, Masahiro; Kaneko, Masahide; Katyama, Hiroshi; Kawamura, Yoichi; Kitagawa, Atushi; Komori, Akiko; Kuraishi, Kenji; Masuda, Hiroshi; Matsuda, Shinichi; Matsuzaki, Satoshi; Mii, Sayaka; Miyamoto, Tomoyuki; Moritou, Yuji; Motoki, Noriko; Nagumo, Kiyoshi; Nakamura, Tsuneyuki; Nishihara, Eiki; Nomura, Yuichi; Ogata, Shohei; Ohashi, Hiroyuki; Okumura, Kenichi; Omori, Daisuke; Sano, Tetsuya; Suganuma, Eisuke; Takahashi, Tsutomu; Takatsuki, Shinichi; Takeda, Atsuhito; Terai, Masaru; Toyono, Manatomo; Watanabe, Kenichi; Watanabe, Makoto; Yamamoto, Masaki; Yamamura, Kenichiro

    2018-05-07

    Few studies with sufficient statistical power have shown the association of the z score of the coronary arterial internal diameter with coronary events (CE) in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) with coronary artery aneurysms (CAA). To clarify the association of the z score with time-dependent CE occurrence in patients with KD with CAA. This multicenter, collaborative retrospective cohort study of 44 participating institutions included 1006 patients with KD younger than 19 years who received a coronary angiography between 1992 and 2011. The time-dependent occurrence of CE, including thrombosis, stenosis, obstruction, acute ischemic events, and coronary interventions, was analyzed for small (z score, <5), medium (z score, ≥5 to <10; actual internal diameter, <8 mm), and large (z score, ≥10 or ≥8 mm) CAA by the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to identify risk factors for CE after adjusting for age, sex, size, morphology, number of CAA, resistance to initial intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy, and antithrombotic medications. Of 1006 patients, 714 (71%) were male, 341 (34%) received a diagnosis before age 1 year, 501 (50%) received a diagnosis between age 1 and 5 years, and 157 (16%) received a diagnosis at age 5 years or older. The 10-year event-free survival rate for CE was 100%, 94%, and 52% in men (P < .001) and 100%, 100%, and 75% in women (P < .001) for small, medium, and large CAA, respectively. The CE-free rate was 100%, 96%, and 79% in patients who were not resistant to IVIG therapy (P < .001) and 100%, 96%, and 51% in patients who were resistant to IVIG therapy (P < .001), respectively. Cox regression analysis revealed that large CAA (hazard ratio, 8.9; 95% CI, 5.1-15.4), male sex (hazard ratio, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.7-4.8), and resistance to IVIG therapy (hazard ratio, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.4-3.6) were significantly associated with CE. Classification using the internal diameter z score is useful for

  7. Acute effects of intracoronary nitroglycerin and diltiazem in coronary slow flow phenomenon.

    PubMed

    Ozdogru, Ibrahim; Zencir, Cemil; Dogan, Ali; Orscelik, Ozcan; Inanc, Mehmet Tugrul; Celik, Ahmet; Gur, Mustafa; Elbasan, Zafer; Kalay, Nihat; Oguzhan, Abdurrahman

    2013-01-01

    The coronary slow flow phenomenon (CSFP) is a coronary microvascular disorder angiographically defined by delayed opacification of the distal vasculature in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease. We aimed to investigate and compare the effects of intracoronary nitrate and diltiazem on thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame count (TFC) in patients with CSFP during coronary angiography. Sixty patients with CSFP were randomly divided into 2 groups. The first group is nitroglycerin group with 30 patients (22 men; mean [SD] age, 50 [12] years), and the second is diltiazem group with 30 patients (27 men; mean age, 54 ± 11 years); intracoronary 5-mg diltiazem or 250-μg nitroglycerin was administered. Heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and TFCs in all 3 coronaries were recorded before and after administering these medications. After nitroglycerin administration, systolic and diastolic blood pressures decreased, heart rates significantly increased, and TFCs decreased in all coronaries (P < 0.001 for 3 coronaries). After the application of intracoronary 5-mg diltiazem, heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and TFCs were found significantly lower than predrug values (P < 0.001 for all values). When the percent TFC reductions, after the application of intracoronary diltiazem or nitroglycerin, in left anterior descending coronary artery, circumflex coronary artery, and right coronary artery were evaluated, diltiazem significantly reduced the TFCs of the left anterior descending coronary artery and circumflex coronary artery compared with nitroglycerin (P < 0.01 for both coronaries). Both intracoronary diltiazem and nitroglycerin improve the TFCs in CSFP, and intracoronary diltiazem is superior to nitroglycerin in reducing TFCs in CSFP.

  8. Comparative study to assess whether high sensitive C-reactive protein and carotid intima media thickness improve the predictive accuracy of exercise stress testing for coronary artery disease in perimenopausal women with typical angina.

    PubMed

    Sinha, Dhurjati Prasad; Das, Munna; Banerjee, Amal Kumar; Ahmed, Shageer; Majumdar, Sonali

    2008-02-01

    Anginal symptoms are less predictive of abnormal coronary anatomy in women. The diagnostic accuracy of exercise treadmill test for obstructive coronary artery disease is less in young and middle aged women. High sensitive C-reactive protein has shown a strong and consistent relationship to the risk of incident cardiovascular events. Carotid intima media thickness is a non-invasive marker of atherosclerosis burden and also predicts prognosis in patients with coronary artery disease. We investigated whether incorporation of high sensitive C-reactive protein and carotid intima media thickness along with exercise stress results improved the predictive accuracy in perimenopausal non-diabetic women subset. Fifty perimenopausal non-diabetic patients (age 45 +/- 7 years) presenting with typical angina were subjected to treadmill test (Bruce protocol). Also carotid artery images at both sides of neck were acquired by B-mode ultrasound and carotid intima media thickness were measured. High sensitive C-reactive protein was measured. Of 50 patients, 22 had a positive exercise stress result. Coronary angiography done in all 50 patients revealed coronary artery disease in 10 patients with positive exercise stress result and in 4 patients with negative exercise stress result. Treadmill exercise stress test had a sensitivity of 71.4%, specificity of 66.7% and a negative predictive accuracy of 85.7% in this study group. High sensitive C-reactive protein in patients with documented coronary artery disease was not significantly different from those without coronary artery disease (4.8 +/- 0.9 mg/l versus 3.9 +/- 1.7 mg/l, p=NS). Also carotid intima media thickness was not significantly different between either of the groups with coronary artery disease positivity and negativity respectively (left: 1.25 +/- 0.55 versus 1.20 +/- 0.51 mm, p=NS; right:1.18 +/- 0.54 versus 1.15 +/- 0.41 mm, p=NS). High sensitive C-reactive protein and carotid intima media thickness were not helpful in

  9. Outcomes of anatomical versus functional testing for coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Douglas, Pamela S; Hoffmann, Udo; Patel, Manesh R; Mark, Daniel B; Al-Khalidi, Hussein R; Cavanaugh, Brendan; Cole, Jason; Dolor, Rowena J; Fordyce, Christopher B; Huang, Megan; Khan, Muhammad Akram; Kosinski, Andrzej S; Krucoff, Mitchell W; Malhotra, Vinay; Picard, Michael H; Udelson, James E; Velazquez, Eric J; Yow, Eric; Cooper, Lawton S; Lee, Kerry L

    2015-04-02

    Many patients have symptoms suggestive of coronary artery disease (CAD) and are often evaluated with the use of diagnostic testing, although there are limited data from randomized trials to guide care. We randomly assigned 10,003 symptomatic patients to a strategy of initial anatomical testing with the use of coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTA) or to functional testing (exercise electrocardiography, nuclear stress testing, or stress echocardiography). The composite primary end point was death, myocardial infarction, hospitalization for unstable angina, or major procedural complication. Secondary end points included invasive cardiac catheterization that did not show obstructive CAD and radiation exposure. The mean age of the patients was 60.8±8.3 years, 52.7% were women, and 87.7% had chest pain or dyspnea on exertion. The mean pretest likelihood of obstructive CAD was 53.3±21.4%. Over a median follow-up period of 25 months, a primary end-point event occurred in 164 of 4996 patients in the CTA group (3.3%) and in 151 of 5007 (3.0%) in the functional-testing group (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 0.83 to 1.29; P=0.75). CTA was associated with fewer catheterizations showing no obstructive CAD than was functional testing (3.4% vs. 4.3%, P=0.02), although more patients in the CTA group underwent catheterization within 90 days after randomization (12.2% vs. 8.1%). The median cumulative radiation exposure per patient was lower in the CTA group than in the functional-testing group (10.0 mSv vs. 11.3 mSv), but 32.6% of the patients in the functional-testing group had no exposure, so the overall exposure was higher in the CTA group (mean, 12.0 mSv vs. 10.1 mSv; P<0.001). In symptomatic patients with suspected CAD who required noninvasive testing, a strategy of initial CTA, as compared with functional testing, did not improve clinical outcomes over a median follow-up of 2 years. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

  10. Outcomes of Anatomical versus Functional Testing for Coronary Artery Disease

    PubMed Central

    Douglas, Pamela S.; Hoffmann, Udo; Patel, Manesh R.; Mark, Daniel B.; Al-Khalidi, Hussein R.; Cavanaugh, Brendan; Cole, Jason; Dolor, Rowena J.; Fordyce, Christopher B.; Huang, Megan; Khan, Muhammad Akram; Kosinski, Andrzej S.; Krucoff, Mitchell W.; Malhotra, Vinay; Picard, Michael H.; Udelson, James E.; Velazquez, Eric J.; Yow, Eric; Cooper, Lawton S.; Lee, Kerry L.

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND Many patients have symptoms suggestive of coronary artery disease (CAD) and are often evaluated with the use of diagnostic testing, although there are limited data from randomized trials to guide care. METHODS We randomly assigned 10,003 symptomatic patients to a strategy of initial anatomical testing with the use of coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTA) or to functional testing (exercise electrocardiography, nuclear stress testing, or stress echocardiography). The composite primary end point was death, myocardial infarction, hospitalization for unstable angina, or major procedural complication. Secondary end points included invasive cardiac catheterization that did not show obstructive CAD and radiation exposure. RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 60.8±8.3 years, 52.7% were women, and 87.7% had chest pain or dyspnea on exertion. The mean pretest likelihood of obstructive CAD was 53.3±21.4%. Over a median follow-up period of 25 months, a primary end-point event occurred in 164 of 4996 patients in the CTA group (3.3%) and in 151 of 5007 (3.0%) in the functional-testing group (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 0.83 to 1.29; P = 0.75). CTA was associated with fewer catheterizations showing no obstructive CAD than was functional testing (3.4% vs. 4.3%, P = 0.02), although more patients in the CTA group underwent catheterization within 90 days after randomization (12.2% vs. 8.1%). The median cumulative radiation exposure per patient was lower in the CTA group than in the functional-testing group (10.0 mSv vs. 11.3 mSv), but 32.6% of the patients in the functional-testing group had no exposure, so the overall exposure was higher in the CTA group (mean, 12.0 mSv vs. 10.1 mSv; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS In symptomatic patients with suspected CAD who required noninvasive testing, a strategy of initial CTA, as compared with functional testing, did not improve clinical outcomes over a median follow-up of 2 years. (Funded by the

  11. Intimal thickening of coronary arteries in the rabbitfish, Chimaera monstrosa L. (Chondrichthyes: Holocephali).

    PubMed

    Durán, A C; Rodríguez, C; Gil de Sola, L; Fernández, B; Arqué, J M; Sans-Coma, V

    2010-08-01

    This study is the first to report the occurrence of intimal thickening of coronary arteries in a holocephalan, namely the rabbitfish, Chimaera monstrosa. The sample studied consisted of five hearts from rabbitfish with body weights ranging between 12 g and 1116 g. The specimens were fixed in formalin, in methanol:acetone:water (MAW), or in paraformaldehyde and were examined by brightfield and polarization light microscopy. Coronary arteries from three larger animals displayed focal intimal thickenings, which were located in the left main coronary artery trunk, at the level of the cono-ventricular junction, and in several intramyocardial ventricular arteries. The vascular changes were characterized by myointimal proliferation, breakage or absence of the inner elastic lamina, and, in one case, by increased collagen within the myointimal proliferation. Taking into account the severity of the coronary arterial changes, their location, and the body weight of the affected animals, we conclude that (1) these changes are age-related in the rabbitfish and (2) local intense mechanical tension seems to be an important factor in their formation in this species.

  12. Accuracy of peripheral arterial tonometry in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea.

    PubMed

    Pinto, José Antonio; Godoy, Luciana Balester Mello de; Ribeiro, Renata Coutinho; Mizoguchi, Elcio Izumi; Hirsch, Lina Ana Medeiros; Gomes, Leonardo Marques

    2015-01-01

    The use of handheld devices that assess peripheral arterial tonometry has emerged as an auxiliary method for assessment and diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. To evaluate the accuracy of peripheral arterial tonometry in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. Contemporary cohort cross-sectional study. Thirty patients with suspected obstructive sleep apnea underwent peripheral arterial tonometry and assisted nocturnal polysomnography concomitantly. The mean apnea/hypopnea index by peripheral arterial tonometry was significantly higher than that by polysomnography (p<0.001), but the values of both sleep studies were significantly correlated (r=0.762). There was a high correlation between variables: minimum oxygen saturation (r=0.842, p<0.001), oxygen saturation<90% (r=0.799, p<0.001), and mean heart rate (r=0.951, p<0.001). Sensitivity and specificity were 60% and 96.2% (AUC: 0.727; p=0.113), respectively, when at a threshold value of 5 events/h. In severe cases (≥30 events/h), the result was a sensitivity of 77.8% and a specificity of 86.4% (AUC: 0.846, p=0.003). Peripheral arterial tonometry is a useful portable device for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea; its accuracy is higher in moderate and severe cases. Copyright © 2015 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  13. Malignant Course of Anomalous Left Coronary Artery Causing Sudden Cardiac Arrest: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

    PubMed

    Anantha Narayanan, Mahesh; DeZorzi, Christopher; Akinapelli, Abhilash; Mahfood Haddad, Toufik; Smer, Aiman; Baskaran, Janani; Biddle, William P

    2015-01-01

    Sudden cardiac arrest has been reported to occur in patients with congenital anomalous coronary artery disease. About 80% of the anomalies are benign and incidental findings at the time of catheterization. We present a case of sudden cardiac arrest caused by anomalous left anterior descending artery. 61-year-old African American female was brought to the emergency department after sudden cardiac arrest. Initial EKG showed sinus rhythm with RBBB and LAFB with nonspecific ST-T wave changes. Coronary angiogram revealed no atherosclerotic disease. The left coronary artery was found to originate from the right coronary cusp. Cardiac CAT scan revealed similar findings with interarterial and intramural course. Patient received one-vessel arterial bypass graft to her anomalous coronary vessel along with a defibrillator for secondary prevention. Sudden cardiac arrest secondary to congenital anomalous coronary artery disease is characterized by insufficient coronary flow by the anomalous left coronary artery to meet elevated left ventricular (LV) myocardial demand. High risk defects include those involved with the proximal coronary artery or coursing of the anomalous artery between the aorta and pulmonary trunk. Per guidelines, our patient received one vessel bypass graft to her anomalous vessel. It is important for clinicians to recognize such presentations of anomalous coronary artery.

  14. Signal and image processing for early detection of coronary artery diseases: A review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mobssite, Youness; Samir, B. Belhaouari; Mohamad Hani, Ahmed Fadzil B.

    2012-09-01

    Today biomedical signals and image based detection are a basic step to diagnose heart diseases, in particular, coronary artery diseases. The goal of this work is to provide non-invasive early detection of Coronary Artery Diseases relying on analyzing images and ECG signals as a combined approach to extract features, further classify and quantify the severity of DCAD by using B-splines method. In an aim of creating a prototype of screening biomedical imaging for coronary arteries to help cardiologists to decide the kind of treatment needed to reduce or control the risk of heart attack.

  15. Mid-term morbidity and mortality of patients after arterial switch operation in infancy for transposition of the great arteries.

    PubMed

    Rodríguez Puras, María José; Cabeza-Letrán, Luisa; Romero-Vazquianez, Manuela; Santos de Soto, José; Hosseinpour, Reza; Gil Fournier, Mauro; Alvarez Madrid, Antonio; González, Antonio; Pérez, Pilar; Gallego, Pastora

    2014-03-01

    The arterial switch operation is currently the preferred surgical approach for complete transposition of the great arteries. We sought to determine the mid-term results of this intervention. A single-institution retrospective review of clinical records of all consecutive patients who underwent the arterial switch surgery between 1985 and 2010. Overall, the operation was performed on 155 patients (68% boys) at a median age of 13 days: 64% with an intact septum, 46% with a ventricular septal defect, and 4.5% with associated aortic arch anomaly. The usual coronary pattern was found in 63%. Palliative surgery was performed prior to arterial switch in 6.5%. In all, 137 perioperative survivors were followed for a median of 6 years. Late mortality was 2.9%, of which 50% was due to coronary complications. Eighteen percent required surgical and/or percutaneous reintervention: 95.6% for right-sided obstruction and 4.3% for aortic regurgitation. At last follow-up, 92% had functional class I symptoms and 95% were free of arrhythmias. The left ventricular ejection fraction was greater than 55% in 95%, 28% had neoaortic regurgitation (78% mild regurgitation), and 31% had right ventricular outflow tract obstruction with a mean gradient according to echocardiography greater than 25mmHg. Mid-term survival of patients after arterial switch operation is excellent and their functional status is good. However, a few patients have residual lesions and a need for further intervention during follow-up, mostly for right-sided obstructions. Late mortality was uncommon and was related to coronary complications. Neoaortic root dilation and regurgitation are not major issues in early adulthood, but the long-term course of these lesions is still unknown. Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  16. Computed tomography-based diagnosis of diffuse compensatory enlargement of coronary arteries using scaling power laws.

    PubMed

    Huo, Yunlong; Choy, Jenny Susana; Wischgoll, Thomas; Luo, Tong; Teague, Shawn D; Bhatt, Deepak L; Kassab, Ghassan S

    2013-04-06

    Glagov's positive remodelling in the early stages of coronary atherosclerosis often results in plaque rupture and acute events. Because positive remodelling is generally diffused along the epicardial coronary arterial tree, it is difficult to diagnose non-invasively. Hence, the objective of the study is to assess the use of scaling power law for the diagnosis of positive remodelling of coronary arteries based on computed tomography (CT) images. Epicardial coronary arterial trees were reconstructed from CT scans of six Ossabaw pigs fed on a high-fat, high-cholesterol, atherogenic diet for eight months as well as the same number of body-weight-matched farm pigs fed on a lean chow (101.9±16.1 versus 91.5±13.1 kg). The high-fat diet Ossabaw pig model showed diffuse positive remodelling of epicardial coronary arteries. Good fit of measured coronary data to the length-volume scaling power law ( where L(c) and V(c) are crown length and volume) were found for both the high-fat and control groups (R(2) = 0.95±0.04 and 0.99±0.01, respectively). The coefficient, K(LV), decreased significantly in the high-fat diet group when compared with the control (14.6±2.6 versus 40.9±5.6). The flow-length scaling power law, however, was nearly unaffected by the positive remodelling. The length-volume and flow-length scaling power laws were preserved in epicardial coronary arterial trees after positive remodelling. K(LV) < 18 in the length-volume scaling relation is a good index of positive remodelling of coronary arteries. These findings provide a clinical rationale for simple, accurate and non-invasive diagnosis of positive remodelling of coronary arteries, using conventional CT scans.

  17. An unusual neonatal presentation of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery.

    PubMed

    Garty, Y; Guri, A; Shinwell, E S; Matitiau, A

    2008-01-01

    We describe a previously unreported neonatal presentation of an anomalous origin of the left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery. This is a full-term female infant after normal pregnancy and delivery. The baby was diagnosed at 2 days of age due to weak femoral pulses noted on the routine nursery discharge examination. The cardiac examination revealed weak pulses everywhere and mild tachypnea and tachycardia. An electrocardiogram showed clear signs of ischemia. Echocardiography demonstrated an anomalous origin of the left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery with bidirectional blood flow. There was a severely depressed left ventricular function and mild mitral valve regurgitation. At 4 days of age, the infant underwent complete successful surgical repair with reimplantation of the anomalous coronary artery to the aorta. She recovered slowly but well. Fifteen months later she is doing well with no cardiac residua. A neonatal presentation is very unusual due to protective high pulmonary resistance after birth, with gradual decline in pressure and gradual onset of heart failure. This case may be related to an unusually rapid drop in pulmonary vascular resistance causing very early cardiac ischemia. (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  18. [Stem cell mobilization after coronary artery bypass grafting].

    PubMed

    Gaspardone, Achille; De Fabritiis, Paolo; Scaffa, Raffaele; Nardi, Paolo; Palombi, Francesca; Versaci, Francesco; Chiariello, Luigi

    2004-01-01

    Recently, the role of stem cells as a potential therapeutic tool for ischemic heart disease has been evaluated by a number of experimental and clinical studies. Although preliminary clinical data appear to be promising, the precise pathophysiological role of stem cell mobilization during acute myocardial ischemia remains uncertain. The present study was aimed at assessing factors affecting stem cell mobilization after coronary artery bypass grafting used as a clinical model of controlled myocardial ischemia. Eighteen patients (16 men, 2 women, mean age 66 +/- 8 years) with three-vessel coronary artery disease undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting were included in the study; 24 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects served as controls. On admission, 10 patients had stable angina and 8 had unstable angina. Clinical history and instrumental evidence of previous myocardial infarction were present in 11 patients. Venous peripheral blood was sampled at baseline and 6, 24, 48 and 72 hours after coronary surgery. Duration of cardiac arrest and extracorporeal circulation were recorded as well as the release of total creatine kinase (CK), CK-MB, troponin I and C-reactive protein. CD34+ stem cells were analyzed by flow cytometry according to published methods. In patients with ischemic heart disease the peripheral concentration of CD34+ cells was higher than that of control subjects (0.202 +/- 0.30 vs 0.068 +/- 0.059%, p = 0.03). However, patients with stable and unstable angina had similar concentration of CD34+ cells (0.171 +/- 0.33 vs 0.241 +/- 0.275%, p = 0.63) as well as patients with and without previous myocardial infarction (0.134 +/- 0.19 vs 0.245 +/- 0.352%, p = 0.4). Coronary artery bypass grafting caused a non-significant increase in concentration of CD34+ cells at 24 hours which was similar in patients with stable and unstable angina. Finally, no significant correlation was found between peripheral concentration of CD34+ cells and aortic clamping and

  19. Paroxysmal Mobitz type-I atrioventricular block Luciani-Wenckebach conduction, acute myocardial infarction and severe three vessels coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Patanè, Salvatore; Marte, Filippo

    2009-06-12

    Paroxysmal atrioventricular block has been reported in patients without acute coronary syndrome and without significant coronary artery stenosis, in patients with acute coronary syndrome and without significant coronary artery stenosis, in patients without acute coronary syndrome and with significant coronary artery stenosis and in patients with acute coronary syndrome and significant coronary artery stenosis. Conflicting roles for alternating periods of second degree atrioventricular block (also known as Mobitz I or Luciani-Wenckebach periodicity) have been reported. Both hypotheses have been reported, that paroxysmal Wenckebach periods are compatible with a benign prognosis and that paroxysmal Wenckebach periods are associated with hemodynamic deterioration. We present a case of paroxysmal Mobitz Type-I atrioventricular block Luciani-Wenckebach conduction in a 75-year-old Italian man with acute myocardial infarction and severe three vessels coronary artery disease.

  20. Incidental finding of single coronary artery in a patient with alcoholic cardiomyopathy presenting as acute heart failure.

    PubMed

    McNair, Patrick; Jones, Erica; Truong, Quynh; Singh, Harsimran

    Single coronary artery is a rare clinical finding. Diagnosis is typically made incidentally after the patient presents with symptoms and undergoes coronary angiography, coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA), or post-mortem during autopsy. Several high-risk features of anomalous coronary arteries have been described in the literature. Our paper describes a case of dilated alcoholic cardiomyopathy presenting as heart failure with diagnostic workup incidentally revealing single coronary artery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Abnormal origins of the coronary arteries from the aortic root.

    PubMed

    Hoffman, Julien I E

    2014-10-01

    Anomalous origin of a coronary artery from the aorta is a potentially serious anomaly that occurs in about 0.1-0.2% of the population. This percentage is small; however, it translates into about 4000 annual births with these anomalies. The clinical presentation of these anomalies is rare, and hence most are and will remain asymptomatic. The various anatomic anomalies are described, with anomalous origin of the left coronary artery that then passes between the aorta and pulmonary artery being the most serious of these anomalies. The pathophysiology resulting from these anomalies is described, as are methods for identifying those who require treatment; however, we still do not know the best methods of determining which patients need treatment.

  2. Prevalence and predictors of renal artery stenosis in patients undergoing peripheral and coronary angiography.

    PubMed

    Shukla, Anand N; Madan, Tarun H; Jayaram, Ashwal A; Kute, Vivek B; Rawal, Jayesh R; Manjunath, A P; Udhreja, Satyam

    2013-12-01

    Renal artery stenosis is a potential cause of secondary hypertension, ischemic nephropathy and end-stage renal disease. Atherosclerosis is by far the most common etiology of renal artery stenosis in elderly. We investigated whether the presence of significant atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) with luminal diameter narrowing ≥50 % could be predicted in patients undergoing peripheral and coronary angiography. The records of 3,500 consecutive patients undergoing simultaneous renal angiography along with peripheral and coronary angiography were reviewed. The patients with known renal artery disease were excluded. Prevalence of ARAS was 5.7 %. Significant ARAS (luminal diameter narrowing ≥50 %) was present in 139 patients (3.9 %). Hypertension with altered serum creatinine and triple-vessel CAD were associated with significant renal artery stenosis in multivariate analysis. No significant relationship between the involved coronary arteries like left anterior descending, left circumflex, right coronary artery and ARAS was found. Only hypertension and altered serum creatinine were associated with bilateral ARAS. Extent of CAD or risk factors like diabetes, hyperlipidemia or smoking did not predict the unilateral or bilateral ARAS. Prevalence of ARAS among the patients in routine cardiac catheterization was 5.7 %. Hypertension is closely associated with significant ARAS. Significant CAD in the form of triple-vessel disease and altered renal function tests are closely associated with ARAS. They predict the presence of significant renal artery stenosis in patients undergoing routine peripheral and coronary angiography. Moreover, hypertension and altered renal functions predict bilateral ARAS.

  3. Incremental prognostic value of kidney function decline over coronary artery disease for cardiovascular event prediction after coronary computed tomography.

    PubMed

    Bittencourt, Marcio S; Hulten, Edward A; Ghoshhajra, Brian; Abbara, Suhny; Murthy, Venkatesh L; Divakaran, Sanjay; Nasir, Khurram; Gowdak, Luis Henrique W; Riella, Leonardo V; Chiumiento, Marco; Hoffmann, Udo; Di Carli, Marcelo F; Blankstein, Ron

    2015-07-01

    It is unknown whether mild chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with adverse cardiovascular (CV) prognosis after accounting for coronary artery disease (CAD). Here we evaluated the interplay between CKD and CAD in predicting CV death or myocardial infarction (MI) and all-cause death. We included 1541 consecutive patients in the Partners registry (mean age 55 years, 43% female) over 18 years old with no known prior CAD who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). The results of CCTA were categorized as normal, nonobstructive (under half), or obstructive (half and over). Overall, 653 of the patients had no CAD, 583 had nonobstructive CAD, and 305 had obstructive CAD, while 1299 had eGFR over 60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) and 242 had an eGFR under this value. The presence and severity of CAD was significantly associated with an increased rate of CV death or MI and all-cause death, even after adjustment for age, gender, symptoms, and risk factors. Similarly, reduced eGFR was significantly associated with CV death or MI and all-cause death after similar adjustment. The addition of reduced GFR to a model which included both clinical variables and CCTA findings resulted in significant improvement in the prediction of CV death or MI and all-cause death. Thus, among individuals referred for CCTA to evaluate CAD, renal dysfunction is associated with an increased rate of CV events, mainly driven by an increase in the rate of noncoronary CV events. In this group of patients, both eGFR and the presence and severity of CAD together improve the prediction of future CV events and death.

  4. Left anterior descending/right coronary artery as culprit arteries in acute myocardial infarction (n=2011) in changing physical environment, percutaneous coronary intervention data, 2000-2010.

    PubMed

    Stoupel, Eliyahu; Abramson, Evgeny; Israelevich, Peter

    2011-11-02

    Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is one of the principal treatments of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), including acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This treatment largely expanded our knowledge on the pathophysiology of AMI and related coronary pathologies. Recent studies found a significant relationship of the timing of ACS with environmental physical activity: solar (SA), geomagnetic (GMA) and cosmic ray (CRA) activity. The aim of this study was to examine if the interrelationship of two principal culprit arteries, left anterior descending (LAD) and right coronary artery (RCA), are involved in the pathogenesis of AMI in different daily levels of GMA and CRA. Patients undergoing PCI for AMI on the day of symptoms of the disease (n=2011, 79.9% males) in the Rabin Medical Center in the years 2000-2010 were studied. The culprit arteries, LAD and RCA, correlated to AMI in zero and I0-IV0 of daily GMA and inversely to GMA related CRA (measured by neutron activity on the earth surface) and their ratio was compared. LAD (45.0%) and RCA (35.7%) were the main culprit arteries in AMI. LAD/RCA ratio increased inversely to GMA (zero=IV0, r=-0.94, p=0.017) and in correlation with daily neutron activity for LAD (r=0.97, p=0.03) and RCA (r=0.95, p=0.04). LAD/RCA ratio was 1 in IV0 of GMA (28% increase) and steadily increased to 1.62 (62% difference) at zero GMA (r=-0.94, p=0.0117), and increasing neutron activity was accompanied by increasing LAD involvement as a culprit artery in AMI. High daily neutron activity and low GMA are accompanied by increasing LAD as a culprit artery in AMI. The possible mechanisms of this finding are discussed.

  5. Morphology-based three-dimensional segmentation of coronary artery tree from CTA scans

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Banh, Diem Phuc T.; Kyprianou, Iacovos S.; Paquerault, Sophie; Myers, Kyle J.

    2007-03-01

    We developed an algorithm based on a rule-based threshold framework to segment the coronary arteries from angiographic computed tomography (CTA) data. Computerized segmentation of the coronary arteries is a challenging procedure due to the presence of diverse anatomical structures surrounding the heart on cardiac CTA data. The proposed algorithm incorporates various levels of image processing and organ information including region, connectivity and morphology operations. It consists of three successive stages. The first stage involves the extraction of the three-dimensional scaffold of the heart envelope. This stage is semiautomatic requiring a reader to review the CTA scans and manually select points along the heart envelope in slices. These points are further processed using a surface spline-fitting technique to automatically generate the heart envelope. The second stage consists of segmenting the left heart chambers and coronary arteries using grayscale threshold, size and connectivity criteria. This is followed by applying morphology operations to further detach the left and right coronary arteries from the aorta. In the final stage, the 3D vessel tree is reconstructed and labeled using an Isolated Connected Threshold technique. The algorithm was developed and tested on a patient coronary artery CTA that was graciously shared by the Department of Radiology of the Massachusetts General Hospital. The test showed that our method constantly segmented the vessels above 79% of the maximum gray-level and automatically extracted 55 of the 58 coronary segments that can be seen on the CTA scan by a reader. These results are an encouraging step toward our objective of generating high resolution models of the male and female heart that will be subsequently used as phantoms for medical imaging system optimization studies.

  6. Surgical approach to left ventricular inflow obstruction due to dilated coronary sinus.

    PubMed

    Vargas, Florentino J; Rozenbaum, Jorge; Lopez, Ricardo; Granja, Miguel; De Dios, Ana; Zarlenga, Beatriz; Flores, Enrique; Fischman, Enrique; Kreutzer, Eduardo

    2006-07-01

    Left superior vena cava draining to a dilated coronary sinus can cause left ventricular inflow obstruction. Our purpose is to report 4 severely ill patients with this malformation who were operated upon and in whom repair was accomplished using an original surgical approach. An operative procedure was designed, which included complete resection of the wall of the coronary sinus along its entire extension in the left atrium; division of the left superior vena cava; and establishment of the left superior vena cava-right atrial continuity by a wide left superior vena cava-right atrial appendage anastomosis. The series included 1 patient with interrupted inferior vena cava-hemiazygous continuation to left superior vena cava. There were no deaths. Absence of residual left ventricular inflow obstruction was demonstrated at follow-up in all cases, together with an unobstructed left superior vena cava-right atrial appendage-right atrial connection. A predictable relief of the left ventricular inflow obstruction, together with preservation of an adequate drainage for the systemic venous return, were both achieved with this repair.

  7. [Coronary artery disease--relevance of total coronary revascularization on the incidence of malignant arrhythmias].

    PubMed

    Brandt, A; Gulba, D C

    2006-12-01

    Myocardial ischemia induces redistribution of different ions (H(+), K(+), Na(+), Ca(++)) across the cardiomyocyte membrane, as well as the loss of intracellular ATP content. This results in changes in the electrical properties including shortening of the action potential, appearance of delayed afterpotentials, and a modified refractoriness of the cardiomyocyte. These changes may induce or support malignant cardiac arrhythmias. Supersensitivity of sympathetic denervated myocardium may further support the electrical instability of ischemic myocardium.Virtues of studies indicate that patients with coronary artery disease who develop complex arrhythmias during or after exercise bear a substantially increased risk for sudden cardiac death. Other studies report about arrhythmic stabilization and reduced mortality if patients with reversible myocardial ischemia receive complete revascularization. However, none of these studies is without methodological flaws. Due to the lack of methodologically sound studies in sufficiently large patient cohorts, the question whether complete coronary revascularisation improves the prognosis of patients with coronary artery disease and which strategy (medical, interventional, or surgical) warrants the best outcomes remains open.

  8. Arterial pulse wave velocity but not augmentation index is associated with coronary artery disease extent and severity: implications for arterial transfer function applicability.

    PubMed

    Hope, Sarah A; Antonis, Paul; Adam, David; Cameron, James D; Meredith, Ian T

    2007-10-01

    The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that coronary artery disease extent and severity are associated with central aortic pressure waveform characteristics. Although it is thought that central aortic pressure waveform characteristics, particularly augmentation index, may influence cardiovascular disease progression and predict cardiovascular risk, little is known of the relationship between central waveform characteristics and the severity and extent of coronary artery disease. Central aortic waveforms (2F Millar pressure transducer-tipped catheters) were acquired at the time of coronary angiography for suspected native coronary artery disease in 40 patients (24 male). The severity and extent of disease were assessed independently by two observers using two previously described scoring systems (modified Gensini's stenosis and Sullivan's extent scores). Relationships between disease scores, aortic waveform characteristics, aorto-radial pulse wave velocity and subject demographic features were assessed by regression techniques. Both extent and severity scores were associated with increasing age and male sex (P < 0.001), but no other risk factors. Both scores were independently associated with aorto-radial pulse wave velocity (P < 0.001), which entered a multiple regression model prior to age and sex. This association was not dependent upon blood pressure. Neither score was associated with central aortic augmentation index, by either simple or multiple linear regression techniques including heart rate, subject demographic features and cardiovascular risk factors. Aorto-radial pulse wave velocity, but not central aortic augmentation index, is associated with both the extent and severity of coronary artery disease. This has potentially important implications for applicability of a generalized arterial transfer function.

  9. Effect of puberty on coronary arteries from female pigs.

    PubMed

    Chatrath, Ritu; Ronningen, Karen L; LaBreche, Peter; Severson, Sandra R; Jayachandran, Muthuvel; Bracamonte, Margarita P; Miller, Virginia M

    2003-10-01

    Vascular function changes following loss of ovarian hormones in women at menopause and in experimental animals following surgical ovariectomy. Little is known about changes in vascular function during hormonal transition from sexual immaturity (juvenile) to sexual maturity. Therefore, experiments were designed to determine effects of natural puberty on vascular function in female pigs. Tissue was studied from eight juvenile (2-3 mo) and eight adult (5-6 mo) female pigs. Plasma nitric oxide (NO) was measured, and mRNA for endothelium-derived NO synthase (eNOS) and eNOS protein were determined in aortic endothelial cells. Rings of coronary arteries were suspended for measurement of isometric force in organ chambers. Serum 17beta-estradiol levels were comparable in the two groups, whereas the arithmetic mean of progesterone levels was about two-thirds lower in adults compared with juvenile pigs. Plasma NO was significantly higher in juveniles compared with adults, but mRNA and protein for eNOS were comparable. In coronary arteries, an alpha2-adrenergic agonist caused greater endothelium-dependent relaxations in rings from juvenile compared with adult pigs. Relaxations to bradykinin were similar in arteries from both groups, but inhibition of NO reduced relaxations only in arteries from juvenile pigs. Relaxations from NO were greater in arteries from adult compared with juvenile female pigs. In conclusion, coronary arterial endothelial and smooth muscle responses are selectively modulated at puberty in female pigs. At maturity, plasma NO is reduced and sensitivity of the smooth muscle to exogenous NO is increased. Posttranscriptional regulation of eNOS protein may explain differences in NO bioavailability in juvenile pigs.

  10. Multiple left anterior descending coronary artery to left ventricular fistula - A case series and literature review.

    PubMed

    Iyer, Praneet; Yelisetti, Rishitha

    2017-10-01

    Coronary artery fistulas (CAFs) are found in 0.3-0.8% of patients who undergo coronary angiography. CAFs are defined as single or multiple, small or large direct communications that arise from one or more coronary arteries and enter into one of the four cardiac chambers or major vessels. We present two cases of multiple coronary artery fistulas arising from diagonal and left anterior descending (LAD) branches of left coronary artery draining into the left ventricle. In both the cases, No intervention was performed. Of the congenital fistulas, two major groups are identified: solitary CAFs or coronary artery-left ventricular multiple micro-fistulas (CALVMMFs). Noninvasive techniques such as transthoracic echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging are becoming increasingly popular for diagnosis and follow-up of CAFs. Despite the advent of these newer non-invasive modalities, coronary angiography remains the gold standard for diagnosis. Treatment of CAFs is indicated when the patients are symptomatic with left ventricular volume overload, myocardial ischemia, left ventricular dysfunction or in the presence of a large or increasing left-to-right shunt. If the fistula is small and hemodynamically insignificant, it can be managed with conservative management. Multiple left anterior descending to left ventricle (LV) fistulas are extremely rare and, as per our literature review, we noted only a few case reports of coronary artery fistulas between branches of LAD and left ventricle.

  11. External Compression of Epicardial Coronary Arteries with Partial Calcific Pericarditis

    PubMed Central

    Khan, Zubair Ahmed; Sardar, Muhammad Rizwan; Topalian, Simon K.

    2017-01-01

    Calcific pericarditis (CP) is a rare disease which results from long-standing pericardial inflammation. Pericardial calcification may completely or partially encase the ventricles, resulting in impaired diastolic filling. We present a case of a 53-year-old male who was incidentally found to have annular CP resulting in external compression of a large territory diagonal branch (D1) reaching the apex with likely chronically occluded left anterior descending artery with collateral circulation from the right coronary artery with hemodynamic compromise on coronary angiography. This was emergently treated with a drug-eluting stent with improved D1 flow and entailed the importance of percutaneous coronary intervention as a viable option in cases of CP resulting in acute hemodynamic compromise. PMID:28584590

  12. Treatment of a coronary artery aneurysm by use of a covered stent graft – a case report

    PubMed Central

    Gundoğdu, Fuat; Arslan, Sakir; Buyukkaya, Eyup; Senocak, Huseyin

    2007-01-01

    Coronary artery aneurysm is a rare finding at coronary angiography. Most coronary aneurysms remain asymptomatic. There is no consensus on its management; some advocate aggressive approach while others advocate conservative management. A case of coronary artery aneurysm successfully treated by implantation of a polytetrafluoroethylene-covered coronary stent is presented. PMID:22477247

  13. Unusual Survival of Anomalous Left Coronary Artery From the Pulmonary Artery With Severe Rheumatic Mitral Stenosis in Septuagenarian Women: Foes Becoming Friends?

    PubMed

    Sinha, Santosh Kumar; Khanra, Dibbendhu; Jha, Mukesh Jitendra; Singh, Karandeep; Razi, Mahamdulla; Goel, Amit; Mishra, Vikas; Asif, Mohammad; Sachan, Mohit; Afdaali, Nasar; Kumar, Ashutosh; Thakur, Ramesh; Krishna, Vinay; Pandey, Umeshwar; Varma, Chandra Mohan

    2016-10-01

    ALCAPA syndrome (anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery) is a rare disease but lethal with clinical expression from myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure to death during early infancy and unusual survival to adulthood. We report a 73-year-old woman with ALCAPA who presented with exertional dyspnea (NYHA functional class II) over past 2 years. Physical examination revealed soft S, long mid diastolic rumbling murmur and apical pan-systolic murmur. Electrocardiography displayed biatrial enlargement and poor R progression and normal sinus rhythm. Echocardiography established calcified severe mitral stenosis (MS), presence of continuous flow entering the pulmonary trunk, turbulent continuous flow in inter-ventricular septum with left to right shunt in contrast echocardiography and normal systolic function. Coronary angiogram showed absence of left coronary artery (LCA) originating from aorta, dilated and tortuous right coronary artery (RCA) and abundant Rentrop grade 3 intercoronary collateral communicating with LCA originating from pulmonary trunk which was also confirmed on coronary CT angiogram thus establishing diagnosis of ALCAPA. It is exceedingly rare to be associated with severe MS. However, such a long survival in our patient can be explained by the severe pulmonary arterial hypertension which may be contributing to lesser coronary steal.

  14. Estrogens and Coronary Artery Disease: New Clinical Perspectives.

    PubMed

    Meyer, M R; Barton, M

    2016-01-01

    In premenopausal women, endogenous estrogens are associated with reduced prevalence of arterial hypertension, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Clinical trials conducted in the 1990s such as HERS, WHI, and WISDOM have shown that postmenopausal treatment with horse hormone mixtures (so-called conjugated equine estrogens) and synthetic progestins adversely affects female cardiovascular health. Our understanding of rapid (nongenomic) and chronic (genomic) estrogen signaling has since advanced considerably, including identification of a new G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER), which like the "classical" receptors ERα and ERβ is highly abundant in the cardiovascular system. Here, we discuss the role of estrogen receptors in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease and review natural and synthetic ligands of estrogen receptors as well as their effects in physiology, on cardiovascular risk factors, and atherosclerotic vascular disease. Data from preclinical and clinical studies using nonselective compounds activating GPER, which include selective estrogen receptor modulators such as tamoxifen or raloxifene, selective estrogen receptor downregulators such as Faslodex™ (fulvestrant/ICI 182,780), vitamin B3 (niacin), green tea catechins, and soy flavonoids such as genistein or resveratrol, strongly suggest that activation of GPER may afford therapeutic benefit for primary and secondary prevention in patients with or at risk for coronary artery disease. Evidence from preclinical studies suggest similar efficacy profiles for selective small molecule GPER agonists such as G-1 which are devoid of uterotrophic activity. Further clinical research in this area is warranted to provide opportunities for future cardiovascular drug development. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Circulating autoantibodies against neuroblastoma suppressor of tumorigenicity 1 (NBL1): A potential biomarker for coronary artery disease in patients with obstructive sleep apnea

    PubMed Central

    Matsumura, Takuma; Kinoshita, Taku; Sakurai, Yoriko; Yahaba, Misuzu; Tsushima, Kenji; Sakao, Seiichiro; Nagashima, Kengo; Ozaki, Toshinori; Kobayashi, Yoshio; Hiwasa, Takaki; Tatsumi, Koichiro

    2018-01-01

    Objective Although severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an important risk factor for atherosclerosis-related diseases including coronary artery disease (CAD), there is no reliable biomarker of CAD risks in patients with OSA. This study aimed to test our hypothesis that circulating autoantibodies against neuroblastoma suppressor of tumorigenicity 1 (NBL1-Abs) are associated with the prevalence of CAD in patients with OSA. Methods Eighty-two adults diagnosed with OSA by polysomnography, 96 patients with a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and 64 healthy volunteers (HVs) were consecutively enrolled. Serum samples were collected from patients with OSA at diagnostic polysomnography and from patients with ACS at disease onset. Serum NBL1-Ab level was measured by amplified luminescence proximity homogeneous assay and its association with clinical variables related to atherosclerosis was evaluated. Results NBL1-Ab level was significantly elevated in patients with both OSA and ACS compared with HVs. Subgroup analyses showed that NBL1-Ab level was markedly higher in patients with severe OSA and OSA patients with a history of CAD. Weak associations were observed between NBL1-Ab level and apnea-hypopnea index, age, mean SpO2 and arousal index, whereas significantly higher NBL1-Ab levels were observed in OSA patients with a history of CAD than in those without a history of CAD. Sensitivity analysis using a logistic regression model also demonstrated that increased NBL1-Ab levels were associated with the previous history of CAD in patients with OSA. Conclusions Elevated NBL1-Ab levels may be associated with the prevalence of CAD in patients with OSA, which needs to be confirmed further. PMID:29596467

  16. Assessment of independent predictors for long-term mortality between women and men after coronary artery bypass grafting: are women different from men?

    PubMed

    Toumpoulis, Ioannis K; Anagnostopoulos, Constantine E; Balaram, Sandhya K; Rokkas, Chris K; Swistel, Daniel G; Ashton, Robert C; DeRose, Joseph J

    2006-02-01

    The long-term mortality of coronary artery bypass grafting in women in not certain. The purpose of this study was to determine and compare risk factors for long-term mortality in women and men undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Between 1992 and 2002, 3760 consecutive patients (2598 men and 1162 women) underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting. Long-term survival data were obtained from the National Death Index (mean follow-up, 5.1 +/- 3.2 years). Multivariable Cox regression analysis was performed, including 64 preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors separately in women and men. There were no differences in in-hospital mortality (2.7% in men vs 2.9% in women, P = .639) and 5-year survival (82.0% +/- 0.8% in men vs 81.1% +/- 1.3% in women, P = .293). After adjustment for all independent predictors of long-term mortality, female sex was an independent predictor of improved 5-year survival (hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.71-0.96; P = .014). Twenty-one independent predictors for long-term mortality were determined in men, whereas only 12 were determined in women. There were 9 common risk factors (age, ejection fraction, diabetes mellitus, > or =2 arterial grafts, postoperative myocardial infarction, deep sternal wound infection, sepsis and/or endocarditis, gastrointestinal complications, and respiratory failure); however, their weights were different between women and men. Malignant ventricular arrhythmias, calcified aorta, and preoperative renal failure were independent predictors only in women. Emergency operation, previous cardiac operation, peripheral vascular disease, left ventricular hypertrophy, current and past congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, body mass index of greater than 29, preoperative dialysis, thrombolysis within 7 days before coronary artery bypass grafting, intraoperative stroke, and postoperative renal failure were independent predictors only in men. Despite equality

  17. Coronary arteries segmentation based on the 3D discrete wavelet transform and 3D neutrosophic transform.

    PubMed

    Chen, Shuo-Tsung; Wang, Tzung-Dau; Lee, Wen-Jeng; Huang, Tsai-Wei; Hung, Pei-Kai; Wei, Cheng-Yu; Chen, Chung-Ming; Kung, Woon-Man

    2015-01-01

    Most applications in the field of medical image processing require precise estimation. To improve the accuracy of segmentation, this study aimed to propose a novel segmentation method for coronary arteries to allow for the automatic and accurate detection of coronary pathologies. The proposed segmentation method included 2 parts. First, 3D region growing was applied to give the initial segmentation of coronary arteries. Next, the location of vessel information, HHH subband coefficients of the 3D DWT, was detected by the proposed vessel-texture discrimination algorithm. Based on the initial segmentation, 3D DWT integrated with the 3D neutrosophic transformation could accurately detect the coronary arteries. Each subbranch of the segmented coronary arteries was segmented correctly by the proposed method. The obtained results are compared with those ground truth values obtained from the commercial software from GE Healthcare and the level-set method proposed by Yang et al., 2007. Results indicate that the proposed method is better in terms of efficiency analyzed. Based on the initial segmentation of coronary arteries obtained from 3D region growing, one-level 3D DWT and 3D neutrosophic transformation can be applied to detect coronary pathologies accurately.

  18. Serum cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 associated with the severity of coronary artery disease: indicators of an active inflammatory burden?

    PubMed

    Gotsman, Israel; Stabholz, Ayala; Planer, David; Pugatsch, Thea; Lapidus, Ludmila; Novikov, Yelena; Masrawa, Siham; Soskolne, Aubrey; Lotan, Chaim

    2008-07-01

    Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory process resulting in coronary artery disease. To determine the relationship between inflammatory markers and the angiographic severity of CAD. We measured inflammatory markers in consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography. This included C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, serum cytokines (interleukin-1 beta, IL-1 receptor antagonist, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha), all measured by high sensitivity enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay. There was a significant correlation between TNFalpha and the severity of CAD as assessed by the number of obstructed coronary vessels and the Gensini severity score, which is based on the proximity and severity of the lesions. Patients had more coronary vessel disease (> 70% stenosis) with increasing tertiles of serum TNFalpha; the mean number of vessels affected was 1.15, 1.33, and 2.00 respectively (P< 0.001). IL-6 correlated with the Gensini severity score and coronary vessel disease (> 70% stenosis). A weaker correlation was present with IL-1 receptor antagonist. A significant correlation was not found with the other inflammatory markers. After adjustment for major risk factors, multivariate analyses showed that significant independent predictors of CAD vessel disease were TNFalpha (P< 0.05) and combined levels of TNFalpha and IL-6 (P< 0.05). IL-6 levels were independently predictive of Gensini coronary score (P< 0.05). TNFalpha and IL-6 are significant predictors of the severity of coronary artery disease. This association is likely an indicator of the chronic inflammatory burden and an important marker of increased atherosclerosis risk.

  19. Potential advantages of treatment of transplanted saphenous vein aorto-coronary artery bypass grafts with beta irradiation to prevent graft occlusion.

    PubMed

    Smith, R G

    1997-01-01

    Intimal proliferation or Neointimal hyperplasia (NIH) is a vascular lesion that often arises in arteries after balloon angioplasty or other vessel wall injuries. FIH is a vascular lesion that develops in autologous saphenous vein grafts (SVG) after transplantation into the aorto-coronary circulation or the peripheral vascular circulation. FIH shares elements of smooth muscle migration, proliferation and fibrous tissue deposition in common with nibrointimal proliferation (NIH). Either NIH of a coronary artery or FIH of a SVG obstruct the vascular lumen and result in myocardial dysfunction. Local radiotherapy has been used for several decades to reduce the post-operative recurrence of the fibrovascular proliferations of pterygia and keloids. Similarly, in animal and human experiments, endovascular radiotherapy has been shown to reduce arterial smooth muscle proliferation. Consideration of the similarities of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation in NIH and FIH leads one to suggest that endovascular beta irradiation can reduce FIH as well as it reduces NIH. The goal of such treatment is to achieve a clinically significant decrease in the morbidity and mortality resulting from SVG occlusions. The potential for large reduction of the consequences of SVG occlusion, the very large number of patients at risk, and the simplicity of the proposed intervention encourages prompt scientific evaluation of this technique.

  20. Giant Circumflex Artery Aneurysm with a Coronary Sinus Fistula.

    PubMed

    Libertini, Richard; Walbridge, David; Jones, Hefin R; Gunning, Mark; Satur, Christopher Mr

    2018-05-12

    Giant coronary artery aneurysms (GCCAA) are extremely rare entities, and of the circumflex artery we are aware of only 13 case reports. We therefore provide this case report to add evidence of the natural history and pathophysiology and describe successful surgical treatment of the condition. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  1. Linkages between oral commensal bacteria and atherosclerotic plaques in coronary artery disease patients.

    PubMed

    Chhibber-Goel, Jyoti; Singhal, Varsha; Bhowmik, Debaleena; Vivek, Rahul; Parakh, Neeraj; Bhargava, Balram; Sharma, Amit

    2016-01-01

    Coronary artery disease is an inflammatory disorder characterized by narrowing of coronary arteries due to atherosclerotic plaque formation. To date, the accumulated epidemiological evidence supports an association between oral bacterial diseases and coronary artery disease, but has failed to prove a causal link between the two. Due to the recent surge in microbial identification and analyses techniques, a number of bacteria have been independently found in atherosclerotic plaque samples from coronary artery disease patients. In this study, we present meta-analysis from published studies that have independently investigated the presence of bacteria within atherosclerotic plaque samples in coronary artery disease patients. Data were collated from 63 studies covering 1791 patients spread over a decade. Our analysis confirms the presence of 23 oral commensal bacteria, either individually or in co-existence, within atherosclerotic plaques in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy, catheter-based atherectomy, or similar procedures. Of these 23 bacteria, 5 ( Campylobacter rectus , Porphyromonas gingivalis , Porphyromonas endodontalis , Prevotella intermedia , Prevotella nigrescens ) are unique to coronary plaques, while the other 18 are additionally present in non-cardiac organs, and associate with over 30 non-cardiac disorders. We have cataloged the wide spectrum of proteins secreted by above atherosclerotic plaque-associated bacteria, and discuss their possible roles during microbial migration via the bloodstream. We also highlight the prevalence of specific poly-microbial communities within atherosclerotic plaques. This work provides a resource whose immediate implication is the necessity to systematically catalog landscapes of atherosclerotic plaque-associated oral commensal bacteria in human patient populations.

  2. Development of coronary artery stenosis in a patient with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with sorafenib

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are currently approved for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). The cardiotoxic effects of sorafenib and sunitinib may cause hypertension, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) dysfunction and/or congestive heart failure (CHF), and arterial thrombo-embolic events (ATE). Only three cases of coronary artery disease related to sorafenib therapy have been described in the literature, and all were due to arterial vasospasm without evidence of coronary artery stenosis on angiography. Cardiotoxicity is commonly associated with the presence of cardiovascular risk factors, such as a history of hypertension or coronary artery disease. Case presentation We describe a patient who experienced an unusual cardiac event after 2 years of sorafenib treatment. A 58-year-old man with mRCC developed acute coronary syndrome (ischemia/infarction) associated with critical sub-occlusion of the common trunk of the left coronary artery and some of its branches, which was documented on coronary angiography. The patient underwent triple coronary artery bypass surgery, and sorafenib treatment was discontinued. He did not have any cardiovascular risk factors, and his cardiac function and morphology were normal prior to sorafenib treatment. Conclusions Further investigation of a larger patient population is needed to better understand cardiac damage due to TKI treatment. Understanding the usefulness of careful cardiovascular monitoring might be important for the prevention of fatal cardiovascular events, and to avoid discontinuation of therapy for the underlying cancer. PMID:22687270

  3. Predictors of contemporary coronary artery bypass grafting outcomes.

    PubMed

    Weisel, Richard D; Nussmeier, Nancy; Newman, Mark F; Pearl, Ronald G; Wechsler, Andrew S; Ambrosio, Giuseppe; Pitt, Bertram; Clare, Robert M; Pieper, Karen S; Mongero, Linda; Reece, Tammy L; Yau, Terrence M; Fremes, Stephen; Menasché, Philippe; Lira, Armando; Harrington, Robert A; Ferguson, T Bruce

    2014-12-01

    The study objective was to identify the predictors of outcomes in a contemporary cohort of patients from the Reduction in cardiovascular Events by acaDesine in patients undergoing CABG (RED-CABG) trial. Despite the increasing risk profile of patients who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting, morbidity and mortality have remained low, and identification of the current predictors of adverse outcomes may permit new treatments to further improve outcomes. The RED-CABG trial was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that determined that acadesine did not reduce adverse events in moderately high-risk patients undergoing nonemergency coronary artery bypass grafting. The primary efficacy end point was a composite of all-cause death, nonfatal stroke, or the need for mechanical support for severe left ventricular dysfunction through postoperative day 28. Logistic regression modeling with stepwise variable selection identified which prespecified baseline characteristics were associated with the primary outcome. A second logistic model included intraoperative variables as potential covariates. The 4 independent preoperative risk factors predictive of the composite end point were (1) a history of heart failure (odds ratio, 2.9); (2) increasing age (odds ratio, 1.033 per decade); (3) a history of peripheral vascular disease (odds ratio, 1.6); and (4) receiving aspirin before coronary artery bypass grafting (odds ratio, 0.5), which was protective. The duration of the cardiopulmonary bypass (odds ratio, 1.8) was the only intraoperative variable that contributed to adverse outcomes. Patients who had heart failure and preserved systolic function had a similar high risk of adverse outcomes as those with low ejection fractions, and new approaches may mitigate this risk. Recognition of patients with excessive atherosclerotic burden may permit perioperative interventions to improve their outcomes. The contemporary risks of coronary artery bypass grafting

  4. In-hospital mortality and morbidity after robotic coronary artery surgery.

    PubMed

    Cavallaro, Paul; Rhee, Amanda J; Chiang, Yuting; Itagaki, Shinobu; Seigerman, Matthew; Chikwe, Joanna

    2015-02-01

    The objective of this study was to assess the impact of robotic approaches on outcomes of coronary bypass surgery. Retrospective national database analysis. United States hospitals. A weighted sample of 484,128 patients undergoing isolated coronary artery surgery identified from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2008 through 2010. Robotically assisted coronary artery bypass surgery versus conventional bypass surgery. Robotic approaches were used in 2,582 patients (0.4%). Patients undergoing robotic surgery were less likely to be female (odds ratio [OR] 0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57-0.87), present with acute myocardial infarction (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.38-0.73), or have cerebrovascular disease (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.23-0.71) compared to patients undergoing conventional surgery. In 59% of robotic cases, a single bypass was performed, and 2 bypasses were performed in 25% of cases. After adjusting for comorbidity, reduced postoperative stroke (0.0% v 1.5%, p = 0.045) and transfusion (13.5% v 24.4%, p = 0.001) rates were observed in patients who underwent robotic single-bypass surgery compared to conventional surgery. In patients undergoing multiple bypass grafts, higher mortality (1.1% v 0.5%), and cardiovascular complications (12.2% v 10.6%) were observed when robotic assistance was used, but the differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.5). The mean number of robotic cases carried out annually at institutions sampled was 6. Robotic assistance is associated with lower rates of postoperative complications in highly selected patients undergoing single coronary artery bypass surgery, but the benefits of this approach are reduced in patients who require multiple coronary artery bypass grafts. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. CT Coronary Angiography vs. Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring for the Occupational Assessment of Military Aircrew.

    PubMed

    Parsons, Iain; Pavitt, Chris; Chamley, Rebecca; d'Arcy, Jo; Nicol, Ed

    2017-02-01

    To ensure flight safety military aircrew undergo regular clinical and occupational assessment. Coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) has been established as an imaging modality to noninvasively assess coronary artery disease (CAD). CT coronary angiography (CTCA) potentially offers a more accurate assessment of CAD, but has not been formally assessed in military aircrew. This retrospective cohort study is designed to compare the theoretical differences in downstream investigations and occupational outcomes in aircrew with suspected CAD comparing CTCA with existing CACS pathways. A 2-yr retrospective cohort study of consecutive UK military patients who underwent a CTCA and CACS was undertaken. Patient demographics, CTCA and CACS results, and initial and final occupational restrictions were analyzed comparing current UK, Canadian, and U.S. pathways. There were 44 patients who underwent CACS and CTCA. The commonest indication for a CTCA was a positive exercise ECG. Increasing CACS, stenosis severity, and stenosis burden were associated with significantly greater likelihood of occupational restriction (P = < 0.01). Following CTCA, 26/44 (59%) patients were found to have evidence of CAD, with 13/44 (30%) having at least a single vessel stenosis ≥50%. All of these patients had subsequent occupational restrictions. Two patients with a calcium score ≤10 had at least 1 single vessel stenosis ≥50%. A CTCA pathway is potentially a better discriminator of CAD burden in aircrew when compared with CACS and may reduce downstream testing, allowing a more efficacious approach to CAD assessment in military aircrew.Parsons I, Pavitt C, Chamley R, d'Arcy J, Nicol E. CT coronary angiography vs. coronary artery calcium scoring for the occupational assessment of military aircrew. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2017; 88(2):76-81.

  6. Impacts of coronary artery eccentricity on macro-recirculation and pressure drops using computational fluid dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Poon, Eric; Thondapu, Vikas; Barlis, Peter; Ooi, Andrew

    2017-11-01

    Coronary artery disease remains a major cause of mortality in developed countries, and is most often due to a localized flow-limiting stenosis, or narrowing, of coronary arteries. Patients often undergo invasive procedures such as X-ray angiography and fractional flow reserve to diagnose flow-limiting lesions. Even though such diagnostic techniques are well-developed, the effects of diseased coronary segments on local flow are still poorly understood. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of irregular geometries of diseased coronary segments on the macro-recirculation and local pressure minimum regions. We employed an idealized coronary artery model with a diameter of stenosis of 75%. By systematically adjusting the eccentricity and the asymmetry of the coronary stenosis, we uncovered an increase in macro-recirculation size. Most importantly, the presence of this macro-recirculation signifies a local pressure minimum (identified by λ2 vortex identification method). This local pressure minimum has a profound effect on the pressure drops in both longitudinal and planar directions, which has implications for diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease. Supported by Australian Research Council LP150100233 and National Computational Infrastructure m45.

  7. Terminal branching pattern of the right coronary artery in left-dominant hearts: a cadaveric study.

    PubMed

    Gupta, Tulika; Saini, Abhimanyu; Sahni, Daisy

    2013-01-01

    Left coronary dominance has been reported to be associated with increased mortality and severity in case of myocardial ischemia involving left coronary artery. The present cadaveric study was proposed to objectively study and document the termination and branching pattern of the right coronary artery in left-coronary-dominant hearts in relation to the blood supply to the posterior surface of the right ventricle. Seventy-five cadaveric hearts were studied. The coronary vessels were injected with colored cellulose acetate butyrate and dissected. The coronary dominance was determined. In left-dominant hearts, branches and termination of the right coronary artery were studied. Left coronary dominance was found in 13% of the specimens. The number of ventricular branches was found to be present as 0, 1, 2, and 4 in two, four, two, and two of the cases, respectively. The average length of the ventricular branch was 12.7 mm with a range of 5-35 mm. The atrial branch was found in 50% of hearts, varying from 2 to 3 mm in length. In three hearts, the acute marginal artery did not give any posterior ventricular branch, while two, three, and five posterior ventricular branches were seen in four, two, and one heart(s), respectively. The length of the posterior ventricular arteries was between 5 and 15 mm. The RCA is an inconstant and unreliable source of posterior right ventricular perfusion in a significant percentage of population with left-coronary-dominant hearts. This might be the reason for the increased morbidity and mortality seen in the event of left coronary ischemia. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Totally endoscopic sequential arterial coronary artery bypass grafting on the beating heart

    PubMed Central

    Ak, Koray; Wimmer-Greinecker, Gerhard; Dzemali, Omer; Moritz, Anton; Dogan, Selami

    2007-01-01

    A 50-year-old man was referred to the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at the Johann Wolfgang-Goethe University (Frankfurt, Germany) with angina on exertion. An evaluation revealed critical stenosis involving the proximal portion of the left anterior descending artery and the first diagonal branch. The patient underwent successful sequential grafting of the left internal mammary artery to the left anterior descending artery and the diagonal branch using a totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting technique on the beating heart with a new version of the da Vinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, USA). To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report in literature to describe sequential arterial off-pump grafting of two anterior wall target vessels using a totally endoscopic technique on the beating heart. PMID:17440646

  9. Airport and superficial femoral artery obstruction due to a wandering coronary stent: the possibility of airport detection of modern implant metals.

    PubMed

    Teijink, J A W; van Herwaarden, J A; van den Berg, J C; Overtoom, T C; Moll, F L

    2004-06-01

    In the treatment of coronary artery disease, peripheral loss of a coronary stent is an unusual complication. We present the case of a patient who suggested that his right leg claudication was caused by a slipped coronary stent 2 years previously. The patient was convinced about this unusual finding based on an airport security check. Examination proved him to be right. However, the ability to detect an object using eddy currents is dependent on the object's permeability and its conductivity. Ferrous (iron) content is not the critical factor. Modern implant materials and processing techniques result in implants that are difficult to magnetize i.e. their permeability is very low. In addition their conductivity is very low. This enables modern implants to escape detection at airports. For this reason the event at the airport, as described by our patient, is considered coincidental.

  10. Correlation study on waist circumference-triglyceride (WT) index and coronary artery scores in patients with coronary heart disease.

    PubMed

    Yang, R-F; Liu, X-Y; Lin, Z; Zhang, G

    2015-01-01

    Coronary disease is analyzed through common lipid profiles, but these analyses fail to account for residual risk due to abdominal weight and elevated TG levels. We aimed to investigate the relationship between the waist circumference × triglyceride index (WT index) and the Coronary Artery Score (CAS) in patients with coronary heart disease. 346 patients in our Cardiology Department were recruited from September 2007 to August 2011 and divided into two groups according to whether the patients presented with metabolic syndrome. We performed coronary angiography using the standard Judkins method. The severity of coronary artery stenosis and the CAS were calculated and analyzed with a computerized quantitative analysis system. The signs index, which includes the body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-hip-ratio, and waist-height-ratio, the blood glucose and blood lipid index of all the patients were collected and used to calculate the WT index (waist circumference x triglyceride index. We performed a correlative analysis with age, gender, body mass index, blood glucose and blood lipid, blood pressure and other risk indicators of all patients as the dependent variables and the CAS as the independent variable. We show that the CAS is positively correlated to the WT index. Several lipid profiles and waist circumference were significantly associated with the CAS. The WT index is correlated to the CAS and is a good predictor for the development of coronary artery disease; it can be applied in the clinic for early intervention in populations at risk for coronary heart disease.

  11. Comparison of left anterior descending coronary artery hemodynamics before and after angioplasty.

    PubMed

    Ramaswamy, S D; Vigmostad, S C; Wahle, A; Lai, Y G; Olszewski, M E; Braddy, K C; Brennan, T M H; Rossen, J D; Sonka, M; Chandran, K B

    2006-02-01

    Coronary artery disease (CAD) is characterized by the progression of atherosclerosis, a complex pathological process involving the initiation, deposition, development, and breakdown of the plaque. The blood flow mechanics in arteries play a critical role in the targeted locations and progression of atherosclerotic plaque. In coronary arteries with motion during the cardiac contraction and relaxation, the hemodynamic flow field is substantially different from the other arterial sites with predilection of atherosclerosis. In this study, our efforts focused on the effects of arterial motion and local geometry on the hemodynamics of a left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery before and after clinical intervention to treat the disease. Three-dimensional (3D) arterial segments were reconstructed at 10 phases of the cardiac cycle for both pre- and postintervention based on the fusion of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and biplane angiographic images. An arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian formulation was used for the computational fluid dynamic analysis. The measured arterial translation was observed to be larger during systole after intervention and more out-of-plane motion was observed before intervention, indicating substantial alterations in the cardiac contraction after angioplasty. The time averaged axial wall shear stress ranged from -0.2 to 9.5 Pa before intervention compared to -0.02 to 3.53 Pa after intervention. Substantial oscillatory shear stress was present in the preintervention flow dynamics compared to that in the postintervention case.

  12. High-sensitive factor I and C-reactive protein based biomarkers for coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Qing; Du, Jian-Shi; Han, Dong-Mei; Ma, Ying

    2014-01-01

    An analysis of high-sensitive factor I and C-reactive proteins as biomarkers for coronary artery disease has been performed from 19 anticipated cohort studies that included 21,567 participants having no information about coronary artery disease. Besides, the clinical implications of statin therapy initiated due to assessment of factor I and C-reactive proteins have also been modeled during studies. The measure of risk discrimination (C-index) was increased (by 0.0101) as per the prognostic model for coronary artery disease with respect to sex, smoking status, age, blood pressure, total cholesterol level along with diabetic history characteristic parameters. The C-index was further raised by 0.0045 and 0.0053 when factor I and C-reactive proteins based information were added, respectively which finally predicted 10-year risk categories as: high (> 20%), medium (10% to < 20%), and low (< 10%) risks. We found 2,254 persons (among 15,000 adults (age ≥ 45 years)) would initially be classified as being at medium risk for coronary artery disease when only conventional risk factors were used as calculated risk. Besides, persons with a predicted risk of more than 20% as well as for persons suffering from other risk factors (i.e. diabetes), statin therapy was initiated (irrespective of their decade old predicted risk). We conclude that under current treatment guidelines assessment of factor I and C-reactive proteins levels (as biomarker) in people at medium risk for coronary artery disease could prevent one additional coronary artery disease risk over a period a decade for every 390-500 people screened.

  13. The relationship of insulin resistance estimated by triglyceride glucose index and coronary plaque characteristics.

    PubMed

    Won, Ki-Bum; Kim, Yun Seok; Lee, Byoung Kwon; Heo, Ran; Han, Donghee; Lee, Ji Hyun; Lee, Sang-Eun; Sung, Ji Min; Cho, Iksung; Park, Hyung-Bok; Cho, In-Jeong; Chang, Hyuk-Jae

    2018-05-01

    The triglyceride glucose (TyG) index is a useful surrogate marker for insulin resistance, which is an important risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). However, data on the relationship of the TyG index and coronary plaque characteristics are limited.This study included 2840 participants with near-normal renal function who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography. CAD was defined as the presence of any plaques, and obstructive CAD was defined as the presence of plaques with ≥50% stenosis. The relationship between the TyG index and noncalcified plaque (NCP), calcified or mixed plaque (CMP), and coronary artery calcium score (CACS) was evaluated.All participants were stratified into 4 groups based on the quartiles of the TyG index. The prevalence of CAD and obstructive CAD significantly increased with increasing quartiles. The risk for NCP and obstructive NCP was not different among all groups. However, compared with group I (lowest quartile), the risk for CMP was higher in groups III (odds ratio [OR]: 1.438) and IV (highest quartile) (OR: 1.895) (P < .05), and that for obstructive CMP was higher in groups II (OR: 1.469), III (OR: 1.595), and IV (OR: 2.168) (P < .05). Multivariate regression analysis showed that the TyG index was associated with an increased risk for CAD (OR: 1.700), obstructive CAD (OR: 1.692), and CACS >400 (OR: 1.448) (P < .05).The TyG index was independently associated with the presence and severity of CAD due to an increased risk for CMP.

  14. Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy after conventional coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

    PubMed

    Dorecka, Mariola; Miniewicz-Kurkowska, Joanna; Romaniuk, Dorota; Gajdzik-Gajdecka, Urszula; Wójcik-Niklewska, Bogumiła

    2011-06-01

    Perioperative optic neuropathy is a disease which can lead to serious, irreversible damage of vision. This complication could be the result of non-ocular surgery, for example, cardiac or spinal procedures. We present a case of anterior ischemic neuropathy (AION) which occurred following a conventional coronary artery bypass graft procedure. A 57-year-old man, 4 days after Conventional Coronary Artery Bypass Graft surgery as result of multi-vessel stabile coronary artery disease and history of anterolateral wall myocardial infarction, was admitted to the Eye Clinic due to significant loss of vision in his right eye. The patient had hypertension and was a heavy smoker. On admission, the slit lamp examination revealed a relative afferent pupillary defect in the right eye. The fundus examination showed optic disc edema with the presence of flame hemorrhages. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.02. The results of eye examination and fluorescein angiography confirmed the diagnosis of AION. Anti-aggregation and antithrombotic treatment was continued with steroids and vasodilators. After 7 days of this treatment we noticed the improvement of BCVA to 0.2. At 6-month follow-up, the vision was stable, and fundus examination revealed optic disc atrophy. After cardiac surgical operations, such as coronary artery bypass graft procedures, anterior ischemic optic neuropathy may occur. In those cases, close cooperation between the various specialists is necessary.

  15. Resource utilization related to atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting.

    PubMed

    Hravnak, Marilyn; Hoffman, Leslie A; Saul, Melissa I; Zullo, Thomas G; Whitman, Gayle R

    2002-05-01

    Studies of resource utilization by patients with new-onset atrialfibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting have addressed only length of stay and bed charges. To compare resource utilization between patients with new-onset atrial fibrillation and patients without atrialfibrillation after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting. Retrospective review of clinical and administrative electronic databases for 720 subjects who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass in 25 months at one medical center The prevalence of atrial fibrillation was determined, and resource utilization in various hospital cost centers was compared between subjects with and without atrialfibrillation. The prevalence of new-onset atrial fibrillation was 33.1%. Compared with subjects without atrialfibrillation, subjects with atrialfibrillation had a longer stay (5.8 +/- 2.4 vs. 4.4+/-1.2 days, P<.001), more days receiving mechanical ventilation (P =.002) and oxygen therapy (P<.001), and higher rates of readmission to the intensive care unit (4.6% vs. 0.2%, P<.001). Subjects with atrial fibrillation also had more laboratory tests (P<.001) and more days receiving cardiac drugs, heparin, diuretics, and electrolytes. Subjects with atrialfibrillation had higher total postoperative charges ($57261 +/- $17101 vs. $50905 +/- $10062, P = .001), a mean difference of $6356. The mean differences were greatest for bed charges ($1642), laboratory charges ($1215), pharmacy ($989), and respiratory care ($582). The economic impact of atrialfibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting has been underestimated.

  16. Coronary Artery Disease: A Study on the Joint Role of Birth Weight, Adenosine Deaminase, and Gender

    PubMed Central

    Gloria-Bottini, F.; Banci, M.; Saccucci, P.; Lucarini, N.; Ianniello, F.; Paradisi, G.; Magrini, A.; Bottini, E.

    2009-01-01

    An inverse relationship between birth weight and coronary artery diseases is well documented but it remains unclear which exposure in early life might underlie such association. Recently it has been reported an association between adenosine deaminase genetic polymorphism and coronary artery diseases. Gender differences in the degree of this association have been also observed. These observations prompted us to study the possible joint effects of BW, ADA, and gender on the susceptibility to coronary artery diseases. 222 subjects admitted to hospital for nonfatal coronary artery diseases, and 762 healthy consecutive newborns were studied. ADA genotypes were determined by DNA analysis. A highly significant complex relationship has emerged among ADA, birth weight, and gender concerning their role on susceptibility to coronary artery diseases in adult life. Odds ratio analysis suggests that low birth weight is more important in females than in males. ADA∗2 allele appears protective in males, while in females such effect is obscured by birth weight. PMID:20428226

  17. Kawasaki disease and giant coronary artery aneurysms: the role of echocardiography from diagnosis through follow-up.

    PubMed

    Adler, Adam C; Kodavatiganti, Ramesh

    2016-08-01

    Kawasaki disease is an acquired vasculitis that can affect the coronary arteries placing the patient at risk for coronary artery thrombosis, myocardial ischemia and infarction. The risk of complications related to coronary artery involvement persists for years despite recovery from the acute illness phase. The risk of late coronary disease progression necessitates long term follow-up generally accomplished by non-invasive echocardiography in pediatric patients. We review the utility of echocardiography in patients with Kawasaki disease as it relates to initial management, risk stratification and follow-up of these children. © 2016, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Arterial stiffness in people with Type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnoea.

    PubMed

    Hvelplund Kristiansen, M; Banghøj, A M; Laugesen, E; Tarnow, L

    2018-05-15

    To examine whether people with Type 2 diabetes with concurrent obstructive sleep apnoea have increased arterial stiffness as compared with people with Type 2 diabetes without obstructive sleep apnoea. In a study with a case-control design, 40 people with Type 2 diabetes and treatment-naïve moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea (Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index ≥15) and a control group of 31 people with Type 2 diabetes without obstructive sleep apnoea (Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index <5) were examined. Obstructive sleep apnoea status was evaluated using the ApneaLink ® + home-monitoring device (Resmed Inc., San Diego, CA, USA), providing the Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index scores. Arterial stiffness was assessed according to carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity using the Sphygmocor device and the oscillometric Mobil-O-Graph ® (I.E.M. GmbH, Stolberg, Germany). Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity was not significantly different between participants with Type 2 diabetes with obstructive sleep apnoea and those without obstructive sleep apnoea (10.7±2.2 m/s vs 10.3±2.1 m/s; P=0.513), whereas oscillometric pulse wave velocity was significantly higher in participants with Type 2 diabetes with obstructive sleep apnoea than in those without obstructive sleep apnoea (9.5±1.0 m/s vs 8.6±1.4 m/s; P=0.002). In multiple regression analysis, age (P=0.002), gender (men; P=0.018) and HbA 1c (P=0.027) were associated with carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, and systolic blood pressure (P=0.004) and age (P<0.001) were associated with oscillometric pulse wave velocity. After adjustment, presence of obstructive sleep apnoea was not independently associated with pulse wave velocity whether assessed by tonometry or oscillometry. In conclusion, the present study did not find an age- and blood pressure-independent association between moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea and arterial stiffness in non-sleepy people with Type 2 diabetes. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT02482584). © 2018

  19. Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection in a Male Patient with Takayasu's Arteritis and Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome

    PubMed Central

    Gerede, Demet Menekşe; Yüksel, Bağdagül; Tutar, Eralp; Küçükşahin, Orhan; Uzun, Çağlar; Atasoy, Kayhan Çetin; Düzgün, Nurşen; Bengisun, Uğur

    2013-01-01

    We present a case of a 34-year-old male who presented to the emergency ward with fever and abdominal pain. The diagnosis of Takayasu's arteritis and also antiphospholipid syndrome was made during an imaging workup of deep-vein thrombosis. A spontaneous coronary artery dissection was revealed in coronary CT angiography requested for chest pain and dyspnea. The patient was treated medically and discharged on close followup. The concurrence of spontaneous coronary artery dissection with antiphospholipid syndrome and Takayasu's arteritis has not been reported in the previous literature. The possibility of a spontaneous coronary artery dissection should be considered in patients presenting with both diseases. PMID:23956914

  20. The results of modipin monotherapy in coronary heart disease patients with arterial hypertension (secondary coronary prevention).

    PubMed

    Kapanadze, S; Dolidze, N; Bakhutashvili, Z; Latsabidze, N; Chapidze, L

    2005-01-01

    The goal of the present study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the third generation calcium antagonist -- modipin (amlodipin, Asfarma, Turkey) in 29 patients with coronary atherosclerosis and arterial hypertension. In addition, some pleiotropic actions were examined. On the background of 5-10 mg/day modipin monotherapy during the 3-month study period the target systolic and diastolic blood pressure were achieved in 64 and 51% of cases. Modipin revealed some antiatherogenic efficacy as well. Pleiotropic effects of the drug were particularly expressed in restoring endothelial function reducing degree of hyperlipoperoxidemia and inhibition of platelet aggregation. There were positive changes in functional class of angina. Clinical safety was good. Consequently the present trial supports the use of modipine in all coronary artery disease patients with moderate or severe arterial hypertension.

  1. Patient-specific coronary artery blood flow simulation using myocardial volume partitioning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Kyung Hwan; Kang, Dongwoo; Kang, Nahyup; Kim, Ji-Yeon; Lee, Hyong-Euk; Kim, James D. K.

    2013-03-01

    Using computational simulation, we can analyze cardiovascular disease in non-invasive and quantitative manners. More specifically, computational modeling and simulation technology has enabled us to analyze functional aspect such as blood flow, as well as anatomical aspect such as stenosis, from medical images without invasive measurements. Note that the simplest ways to perform blood flow simulation is to apply patient-specific coronary anatomy with other average-valued properties; in this case, however, such conditions cannot fully reflect accurate physiological properties of patients. To resolve this limitation, we present a new patient-specific coronary blood flow simulation method by myocardial volume partitioning considering artery/myocardium structural correspondence. We focus on that blood supply is closely related to the mass of each myocardial segment corresponding to the artery. Therefore, we applied this concept for setting-up simulation conditions in the way to consider many patient-specific features as possible from medical image: First, we segmented coronary arteries and myocardium separately from cardiac CT; then the myocardium is partitioned into multiple regions based on coronary vasculature. The myocardial mass and required blood mass for each artery are estimated by converting myocardial volume fraction. Finally, the required blood mass is used as boundary conditions for each artery outlet, with given average aortic blood flow rate and pressure. To show effectiveness of the proposed method, fractional flow reserve (FFR) by simulation using CT image has been compared with invasive FFR measurement of real patient data, and as a result, 77% of accuracy has been obtained.

  2. The Randomised Intervention Treatment of Angina (RITA) Trial protocol: a long term study of coronary angioplasty and coronary artery bypass surgery in patients with angina.

    PubMed Central

    Henderson, R A

    1989-01-01

    The Randomised Intervention Treatment of Angina (RITA) Trial is a prospective, randomised study to compare the short term and long term effects of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and coronary artery bypass surgery. During the study a register of patients undergoing coronary arteriography at the fourteen participating centres is being maintained to assess the overall context of patient recruitment. Patients with arteriographically proven coronary artery disease are considered for the trial if the participating cardiologist and surgeon agree that equivalent revascularisation could be achieved by either treatment method. Patients who satisfy the trial entry criteria are randomised to treatment by coronary angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery, with prospective stratification into groups with one, two, or three treatment vessels. Randomisation implies an intention to treat the patient by the assigned procedure and the analysis of long term results will include all randomised cases. The trial will recruit at least 1000 patients who will be followed for five years. The major trial end points include death, new myocardial infarction, and new coronary angioplasty or coronary artery bypass procedures. Other outcome measures include symptom and employment status, quality of life, exercise tolerance, and left ventricular function. PMID:2486557

  3. A quality score for coronary artery tree extraction results

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Qing; Broersen, Alexander; Kitslaar, Pieter H.; Lelieveldt, Boudewijn P. F.; Dijkstra, Jouke

    2018-02-01

    Coronary artery trees (CATs) are often extracted to aid the fully automatic analysis of coronary artery disease on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) images. Automatically extracted CATs often miss some arteries or include wrong extractions which require manual corrections before performing successive steps. For analyzing a large number of datasets, a manual quality check of the extraction results is time-consuming. This paper presents a method to automatically calculate quality scores for extracted CATs in terms of clinical significance of the extracted arteries and the completeness of the extracted CAT. Both right dominant (RD) and left dominant (LD) anatomical statistical models are generated and exploited in developing the quality score. To automatically determine which model should be used, a dominance type detection method is also designed. Experiments are performed on the automatically extracted and manually refined CATs from 42 datasets to evaluate the proposed quality score. In 39 (92.9%) cases, the proposed method is able to measure the quality of the manually refined CATs with higher scores than the automatically extracted CATs. In a 100-point scale system, the average scores for automatically and manually refined CATs are 82.0 (+/-15.8) and 88.9 (+/-5.4) respectively. The proposed quality score will assist the automatic processing of the CAT extractions for large cohorts which contain both RD and LD cases. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a general quality score for an extracted CAT is presented.

  4. Wall shear stress estimates in coronary artery constrictions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Back, L. H.; Crawford, D. W.

    1992-01-01

    Wall shear stress estimates from laminar boundary layer theory were found to agree fairly well with the magnitude of shear stress levels along coronary artery constrictions obtained from solutions of the Navier Stokes equations for both steady and pulsatile flow. The relatively simple method can be used for in vivo estimates of wall shear stress in constrictions by using a vessel shape function determined from a coronary angiogram, along with a knowledge of the flow rate.

  5. Quantitative assessment of myocardial blood flow in coronary artery disease by cardiovascular magnetic resonance: comparison of Fermi and distributed parameter modeling against invasive methods.

    PubMed

    Papanastasiou, Giorgos; Williams, Michelle C; Dweck, Marc R; Alam, Shirjel; Cooper, Annette; Mirsadraee, Saeed; Newby, David E; Semple, Scott I

    2016-09-13

    Mathematical modeling of perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) data allows absolute quantification of myocardial blood flow and can potentially improve the diagnosis and prognostication of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), against the current clinical standard of visual assessments. This study compares the diagnostic performance of distributed parameter modeling (DP) against the standard Fermi model, for the detection of obstructive CAD, in per vessel against per patient analysis. A pilot cohort of 28 subjects (24 included in the final analysis) with known or suspected CAD underwent adenosine stress-rest perfusion CMR at 3T. Data were analysed using Fermi and DP modeling against invasive coronary angiography and fractional flow reserve, acquired in all subjects. Obstructive CAD was defined as luminal stenosis of ≥70 % alone, or luminal stenosis ≥50 % and fractional flow reserve ≤0.80. On ROC analysis, DP modeling outperformed the standard Fermi model, in per vessel and per patient analysis. In per patient analysis, DP modeling-derived myocardial blood flow at stress demonstrated the highest sensitivity and specificity (0.96, 0.92) in detecting obstructive CAD, against Fermi modeling (0.78, 0.88) and visual assessments (0.79, 0.88), respectively. DP modeling demonstrated consistently increased diagnostic performance against Fermi modeling and showed that it may have merit for stratifying patients with at least one vessel with obstructive CAD. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01368237 Registered 6 of June 2011. URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01368237.

  6. [Role of serum leptin in the severity of coronary artery disease in patients with stable angina].

    PubMed

    Jerez-Valero, Miguel; Meliveo-García, Ana; Jordán-Martínez, Laura; Carrasco-Chinchilla, Fernando; Moreno-Santos, Inmaculada; Ordóñez, Antonio; Sánchez-Fernández, Pedro L; Vázquez, Rafael; Hernández-García, José M; Gómez-Doblas, Juan J; Pérez-Belmonte, Luis M; de Teresa-Galván, Eduardo; Jiménez-Navarro, Manuel

    2016-07-01

    Leptin is a plasmatic peptide hormone that has been related to cardiovascular homeostasis and atherosclerosis but much is still unknown about its relationship with coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of serum leptin in patients with stable angina and its relationship with the severity of coronary disease. 204 patients, 152 with stable angina (coronary artery disease group) and 52 without coronary disease excluded by cardiac computerized tomography (control group) were included. The coronary artery disease group was divided into 2 subgroups according to severity of coronary disease (single or multivessel disease, 46 and 106 patients, respectively). Serum leptin levels were determined by Enzyme-Linked InmunoSorbent Assay. Leptin levels were significantly higher in patients with multivessel disease and were independently associated with a greater severity of coronary artery disease when compared with controls (OR 1.14; 95%CI: 1.03-1.27; p=0.014) and with patients with single vessel disease (OR 1.12; 95%CI: 1.01-1.25; p=0.036). Serum leptin was tested as a diagnostic marker of multivessel disease with an area under the curve obtained from Receiver Operating Characteristics of 0.6764 (95%CI 0.5765-0.7657). Serum leptin levels were associated in patients with stable angina with the severity of coronary artery disease, suggesting its value in the development of coronary disease and as a future therapeutic target. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  7. Analysis of the influence of respiratory disorders observed in preoperative spirometry on the dynamics of early inflammatory response in patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting

    PubMed Central

    Szylińska, Aleksandra; Listewnik, Mariusz J; Rotter, Iwona; Rył, Aleksandra; Biskupski, Andrzej; Brykczyński, Mirosław

    2017-01-01

    Background Preoperative spirometry provides measurable information about the occurrence of respiratory disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the association between preoperative spirometry abnormalities and the intensification of early inflammatory responses in patients following coronary artery bypass graft in extracorporeal circulation. Material and methods The study involved 810 patients (625 men and 185 women) aged 65.4±7.9 years who were awaiting isolated coronary artery bypass surgery. On the basis of spirometry performed on the day of admittance to the hospital, the patients were divided into three groups. Patients without respiratory problems constituted 78.8% of the entire group. Restricted breathing was revealed by spirometry in 14.9% and obstructive breathing in 6.3% of patients. Results Inter-group analysis showed statistically significant differences in C-reactive protein (CRP) between patients with restrictive spirometry abnormalities and patients without any pulmonary dysfunction. CRP concentrations differed before surgery (P=0.006) and on the second (P<0.001), fourth (P=0.005) and sixth days after surgery (P=0.029). There was a negative correlation between CRP levels and FEV1. Conclusion In our study, the most common pulmonary disorders in the coronary artery bypass graft patients were restrictive. Patients with abnormal spirometry results from restrictive respiratory disorders have an elevated level of generalized inflammatory response both before and after the isolated coronary artery bypass surgery. Therefore, this group of patients should be given special postoperative monitoring and, in particular, intensive respiratory rehabilitation immediately after reconstitution. PMID:28769557

  8. Coronary artery narrowing after aortic root reconstruction with resorcin-formalin glue.

    PubMed

    Martinelli, L; Graffigna, A; Guarnerio, M; Bonmassari, R; Disertori, M

    2000-11-01

    Severe stenosis of right and left main coronary artery ostia developed after aortic root reconstruction with gelatin-resorcin-formol glue for correction of acute type A aortic dissection. Surgical treatment of this condition required grafting of the right and left anterior descending arteries with bilateral mammary arteries on the beating heart.

  9. N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide in acute Kawasaki disease correlates with coronary artery involvement.

    PubMed

    Adjagba, Philippe M; Desjardins, Laurent; Fournier, Anne; Spigelblatt, Linda; Montigny, Martine; Dahdah, Nagib

    2015-10-01

    We have lately documented the importance of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide in aiding the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease. We sought to investigate the potential value of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide pertaining to the prediction of coronary artery dilatation (Z-score>2.5) and/or of resistance to intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. We hypothesised that increased serum N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide level correlates with increased coronary artery dilatation and/or resistance to intravenous immunoglobulin. We carried out a prospective study involving newly diagnosed patients treated with 2 g/kg intravenous immunoglobulin within 5-10 days of onset of fever. Echocardiography was performed in all patients at onset, then weekly for 3 weeks, then at month 2, and month 3. Coronary arteries were measured at each visit, and coronary artery Z-score was calculated. All the patients had N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide serum level measured at onset, and the Z-score calculated. There were 109 patients enrolled at 6.58±2.82 days of fever, age 3.79±2.92 years. High N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide level was associated with coronary artery dilatation at onset in 22.2 versus 5.6% for normal N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels (odds ratio 4.8 [95% confidence interval 1.05-22.4]; p=0.031). This was predictive of cumulative coronary artery dilatation for the first 3 months (p=0.04-0.02), but not during convalescence at 2-3 months (odds ratio 1.28 [95% confidence interval 0.23-7.3]; p=non-significant). Elevated N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels did not predict intravenous immunoglobulin resistance, 15.3 versus 13.5% (p=1). Elevated N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide level correlates with acute coronary artery dilatation in treated Kawasaki disease, but not with intravenous immunoglobulin resistance.

  10. Metabolic Syndrome and Coronary Artery Disease in Ossabaw Compared with Yucatan Swine

    PubMed Central

    Neeb, Zachary P; Edwards, Jason M; Alloosh, Mouhamad; Long, Xin; Mokelke, Eric A; Sturek, Michael

    2010-01-01

    Metabolic syndrome (MetS), a compilation of associated risk factors, increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD, atherosclerosis), which can progress to the point of artery occlusion. Stents are the primary interventional treatment for occlusive CAD, and patients with MetS and hyperinsulinemia have increased restenosis. Because of its thrifty genotype, the Ossabaw pig is a model of MetS. We tested the hypothesis that, when fed high-fat diet, Ossabaw swine develop more features of MetS, greater native CAD, and greater stent-induced CAD than do Yucatan swine. Animals of each breed were divided randomly into 2 groups and fed 2 different calorie-matched diets for 40 wk: control diet (C) and high-fat, high-cholesterol atherogenic diet (H). A bare metal stent was placed in the circumflex artery, and pigs were allowed to recover for 3 wk. Characteristics of MetS, macrovascular and microvascular CAD, in-stent stenosis, and Ca2+ signaling in coronary smooth muscle cells were evaluated. MetS characteristics including, obesity, glucose intolerance, hyperinsulinemia, and elevated arterial pressure were elevated in Ossabaw swine compared to Yucatan swine. Ossabaw swine with MetS had more extensive and diffuse native CAD and in-stent stenosis and impaired coronary blood flow regulation compared with Yucatan. In-stent atherosclerotic lesions in Ossabaw coronary arteries were less fibrous and more cellular. Coronary smooth muscle cells from Ossabaw had impaired Ca2+ efflux and intracellular sequestration versus cells from Yucatan swine. Therefore, Ossabaw swine are a superior model of MetS, subsequent CAD, and cellular Ca2+ signaling defects, whereas Yucatan swine are leaner and relatively resistant to MetS and CAD. PMID:20819380

  11. Pacing from the right ventricular septum: is there a danger to the coronary arteries?

    PubMed

    Teh, Andrew W; Medi, Caroline; Rosso, Raphael; Lee, Geoffrey; Gurvitch, Ronen; Mond, Harry G

    2009-07-01

    Pacing from right ventricular (RV) septal sites has been suggested as an alternative to RV apical pacing in an attempt to avoid long-term adverse consequences on left ventricular function. Concern has been raised as to the relationship of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) to pacing leads in these positions. We retrospectively analyzed three cases in which patients with RV active-fixation leads in situ also had coronary angiography. Multiple fluoroscopic views were used to determine the relationship of the lead tip at various pacing sites to the coronary arteries. A lead placed on the anterior wall was in close proximity to the LAD, whereas septal and free wall positioning was not. Placement of RV active-fixation leads on the septum avoids potential coronary artery compromise.

  12. Electrical neuromodulation for disabling angina pectoris related to isolated stenoses of small epicardial coronary arteries.

    PubMed

    Jessurun, G A; Hautvast, R W; DeJongste, M J; Meyler, W J; van Boven AJ; Crijns, H J

    1999-07-01

    Patients with symptomatic small vessel coronary artery disease may be inadequate candidates for revascularization procedures. They may suffer from refractory angina, which does not respond to maximal anti-anginal drug therapy. In addition to patients with end stage coronary artery disease and syndrome X, this newly defined group of subjects with an isolated stenosis of a small coronary artery may benefit from electrical neurostimulation. We describe two patients with intractable angina caused by a significant narrowing of a diagonal branch. This treatment modality should be considered as an alternative method for unsatisfactory revascularization procedures.

  13. Right ventricular stress-induced perfusion defects and late gadolinium enhancement in coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Milks, Michael Wesley; Upadhya, Bharathi; Hall, Michael E; Vasu, Sujethra; Hundley, William Gregory; Stacey, Richard Brandon

    2015-01-01

    The assessment of right ventricular (RV) perfusion defects has remained challenging during vasodilator stress perfusion with cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). The significance of RV signal abnormalities during vasodilator stress perfusion and late gadolinium-enhanced CMR is yet uncertain. Among 61 individuals who underwent adenosine CMR stress testing before cardiac catheterization, we assessed the severity of coronary artery stenoses, mortality, the presence of stress and rest perfusion defects, as well as the presence of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). Right ventricular stress-induced perfusion defects were positively associated with left anterior descending artery and proximal right coronary artery stenoses but were negatively associated with left circumflex artery stenoses. The presence of RVLGE was associated with mortality, but 77% of those with RVLGE also had left ventricular LGE. Proximal right coronary artery and left anterior descending artery stenoses are positively associated, whereas left circumflex artery stenoses are negatively associated with RV stress-induced perfusion defects. Right ventricular LGE was associated with mortality, but further study is needed to determine whether this is independent of left ventricular LGE.

  14. The effect of incentive spirometry on arterial blood gases after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG)

    PubMed Central

    Yazdannik, Ahmadreza; Bollbanabad, Hiva Mohammadi; Mirmohammadsadeghi, Mohsen; Khalifezade, Asghar

    2016-01-01

    Background: After coronary artery bypass surgery, pulmonary complications and oxygenation disorders are common, which have an important role in mortality and morbidity. Different methods are used for the improvement of pulmonary function and oxygenation, of which incentive spirometry (IS) has been investigated here. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of IS on arterial blood gases after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). Materials and Methods: This was a clinical trial. Fifty patients who were candidates for CABG were chosen. The patients had been allocated to two random groups of intervention and control. The intervention was done through IS. These two groups were compared for the arterial blood gases’ preoperative level, and the levels on first (after extubation), second, and third postoperative days. Results: The study findings showed that on the third postoperative day, there was a significant difference between the intervention and control groups in the mean amount of arterial blood oxygen (82.3 ± 4.7 vs. 72.7 ± 7.1, respectively, P = 0.02), arterial blood carbon dioxide (36.8 ± 2 vs. 43.7 ± 3.2, respectively, P = 0.007), and oxygen saturation (96.8 ± 1.4 vs. 90.5 ± 1.4, respectively, P = 0.03). Conclusions: This investigation shows that using IS is significantly effective in the improvement of blood arterial gas parameters. PMID:26985228

  15. The effect of incentive spirometry on arterial blood gases after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG).

    PubMed

    Yazdannik, Ahmadreza; Bollbanabad, Hiva Mohammadi; Mirmohammadsadeghi, Mohsen; Khalifezade, Asghar

    2016-01-01

    After coronary artery bypass surgery, pulmonary complications and oxygenation disorders are common, which have an important role in mortality and morbidity. Different methods are used for the improvement of pulmonary function and oxygenation, of which incentive spirometry (IS) has been investigated here. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of IS on arterial blood gases after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). This was a clinical trial. Fifty patients who were candidates for CABG were chosen. The patients had been allocated to two random groups of intervention and control. The intervention was done through IS. These two groups were compared for the arterial blood gases' preoperative level, and the levels on first (after extubation), second, and third postoperative days. The study findings showed that on the third postoperative day, there was a significant difference between the intervention and control groups in the mean amount of arterial blood oxygen (82.3 ± 4.7 vs. 72.7 ± 7.1, respectively, P = 0.02), arterial blood carbon dioxide (36.8 ± 2 vs. 43.7 ± 3.2, respectively, P = 0.007), and oxygen saturation (96.8 ± 1.4 vs. 90.5 ± 1.4, respectively, P = 0.03). This investigation shows that using IS is significantly effective in the improvement of blood arterial gas parameters.

  16. Detection of patent ductus arteriosus with intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography in a patient undergoing closure of coronary artery to pulmonary artery fistula.

    PubMed

    Miyata, Yuka; Hayashi, Yukio

    2017-01-01

    Coronary artery to pulmonary artery fistula is an unusual vascular anomaly, and the shunt ratio of this fistula is usually small. We report anesthetic management of a 55-year-old female with annuloaortic ectasia, aortic valve regurgitation, and coronary artery to pulmonary artery fistula undergoing radical repair. We calculated the left-to-right shunt ratio after placement of a pulmonary artery catheter and found that the ratio was unexpectedly high. Thus, we explored the presence of another shunt by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography and found patent ductus arteriosus undiagnosed before operation. A combination of a pulmonary artery catheter and transesophageal echocardiography is useful to explore the presence of another shunt, such as patent ductus arteriosus during anesthesia.

  17. Stationary digital chest tomosynthesis for coronary artery calcium scoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Gongting; Wang, Jiong; Potuzko, Marci; Harman, Allison; Pearce, Caleb; Shan, Jing; Lee, Yueh Z.; Zhou, Otto; Lu, Jianping

    2016-03-01

    The coronary artery calcium score (CACS) measures the buildup of calcium on the coronary artery wall and has been shown to be an important predictor of the risk of coronary artery diseases (CAD). Currently CACS is measured using CT, though the relatively high cost and high radiation dose has limited its adoption as a routine screening procedure. Digital Chest Tomosynthesis (DCT), a low dose and low cost alternative to CT, and has been shown to achieve 90% of sensitivity of CT in lung disease screening. However commercial DCT requires long scanning time and cannot be adapted for high resolution gated cardiac imaging, necessary for CACS. The stationary DCT system (s- DCT), developed in our lab, has the potential to significantly shorten the scanning time and enables high resolution cardiac gated imaging. Here we report the preliminary results of using s-DCT to estimate the CACS. A phantom heart model was developed and scanned by the s-DCT system and a clinical CT in a phantom model with realistic coronary calcifications. The adapted fan-beam volume reconstruction (AFVR) method, developed specifically for stationary tomosynthesis systems, is used to obtain high resolution tomosynthesis images. A trained cardiologist segmented out the calcifications and the CACS was obtained. We observed a strong correlation between the tomosynthesis derived CACS and CT CACS (r2 = 0.88). Our results shows s-DCT imaging has the potential to estimate CACS, thus providing a possible low cost and low dose imaging protocol for screening and monitoring CAD.

  18. Optimal treatment of coronary-to-pulmonary artery fistula: surgery, coil or stent graft?

    PubMed Central

    Lipiec, Piotr; Peruga, Jan Zbigniew; Jaszewski, Ryszard; Pawłowski, Witold; Kasprzak, Jarosław

    2013-01-01

    We report a case of a 57-year-old man with typical angina due to a coronary artery-to-pulmonary artery fistula, which was evident on transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography with color Doppler flow mapping. The diagnosis was confirmed by coronary angiography. The patient underwent surgical ligation of the fistula. However, repeated transesophageal echocardiography and coronary angiography revealed persistence of the fistula with significant left-to-right shunt. The orifice of the fistula was then obliterated by stent-graft implantation, which was proven successful by angiography and echocardiography. PMID:24570733

  19. Bioresorbable scaffolds in the treatment of coronary artery disease

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Yaojun; Bourantas, Christos V; Farooq, Vasim; Muramatsu, Takashi; Diletti, Roberto; Onuma, Yoshinobu; Garcia-Garcia, Hector M; Serruys, Patrick W

    2013-01-01

    Drug-eluting stents have reduced the risk of in-stent restenosis and have broadened the application in percutaneous coronary intervention in coronary artery disease. However, the concept of using a permanent metallic endovascular device to restore the patency of a stenotic artery has inherited pitfalls, namely the presence of a foreign body within the artery causing vascular inflammation, late complications such as restenosis and stent thrombosis, and impeding the restoration of the physiologic function of the stented segment. Bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS) were introduced to potentially overcome these limitations, as they provide temporary scaffolding and then disappear, liberating the treated vessel from its cage. Currently, several BRSs are available, undergoing evaluation either in clinical trials or in preclinical settings. The aim of this review is to present the new developments in BRS technology, describe the mechanisms involved in the resorption process, and discuss the potential future prospects of this innovative therapy. PMID:23662091

  20. Comprehensive assessment of impaired peripheral and coronary artery endothelial functions in smokers using brachial artery ultrasound and oxygen-15-labeled water PET.

    PubMed

    Ochi, Noriki; Yoshinaga, Keiichiro; Ito, Yoichi M; Tomiyama, Yuuki; Inoue, Mamiko; Nishida, Mutsumi; Manabe, Osamu; Shibuya, Hitoshi; Shimizu, Chikara; Suzuki, Eriko; Fujii, Satoshi; Katoh, Chietsugu; Tamaki, Nagara

    2016-10-01

    Comprehensive evaluation of endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vascular functions in peripheral arteries and coronary arteries in smokers has never been performed previously. Through the use of brachial artery ultrasound and oxygen-15-labeled water positron emission tomography (PET), we sought to investigate peripheral and coronary vascular dysfunctions in smokers. Eight smokers and 10 healthy individuals underwent brachial artery ultrasound at rest, during reactive hyperemia [250mmHg cuff occlusion (flow-mediated dilatation (FMD)], and following sublingual nitroglycerin (NTG) administration. Myocardial blood flow (MBF) was assessed through O-15-labeled water PET at rest, during adenosine triphosphate (ATP) administration, and during a cold pressor test (CPT). Through ultrasound, smokers were shown to have significantly reduced %FMD compared to controls (6.62±2.28% vs. 11.29±2.75%, p=0.0014). As assessed by O-15-labeled water PET, smokers were shown to have a significantly lower CPT response than were controls (21.1±9.5% vs. 50.9±16.9%, p=0.0004). There was no relationship between %FMD and CPT response (r=0.40, p=0.097). Endothelium-independent vascular dilatation was similar for both groups in terms of coronary flow reserve with PET (p=0.19). Smokers tended to have lower %NTG in the brachial artery (p=0.055). Smokers exhibited impaired coronary endothelial function as well as peripheral brachial artery endothelial function. In addition, there was no correlation between PET and ultrasound measurements, possibly implying that while smokers may have systemic vascular endothelial dysfunction, the characteristics of that dysfunction may be different in peripheral arteries and coronary arteries. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  1. CT coronary angiography and exercise ECG in a population with chest pain and low-to-intermediate pre-test likelihood of coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Maffei, Erica; Seitun, Sara; Martini, Chiara; Palumbo, Alessandro; Tarantini, Giuseppe; Berti, Elena; Grilli, Roberto; Tedeschi, Carlo; Messalli, Giancarlo; Guaricci, Andrea; Weustink, Annick C; Mollet, Nico Ra; Cademartiri, Filippo

    2010-12-01

    To evaluate diagnostic accuracy of exercise ECG (ex-ECG) versus 64-slice CT coronary angiography (CT-CA) for the detection of significant coronary artery stenosis in a population with low-to-intermediate pre-test likelihood of coronary artery disease (CAD). Retrospective single centre. Tertiary academic hospital. 177 consecutive patients (88 men, 89 women, mean age 53.5±7.6 years) with chest pain and low-to-intermediate pre-test likelihood of CAD were retrospectively enrolled. All patients underwent ex-ECG, CT-CA and invasive coronary angiography (ICA). A lumen diameter reduction of ≥50% was considered as significant stenosis for CT-CA. Ex-ECG was classified as positive, negative or non-diagnostic. were compared with ICA. Diagnostic accuracy of CT-CA and ex-ECG was calculated using ICA as the reference standard. A parallel comparative analysis using a cut-off value of 70% for significant lumen reduction was also performed too. Results ICA disclosed an absence of significant stenosis (≥50% luminal narrowing) in 85.3% (151/177) patients, single-vessel disease in 9.0% (16/177) patients and multivessel disease in 5.6% (10/177) patients. Prevalence of obstructive disease at ICA was 14.7% (26/177). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values at the patient level were 100.0%, 98.7%, 92.9%, 100%, respectively, for CT-CA and 46.2%, 16.6%, 8.7%, 64.1%, respectively, for ex-ECG. Agreement between CT-CA and ex-ECG was 20.9%. CT-CA performed equally well in men and women, while ex-ECG had a better performance in men. After considering the cut-off value of 70% for significant stenosis, the difference between CT-CA and ex-ECG remained significant (p<0.01), with a low agreement (21.5%). CT-CA provides optimal diagnostic performance in patients with atypical chest pain and low-to-intermediate risk of CAD. Ex-ECG has poor diagnostic accuracy in this population. Concerns are related to risk of radiation dose versus the benefits of correct disease

  2. Association of Medical Liability Reform With Clinician Approach to Coronary Artery Disease Management.

    PubMed

    Farmer, Steven A; Moghtaderi, Ali; Schilsky, Samantha; Magid, David; Sage, William; Allen, Nori; Masoudi, Frederick A; Dor, Avi; Black, Bernard

    2018-06-06

    Physicians often report practicing defensive medicine to reduce malpractice risk, including performing expensive but marginally beneficial tests and procedures. Although there is little evidence that malpractice reform affects overall health care spending, it may influence physician behavior for specific conditions involving clinical uncertainty. To examine whether reducing malpractice risk is associated with clinical decisions involving coronary artery disease testing and treatment. Difference-in-differences design, comparing physician-specific changes in coronary artery disease testing and treatment in 9 new-cap states that adopted damage caps between 2003 and 2005 with 20 states without caps. We used the 5% national Medicare fee-for-service random sample between 1999 and 2013. Physicians (n = 75 801; 36 647 in new-cap states) who ordered or performed 2 or more coronary angiographies. Data were analyzed from June 2015 to January 2018. Changes in ischemic evaluation rates for possible coronary artery disease, type of initial evaluation (stress testing or coronary angiography), progression from stress test to angiography, and progression from ischemic evaluation to revascularization (percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting). We studied 36 647 physicians in new-cap states and 39 154 physicians in no-cap states. New-cap states had younger populations, more minorities, lower per-capita incomes, fewer physicians per capita, and lower managed care penetration. Following cap adoption, new-cap physicians reduced invasive testing (angiography) as a first diagnostic test compared with control physicians (relative change, -24%; 95% CI, -40% to -7%; P = .005) with an offsetting increase in noninvasive stress testing (7.8%; 95% CI, -3.6% to 19.3%; P = .17), and referred fewer patients for angiography following stress testing (-21%; 95% CI, -40% to -2%; P = .03). New-cap physicians also reduced revascularization rates after

  3. Hyperhomocysteinemia in bilateral anterior ischemic optic neuropathy after conventional coronary artery bypass graft: a case report.

    PubMed

    Niro, A; Sborgia, G; Sborgia, A; Alessio, G

    2018-01-17

    The incidence of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy after coronary artery bypass graft procedures ranges from 1.3 to 0.25%. The mechanisms of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy after cardiovascular procedures remain undefined but many systemic and related-to-surgery risk factors could underlie anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. In this case, we report a rare presentation of a bilateral anterior ischemic optic neuropathy after coronary artery bypass graft and speculate on the preoperative hyperhomocysteinemia as an independent risk factor for anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. A 56-year-old white man, a tobacco smoker with type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease, underwent a conventional coronary artery bypass graft with extracorporeal circulation. In spite of ongoing anti-aggregation, antithrombotic, and vasodilator therapy, 10 days after the surgery he complained of severe bilateral visual loss. Funduscopy and fluorescein angiography revealed a bilateral anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. Analysis of preoperative laboratory tests revealed hyperhomocysteinemia. Hyperhomocysteinemia could increase the risk of ocular vascular damage and bilateral ocular involvement in patients who have undergone conventional coronary artery bypass graft.

  4. Large left circumflex coronary artery with a fistula to superior vena cava: Diagnosis by echocardiography.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yunqi; Liu, Yanqiu; Xiong, Mai; Li, Hanzhao; Liu, Donghong; Zhang, Xi

    2017-04-01

    The left circumflex coronary artery associated with a fistula to superior vena cava is a rare entity. We describe a 7-year-old girl who presented with a cardiac murmur and was diagnosed with a coronary artery fistula between the left circumflex artery and superior vena cava by echocardiography. The surgical occlusion of the fistula was successful. © 2017, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Heart transplant coronary artery disease: Multimodality approach in percutaneous intervention.

    PubMed

    Leite, Luís; Matos, Vítor; Gonçalves, Lino; Silva Marques, João; Jorge, Elisabete; Calisto, João; Antunes, Manuel; Pego, Mariano

    2016-06-01

    Coronary artery disease is the most important cause of late morbidity and mortality after heart transplantation. It is usually an immunologic phenomenon termed cardiac allograft vasculopathy, but can also be the result of donor-transmitted atherosclerosis. Routine surveillance by coronary angiography should be complemented by intracoronary imaging, in order to determine the nature of the coronary lesions, and also by assessment of their functional significance to guide the decision whether to perform percutaneous coronary intervention. We report a case of coronary angiography at five-year follow-up after transplantation, using optical coherence tomography and fractional flow reserve to assess and optimize treatment of coronary disease in this challenging population. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

  6. CXCL4 Plasma Levels Are Not Associated with the Extent of Coronary Artery Disease or with Coronary Plaque Morphology

    PubMed Central

    Erbel, Christian; Korosoglou, Grigorios; Ler, Pearlyn; Akhavanpoor, Mohammadreza; Domschke, Gabriele; Linden, Fabian; Doesch, Andreas O.; Buss, Sebastian J.; Giannitsis, Evangelos; Katus, Hugo A.; Gleissner, Christian A.

    2015-01-01

    Background CXCL4 is a platelet chemokine released at micromolar concentrations upon platelet activation. CXCL4 has been shown to promote atherogenesis by various mechanisms. However, data on CXCL4 plasma levels in patients with coronary artery disease are largely inconclusive. Computed coronary artery angiography (CCTA) represents an excellent tool to quantify and characterize coronary atherosclerotic plaques. We hypothesized that increased CXCL4 plasma levels may be associated with features of plaque instability resulting in adverse cardiovascular events. Specifically, we sought to determine whether CXCL4 levels are correlated with specific features of coronary artery disease including (1) plaque volume, (2) calcium score, (3) degree of stenosis, or (4) vascular remodeling. Methods and Results CXCL4 plasma levels were measured by ELISA in 217 patients undergoing CCTA for suspected CAD (mean age 64.2 ± 9.4 years, 107 (49.3%) male). Mean CXCL4 plasma levels were 12.5 ± 4.6 ng/mL. There was no significant correlation between CXCL4 levels and any clinical or demographic parameters including cardiovascular risk factors. CXCL4 plasma levels did not differ between patient with or without coronary artery disease (CAD: 12.5 ± 4.5 ng/ml, no CAD: 12.5 ± 4.8 ng/ml). Neither univariate nor multivariate analysis showed an association between CXCL4 levels and plaque volume, total calcium score, degree of stenosis, or vascular remodeling. Subgroup analysis of patients with CAD as confirmed by CCTA did not show any association of CXCL4 levels with the extent of CAD. Conclusions While CXCL4 may be present and active within the arterial wall, local increase of CXCL4 may not translate into systemically elevated CXCL4 levels. Further studies will have to test whether CXCL4 may still represent a suitable therapeutic target in human atherosclerosis. PMID:26524462

  7. CXCL4 Plasma Levels Are Not Associated with the Extent of Coronary Artery Disease or with Coronary Plaque Morphology.

    PubMed

    Erbel, Christian; Korosoglou, Grigorios; Ler, Pearlyn; Akhavanpoor, Mohammadreza; Domschke, Gabriele; Linden, Fabian; Doesch, Andreas O; Buss, Sebastian J; Giannitsis, Evangelos; Katus, Hugo A; Gleissner, Christian A

    2015-01-01

    CXCL4 is a platelet chemokine released at micromolar concentrations upon platelet activation. CXCL4 has been shown to promote atherogenesis by various mechanisms. However, data on CXCL4 plasma levels in patients with coronary artery disease are largely inconclusive. Computed coronary artery angiography (CCTA) represents an excellent tool to quantify and characterize coronary atherosclerotic plaques. We hypothesized that increased CXCL4 plasma levels may be associated with features of plaque instability resulting in adverse cardiovascular events. Specifically, we sought to determine whether CXCL4 levels are correlated with specific features of coronary artery disease including (1) plaque volume, (2) calcium score, (3) degree of stenosis, or (4) vascular remodeling. CXCL4 plasma levels were measured by ELISA in 217 patients undergoing CCTA for suspected CAD (mean age 64.2 ± 9.4 years, 107 (49.3%) male). Mean CXCL4 plasma levels were 12.5 ± 4.6 ng/mL. There was no significant correlation between CXCL4 levels and any clinical or demographic parameters including cardiovascular risk factors. CXCL4 plasma levels did not differ between patient with or without coronary artery disease (CAD: 12.5 ± 4.5 ng/ml, no CAD: 12.5 ± 4.8 ng/ml). Neither univariate nor multivariate analysis showed an association between CXCL4 levels and plaque volume, total calcium score, degree of stenosis, or vascular remodeling. Subgroup analysis of patients with CAD as confirmed by CCTA did not show any association of CXCL4 levels with the extent of CAD. While CXCL4 may be present and active within the arterial wall, local increase of CXCL4 may not translate into systemically elevated CXCL4 levels. Further studies will have to test whether CXCL4 may still represent a suitable therapeutic target in human atherosclerosis.

  8. Coronary artery disease in Brazil: contemporary management and future perspectives.

    PubMed

    Polanczyk, C A; Ribeiro, J P

    2009-06-01

    Cardiovascular diseases are responsible for 32% of total mortality in Brazil, mostly due to cerebrovascular and coronary artery disease. Epidemiological and socio-economical factors play a pivotal role on the distribution, severity and management of coronary artery disease, and the burden is greater in the southeast and south regions of the country, with a higher mortality in low-income populations. The Brazilian healthcare structure is divided into two complementary systems-public and private-but 75% of the population is covered exclusively by the public system. Some Brazilian institutions offer state-of-the-art care to patients with acute and chronic coronary artery disease, but regional inequalities in medical care are still significant. National policies will have to be implemented to fight risk factors, to ensure primary prevention strategies, including assistance on drugs with known protective effects, areas to be tackled by both the private and the public health sectors. Finally, large investments will have to be made to improve tertiary care, to reorganise systems of care for acute patients and mainly to ensure prompt access and continuity of cardiac care and secondary prevention strategies for the whole population.

  9. Mendelian randomisation in type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Frayling, Timothy M; Stoneman, Charli E

    2018-06-20

    Type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease and hypertension are associated with anthropometric and biomarker traits, including waist-to-hip-ratio, body mass index and altered glucose and insulin levels. Clinical trials, for example of weight-loss interventions, show these factors are causal, but lifelong impact of subtle changes in body mass index and body fat distribution are less clear. The use of human genetics can quantify the causal effects of long-term exposure to subtle changes of modifiable risk factors. Mendelian randomisation (MR) uses human genetic variants associated with the risk factor to quantify the relationship between risk factor and disease outcome. The last two years have seen an increase in the number of MR studies investigating the relationship between anthropometric traits and metabolic diseases. This review provides an overview of these recent MR studies in relation to type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease and hypertension. MR provides evidence for causal associations of waist-to-hip-ratio, body mass index and altered glucose levels with type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease and hypertension. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Arterially Delivered Mesenchymal Stem Cells Prevent Obstruction-Induced Renal Fibrosis

    PubMed Central

    Asanuma, Hiroshi; Vanderbrink, Brian A.; Campbell, Matthew T.; Hile, Karen L.; Zhang, Hongji; Meldrum, Daniel R.; Meldrum, Kirstan K.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold promise for the treatment of renal disease. While MSCs have been shown to accelerate recovery and prevent acute renal failure in multiple disease models, the effect of MSC therapy on chronic obstruction-induced renal fibrosis has not previously been evaluated. Materials and Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent renal artery injection of vehicle or fluorescent-labeled human bone marrow-derived MSCs immediately prior to sham operation or induction of left ureteral obstruction (UUO). One or 4 weeks later, the kidneys were harvested and the renal cortex analyzed for evidence of stem cell infiltration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) as evidenced by E-cadherin/α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression and fibroblast specific protein (FSP+) staining, renal fibrosis (collagen content, Masson’s trichrome staining), and cytokine and growth factor activity (ELISA and real time RT-PCR). Results Fluorescent-labeled MSCs were detected in the interstitium of the kidney up to 4 weeks post-obstruction. Arterially delivered MSCs significantly reduced obstruction-induced α-SMA expression, FSP+ cell accumulation, total collagen content, and tubulointerstitial fibrosis, while simultaneously preserving E-cadherin expression, suggesting that MSCs prevent obstruction-induced EMT and renal fibrosis. Exogenous MSCs reduced obstruction-induced tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels, but did not alter transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin-10 (IL-10), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), or hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) expression. Conclusions Human bone marrow-derived MSCs remain viable several weeks after delivery into the kidney and provide protection against obstruction-induced EMT and chronic renal fibrosis. While the mechanism of MSCs-induced renal protection during obstruction remains unclear, our results demonstrate that alterations in TNF-α production may be involved

  11. Coronary artery screening by electron beam computed tomography. Facts, controversy, and future.

    PubMed

    Wong, N D; Detrano, R C; Abrahamson, D; Tobis, J M; Gardin, J M

    1995-08-01

    Coronary calcium as detected by electron beam computed tomography always signifies at least some atherosclerosis, appears to be correlated with coronary risk factors, cardiac history, and overall angiographic severity of disease, but is inconsistently related to degree of atherosclerotic lesion stenosis in a given artery. Increasing evidence, however, suggests an association between coronary artery calcium, atherosclerosis, and coronary risk. But atherosclerosis is a very common condition, its prevalence increasing with age. No fully validated method for determining the quantity of coronary calcium is available, and we do not know whether the amount of calcium is a consistently accurate reflection of the amount of atherosclerosis or whether the amount of atherosclerosis reflects the degree of risk. Furthermore, the prognostic significance of coronary calcium in any given atherosclerotic lesion is not yet established. What is clear from cohort studies, however, is that at least three quarters of asymptomatic individuals, at least half of whom would have "positive" coronary calcium electron beam computed tomographic scans, will live for at least 10 years without cardiac problems of any kind. Investigation is needed to determine whether medical intervention may impact the clinical outcome of the rest of those identified with a positive scan but destined to suffer future clinical events. Despite lack of validation, this test has widespread appeal, both to the public as a means of being able to find out the condition of their coronary arteries "without injections or dye" and to hospitals and private medical groups who view this both as an innovation in cardiovascular diagnosis and as a potentially profitable diagnostic procedure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  12. [Psychoprophylaxis in patients after coronary artery bypass graft operations].

    PubMed

    Rymaszewska, Joanna; Chładzińska-Kiejna, Sylwia; Górna, Renata; Kustrzycki, Wojciech

    2004-05-01

    The paper presented problems of quality of life and psychosocial functioning of patients following coronary artery bypass grafting operations. Possibilities of psychoprophylactic effects towards these patients and its efficacy were described.

  13. Chronic nitric oxide synthase inhibition blunts endothelium-dependent function of conduit coronary arteries, not arterioles

    PubMed Central

    Ingram, David G.; Newcomer, Sean C.; Price, Elmer M.; Eklund, Kevin E.; McAllister, Richard M.; Laughlin, M. Harold

    2009-01-01

    Current literature suggests that chronic nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition has differential effects on endothelium-dependent dilation (EDD) of conduit arteries vs. arterioles. Therefore, we hypothesized that chronic inhibition of NOS would impair EDD of porcine left anterior descending (LAD) coronary arteries but not coronary arterioles. Thirty-nine female Yucatan miniature swine were included in the study. Animals drank either tap water or water with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 100 mg/l), resulting in control and chronic NOS inhibition (CNI) groups, respectively. Treatment was continued for 1–3 mo (8.3 ± 0.6 mg · kg−1 · day−1). In vitro EDD of coronary LADs and arterioles was assessed via responses to ADP (LADs only) and bradykinin (BK), and endothelium-independent function was assessed via responses to sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Chronic NOS inhibition diminished coronary artery EDD to ADP and BK. Incubating LAD rings with L-NAME decreased relaxation responses of LADs from control pigs but not from CNI pigs such that between-group differences were abolished. Neither indomethacin (Indo) nor sulfaphenazole incubation significantly affected relaxation responses of LAD rings to ADP or BK. Coronary arteries from CNI pigs showed enhanced relaxation responses to SNP. In contrast to coronary arteries, coronary arterioles from CNI pigs demonstrated preserved EDD to BK and no increase in dilation responses to SNP. L-NAME, Indo, and L-NAME + Indo incubation did not result in significant between-group differences in arteriole dilation responses to BK. These results suggest that although chronic NOS inhibition diminishes EDD of LAD rings, most likely via a NOS-dependent mechanism, it does not affect EDD of coronary arterioles. PMID:17259441

  14. Significant association of RNF213 p.R4810K, a moyamoya susceptibility variant, with coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Morimoto, Takaaki; Mineharu, Yohei; Ono, Koh; Nakatochi, Masahiro; Ichihara, Sahoko; Kabata, Risako; Takagi, Yasushi; Cao, Yang; Zhao, Lanying; Kobayashi, Hatasu; Harada, Kouji H; Takenaka, Katsunobu; Funaki, Takeshi; Yokota, Mitsuhiro; Matsubara, Tatsuaki; Yamamoto, Ken; Izawa, Hideo; Kimura, Takeshi; Miyamoto, Susumu; Koizumi, Akio

    2017-01-01

    The genetic architecture of coronary artery disease has not been fully elucidated, especially in Asian countries. Moyamoya disease is a progressive cerebrovascular disease that is reported to be complicated by coronary artery disease. Because most Japanese patients with moyamoya disease carry the p.R4810K variant of the ring finger 213 gene (RNF213), this may also be a risk factor for coronary artery disease; however, this possibility has never been tested. We genotyped the RNF213 p.R4810K variant in 956 coronary artery disease patients and 716 controls and tested the association between p.R4810K and coronary artery disease. We also validated the association in an independent population of 311 coronary artery disease patients and 494 controls. In the replication study, the p.R4810K genotypes were imputed from genome-wide genotyping data based on the 1000 Genomes Project. We used multivariate logistic regression analyses to adjust for well-known risk factors such as dyslipidemia and smoking habits. In the primary study population, the frequency of the minor variant allele was significantly higher in patients with coronary artery disease than in controls (2.04% vs. 0.98%), with an odds ratio of 2.11 (p = 0.017). Under a dominant model, after adjustment for risk factors, the association remained significant, with an odds ratio of 2.90 (95% confidence interval: 1.37-6.61; p = 0.005). In the replication study, the association was significant after adjustment for age and sex (odds ratio = 4.99; 95% confidence interval: 1.16-21.53; p = 0.031), although it did not reach statistical significance when further adjusted for risk factors (odds ratio = 3.82; 95% confidence interval: 0.87-16.77; p = 0.076). The RNF213 p.R4810K variant appears to be significantly associated with coronary artery disease in the Japanese population.

  15. Aortic Implantation of Anomalous Origin of the Left Coronary Artery From the Pulmonary Artery: Long-Term Outcomes.

    PubMed

    Mongé, Michael C; Eltayeb, Osama; Costello, John M; Sarwark, Anne E; Carr, Michael R; Backer, Carl L

    2015-07-01

    Since 1989 all patients with anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery at our institution have been treated with aortic implantation. The purpose of this review was to assess the late outcomes of these patients, especially regarding left ventricular (LV) function and mitral valve insufficiency. Between 1989 and 2014, 36 patients had aortic implantation of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery. Mean age at surgery was 2.5 ± 5.1 years (median, 0.5 years). Operative strategy included antegrade cold-blood cardioplegia, main pulmonary artery transection, aortic implantation with a large button of pulmonary artery, pulmonary reconstruction with fresh autologous pericardium, and prolonged postoperative inotropic and ventilator support. Mitral regurgitation and LV dysfunction were graded as 0 to 4 (0 = none, 1 = trivial, 1.5 = trivial-mild, 2 = mild, 2.5 = mild-moderate, 3 = moderate, 3.5 = moderate-severe, and 4 = severe). Mean mitral regurgitation grade preoperatively was 2.95 ± 0.95. Mean LV dysfunction grade was 3.14 ± 1.27. Mean cross-clamp and cardiopulmonary bypass times were 49.1 ± 18 minutes (median, 48.5 minutes) and 147.5 ± 45 minutes (median, 139 minutes), respectively. There was no operative or late mortality. Four patients had delayed sternal closure. Mean duration of ventilator support was 11 ± 6.6 days (median, 9 days). Two patients required 3 and 6 days of postoperative extracorporeal mechanical circulatory support. Mean length of stay was 25 ± 18 days (median, 19 days). No patient has required reoperation for supravalvar pulmonary stenosis, coronary stenosis, or mitral valve repair or replacement. Late echocardiographic follow-up shows a mean mitral regurgitation grade of 1.67 ± 1.05 and a mean LV dysfunction grade of 0.23 ± 0.68. Aortic implantation is our procedure of choice for patients with anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery. No patient required

  16. Does extubation result in haemodynamic instability in patients following coronary artery bypass grafts?

    PubMed

    Walthall, H; Ray, S; Robson, D

    2001-10-01

    Coronary heart disease and its management continue to be at the centre of Government health policy. The present political climate demands clinical effectiveness and best practice should be established, while maintaining the philosophy of cost-effectiveness and resource management. These directives have led practitioners to question the care of patients following coronary artery bypass surgery, in particular the role of mechanical ventilation and the subsequent act of extubation. A retrospective study of 89 patients who had coronary artery bypass grafts (emergency and elective) was undertaken, to establish if extubation had a significant effect on the haemodynamic status of patients with variable degrees of left ventricular function (19% with poor left ventricular function). The study found that extubation was achieved within a mean time of 4.97 hours following return from surgery. Extubation resulted in a significant increase in heart rate (P = 0.001), as well as a respiratory acidosis (pCO2: P = 0.000; pH: P = 0.000). However, the stability of the patient was not compromised, with neither mean arterial blood pressure (P = 0.825) nor oxygenation levels (P = 0.267) being significantly altered by extubation. On multivariate analysis, the act of extubation had no significant effect on any of the dependent variables. These results suggest that it is not extubation alone that has an impact on the haemodynamic stability of patients following coronary artery bypass grafts, but that this is indeed multifactorial. Therefore extubation is 'safe' practice for patients with varying degrees of left ventricular function following coronary artery bypass grafts. Limitations of the study are acknowledged.

  17. Dual-energy computed tomography for detection of coronary artery disease

    PubMed Central

    Danad, Ibrahim; Ó Hartaigh, Bríain; Min, James K.

    2016-01-01

    Recent technological advances in computed tomography (CT) technology have fulfilled the prerequisites for the cardiac application of dual-energy CT (DECT) imaging. By exploiting the unique characteristics of materials when exposed to two different x-ray energies, DECT holds great promise for the diagnosis and management of coronary artery disease. It allows for the assessment of myocardial perfusion to discern the hemodynamic significance of coronary disease and possesses high accuracy for the detection and characterization of coronary plaques, while facilitating reductions in radiation dose. As such, DECT enabled cardiac CT to advance beyond the mere detection of coronary stenosis expanding its role in the evaluation and management of coronary atherosclerosis. PMID:26549789

  18. Bioresorbable Scaffolds: Current Evidences in the Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    Percutaneous coronary revascularization strategies have gradually progressed over a period of last few decades. The advent of newer generation drug-eluting stents has significantly improved the outcomes of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) by substantially reducing in-stent restenosis and stent thrombosis. However, vascular inflammation, restenosis, thrombosis, and neoatherosclerosis due to the permanent presence of a metallic foreign body within the artery limit their usage in complex Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). Bioresorbable Scaffolds (BRS) represent a novel approach in coronary stent technology. Complete resorption of the scaffold liberates the treated vessel from its cage and restores pulsatility, cyclical strain, physiological shear stress, and mechanotransduction. In this review article, we describe the advances in this rapidly evolving technology, present the evidence from the pre-clinical and clinical evaluation of these devices, and provide an overview of the ongoing clinical trials that were designed to examine the effectiveness of BRS in the clinical setting. PMID:27891384

  19. Drug-eluting coronary stents – focus on improved patient outcomes

    PubMed Central

    Jaffery, Zehra; Prasad, Amit; Lee, John H; White, Christopher J

    2011-01-01

    The development of stent has been a major advance in the treatment of obstructive coronary artery disease since the introduction of balloon angioplasty. Subsequently, neointimal hyperplasia within the stent leading to in-stent restenosis emerged as a major obstacle in long-term success of percutaneous coronary intervention. Recent introduction of drug-eluting stents is a major breakthrough to tackle this problem. This review article summarizes stent technology, reviews progress of drug-eluting stents and discusses quality of life, patient satisfaction, and acceptability of percutaneous coronary intervention. PMID:22915977

  20. Aspirin Desensitization in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease: Results of the Multicenter ADAPTED Registry (Aspirin Desensitization in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease).

    PubMed

    Rossini, Roberta; Iorio, Annamaria; Pozzi, Roberto; Bianco, Matteo; Musumeci, Giuseppe; Leonardi, Sergio; Lettieri, Corrado; Bossi, Irene; Colombo, Paola; Rigattieri, Stefano; Dossena, Cinzia; Anzuini, Angelo; Capodanno, Davide; Senni, Michele; Angiolillo, Dominick J

    2017-02-01

    There are limited data on aspirin (ASA) desensitization for patients with coronary artery disease. The aim of the present study was to assess the safety and efficacy of a standard rapid desensitization protocol in patients with ASA sensitivity undergoing coronary angiography. This is a prospective, multicenter, observational study including 7 Italian centers including patients with a history of ASA sensitivity undergoing coronary angiography with intent to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention. A total of 330 patients with history of ASA sensitivity with known/suspected stable coronary artery disease or presenting with an acute coronary syndrome, including ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction were enrolled. Adverse effects to aspirin included urticaria (n=177, 53.6%), angioedema (n=69, 20.9%), asthma (n=65, 19.7%), and anaphylactic reaction (n=19, 5.8%). Among patients with urticaria/angioedema, 13 patients (3.9%) had a history of idiopathic chronic urticaria. All patients underwent a rapid ASA (5.5 hours) desensitization procedure. The desensitization procedure was performed before cardiac catheterization in all patients, except for those (n=78, 23.6%) presenting with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction who underwent the desensitization after primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Percutaneous coronary intervention was performed in 235 patients (71%) of the overall study population. The desensitization procedure was successful in 315 patients (95.4%) and in all patients with a history of anaphylactic reaction. Among the 15 patients (4.6%) who did not successfully respond to the desensitization protocol, adverse reactions were minor and responded to treatment with corticosteroids and antihistamines. Among patients with successful in-hospital ASA desensitization, 253 patients (80.3%) continued ASA for at least 12 months. Discontinuation of ASA in the 62 patients (19.7%) who had responded to the desensitization protocol was because of medical

  1. [Quality of 3D magnetic resonance imaging of coronary arteries in patients with D-transposition of the great arteries after the Jatene switch procedure].

    PubMed

    Marín Rodríguez, C; Lancharro Zapata, Á; Rodríguez Ogando, A; Carrasco Muñoz, S; Ruiz Martín, Y; Sánchez Alegre, M L; Maroto Alvaro, E

    2015-01-01

    To evaluate the quality of images obtained with 3D balanced fast-field echo whole heart (WH3D) MRI sequences for assessing the coronary anastomosis and coronary stenosis in patients with D-transposition of the great arteries who have undergone the Jatene switch procedure. We retrieved 100 WH3D studies done in 83 patients who had undergone the Jatene switch procedure from our pediatric cardiac MRI database; 84 of these studies fulfilled the criteria for inclusion in the study. We evaluated coronary stenoses on WH3D MR images and their correlation with coronary CT or angiography images. We retrospectively studied the quality of the images of the proximal coronary arteries using a four-point scale and correlating the findings with age, heart rate, and heart size. Of the 84 studies, 4 (4.8%) were of a quality considered «insufficient for diagnosis», 7 (8.3%) were considered «fair», 23 (27.4%) «good», and 50 (59.5%) «excellent». The quality of the image of the coronary arteries was significantly correlated with heart rate. MRI detected stenosis in the origin of the coronary arteries in 9 (10.7%) studies. Images obtained with the WH3D MRI sequence in patients who had undergone the Jatene procedure were of diagnostic quality in most cases and were better in patients with lower heart rates. In 10.7%, stenosis in the origin of the coronary arteries that required new studies was detected. Copyright © 2014 SERAM. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  2. Small artery elasticity predicts future cardiovascular events in chinese patients with angiographic coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Wan, Zhaofei; Liu, Xiaojun; Wang, Xinhong; Liu, Fuqiang; Liu, Weimin; Wu, Yue; Pei, Leilei; Yuan, Zuyi

    2014-04-01

    Arterial elasticity has been shown to predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) in apparently healthy populations. The present study aimed to explore whether arterial elasticity could predict CVD events in Chinese patients with angiographic coronary artery disease (CAD). Arterial elasticity of 365 patients with angiographic CAD was measured. During follow-up (48 months; range 6-65), 140 CVD events occurred (including 34 deaths). Univariate Cox analysis demonstrated that both large arterial elasticity and small arterial elasticity were significant predictors of CVD events. Multivariate Cox analysis indicated that small arterial elasticity remained significant. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the probability of having a CVD event/CVD death increased with a decrease of small arterial elasticity (P < .001, respectively). Decreased small arterial elasticity independently predicts the risk of CVD events in Chinese patients with angiographic CAD.

  3. Effect of CPAP on diastolic function in coronary artery disease patients with nonsleepy obstructive sleep apnea: A randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Glantz, Helena; Johansson, Magnus C; Thunström, Erik; Guron, Cecilia Wallentin; Uzel, Harun; Saygin, Mustafa; Herlitz, Johan; Peker, Yüksel

    2017-08-15

    Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with worse diastolic function in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). This analysis determined whether continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment would improve diastolic function in CAD patients with nonsleepy OSA. Between December 2005 and November 2010, 244 revascularized CAD patients with nonsleepy OSA (apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥15/h, Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS] score<10) were randomly assigned to CPAP or no-CPAP. Echocardiographic measurements were obtained at baseline, and after 3 and 12months. A total of 171 patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (≥50%), no atrial fibrillation or severe valve abnormalities, and technically adequate echocardiograms at baseline and follow-up visits were included (CPAP, n=87; no-CPAP, n=84). In the intention-to-treat analysis, CPAP had no significant effect on echocardiographic parameters of mild (enlarged left atrium or decreased diastolic relaxation velocity) or worse (increased E/é filling index [presumed elevated left ventricular filling pressure]) diastolic function. Post-hoc analysis revealed a significant association between CPAP usage for ≥4h/night and an increase in diastolic relaxation velocity at 12months' follow-up (odds ratio 2.3, 95% confidence interval 1.0-4.9; p=0.039) after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, and left atrium diameter at baseline. CPAP did not improve diastolic dysfunction in CAD patients with nonsleepy OSA. However, good CPAP adherence was significantly associated with an increase in diastolic relaxation velocity after one year. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Exercise through a cardiac rehabilitation program attenuates oxidative stress in patients submitted to coronary artery bypass grafting.

    PubMed

    Taty Zau, José Francisco; Costa Zeferino, Rodrigo; Sandrine Mota, Nádia; Fernandes Martins, Gerez; Manoel Serra, Salvador; Bonates da Cunha, Therezil; Medeiros Lima, Daniel; Bragança Pereira, Basilio de; Matos do Nascimento, Emília; Filho, Danilo Wilhelm; Curi Pedrosa, Rozangela; Pedrosa, Roberto Coury

    2018-12-01

    Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in the world and oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis. Cardiac rehabilitation in patients with coronary artery disease submitted to coronary artery bypass grafting may prevent cardiovascular events probably through the attenuation of oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefits of a cardiac rehabilitation program in the control of the systemic oxidative stress. The studied population consisted of 40 patients, with chronic stable coronary artery disease submitted to coronary artery bypass grafting, who attended a cardiac rehabilitation program. Biomarkers of oxidative stress were evaluated in the blood of these patients at different moments. After the onset of cardiac rehabilitation, there was a significant and progressive decrease in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances levels and protein carbonyls, an initial increase and subsequent decrease in superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities. Also, a progressive increase of uric acid, while ferric reducing antioxidant power levels increased only at the end of the cardiac rehabilitation and a tendency to increase of glutathione contents. The results suggest that regular exercise through a cardiac rehabilitation program can attenuate oxidative stress in chronic coronary artery disease patients submitted to coronary artery bypass grafting.

  5. Drug-eluting stent in malignant biliary obstruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Dong-Ki; Jang, Sung Ill

    2012-10-01

    Endoscopic stent insertion is the treatment of choice for patients with malignant biliary obstruction. However, conventional stents enable only mechanical palliation of the obstruction, without any anti-tumor effects. Drugeluting stent (DES), which was first introduced in coronary artery disease, are currently under investigation for sustaining stent patency and prolonging patient survival by inhibiting tumor ingrowth in malignant biliary obstruction. Many factors affecting efficient drug delivery have been studied to determine how drugs with antitumor effects suppress tumor ingrowth, including the specific drugs incorporated, means of incorporating the drugs, mode of drug release, and stent structure. Advances have resulted in the construction of more effective non-vascular DES and ongoing clinical research. Non-vascular DES is expected to play a vital role in prolonging the survival of patients with malignant biliary obstruction.

  6. Outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention in intermediate coronary artery disease: fractional flow reserve-guided versus intravascular ultrasound-guided.

    PubMed

    Nam, Chang-Wook; Yoon, Hyuck-Jun; Cho, Yun-Kyeong; Park, Hyoung-Seob; Kim, Hyungseop; Hur, Seung-Ho; Kim, Yoon-Nyun; Chung, In-Sung; Koo, Bon-Kwon; Tahk, Seung-Jae; Fearon, William F; Kim, Kwon-Bae

    2010-08-01

    This study sought to evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes of a fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) strategy compared with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided PCI for intermediate coronary lesions. Both FFR- and IVUS-guided PCI strategies have been reported to be safe and effective in intermediate coronary lesions. The study included 167 consecutive patients, with intermediate coronary lesions evaluated by FFR or IVUS (FFR-guided, 83 lesions vs. IVUS-guided, 94 lesions). Cutoff value of FFR in FFR-guided PCI was 0.80, whereas that for minimal lumen cross sectional area in IVUS-guided PCI was 4.0 mm(2). The primary outcome was defined as a composite of major adverse cardiac events including death, myocardial infarction, and ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization at 1 year after the index procedure. Baseline percent diameter stenosis and lesion length were similar in both groups (51 +/- 8% and 24 +/- 12 mm in the FFR group vs. 52 +/- 8% and 24 +/- 13 mm in the IVUS group, respectively). However, the IVUS-guided group underwent revascularization therapy significantly more often (91.5% vs. 33.7%, p < 0.001). No significant difference was found in major adverse cardiac event rates between the 2 groups (3.6% in FFR-guided PCI vs. 3.2% in IVUS-guided PCI). Independent predictors for performing intervention were guiding device: FFR versus IVUS (relative risk [RR]: 0.02); left anterior descending coronary artery versus non-left anterior descending coronary artery disease (RR: 5.60); and multi- versus single-vessel disease (RR: 3.28). Both FFR- and IVUS-guided PCI strategy for intermediate coronary artery disease were associated with favorable outcomes. The FFR-guided PCI reduces the need for revascularization of many of these lesions. Copyright (c) 2010 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Distribution of ABO Blood Groups and Coronary Artery Calcium.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yao; Zhou, Bing-Yang; Zhu, Cheng-Gang; Guo, Yuan-Lin; Wu, Na-Qiong; Qing, Ping; Gao, Ying; Liu, Geng; Dong, Qian; Li, Jian-Jun

    2017-06-01

    ABO blood groups have been confirmed to be associated with cardiovascular diseases such as coronary artery disease. However, whether ABO blood group is correlated with coronary artery calcium (CAC) is still unknown. 301 patients with coronary artery calcium score (CACS) assessed by computed tomography were consecutively enrolled and divided into two groups: with calcium group (CACS>0, n=104) and without calcium group (CACS=0, n=197). Distribution of ABO blood groups was evaluated between the two groups. The percentage of A blood type was significantly higher (p=0.008) and O blood type was significantly lower (p=0.037) in the calcium group. Univariate regression analysis showed that age, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, A blood type were positively correlated with CAC, and O blood type was inversely associated with CAC. Multivariate regression analysis showed that A blood type was independently associated with CAC (odds ratio: 2.217, 95% confidence interval: 1.260-3.900, p=0.006) even after further adjustment for variables that were clearly different between the two groups. Our data has suggested for the first time that A blood type was an independent risk marker for CAC. Copyright © 2016 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Influence of anatomical dominance and hypertension on coronary conduit arterial and microcirculatory flow patterns: a multiscale modeling study.

    PubMed

    Mynard, Jonathan P; Smolich, Joseph J

    2016-07-01

    Coronary hemodynamics are known to be affected by intravascular and extravascular factors that vary regionally and transmurally between the perfusion territories of left and right coronary arteries. However, despite clinical evidence that left coronary arterial dominance portends greater cardiovascular risk, relatively little is known about the effects of left or right dominance on regional conduit arterial and microcirculatory blood flow patterns, particularly in the presence of systemic or pulmonary hypertension. We addressed this issue using a multiscale numerical model of the human coronary circulation situated in a closed-loop cardiovascular model. The coronary model represented left or right dominant anatomies and accounted for transmural and regional differences in vascular properties and extravascular compression. Regional coronary flow dynamics of the two anatomical variants were compared under normotensive conditions, raised systemic or pulmonary pressures with maintained flow demand, and after accounting for adaptations known to occur in acute and chronic hypertensive states. Key findings were that 1) right coronary arterial flow patterns were strongly influenced by dominance and systemic/pulmonary hypertension; 2) dominance had minor effects on left coronary arterial and all microvascular flow patterns (aside from mean circumflex flow); 3) although systemic hypertension favorably increased perfusion pressure, this benefit varied regionally and transmurally and was offset by increased left ventricular and septal flow demands; and 4) pulmonary hypertension had a substantial negative effect on right ventricular and septal flows, which was exacerbated by greater metabolic demands. These findings highlight the importance of interactions between coronary arterial dominance and hypertension in modulating coronary hemodynamics. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

  9. Benefits of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in high-risk patients.

    PubMed

    Marui, Akira; Okabayashi, Hitoshi; Komiya, Tatsuhiko; Tanaka, Shiro; Furukawa, Yutaka; Kita, Toru; Kimura, Takeshi; Sakata, Ryuzo

    2012-09-11

    The benefits of off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (OPCAB) compared with conventional on-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CCAB) remain controversial. Thus, it is important to investigate which patient subgroups may benefit the most from OPCAB rather than CCAB. Among the patients undergoing first coronary revascularization enrolled in the CREDO-Kyoto Registry (a registry of first-time percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass graft patients in Japan), 2468 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft were entered into the study (mean age, 67 ± 9 years). Predicted risk of operative mortality (PROM) of each patient was calculated by logistic EuroSCORE. Patients were divided into tertile based on their PROM. Mortality rates and the incidences of cardiovascular events were compared between CCAB and OPCAB within each PROM tertile using propensity score analysis. A total of 1377 patients received CCAB whereas 1091 received OPCAB. Adjusted 30-day mortality was not significantly different between CCAB and OPCAB patients regardless of their PROM range. However, the odds ratio of 30-day stroke in CCAB compared with OPCAB in the high-risk tertile was 8.30 (95% confidence interval, 2.25-30.7; P<0.01). Regarding long-term outcomes, hazard ratio of stroke in CCAB compared with OPCAB in the high-risk tertile was 1.80 (95% confidence interval, 1.07-3.02; P=0.03). Nevertheless, hazard ratio of overall mortality in the high-risk tertile was 1.44 (95% confidence interval, 0.98-2.11; P=0.06), indicating no statistically significant difference between the 2 procedures. OPCAB as opposed to CCAB is associated with short-term and long-term benefits in stroke prevention in patients at higher risk as estimated by EuroSCORE. No survival benefit of OPCAB was shown regardless of preoperative risk level.

  10. Arterial Access in Patients With De Novo Acute Coronary Syndrome Undergoing Coronary Angiography.

    PubMed

    Abdul Jabbar, Ali; Mufti, Omar; Sabol, Angeline; Markert, Ronald; White, Bryan; Broderick, George

    2017-04-01

    Bleeding is a major limitation of antithrombotic therapy among invasively managed patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACSs). Randomized clinical trials have generally failed to favor either the femoral or the radial arterial approach for coronary angiography or intervention in NSTE-ACS. In 561 hospitalized patients with a new diagnosis of NSTE-ACS referred for coronary angiography, 364 and 197 patients underwent the femoral and the radial approach, respectively. Femoral and radial access did not differ in bleeding complications in the first 72 hours (8 of 364 or 2.2% vs 8 of 197 or 4.1%, P = .21), duration of hospitalization (4.67 ± 5.02 vs 4.51 ± 4.81, P = .28) nor in-hospital mortality (0.8% vs 0.5%, P = .67). Contrast volume was higher for femoral versus radial cases (204 ± 119 vs 168 ± 104, P < .001). In patients with de novo NSTE-ACS without prior cardiac bypass, radial and femoral arterial access did not differ in instances of bleeding within the first 72 hours postoperatively, length of hospital stay, or in-hospital mortality. Less contrast was used in radial cases, which may represent an advantage for patients with renal insufficiency.

  11. Distribution of coronary arterial capacitance in a canine model.

    PubMed

    Lader, A S; Smith, R S; Phillips, G C; McNamee, J E; Abel, F L

    1998-03-01

    The capacitative properties of the major left coronary arteries, left main (LM), left anterior descending (LAD), and left circumflex (LCX), were studied in 19 open-chest isolated dog hearts. Capacitance was determined by using ramp perfusion and a left ventricular-to-coronary shunt diastolic decay method; both methods gave similar results, indicating a minimal systolic capacitative component. Increased pericardial pressure (PCP), 25 mmHg, was used to experimentally alter transmural wall pressure. The response to increased PCP was different in the LAD vs. LCX; increasing PCP decreased capacitance in the LCX but increased capacitance in the LAD. This may have been due to the different intramural vs. epicardial volume distribution of these vessels and a decrease in intramural tension during increased PCP. Increased PCP decreased LCX capacitance by approximately 13%, but no changes in conductance or zero flow pressure intercept occurred in any of the three vessels, i. e., evidence against the waterfall theory of vascular collapse at these levels of PCP. Coronary arterial capacitance was also linearly related to perfusion pressure.

  12. Does Undersizing of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Bioprostheses during Valve-in-Valve Implantation Avoid Coronary Obstruction? An In Vitro Study.

    PubMed

    Stock, Sina; Scharfschwerdt, Michael; Meyer-Saraei, Roza; Richardt, Doreen; Charitos, Efstratios I; Sievers, Hans-Hinrich; Hanke, Thorsten

    2017-04-01

    Background  The transcatheter aortic valve-in-valve implantation (TAViVI) is an evolving treatment strategy for degenerated surgical aortic valve bioprostheses (SAVBs) in patients with high operative risk. Although hemodynamics is excellent, there is some concern regarding coronary obstruction, especially in SAVB with externally mounted leaflet tissue, such as the Trifecta (St. Jude Medical Inc., St. Paul, Minnesota, United States). We investigated coronary flow and hydrodynamics before and after TAViVI in a SAVB with externally mounted leaflet tissue (St. Jude Medical, Trifecta) with an undersized transcatheter aortic valve bioprosthesis (Edwards Sapien XT; Edwards Lifesciences LLC, Irvine, California, United States) in an in vitro study. Materials and Methods  An aortic root model was constructed incorporating geometric dimensions known as risk factors for coronary obstruction. Investigating the validity of this model, we primarily performed recommended TAViVI with the Sapien XT (size 26 mm) in a Trifecta (size 25 mm) in a mock circulation. Thereafter, hydrodynamic performance and coronary flow (left/right coronary diastolic flow [lCF/rCF]) after TAViVI with an undersized Sapien XT (size 23 mm) in a Trifecta (size 25 mm) were investigated at two different coronary ostia heights (COHs, 8 and 10 mm). Results  Validation of the model led to significant coronary obstruction ( p  < 0.001). Undersized TAViVI showed no significant reduction with respect to coronary flow (lCF: COH 8 mm, 0.90-0.87 mL/stroke; COH 10 mm, 0.89-0.82 mL/stroke and rCF: COH 8 mm, 0.64-0.60 mL/stroke; COH 10 mm, 0.62-0.58 mL/stroke). Mean transvalvular gradients (4-5 mm Hg, p  < 0.001) increased significantly after TAViVI. Conclusions  In our in vitro model, undersized TAViVI with the balloon-expandable Sapien XT into a modern generation SAVB (Trifecta) successfully avoided coronary flow obstruction. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  13. Anomalous Origin of the Left Coronary Artery from the Right Sinus of Valsalva and Sever Mitral Stenosis

    PubMed Central

    Abdi, Ahmadnoor; Hashemi Fard, Omid

    2011-01-01

    Congenital coronary anomalies are presented in approximately1% of patient referred for cardiac catheterization. Among the congenital coronary anomalies, a separated anomalous origin of all the coronary arteries from the right sinus of valsalva is very uncommon. We report a rare occurance of simultaneous occurence of mitral stenosis with ectopic origin of left main stem coronary artery from right sinus of Valsalva. PMID:22577434

  14. Off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery revascularization: effects on pulmonary function.

    PubMed

    e Silva, Ana M R P; Saad, Roberto; Stirbulov, Roberto; Rivetti, Luiz A

    2010-07-01

    Many studies have shown important changes in lung function tests after coronary artery surgeries. It is controversial if off-pump surgery can give a better and shorter recovery than the on-pump. A prospective study was conducted on 42 patients submitted to coronary artery surgery and divided into two groups: 21 off-pump using intraluminal shunt (G (I)) and 21 on-pump (G (II)), matched by the anatomical location of the coronary arteries lesions. All patients had spirometric evaluation, blood gas measurements and alveolo-arterial oxygen gradient (A-aDO(2)), at the fourth and 10th postoperative days (PO(4) and PO(10)). Preoperatively, G(I) and G(II) had similar results (P>0.372). Spirometry showed decreases at PO(4) and remained decreased until PO(10) for both groups, with significant differences between the groups. The blood gas measurements showed reduction in arterial oxygen pressure (PaO(2)) and carbon dioxide pressure (PaCO(2)), while there was an increase in A-aDO(2) at PO(4) and PO(10) in both groups. The results suggest that different changes occur in pulmonary function when the surgery is performed with or without cardiopulmonary bypass. The off-pump patients showed significantly greater improvement than the on-pump group.

  15. Left Internal Mammary Artery Usage in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Measure of Quality Control

    PubMed Central

    Karthik, S; Fabri, BM

    2006-01-01

    INTRODUCTION Over the last two decades, many studies have shown better long-term patency rates and survival in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with left internal mammary artery (LIMA) to the left anterior descending artery (LAD). World-wide, LIMA is accepted as the ‘gold standard’ for surgical revascularisation and its usage has been steadily increasing. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between April 1997 and September 2001, a total of 4406 consecutive patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting with revascularisation to the left anterior descending artery. RESULTS Of the study group, 4047 (91.8%) patients received LIMA to LAD, leaving 359 (8.2%) who did not. Six sub-groups of patients in whom LIMA usage was significantly less were the elderly (> 70 years of age), females, diabetics, patients having emergency CABG, poor left ventricular (LV) function (ejection fraction [EF] < 30%) and patients with respiratory disease. CONCLUSIONS Although the current focus in the UK is on mortality rates, we believe that it will not be long before this will also include the incidence of major morbidity after CABG such as stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), renal failure and sternal wound problems. We also believe that we should now consider LIMA usage as a marker of quality control after CABG. PMID:16834857

  16. Structural and functional changes of the coronary arteries in elderly senile patients with essential hypertension.

    PubMed

    Hu, Jun; Zhu, Fu; Xie, Jun; Cheng, Xinhai; Chen, Guiyu; Tai, Haifen; Fan, Shaohua

    2013-11-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of aging on the changes to the structure and function of coronary arteries in senile elderly patients with essential hypertension. Patients (aged 60-80 years) were divided into three groups. The 195 hypertensive patients were divided into four sub-groups according to the duration of hypertension. The changes to the coronary arteries (left and right) of all those patients were tested using the following index by 64 coronary computed tomography (CT) scans. The 24 h systolic blood pressure (SBP) and other blood biochemical parameters were assayed for all patients. We found that the value of the body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoproteins (LDL) were lower, but age and high density lipoproteins (HDL) were higher in the group of very elderly patients with hypertension (Group I; P<0.05) compared with those of a group of elderly patients with hypertension (Group III). The left anterior descending branch calcification score (CSLAD), total calcification score (CST), pulse pressure (PP), the left main branch calcification score (CSLM), the left circumflex branch calcification score (CSLCX) were significantly increased in Group I compared with Group III (P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively). In addition, the 24 h SBP value for Group I was higher than in the 'very elderly without hypertension' group (Group II). Hence, in elderly patients, a decrease in the levels of BMI, HDL, TC and LDL accompanies aging. Furthermore, the decline of arterial compliance and increase in arterial stiffness develops with age. Aging is more likely to lead to atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries, particularly in the left main coronary artery and its main branches. Aging is an uncontrollable risk factor, which plays a crucial role in coronary artery atherosclerosis.

  17. Revascularization heart team recommendations as an adjunct to appropriate use criteria for coronary revascularization in patients with complex coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Sanchez, Carlos E; Dota, Anthony; Badhwar, Vinay; Kliner, Dustin; Smith, A J Conrad; Chu, Danny; Toma, Catalin; Wei, Lawrence; Marroquin, Oscar C; Schindler, John; Lee, Joon S; Mulukutla, Suresh R

    2016-10-01

    To evaluate how a comprehensive evidence-based clinical review by a multidisciplinary revascularization heart team on treatment decisions for revascularization in patients with complex coronary artery disease using SYNTAX scores combined with Society of Thoracic Surgeons-derived clinical variables can be additive to the utilization of Appropriate Use Criteria for coronary revascularization. Decision-making regarding the use of revascularization for coronary artery disease has come under major scrutiny due to inappropriate overuse of revascularization. There is little data in routine clinical practice evaluating how a structured, multidisciplinary heart team approach may be used in combination with the Appropriate Use Criteria for revascularization. From May 1, 2012 to January 1, 2015, multidisciplinary revascularization heart team meetings were convened to discuss evidence-based management of 301 patients with complex coronary artery disease. Heart team recommendations were adjudicated with the Appropriate Use Criteria for coronary revascularization for each clinical scenario using the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions' Quality Improvement Toolkit (SCAI-QIT) Appropriate Use Criteria App. Concordance of the Heart Team to Appropriate Use Criteria had a 99.3% appropriate primary indication for coronary revascularization. Among patients who underwent percutaneous revascularization, 34.9% had an inappropriate or uncertain indication as recommended by the Heart Team. Patients with uncertain or inappropriate percutaneous coronary interventions had significantly higher SYNTAX score (27.3 ± 6.6; 28.5 ± 5.5; 19.2 ± 6; P < 0.0001) and Society of Thoracic Surgeons-Predicted Risk of Mortality (6.1% ± 4.7%; 8.1% ± 6.3%; 3.7% ± 4.1%; P < 0.0081) compared to appropriate indications, frequently had concomitant forms of advanced comorbidities and frailty in the setting of symptomatic coronary artery disease. A formal

  18. Single coronary artery originating from the right sinus Valsalva and ability to work.

    PubMed

    De Rosa, Roberto; Ratti, Gennaro; Gerardi, Donato; Tedeschi, Carlo; Lamberti, Monica

    2015-01-01

    We present a case of a 56-year-old male electrician who was admitted to the hospital with atrial fibrillation, atypical chest pain and dyspnea. He gave a history that on the morning he had working for almost 4 hours carrying out various activities with considerable physical effort. After cardioversion, conventional coronary angiography revealed a suspect of single coronary vessel (SCA) arising from the right sinus of Valsalva. The patient underwent multislice computed tomography that showed a SCA arising from the right sinus Valsalva and dividing in Right Coronary Artery (RCA) and Left Main coronary artery (LM). The finding of posterior course of the LM without atherosclerotic has proved crucial for the expression of an opinion of working capacity even with limitation.

  19. A novel ultrafast-low-dose computed tomography protocol allows concomitant coronary artery evaluation and lung cancer screening.

    PubMed

    Gaudio, Carlo; Petriello, Gennaro; Pelliccia, Francesco; Tanzilli, Alessandra; Bandiera, Alberto; Tanzilli, Gaetano; Barillà, Francesco; Paravati, Vincenzo; Pellegrini, Massimo; Mangieri, Enrico; Barillari, Paolo

    2018-05-08

    Cardiac computed tomography (CT) is often performed in patients who are at high risk for lung cancer in whom screening is currently recommended. We tested diagnostic ability and radiation exposure of a novel ultra-low-dose CT protocol that allows concomitant coronary artery evaluation and lung screening. We studied 30 current or former heavy smoker subjects with suspected or known coronary artery disease who underwent CT assessment of both coronary arteries and thoracic area (Revolution CT, General Electric). A new ultrafast-low-dose single protocol was used for ECG-gated helical acquisition of the heart and the whole chest. A single IV iodine bolus (70-90 ml) was used. All patients with CT evidence of coronary stenosis underwent also invasive coronary angiography. All the coronary segments were assessable in 28/30 (93%) patients. Only 8 coronary segments were not assessable in 2 patients due to motion artefacts (assessability: 98%; 477/485 segments). In the assessable segments, 20/21 significant stenoses (> 70% reduction of vessel diameter) were correctly diagnosed. Pulmonary nodules were detected in 5 patients, thus requiring to schedule follow-up surveillance CT thorax. Effective dose was 1.3 ± 0.9 mSv (range: 0.8-3.2 mSv). Noteworthy, no contrast or radiation dose increment was required with the new protocol as compared to conventional coronary CT protocol. The novel ultrafast-low-dose CT protocol allows lung cancer screening at time of coronary artery evaluation. The new approach might enhance the cost-effectiveness of coronary CT in heavy smokers with suspected or known coronary artery disease.

  20. Complete "in situ" avulsion of the radial artery complicating transradial coronary rotational atherectomy.

    PubMed

    Mouawad, Nicolas J; Capers, Quinn; Allen, Christopher; James, Iyore; Haurani, Mounir J

    2015-01-01

    Transradial percutaneous access (TR) is promoted because of increased patient comfort and convenience as well as a lower risk of access site and cardiac complications in the literature. Increased use of the TR purports a new set of possible complications for which the vascular surgeon must be capable to recognize and manage. A 48-year-old, devout Jehovah's Witness, woman with a history of coronary artery bypass surgery presented with a non-ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction. Pretransfer catheterization demonstrated a heavily calcified, 90% distal left main stenosis with an occluded left internal mammary artery graft to the left anterior descending coronary artery. To minimize the risk of bleeding requiring a blood transfusion, a coronary rotational atherectomy via a TR was performed. A nonhydrophilic, 7F sheath was used to accommodate the larger rotational atherectomy burr sizes. The coronary procedure was successful, but the sheath removal was complicated by significant resistance to pullback while the patient complained of severe pain. Post procedure she developed a hematoma with motor and neurological deficits of her hand. Emergent surgical exploration with fasciotomy was planned. The radial artery was explored and found to be redundant and pulseless, prompting proximal evaluation and revealing complete avulsion of the radial artery at its origin. An intraoperative arteriogram revealed that the brachial and ulnar arteries and interosseous branches were patent and filled the palmar arch and surgical ligation of the radial artery was conducted. Vascular surgeons need to be aware of potential complications related to TR which are likely to increase as this method is more widely disseminated. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Resource Utilization Related to Atrial Fibrillation After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

    PubMed Central

    Hravnak, Marilyn; Hoffman, Leslie A.; Saul, Melissa I.; Zullo, Thomas G.; Whitman, Gayle R.

    2013-01-01

    Background Studies of resource utilization by patients with new-onset atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting have addressed only length of stay and bed charges. Objective To compare resource utilization between patients with new-onset atrial fibrillation and patients without atrial fibrillation after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting. Methods Retrospective review of clinical and administrative electronic databases for 720 subjects who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass in 25 months at one medical center. The prevalence of atrial fibrillation was determined, and resource utilization in various hospital cost centers was compared between subjects with and without atrial fibrillation. Results The prevalence of new-onset atrial fibrillation was 33.1%. Compared with subjects without atrial fibrillation, subjects with atrial fibrillation had a longer stay (5.8 ± 2.4 vs 4.4 ± 1.2 days, P< .001), more days receiving mechanical ventilation (P=.002) and oxygen therapy (P< .001), and higher rates of readmission to the intensive care unit (4.6% vs 0.2%, P< .001). Subjects with atrial fibrillation also had more laboratory tests (P< .001) and more days receiving cardiac drugs, heparin, diuretics, and electrolytes. Subjects with atrial fibrillation had higher total postoperative charges ($57261 ± $17 101 vs $50905 ± $10062, P= .001), a mean difference of $6356. The mean differences were greatest for bed charges ($1642), laboratory charges ($1215), pharmacy ($989), and respiratory care ($582). Conclusion The economic impact of atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting has been underestimated. PMID:12022486

  2. Automatic coronary artery segmentation based on multi-domains remapping and quantile regression in angiographies.

    PubMed

    Li, Zhixun; Zhang, Yingtao; Gong, Huiling; Li, Weimin; Tang, Xianglong

    2016-12-01

    Coronary artery disease has become the most dangerous diseases to human life. And coronary artery segmentation is the basis of computer aided diagnosis and analysis. Existing segmentation methods are difficult to handle the complex vascular texture due to the projective nature in conventional coronary angiography. Due to large amount of data and complex vascular shapes, any manual annotation has become increasingly unrealistic. A fully automatic segmentation method is necessary in clinic practice. In this work, we study a method based on reliable boundaries via multi-domains remapping and robust discrepancy correction via distance balance and quantile regression for automatic coronary artery segmentation of angiography images. The proposed method can not only segment overlapping vascular structures robustly, but also achieve good performance in low contrast regions. The effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated on a variety of coronary blood vessels compared with the existing methods. The overall segmentation performances si, fnvf, fvpf and tpvf were 95.135%, 3.733%, 6.113%, 96.268%, respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Correlation of ascending aorta elasticity and the severity of coronary artery stenosis in hypertensive patients with coronary heart disease assessed by M-mode and tissue Doppler echocardiography.

    PubMed

    Lu, Qixiu; Liu, Houlin

    2015-03-01

    The main objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between ascending aorta elasticity and the severity of coronary artery stenosis in essential hypertensive patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) using M-mode and tissue Doppler echocardiography. A total of 184 hypertensive patients with CHD were enrolled. Patients were divided into three groups based on the severity of coronary stenosis measured by coronary arteriography (CAG): slight stenosis (group 1), moderate stenosis (group 2) and serious stenosis (group 3). M-mode and tissue Doppler echocardiography were performed, and elasticity indexes of ascending aorta including stiffness index, distensibility index, and S wave speed of anterior wall were calculated and correlated with the severity of coronary stenosis. Ascending aorta stiffness index was increased, whereas distensibility index and S wave speed of anterior wall were decreased in moderate and severe stenosis groups compared with slight stenosis group (P < 0.01). Elasticity indexes change in a stepwise pattern with the narrowness of coronary artery, and there was a significant correlation between aortic elasticity and severity of coronary artery by Pearson correlation analysis (P < 0.01). Elasticity indexes of ascending aorta correlate well with severity of coronary stenosis. Elasticity indexes of ascending aorta can serve as predictors for coronary arterial lesion in hypertensive patients.

  4. Revascularisation versus medical treatment in patients with stable coronary artery disease: network meta-analysis

    PubMed Central

    Stortecky, Stefan; Stefanini, Giulio G; daCosta, Bruno R; Rutjes, Anne Wilhelmina; Di Nisio, Marcello; Siletta, Maria G; Maione, Ausilia; Alfonso, Fernando; Clemmensen, Peter M; Collet, Jean-Philippe; Cremer, Jochen; Falk, Volkmar; Filippatos, Gerasimos; Hamm, Christian; Head, Stuart; Kappetein, Arie Pieter; Kastrati, Adnan; Knuuti, Juhani; Landmesser, Ulf; Laufer, Günther; Neumann, Franz-Joseph; Richter, Dimitri; Schauerte, Patrick; Sousa Uva, Miguel; Taggart, David P; Torracca, Lucia; Valgimigli, Marco; Wijns, William; Witkowski, Adam; Kolh, Philippe; Juni, Peter

    2014-01-01

    Objective To investigate whether revascularisation improves prognosis compared with medical treatment among patients with stable coronary artery disease. Design Bayesian network meta-analyses to combine direct within trial comparisons between treatments with indirect evidence from other trials while maintaining randomisation. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies A strategy of initial medical treatment compared with revascularisation by coronary artery bypass grafting or Food and Drug Administration approved techniques for percutaneous revascularization: balloon angioplasty, bare metal stent, early generation paclitaxel eluting stent, sirolimus eluting stent, and zotarolimus eluting (Endeavor) stent, and new generation everolimus eluting stent, and zotarolimus eluting (Resolute) stent among patients with stable coronary artery disease. Data sources Medline and Embase from 1980 to 2013 for randomised trials comparing medical treatment with revascularisation. Main outcome measure All cause mortality. Results 100 trials in 93 553 patients with 262 090 patient years of follow-up were included. Coronary artery bypass grafting was associated with a survival benefit (rate ratio 0.80, 95% credibility interval 0.70 to 0.91) compared with medical treatment. New generation drug eluting stents (everolimus: 0.75, 0.59 to 0.96; zotarolimus (Resolute): 0.65, 0.42 to 1.00) but not balloon angioplasty (0.85, 0.68 to 1.04), bare metal stents (0.92, 0.79 to 1.05), or early generation drug eluting stents (paclitaxel: 0.92, 0.75 to 1.12; sirolimus: 0.91, 0.75 to 1.10; zotarolimus (Endeavor): 0.88, 0.69 to 1.10) were associated with improved survival compared with medical treatment. Coronary artery bypass grafting reduced the risk of myocardial infarction compared with medical treatment (0.79, 0.63 to 0.99), and everolimus eluting stents showed a trend towards a reduced risk of myocardial infarction (0.75, 0.55 to 1.01). The risk of subsequent revascularisation was noticeably

  5. A laboratory model of the aortic root flow including the coronary arteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Querzoli, Giorgio; Fortini, Stefania; Espa, Stefania; Melchionna, Simone

    2016-08-01

    Cardiovascular flows have been extensively investigated by means of in vitro models to assess the prosthetic valve performances and to provide insight into the fluid dynamics of the heart and proximal aorta. In particular, the models for the study of the flow past the aortic valve have been continuously improved by including, among other things, the compliance of the vessel and more realistic geometries. The flow within the sinuses of Valsalva is known to play a fundamental role in the dynamics of the aortic valve since they host a recirculation region that interacts with the leaflets. The coronary arteries originate from the ostia located within two of the three sinuses, and their presence may significantly affect the fluid dynamics of the aortic root. In spite of their importance, to the extent of the authors' knowledge, coronary arteries were not included so far when modeling in vitro the transvalvular aortic flow. We present a pulse duplicator consisting of a passively pulsing ventricle, a compliant proximal aorta, and coronary arteries connected to the sinuses of Valsalva. The coronary flow is modulated by a self-regulating device mimicking the physiological mechanism, which is based on the contraction and relaxation of the heart muscle during the cardiac cycle. Results show that the model reproduces satisfyingly the coronary flow. The analysis of the time evolution of the velocity and vorticity fields within the aortic root reveals the main characteristics of the backflow generated through the aorta in order to feed the coronaries during the diastole. Experiments without coronary flow have been run for comparison. Interestingly, the lifetime of the vortex forming in the sinus of Valsalva during the systole is reduced by the presence of the coronaries. As a matter of fact, at the end of the systole, that vortex is washed out because of the suction generated by the coronary flow. Correspondingly, the valve closure is delayed and faster compared to the case with

  6. Angiographic predictors of 3-year patency of bypass grafts implanted on the right coronary artery system: a prospective randomized comparison of gastroepiploic artery, saphenous vein, and right internal thoracic artery grafts.

    PubMed

    Glineur, David; D'hoore, William; de Kerchove, Laurent; Noirhomme, Philippe; Price, Joel; Hanet, Claude; El Khoury, Gebrine

    2011-11-01

    Saphenous vein, in situ right gastroepiploic artery, and right internal thoracic artery grafts are routinely used to revascularize the right coronary artery. Little is known about the predictive value of objective preoperative angiographic parameters on midterm graft patency. We prospectively enrolled 210 consecutive patients undergoing coronary revascularization. Revascularization of the right coronary artery was randomly performed with the saphenous vein grafts in 81 patients and the right gastroepiploic artery in 92 patients. During the same study period, 37 patients received right coronary artery revascularization with the right internal thoracic artery used in a Y-composite fashion. All patients underwent a protocol-driven coronary angiogram 3 years after surgery. Preoperative angiographic parameters included minimum lumen diameter percent stenosis measured by quantitative angiography. A graft was considered "not functional" with patency scores of 0 to 2 and "functional" with patency scores of 3 or 4. Angiographic follow-up was 100% complete. A significant difference in the distribution of flow patterns was observed in the 3 groups. In multivariate analysis, the use of a saphenous vein graft was associated with superior graft functionality compared with the other conduits (odds ratio, 6.1; 95% confidence interval, 2.4-15). Graft function was negatively influenced by the minimum lumen diameter (odds ratio, 0.11; confidence interval, 0.05-0.25). In the right gastroepiploic artery and right internal thoracic artery groups, the proportion of functional grafts was higher when the minimum lumen diameter was below a threshold value in the third minimum lumen diameter quartile (0.64-1.30 mm). Preoperative angiography predicts graft patency in the right gastroepiploic artery and right internal thoracic artery, whereas the flow pattern in saphenous vein grafts is significantly less influenced by quantitative angiographic parameters. Copyright © 2011 The American

  7. Comparison of electron-beam and ungated helical CT in detecting coronary arterial calcification by using a working heart phantom and artificial coronary arteries.

    PubMed

    Hopper, Kenneth D; Strollo, Diane C; Mauger, David T

    2002-02-01

    To determine the sensitivity and specificity of cardiac gated electron-beam computed tomography (CT) and ungated helical CT in detecting and quantifying coronary arterial calcification (CAC) by using a working heart phantom and artificial coronary arteries. A working heart phantom simulating normal cardiac motion and providing attenuation equal to that of an adult thorax was used. Thirty tubes with a 3-mm inner diameter were internally coated with pulverized human cortical bone mixed with epoxy glue to simulate minimal (n = 10), mild (n = 10), or severe (n = 10) calcified plaques. Ten additional tubes were not coated and served as normal controls. The tubes were attached to the same location on the phantom heart and scanned with electron-beam CT and helical CT in horizontal and vertical planes. Actual plaque calcium content was subsequently quantified with atopic spectroscopy. Two blinded experienced radiologic imaging teams, one for each CT system, separately measured calcium content in the model vessels by using a Hounsfield unit threshold of 130 or greater. The sensitivity and specificity of electron-beam CT in detecting CAC were 66.1% and 80.0%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of helical CT were 96.4% and 95.0%, respectively. Electron-beam CT was less reliable when vessels were oriented vertically (sensitivity and specificity, 71.4% and 70%; 95% CI: 39.0%, 75.0%) versus horizontally (sensitivity and specificity, 60.7% and 90.0%; 95% CI: 48.0%, 82.0%). When a correction factor was applied, the volume of calcified plaque was statistically better quantified with helical CT than with electron-beam CT (P =.004). Ungated helical CT depicts coronary arterial calcium better than does gated electron-beam CT. When appropriate correction factors are applied, helical CT is superior to electron-beam CT in quantifying coronary arterial calcium. Although further work must be done to optimize helical CT grading systems and scanning protocols, the data of this

  8. Impact of functional focal versus diffuse coronary artery disease on bypass graft patency.

    PubMed

    Shiono, Yasutsugu; Kubo, Takashi; Honda, Kentaro; Katayama, Yosuke; Aoki, Hiroshi; Satogami, Keisuke; Kashiyama, Kuninobu; Taruya, Akira; Nishiguchi, Tsuyoshi; Kuroi, Akio; Orii, Makoto; Kameyama, Takeyoshi; Yamano, Takashi; Yamaguchi, Tomoyuki; Matsuo, Yoshiki; Ino, Yasushi; Tanaka, Atsushi; Hozumi, Takeshi; Nishimura, Yoshiharu; Okamura, Yoshitaka; Akasaka, Takashi

    2016-11-01

    Pressure guidewire pullback recording can differentiate between functional focal and diffuse disease types in coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to compare the outcome of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patency between patients with functional focal versus diffuse disease types in recipient coronary arteries. We investigated 89 patients who underwent pressure guidewire pullback in the left anterior descending (LAD) artery before CABG using internal mammary artery (IMA). Based on the pressure guidewire pullback data, the LAD lesions were classified into functional focal disease (abrupt pressure step-up; n=58) or functional diffuse disease (gradual pressure increase; n=31). Follow-up computed tomography (CT) angiography was conducted within 1year after CABG to assess the bypass graft patency. Pre CABG, LAD angiographic percent diameter stenosis (57±10% vs. 54±12%, p=0.228) and fractional flow reserve (FFR) (0.68±0.07 vs. 0.69±0.07, p=0.244) were not different between the functional focal and diffuse disease groups. The CABG procedure characteristics were similarly comparable between the two groups. In the follow-up CT angiography after CABG, occlusion or string sign of the IMA graft to LAD was more frequently observed in the functional diffuse disease group than in the functional focal disease group (26% vs. 7%, p=0.021). In CABG, functional diffuse disease in the recipient coronary artery was associated with an increased risk of the graft failure in comparison with functional focal disease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Seropositivity and Its Impact on Coronary Artery Disease among Egyptian Patients Referred for Coronary Angiography

    PubMed Central

    Salam, Ragab Abd El; Nabil, Baher; Saber, Marawan; AbdelWahab, Hany A.

    2016-01-01

    Background. We tested the prevalence and impact of HCV seropositivity among Egyptian patients referred for coronary angiography. Subjects and Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Zagazig University hospitals including 509 patients scheduled for elective coronary angiography between June 2013 and June 2014. By taking full history on admission, laboratory workup including HCV Ab, echocardiography study, and coronary angiography, we calculated the mean number of coronary artery lesions and the mean number of affected coronary artery vessels for all patients. The severity of the coronary lesions was estimated using the Gensini score. Results. HCV seropositive patients referred for coronary angiography were about 30.3% (which is greater than the prevalence of HCV seropositivity among general population in Egypt), patients proved to have CAD who are HCV antibody positive had more severe coronary lesions than in seronegative one (p < 0.05), and patients proved to have CAD who are HCV antibody positive had comparable prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors as seronegative patients except for diabetes and hypertension which are more prevalent in seronegative patients (p < 0.05). Conclusion. Prevalence of HCV antibody positive patients referred for coronary angiography was about 30.3%, and CAD patients who are HCV antibody positive had more severe coronary lesions and less prevalence of diabetes and hypertension than HCV antibody negative. PMID:27882261

  10. Association of heart rate profile during exercise with the severity of coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Cay, Serkan; Ozturk, Sezgin; Biyikoglu, Funda; Yildiz, Abdulkadir; Cimen, Tolga; Uygur, Belma; Tuna, Funda

    2009-05-01

    Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. Autonomic nervous system abnormalities are associated with coronary artery disease and its complications. Exercise stress tests are routinely used for the detection of the presence of coronary artery disease. In this study, we observed the association between heart rate profile during exercise and the severity of coronary artery disease. One hundred and sixty patients with abnormal exercise treadmill test (> or =1 mm horizontal or downsloping ST-segment depression; 119 men, 41 women; mean age = 57 +/- 9 years) were included in the study. Use of any drug affecting heart rate was not permitted. Resting heart rate before exercise, maximum heart rate during exercise, and resting heart rate after exercise (5 min later) were measured and two parameters were calculated: heart rate increment (maximum heart rate - resting heart rate before exercise) and heart rate decrement (maximum heart rate - resting heart rate after exercise). All patients underwent selective coronary angiography and subclassified into two groups according to stenotic lesion severity. Group 1 had at least 50% of stenotic lesion and group 2 had less than 50%. Patients in the first group had increased resting heart rate, decreased maximum heart rate, decreased heart rate increment, and decreased heart rate decrement compared with second group. All patients were classified into tertiles of resting heart rate, heart rate increment, and heart rate decrement level to evaluate whether these parameters were associated with severity of coronary artery stenosis in the study. The multiple-adjusted odds ratio of the risk of severe coronary atherosclerosis was 21.888 (95% confidence interval 6.983-68.606) for the highest tertile of resting heart rate level compared with the lowest tertile. In addition, the multiple-adjusted odds ratio of the risk of severe coronary atherosclerosis was 20.987 (95% confidence interval 6

  11. Deep learning analysis of the myocardium in coronary CT angiography for identification of patients with functionally significant coronary artery stenosis.

    PubMed

    Zreik, Majd; Lessmann, Nikolas; van Hamersvelt, Robbert W; Wolterink, Jelmer M; Voskuil, Michiel; Viergever, Max A; Leiner, Tim; Išgum, Ivana

    2018-02-01

    In patients with coronary artery stenoses of intermediate severity, the functional significance needs to be determined. Fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement, performed during invasive coronary angiography (ICA), is most often used in clinical practice. To reduce the number of ICA procedures, we present a method for automatic identification of patients with functionally significant coronary artery stenoses, employing deep learning analysis of the left ventricle (LV) myocardium in rest coronary CT angiography (CCTA). The study includes consecutively acquired CCTA scans of 166 patients who underwent invasive FFR measurements. To identify patients with a functionally significant coronary artery stenosis, analysis is performed in several stages. First, the LV myocardium is segmented using a multiscale convolutional neural network (CNN). To characterize the segmented LV myocardium, it is subsequently encoded using unsupervised convolutional autoencoder (CAE). As ischemic changes are expected to appear locally, the LV myocardium is divided into a number of spatially connected clusters, and statistics of the encodings are computed as features. Thereafter, patients are classified according to the presence of functionally significant stenosis using an SVM classifier based on the extracted features. Quantitative evaluation of LV myocardium segmentation in 20 images resulted in an average Dice coefficient of 0.91 and an average mean absolute distance between the segmented and reference LV boundaries of 0.7 mm. Twenty CCTA images were used to train the LV myocardium encoder. Classification of patients was evaluated in the remaining 126 CCTA scans in 50 10-fold cross-validation experiments and resulted in an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.74 ± 0.02. At sensitivity levels 0.60, 0.70 and 0.80, the corresponding specificity was 0.77, 0.71 and 0.59, respectively. The results demonstrate that automatic analysis of the LV myocardium in a single

  12. Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Versus Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation for Left Main or Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Individual Patient Data.

    PubMed

    Lee, Cheol Whan; Ahn, Jung-Min; Cavalcante, Rafael; Sotomi, Yohei; Onuma, Yoshinobu; Suwannasom, Pannipa; Tenekecioglu, Erhan; Yun, Sung-Cheol; Park, Duk-Woo; Kang, Soo-Jin; Lee, Seung-Whan; Kim, Young-Hak; Park, Seong-Wook; Serruys, Patrick W; Park, Seung-Jung

    2016-12-26

    The authors undertook a patient-level meta-analysis to compare long-term outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) versus percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES) in 3,280 patients with left main or multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD). The relative efficacy and safety of CABG versus PCI with DES for left main or multivessel CAD remain controversial. Data were pooled from the BEST (Randomized Comparison of Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery and Everolimus Eluting Stent Implantation in the Treatment of Patients With Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease), PRECOMBAT (Premier of Randomized Comparison of Bypass Surgery vs. Angioplasty Using Sirolimus-Eluting Stent in Patients With Left Main Coronary Artery Disease), and SYNTAX (Synergy Between PCI With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery) trials. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. The median follow-up was 60 months, and follow-up was completed for 96.2% of patients. The rate of primary outcome was significantly lower with CABG than with PCI (13.0% vs. 16.0%; hazard ratio [HR]: 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.69 to 1.00; p = 0.046). The difference was mainly driven by reduction in myocardial infarction (HR: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.33 to 0.64; p < 0.001). There was significant interaction between treatment effect and types of CAD, showing CABG to be superior compared with PCI with DES in patients with multivessel CAD (p = 0.001), but no between-group difference in those with left main CAD (p = 0.427). The rates for all-cause death and stroke were similar between the 2 groups. By contrast, the need for repeat revascularization was significantly lower in the CABG group compared with the PCI group. CABG, as compared with PCI with DES, reduced long-term rates of the composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or stroke in patients with left main or multivessel CAD. The advantage of CABG over PCI with DES was particularly

  13. Sex Differences in Nonculprit Coronary Plaque Microstructures on Frequency-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography in Acute Coronary Syndromes and Stable Coronary Artery Disease.

    PubMed

    Kataoka, Yu; Puri, Rishi; Hammadah, Muhammad; Duggal, Bhanu; Uno, Kiyoko; Kapadia, Samir R; Tuzcu, E Murat; Nissen, Steven E; King, Peta; Nicholls, Stephen J

    2016-08-01

    Numerous reports suggest sex-related differences in atherosclerosis. Frequency-domain optical coherence tomography has enabled visualization of plaque microstructures associated with disease instability. The prevalence of plaque microstructures between sexes has not been characterized. We investigated sex differences in plaque features in patients with coronary artery disease. Nonculprit plaques on frequency-domain optical coherence tomography imaging were compared between men and women with either stable coronary artery disease (n=320) or acute coronary syndromes (n=115). A greater prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was observed in women. Nonculprit plaques in women with stable coronary artery disease were more likely to exhibit plaque erosion (8.6% versus 0.3%; P=0.03) and a smaller lipid arc (163.1±71.4° versus 211.2±71.2°; P=0.03), and less likely to harbor cholesterol crystals (17.2% versus 27.5%; P=0.01) and calcification (15.4% versus 34.4%; P=0.008), whereas fibrous cap thickness (105.2±62.1 versus 96.1±40.4 µm; P=0.57), the prevalence of thin-cap fibroatheroma (26.5% versus 25.2%; P=0.85), and microchannels (19.2% versus 20.5%; P=0.95) were comparable. In women with acute coronary syndrome, a smaller lipid arc (171.6±53.2° versus 235.8±86.4°; P=0.03), a higher frequency of plaque erosion (11.4% versus 0.6%; P=0.04), and a lower prevalence of cholesterol crystal (28.6% versus 38.2%; P=0.03) and calcification (10.0% versus 23.7%; P=0.01) were observed. These differences persisted after adjusting clinical demographics. Although thin-cap fibroatheromas in men clustered within proximal arterial segments, thin-cap fibroatheromas were evenly distributed in women. Despite more comorbid risk factors in women, their nonculprit plaques exhibited more plaque erosion, and less cholesterol and calcium content. This distinct phenotype suggests sex-related differences in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

  14. Delayed Contrast-Enhanced MRI of the Coronary Artery Wall in Takayasu Arteritis

    PubMed Central

    Schneeweis, Christopher; Schnackenburg, Bernhard; Stuber, Matthias; Berger, Alexander; Schneider, Udo; Yu, Jing; Gebker, Rolf; Weiss, Robert G.; Fleck, Eckart; Kelle, Sebastian

    2012-01-01

    Background Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a rare form of chronic inflammatory granulomatous arteritis of the aorta and its major branches. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has demonstrated its value for the detection of vessel wall alterations in TA. The aim of this study was to assess LGE of the coronary artery wall in patients with TA compared to patients with stable CAD. Methods We enrolled 9 patients (8 female, average age 46±13 years) with proven TA. In the CAD group 9 patients participated (8 male, average age 65±10 years). Studies were performed on a commercial 3T whole-body MR imaging system (Achieva; Philips, Best, The Netherlands) using a 3D inversion prepared navigator gated spoiled gradient-echo sequence, which was repeated 34–45 minutes after low-dose gadolinium administration. Results No coronary vessel wall enhancement was observed prior to contrast in either group. Post contrast, coronary LGE on IR scans was detected in 28 of 50 segments (56%) seen on T2-Prep scans in TA and in 25 of 57 segments (44%) in CAD patients. LGE quantitative assessment of coronary artery vessel wall CNR post contrast revealed no significant differences between the two groups (CNR in TA: 6.0±2.4 and 7.3±2.5 in CAD; p = 0.474). Conclusion Our findings suggest that LGE of the coronary artery wall seems to be common in patients with TA and similarly pronounced as in CAD patients. The observed coronary LGE seems to be rather unspecific, and differentiation between coronary vessel wall fibrosis and inflammation still remains unclear. PMID:23236382

  15. Delayed contrast-enhanced MRI of the coronary artery wall in takayasu arteritis.

    PubMed

    Schneeweis, Christopher; Schnackenburg, Bernhard; Stuber, Matthias; Berger, Alexander; Schneider, Udo; Yu, Jing; Gebker, Rolf; Weiss, Robert G; Fleck, Eckart; Kelle, Sebastian

    2012-01-01

    Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a rare form of chronic inflammatory granulomatous arteritis of the aorta and its major branches. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has demonstrated its value for the detection of vessel wall alterations in TA. The aim of this study was to assess LGE of the coronary artery wall in patients with TA compared to patients with stable CAD. We enrolled 9 patients (8 female, average age 46±13 years) with proven TA. In the CAD group 9 patients participated (8 male, average age 65±10 years). Studies were performed on a commercial 3T whole-body MR imaging system (Achieva; Philips, Best, The Netherlands) using a 3D inversion prepared navigator gated spoiled gradient-echo sequence, which was repeated 34-45 minutes after low-dose gadolinium administration. No coronary vessel wall enhancement was observed prior to contrast in either group. Post contrast, coronary LGE on IR scans was detected in 28 of 50 segments (56%) seen on T2-Prep scans in TA and in 25 of 57 segments (44%) in CAD patients. LGE quantitative assessment of coronary artery vessel wall CNR post contrast revealed no significant differences between the two groups (CNR in TA: 6.0±2.4 and 7.3±2.5 in CAD; p = 0.474). Our findings suggest that LGE of the coronary artery wall seems to be common in patients with TA and similarly pronounced as in CAD patients. The observed coronary LGE seems to be rather unspecific, and differentiation between coronary vessel wall fibrosis and inflammation still remains unclear.

  16. [ECG and ST-elevation myocardial infarction in multivessel coronary disease].

    PubMed

    Slavich, Gianaugusto; Spedicato, Leonardo; Poli, Stefano; Sappa, Roberta; Piccoli, Gianluca

    2010-12-01

    Percutaneous coronary intervention is the first-line treatment for ST-elevation myocardial infarction. In the setting of multivessel disease, concomitant reperfusion of all obstructed vessels is controversial, notably when the culprit vessel cannot be easily identified. We describe two cases with acute inferior-posterior myocardial infarction (ST-segment elevation in the inferior leads and ST-segment depression in the precordial leads). In the first case, angiography revealed severe three-vessel disease and the culprit vessel could not be identified. Following standard pharmacological therapy, the clinical picture and the ECG pattern improved, so that coronary revascularization was postponed. In the second case, angiography showed two-vessel disease with total occlusion of the right coronary and left circumflex arteries, which was treated with coronary angioplasty and drug-eluting stent implantation on the right coronary artery. In patients who undergo coronary angioplasty immediately, careful reading of the ECG can be a reliable tool for the identification of the culprit vessel in ST-elevation myocardial infarction associated with multivessel disease, allowing to choose the appropriate reperfusion strategy.

  17. Early changes in coronary artery wall structure detected by microcomputed tomography in experimental hypercholesterolemia.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Xiang-Yang; Bentley, Michael D; Chade, Alejandro R; Ritman, Erik L; Lerman, Amir; Lerman, Lilach O

    2007-09-01

    Changes in the structure of the artery wall commence shortly after exposure to cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypercholesterolemia (HC), but may be difficult to detect. The ability to study vascular wall structure could be helpful in evaluation of the factors that instigate atherosclerosis and its pathomechanisms. The present study tested the hypothesis that early morphological changes in coronary arteries of hypercholesterolemic (HC) pigs can be detected using the novel X-ray contrast agent OsO(4) and three-dimensional micro-computed tomography (CT). Two groups of pigs were studied after they were fed a normal or an HC (2% cholesterol) diet for 12 wk. Hearts were harvested, coronary arteries were injected with 1% OsO(4) solution, and cardiac samples (6-mum-thick) were scanned by micro-CT. Layers of the epicardial coronary artery wall, early lesions, and perivascular OsO(4) accumulation were determined. Leakage of OsO(4) from myocardial microvessels was used to assess vascular permeability, which was correlated with immunoreactivity of vascular endothelial growth factor in corresponding histological cross sections. OsO(4) enhanced the visualization of coronary artery wall layers and facilitated detection of early lesions in HC in longitudinal tomographic sections of vascular segments. Increased density of perivascular OsO(4) in HC was correlated with increased vascular endothelial growth factor expression and suggested increased microvascular permeability. The use of OsO(4) as a contrast agent in micro-CT allows three-dimensional visualization of coronary artery wall structure, early lesion formation, and changes in vascular permeability. Therefore, this technique can be a useful tool in atherosclerosis research.

  18. Cardiac PET/CT for the Evaluation of Known or Suspected Coronary Artery Disease

    PubMed Central

    Murthy, Venkatesh L.

    2011-01-01

    Positron emission tomography (PET) is increasingly being applied in the evaluation of myocardial perfusion. Cardiac PET can be performed with an increasing variety of cyclotron- and generator-produced radiotracers. Compared with single photon emission computed tomography, PET offers lower radiation exposure, fewer artifacts, improved spatial resolution, and, most important, improved diagnostic performance. With its capacity to quantify rest–peak stress left ventricular systolic function as well as coronary flow reserve, PET is superior to other methods for the detection of multivessel coronary artery disease and, potentially, for risk stratification. Coronary artery calcium scoring may be included for further risk stratification in patients with normal perfusion imaging findings. Furthermore, PET allows quantification of absolute myocardial perfusion, which also carries substantial prognostic value. Hybrid PET–computed tomography scanners allow functional evaluation of myocardial perfusion combined with anatomic characterization of the epicardial coronary arteries, thereby offering great potential for both diagnosis and management. Additional studies to further validate the prognostic value and cost effectiveness of PET are warranted. © RSNA, 2011 PMID:21918042

  19. Haemodynamic dose-response effects of intravenous nisoldipine in coronary artery disease.

    PubMed Central

    Silke, B; Frais, M A; Muller, P; Verma, S P; Reynolds, G; Taylor, S H

    1985-01-01

    The circulatory consequences of slow-calcium channel blockade with a new dihydropyridine nisoldipine were evaluated at rest and during exercise-induced angina in 16 patients with angiographically proven coronary artery disease. In 10 patients resting cardiac stroke output (thermodilution) and pulmonary artery occluded pressure were determined following four intravenous nisoldipine injections (cumulative dosage of 1, 2, 4 and 8 micrograms kg-1). The exercise effects of nisoldipine were evaluated by comparing the effects of the 8 micrograms kg-1 cumulative dosage with a control exercise period at the same workload. At rest nisoldipine reduced systemic vascular resistance and mean arterial pressure, and increased heart rate, cardiac and stroke volume indices. During 4 min supine-bicycle exercise nisoldipine reduced systemic mean arterial pressure and vascular resistance; this resulted in augmented cardiac and stroke volume indices at an unchanged pulmonary artery occluded pressure. In six additional patients rest and exercise ejection fractions were measured using a nonimaging nuclear probe. Nisoldipine (4 micrograms kg-1) resulted in a small trend to increase left ventricular rest and exercise ejection fraction. These data demonstrated improved rest and exercise cardiac performance following nisoldipine in patients with severe coronary artery disease. PMID:4091998

  20. Eight-year follow-up of the Clopidogrel After Surgery for Coronary Artery Disease (CASCADE) trial.

    PubMed

    Hage, Ali; Voisine, Pierre; Erthal, Fernanda; Larose, Éric; Glineur, David; Chow, Benjamin; Tremblay, Hugo; Fortier, Jacqueline; Ko, Gifferd; Une, Dai; Farkouh, Michael; Mesana, Thierry G; LeMay, Michel; Kulik, Alexander; Ruel, Marc

    2018-01-01

    In this 8 years' follow-up study, we evaluated the long-term outcomes of the addition of clopidogrel to aspirin during the first year after coronary artery bypass grafting, versus aspirin plus placebo, with respect to survival, major adverse cardiac, or major cerebrovascular events, including revascularization, functional status, graft patency, and native coronary artery disease progression. In the initial Clopidogrel After Surgery for Coronary Artery Disease trial, 113 patients were randomized to receive either daily clopidogrel (n = 56) or placebo (n = 57), in addition to aspirin, in a double-blind fashion for 1 year after coronary artery bypass grafting. All patients were re-evaluated to collect long-term clinical data. Surviving patients with a glomerular filtration rate > 30 mL/min were asked to undergo a coronary computed tomography angiogram to evaluate the late saphenous vein graft patency and native coronary artery disease progression. At a median follow-up of 7.6 years, survival rate was 85.5% ± 3.8% (P = .23 between the 2 groups). A trend toward enhanced freedom from all-cause death or major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events, including revascularization, was observed in the aspirin-clopidogrel group (P = .11). No difference in functional status or freedom from angina was observed between the 2 groups (P > .57). The long-term patency of saphenous vein graft was 89.11% in the aspirin-clopidogrel group versus 91.23% in the aspirin-placebo group (P = .79). A lower incidence of moderate to severe native disease progression was observed in the aspirin-clopidogrel group versus the aspirin-placebo group (7 out of 122 vs 13 out of 78 coronary segments that showed progression, respectively [odds ratio, 0.3 ± 0.2; 95% confidence interval, 0.1-0.8; P = .02]). At 8 years' follow-up, the addition of clopidogrel to aspirin during the first year after coronary artery bypass grafting exhibited a lower incidence of moderate to severe

  1. Unprotected Left Main Coronary Artery Disease: Management in the Post NOBLE and EXCEL Era

    PubMed Central

    Kapadia, Samir R; Ellis, Stephen G

    2017-01-01

    The optimal management of unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) disease is currently a debated topic. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has seen an increased adoption for the management of ULMCA disease after numerous small-scale randomised trials and cohort studies showed equipoise with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for low complexity lesions. The recently published NOBLE and EXCEL trials are two of the largest international randomised clinical trials comparing PCI and CABG in patients with ULMCA disease. In lieu of all the available evidence, PCI appears to be equivalent to CABG in regard to mortality in patients with ULMCA disease. In non-diabetic patients with low complexity coronary disease (SYNTAX score ≤32), PCI appears to be a reasonable alternative to CABG, especially for ostial and midshaft left main coronary lesions. CABG is preferable in the presence of diabetes, multivessel coronary disease in addition to ULMCA or complex coronary lesions (SYNTAX score >33) including distal left main lesions. PMID:29588736

  2. Unprotected Left Main Coronary Artery Disease: Management in the Post NOBLE and EXCEL Era.

    PubMed

    Borges, Nyal; Kapadia, Samir R; Ellis, Stephen G

    2017-09-01

    The optimal management of unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) disease is currently a debated topic. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has seen an increased adoption for the management of ULMCA disease after numerous small-scale randomised trials and cohort studies showed equipoise with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for low complexity lesions. The recently published NOBLE and EXCEL trials are two of the largest international randomised clinical trials comparing PCI and CABG in patients with ULMCA disease. In lieu of all the available evidence, PCI appears to be equivalent to CABG in regard to mortality in patients with ULMCA disease. In non-diabetic patients with low complexity coronary disease (SYNTAX score ≤32), PCI appears to be a reasonable alternative to CABG, especially for ostial and midshaft left main coronary lesions. CABG is preferable in the presence of diabetes, multivessel coronary disease in addition to ULMCA or complex coronary lesions (SYNTAX score >33) including distal left main lesions.

  3. Natural History of Moderate Coronary Artery Stenosis After Surgical Revascularization.

    PubMed

    Raza, Sajjad; Blackstone, Eugene H; Houghtaling, Penny L; Olivares, Gabriel; Ravichandren, Kirthi; Koprivanac, Marijan; Bakaeen, Faisal G; Sabik, Joseph F

    2018-03-01

    It remains controversial whether grafting moderately stenosed coronary arteries (MSCAs) influences native-vessel disease progression and whether grafting may protect against late myocardial ischemia. From 1972 to 2011, 55,567 patients underwent primary isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG); 1,902 had a single coronary artery with angiographically moderate (50% to 69%) stenosis and ≥1 postoperative angiogram. Disease progression was studied in 489 nongrafted, 371 internal thoracic artery (ITA)-grafted, and 957 saphenous vein (SV)-grafted MSCAs, as well as patency of 376 ITA and 1,016 SV grafts to these MSCAs. At 1, 5, 10, and 15 years, native-vessel disease progressed from moderate to severe stenosis/occlusion in 32%, 52%, 66%, and 72% of nongrafted MSCAs; 55%, 73%, 84%, and 87% of ITA-grafted MSCAs; and 67%, 82%, 90%, and 92% of SV-grafted MSCAs. After adjusting for patient characteristics, MSCA disease progressed 3.6 times faster with ITA and 10 times faster with SV grafting compared with nongrafting. At these same time points, occlusion of ITA grafts to MSCAs was 8%, 9%, 11%, and 15% and for SV grafts, 13%, 32%, 46%, and 56%; protection from myocardial ischemia by ITA-grafted versus nongrafted MSCAs was 29%, 47%, 59%, and 61%. Most MSCAs progress to severe stenosis or occlusion in the long term. Progression is faster in grafted than nongrafted MSCAs, more so with SV than ITA grafts. However, ITA grafts to such arteries have excellent patency, providing long-term protection from myocardial ischemia. Therefore, ITA grafting of MSCAs should be considered. Copyright © 2018 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Detection of Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease Using Peak Systolic Global Longitudinal Strain Derived by Two-Dimensional Speckle-Tracking: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

    PubMed

    Liou, Kevin; Negishi, Kazuaki; Ho, Suyen; Russell, Elizabeth A; Cranney, Greg; Ooi, Sze-Yuan

    2016-08-01

    Global longitudinal strain (GLS) is well validated and has important applications in contemporary clinical practice. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the accuracy of resting peak GLS in the diagnosis of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). A systematic literature search was performed through July 2015 using four databases. Data were extracted independently by two authors and correlated before analyses. Using a random-effect model, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio, and summary area under the curve for GLS were estimated with their respective 95% CIs. Screening of 1,669 articles yielded 10 studies with 1,385 patients appropriate for inclusion in the analysis. The mean age and left ventricular ejection fraction were 59.9 years and 61.1%. On the whole, 54.9% and 20.9% of the patients had hypertension and diabetes, respectively. Overall, abnormal GLS detected moderate to severe CAD with a pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio of 74.4%, 72.1%, 2.9, and 0.35 respectively. The area under the curve and diagnostic odds ratio were 0.81 and 8.5. The mean values of GLS for those with and without CAD were -16.5% (95% CI, -15.8% to -17.3%) and -19.7% (95% CI, -18.8% to -20.7%), respectively. Subgroup analyses for patients with severe CAD and normal left ventricular ejection fractions yielded similar results. Current evidence supports the use of GLS in the detection of moderate to severe obstructive CAD in symptomatic patients. GLS may complement existing diagnostic algorithms and act as an early adjunctive marker of cardiac ischemia. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Subaortic membrane in an adult patient with coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Okutan, Huseyin; Kutsal, Ali

    2005-01-01

    A case of subaortic membrane with coronary artery disease in a 48-year-old man is described. He was referred to our hospital for cardiac murmur, which was discovered on routine clinical examination. He had no significant past medical history apart from dizziness while exercising. Subaortic membrane was totally excised; left internal thoracic artery was anastomosed to left anterior descending artery by end-to-side technique. The postoperative 2-year course of the patient was uneventful.

  6. The Investigation of Serum Vaspin Level in Atherosclerotic Coronary Artery Disease

    PubMed Central

    Kobat, Mehmet Ali; Celik, Ahmet; Balin, Mehmet; Altas, Yakup; Baydas, Adil; Bulut, Musa; Aydin, Suleyman; Dagli, Necati; Yavuzkir, Mustafa Ferzeyn; Ilhan, Selcuk

    2012-01-01

    Background It was speculated that fatty tissue originated adipocytokines may play role in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. These adipocytokines may alter vascular homeostasis by effecting endothelial cells, arterial smooth muscle cells and macrophages. Vaspin is a newly described member of adipocytokines family. We aimed to investigate whether plasma vaspin level has any predictive value in coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods Forty patients who have at least single vessel ≥ 70 % stenosis demostrated angiographically and 40 subjects with normal coronary anatomy were included to the study. The vaspin levels were measured from serum that is obtained by centrifigation of blood and stored at -20 oC by ELISA method. The length, weight and body mass index of patients were measured. Biochemical parameters including total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein, creatinine, sodium, potassium, hemoglobine, uric acid and fasting glucose were also measured. Results Biochemical markers levels were similar in both groups. Serum vaspin levels were significantly lower in CAD patients than control group (respectively; 256 ± 219 pg/ml vs. 472 ( 564 pg/ml, P < 0.02). Beside this serum vaspin level was lower in control group with high systolic blood pressure. Conclusion Serum vaspin levels were found significantly lower in patients with CAD than age-matched subjects with normal coronary anatomy. Vaspin may be used as a predictor of CAD. Keywords Coronary artery disease; Vaspin; Adipokine PMID:22505983

  7. The investigation of serum vaspin level in atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Kobat, Mehmet Ali; Celik, Ahmet; Balin, Mehmet; Altas, Yakup; Baydas, Adil; Bulut, Musa; Aydin, Suleyman; Dagli, Necati; Yavuzkir, Mustafa Ferzeyn; Ilhan, Selcuk

    2012-04-01

    It was speculated that fatty tissue originated adipocytokines may play role in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. These adipocytokines may alter vascular homeostasis by effecting endothelial cells, arterial smooth muscle cells and macrophages. Vaspin is a newly described member of adipocytokines family. We aimed to investigate whether plasma vaspin level has any predictive value in coronary artery disease (CAD). Forty patients who have at least single vessel ≥ 70 % stenosis demostrated angiographically and 40 subjects with normal coronary anatomy were included to the study. The vaspin levels were measured from serum that is obtained by centrifigation of blood and stored at -20 (o)C by ELISA method. The length, weight and body mass index of patients were measured. Biochemical parameters including total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein, creatinine, sodium, potassium, hemoglobine, uric acid and fasting glucose were also measured. Biochemical markers levels were similar in both groups. Serum vaspin levels were significantly lower in CAD patients than control group (respectively; 256 ± 219 pg/ml vs. 472 ( 564 pg/ml, P < 0.02). Beside this serum vaspin level was lower in control group with high systolic blood pressure. Serum vaspin levels were found significantly lower in patients with CAD than age-matched subjects with normal coronary anatomy. Vaspin may be used as a predictor of CAD. Coronary artery disease; Vaspin; Adipokine.

  8. Anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery: toward a standardized approach.

    PubMed

    Mery, Carlos M; Lawrence, Silvana M; Krishnamurthy, Rajesh; Sexson-Tejtel, S Kristen; Carberry, Kathleen E; McKenzie, E Dean; Fraser, Charles D

    2014-01-01

    Anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery (AAOCA) is a congenital abnormality of the origin or course of a coronary artery that arises from the aorta. It is the second most common cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes. Its exact prevalence, the pathophysiological mechanisms that cause sudden cardiac death, the actual risk of death for the different types of AAOCA, the optimal way to evaluate these patients, and whether any treatment strategies decrease the risk of sudden cardiac death in patients diagnosed with AAOCA are unknown. This article analyzes what is currently known and unknown about this disease. It also describes the creation of a dedicated multidisciplinary coronary anomalies program and the development of a framework in an initial attempt to standardize the evaluation and management of these patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. [Instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR®) in patients with coronary artery disease].

    PubMed

    Baumann, S; Schaefer, A C; Hohneck, A; Mueller, K; Becher, T; Behnes, M; Renker, M; Borggrefe, M; Akin, I; Lossnitzer, D

    2017-08-23

    Coronary angiography is considered as the gold standard in the morphological representation of coronary artery stenosis. Coronary angiography is often performed without preprocedural non-invasive proof of ischemia and the assessment of the severity of a coronary lesion by morphology is very subjective. Thus, invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement represents the current standard for estimation of the hemodynamic relevance of coronary artery stenosis and facilitates decision making for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and stenting. The FFR-guided revascularization strategy has been classified as a class IA recommendation in the 2014 ESC/EACTS guidelines on myocardial revascularization. Both the DEFER and the FAME studies showed no treatment advantage of hemodynamically irrelevant stenosis. By use of FFR (and targeted interventions), clinical results could be improved as well as the procedure costs were reduced; however, the use in clinical practice is still limited due to the need of adenosine administration and a significant prolongation of the procedure. Instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR®) is a new innovative approach for the determination of the hemodynamic relevance of coronary stenosis which can be obtained at rest without the use of vasodilators. Regarding periprocedural complications as well as prognosis, iFR® showed non-inferiority compared to FFR in the SWEDEHEART and DEFINE-FLAIR trials.

  10. Corneal arcus: an indicator of severe coronary artery disease in a young adult man.

    PubMed

    Sucu, Murat; Davutoglu, Vedat

    2009-01-01

    A 32-year-old man was transferred to our emergency service with the diagnosis of sudden cardiopulmonary arrest. During eye examination, a typical corneal arcus was observed. The patient underwent the primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Coronary angiography showed a total occlusion of proximal left anterior descending artery. Primary coronary balloon angioplasty was successfully performed. Independently of total cholesterol, serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and smoking, corneal arcus has been suggested as a predictor of coronary heart disease among hyperlipidemic men. Physical examination can yield valuable diagnostic clues in a patient suspected of ischaemic heart disease. In summary, the appearance of corneal arcus in young adult men might be an indicator of severe coronary artery disease and should be screened by means of physical examination especially in the setting of cardiopulmonary arrest (Fig. 1, Ref. 4).

  11. Coronary artery calcification identification and labeling in low-dose chest CT images

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xie, Yiting; Liu, Shuang; Miller, Albert; Miller, Jeffrey A.; Markowitz, Steven; Akhund, Ali; Reeves, Anthony P.

    2017-03-01

    A fully automated computer algorithm has been developed to evaluate coronary artery calcification (CAC) from lowdose CT scans. CAC is identified and evaluated in three main coronary artery groups: Left Main and Left Anterior Descending Artery (LM + LAD) CAC, Left Circumflex Artery (LCX) CAC, and Right Coronary Artery (RCA) CAC. The artery labeling is achieved by segmenting all CAC candidates in the heart region and applying geometric constraints on the candidates using locally pre-identified anatomy regions. This algorithm was evaluated on 1,359 low-dose ungated CT scans, in which each artery CAC content was categorically visually scored by a radiologist into none, mild, moderate and extensive. The Spearman correlation coefficient R was used to assess the agreement between three automated CAC scores (Agatston-weighted, volume, and mass) and categorical visual scores. For Agatston-weighted automated scores, R was 0.87 for total CAC, 0.82 for LM + LAD CAC, 0.66 for LCX CAC and 0.72 for RCA CAC; results using volume and mass scores were similar. CAC detection sensitivities were: 0.87 for total, 0.82 for LM + LAD, 0.65 for LCX and 0.74 for RCA. To assess the impact of image noise, the dataset was further partitioned into three subsets based on heart region noise level (low<=80HU, medium=(80HU, 110HU], high>110HU). The low and medium noise subsets had higher sensitivities and correlations than the high noise subset. These results indicate that location specific heart risk assessment is possible from low-dose chest CT images.

  12. Local coronary wall eccentricity and endothelial function are closely related in patients with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Hays, Allison G; Iantorno, Micaela; Schär, Michael; Mukherjee, Monica; Stuber, Matthias; Gerstenblith, Gary; Weiss, Robert G

    2017-07-06

    Coronary endothelial function (CEF) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) varies among coronary segments in a given patient. Because both coronary vessel wall eccentricity and coronary endothelial dysfunction are predictors of adverse outcomes, we hypothesized that local coronary endothelial dysfunction is associated with local coronary artery eccentricity. We used 3 T coronary CMR to measure CEF as changes in coronary cross-sectional area (CSA) and coronary blood flow (CBF) during isometric handgrip exercise (IHE), a known endothelial-dependent stressor, in 29 patients with known CAD and 16 healthy subjects. Black-blood MRI quantified mean coronary wall thickness (CWT) and coronary eccentricity index (EI) and CEF was determined in the same segments. IHE-induced changes in CSA and CBF in healthy subjects (10.6 ± 6.6% and 38.3 ± 29%, respectively) were greater than in CAD patients 1.3 ± 7.7% and 6.5 ± 19.6%, respectively, p < 0.001 vs. healthy for both measures), as expected. Mean CWT and EI in healthy subjects (1.1 ± 0.3 mm 1.9 ± 0.5, respectively) were less than those in CAD patients (1.6 ± 0.4 mm, p < 0.0001; and 2.6 ± 0.6, p = 0.006 vs. healthy). In CAD patients, we observed a significant inverse relationship between stress-induced %CSA change and both EI (r = -0.60, p = 0.0002), and CWT (r = -0.54, p = 0.001). Coronary EI was independently and significantly related to %CSA change with IHE even after controlling for mean CWT (adjusted r = -0.69, p = 0.0001). For every unit increase in EI, coronary CSA during IHE is expected to change by -6.7 ± 9.4% (95% confidence interval: -10.3 to -3.0, p = 0.001). There is a significant inverse and independent relationship between coronary endothelial macrovascular function and the degree of local coronary wall eccentricity in CAD patients. Thus anatomic and physiologic indicators of high-risk coronary vascular pathology are

  13. Giant right coronary artery aneurysm in an adult male patient with non-ST myocardial infarction.

    PubMed

    Halapas, Antonios; Lausberg, Henning; Gehrig, Thomas; Friedrich, Ivar; Hauptmann, Karl E

    2013-01-01

    The combination of a giant coronary aneurysm with multiple coronary aneurysms in adults is an extremely rare entity--especially in atherosclerotic patients, since it is most commonly associated with Kawasaki disease in children. We report an interesting case of a 59-year-old male patient with multiple atherosclerotic aneurysms of the left coronary system and a giant aneurysm of the right coronary artery. The patient was admitted to our hospital because of a non-ST myocardial infarction. Diagnosis was established by echocardiography, computed tomography angiogram, and coronary angiography. In view of the clinical symptoms and the extent of the giant right coronary aneurysm, with the associated risk of rupture, the patient was successfully treated with urgent surgical intervention. We also present a review of the current literature on this anomaly and a statistical analysis of all atherosclerotic giant coronary artery aneurysms previously reported.

  14. 4D motion modeling of the coronary arteries from CT images for robotic assisted minimally invasive surgery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Dong Ping; Edwards, Eddie; Mei, Lin; Rueckert, Daniel

    2009-02-01

    In this paper, we present a novel approach for coronary artery motion modeling from cardiac Computed Tomography( CT) images. The aim of this work is to develop a 4D motion model of the coronaries for image guidance in robotic-assisted totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass (TECAB) surgery. To utilize the pre-operative cardiac images to guide the minimally invasive surgery, it is essential to have a 4D cardiac motion model to be registered with the stereo endoscopic images acquired intraoperatively using the da Vinci robotic system. In this paper, we are investigating the extraction of the coronary arteries and the modelling of their motion from a dynamic sequence of cardiac CT. We use a multi-scale vesselness filter to enhance vessels in the cardiac CT images. The centerlines of the arteries are extracted using a ridge traversal algorithm. Using this method the coronaries can be extracted in near real-time as only local information is used in vessel tracking. To compute the deformation of the coronaries due to cardiac motion, the motion is extracted from a dynamic sequence of cardiac CT. Each timeframe in this sequence is registered to the end-diastole timeframe of the sequence using a non-rigid registration algorithm based on free-form deformations. Once the images have been registered a dynamic motion model of the coronaries can be obtained by applying the computed free-form deformations to the extracted coronary arteries. To validate the accuracy of the motion model we compare the actual position of the coronaries in each time frame with the predicted position of the coronaries as estimated from the non-rigid registration. We expect that this motion model of coronaries can facilitate the planning of TECAB surgery, and through the registration with real-time endoscopic video images it can reduce the conversion rate from TECAB to conventional procedures.

  15. Transcoronary gradients of HDL-associated MicroRNAs in unstable coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Choteau, Sébastien A; Cuesta Torres, Luisa F; Barraclough, Jennifer Y; Elder, Alexander M M; Martínez, Gonzalo J; Chen Fan, William Y; Shrestha, Sudichhya; Ong, Kwok L; Barter, Philip J; Celermajer, David S; Rye, Kerry-Anne; Patel, Sanjay; Tabet, Fatiha

    2018-02-15

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are transported on high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) and HDL-associated miRNAs are involved in intercellular communication. We explored HDL-associated miRNAs concentration gradients across the coronary circulation in stable and unstable coronary artery disease patients and whether changes in the transcoronary gradient were associated with changes in HDL composition and size. Acute coronary syndrome (ACS, n=17) patients, those with stable coronary artery disease (stable CAD, n=19) and control subjects without CAD (n=6) were studied. HDLs were isolated from plasma obtained from the coronary sinus (CS), aortic root (arterial blood) and right atrium (venous blood). HDL-associated miRNAs (miR-16, miR-20a, miR-92a, miR-126, miR-222 and miR-223) were quantified by TaqMan miRNA assays. HDL particle sizes were determined by non-denaturing polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis. HDL composition was measured immunoturbidometrically or enzymatically. A concentration gradient across the coronary circulation was observed for all the HDL-associated miRNAs. In ACS patients, there was a significant inverse transcoronary gradient for HDL-associated miR-16, miR-92a and miR-223 (p<0.05) compared to patients with stable CAD. Changes in HDL-miRNA transcoronary gradients were not associated with changes in HDL composition or size. HDLs are depleted of miR-16, miR-92a and miR-223 during the transcoronary passage in patients with ACS compared to patients with stable CAD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Value of coronary computed tomography as a prognostic tool.

    PubMed

    Contractor, Tahmeed; Parekh, Maansi; Ahmed, Shameer; Martinez, Matthew W

    2012-08-01

    Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) has become an important part of our armamentarium for noninvasive diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). Emerging technologies have produced lower radiation dose, improved spatial and temporal resolution, as well as information about coronary physiology. Although the prognostic role of coronary artery calcium scoring is known, similar evidence for CCTA has only recently emerged. Initial, small studies in various patient populations have indicated that CCTA-identified CAD may have a prognostic value. These findings were confirmed in a recent analysis of the international, prospective Coronary CT Angiography Evaluation For Clinical Outcomes: An International Multicenter (CONFIRM) registry. An incremental increase in mortality was found with a worse severity of CAD on a per-patient, per-vessel, and per-segment basis. In addition, age-, sex-, and ethnicity-based differences in mortality were also found. Whether changing our management algorithms based on these findings will affect outcomes is unclear. Large prospective studies utilizing targeted management strategies for obstructive and nonobstructive CAD are required to incorporate these recent findings into our daily practice. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. Chest pain in patients with arterial hypertension, angiographically normal coronary arteries and stiff aorta: the aortic pain syndrome.

    PubMed

    Stakos, Dimitrios A; Tziakas, Dimitrios N; Chalikias, George; Mitrousi, Konstantina; Tsigalou, Christina; Boudoulas, Harisios

    2013-01-01

    Arterial hypertension is often associated with a stiff aorta as a result of collagen accumulation in the aortic wall and may produce chest pain. In the present study, possible interrelationships between aortic function, collagen turnover and exercise-induced chest pain in patients with arterial hypertension and angiographically normal coronary arteries were investigated. Ninety-seven patients with arterial hypertension, angiographically normal coronary arteries and no evidence of myocardial ischemia on nuclear cardiac imaging during exercise test were studied. Of these, 43 developed chest pain during exercise (chest pain group) while 54 did not (no chest pain group). Carotid femoral pulse-wave velocity (PWVc-f) was used to assess the elastic properties of the aorta. Amino-terminal pro-peptides of pro-collagen type I, (PINP, reflecting collagen synthesis), serum telopeptides of collagen type I (CITP, reflecting collagen degradation), pro-metalloproteinase 1 (ProMMP-1), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1, related to collagen turnover) were measured in plasma by immunoassay. The chest pain group had higher PWVc-f, higher and /CITP ratio, and lower proMMP-1/ TIMP-1 ratio compared to the no chest pain group. PWVc-f (t=2.53, p=0.02) and PINP (t=2.42, p=0.02) were independently associated with the presence of chest pain in multiple regression analysis. Patients with arterial hypertension, exercise-induced chest pain and angiographically normal coronary arteries, without evidence of exercise-induced myocardial ischemia, had a stiffer aorta compared to those without chest pain. Alterations in collagen type I turnover that favor collagen accumulation in the aortic wall may contribute to aortic stiffening and chest pain in these patients.

  18. Coronary artery wall imaging in mice using osmium tetroxide and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pai, Vinay M.; Kozlowski, Megan; Donahue, Danielle

    2012-05-10

    The high spatial resolution of micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) is ideal for 3D imaging of coronary arteries in intact mouse heart specimens. Previously, micro-CT of mouse heart specimens utilized intravascular contrast agents that hardened within the vessel lumen and allowed a vascular cast to be made. However, for mouse coronary artery disease models, it is highly desirable to image coronary artery walls and highlight plaques. For this purpose, we describe an ex vivo contrast-enhanced micro-CT imaging technique based on tissue staining with osmium tetroxide (OsO{sub 4}) solution. As a tissue-staining contrast agent, OsO{sub 4} is retained in the vessel wall andmore » surrounding tissue during the fixation process and cleared from the vessel lumens. Its high X-ray attenuation makes the artery wall visible in CT. Additionally, since OsO{sub 4} preferentially binds to lipids, it highlights lipid deposition in the artery wall. We performed micro-CT of heart specimens of 5- to 25-week-old C57BL/6 wild-type mice and 5- to 13-week-old apolipoprotein E knockout (apoE{sup -/-}) mice at 10 {mu}m resolution. The results show that walls of coronary arteries as small as 45 {mu}m in diameter are visible using a table-top micro-CT scanner. Similar image clarity was achieved with 1/2000th the scan time using a synchrotron CT scanner. In 13-week-old apoE mice, lipid-rich plaques are visible in the aorta. Our study shows that the combination of OsO{sub 4} and micro-CT permits the visualization of the coronary artery wall in intact mouse hearts.« less

  19. Predicting coronary artery disease using different artificial neural network models.

    PubMed

    Colak, M Cengiz; Colak, Cemil; Kocatürk, Hasan; Sağiroğlu, Seref; Barutçu, Irfan

    2008-08-01

    Eight different learning algorithms used for creating artificial neural network (ANN) models and the different ANN models in the prediction of coronary artery disease (CAD) are introduced. This work was carried out as a retrospective case-control study. Overall, 124 consecutive patients who had been diagnosed with CAD by coronary angiography (at least 1 coronary stenosis > 50% in major epicardial arteries) were enrolled in the work. Angiographically, the 113 people (group 2) with normal coronary arteries were taken as control subjects. Multi-layered perceptrons ANN architecture were applied. The ANN models trained with different learning algorithms were performed in 237 records, divided into training (n=171) and testing (n=66) data sets. The performance of prediction was evaluated by sensitivity, specificity and accuracy values based on standard definitions. The results have demonstrated that ANN models trained with eight different learning algorithms are promising because of high (greater than 71%) sensitivity, specificity and accuracy values in the prediction of CAD. Accuracy, sensitivity and specificity values varied between 83.63%-100%, 86.46%-100% and 74.67%-100% for training, respectively. For testing, the values were more than 71% for sensitivity, 76% for specificity and 81% for accuracy. It may be proposed that the use of different learning algorithms other than backpropagation and larger sample sizes can improve the performance of prediction. The proposed ANN models trained with these learning algorithms could be used a promising approach for predicting CAD without the need for invasive diagnostic methods and could help in the prognostic clinical decision.

  20. Quantitative Measurement of Dissection Resistance in Intimal and Medial Layers of Human Coronary Arteries

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Ying; Johnson, John A.; Spinale, Francis G.; Sutton, Michael A.; Lessner, Susan M.

    2014-01-01

    The left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery is the most frequently involved vessel in coronary artery dissection, a cause of acute coronary syndrome or sudden cardiac death. The biomechanical mechanisms underlying arterial dissection are not well understood. This study investigated the dissection properties of LAD specimens harvested from explanted hearts at the time of cardiac transplantation, from patients with primary dilated cardiomyopathy (n=12). Using a previously validated approach uniquely modified for these human LAD specimens, we quantified the local energy release rate, G, within different arterial layers during experimental dissection events (tissue tearing). Results show that the mean values of G during arterial dissection within the intima and within the media in human LADs are 20.7±16.5 J/m2 and 10.3±5.0 J/m2, respectively. The difference in dissection resistance between tearing events occurring within the intima and within the media is statistically significant. Our data fall in the same order of magnitude as most previous measurements of adhesive strength in other human arteries, with the differences in measured values of G within the layers most likely due to histologically observed differences in the structure and composition of arterial layers. PMID:24729631

  1. Association between gamma-glutamyltransferase and coronary artery calcification.

    PubMed

    Atar, Asli I; Yilmaz, Omer C; Akin, Kayihan; Selcoki, Yusuf; Er, Okan; Eryonucu, Beyhan

    2013-08-20

    The exact mechanisms behind the association between atherosclerosis and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) are unclear. Coronary artery calcification (CAC) detected by computerized tomography is an important marker of atherosclerosis and its severity correlates with coronary plaque burden. The aim of this study was to investigate if serum GGT levels are associated with CAC in patients without known coronary heart disease (CHD) who had low-intermediate risk for CHD. Two hundred and seventy two patients who had low-intermediate risk for coronary artery disease were included in the study. Serum GGT levels were measured spectrophotometrically. CACS (Agatston method) were performed using a 64-slice computerized tomography scanner. The patients were grouped according to their GGT values in four quartiles. Patients in higher GGT quartiles had elevated CAC score (P<0.001). Patients in higher GGT quartiles were predominantly males (P<0.001) and were more likely to be smoking (P=0.004), and have elevated uric acid (P<0.001), fasting blood glucose (P<0.001), CRP levels (P=0.003) and 10-year total cardiovascular risk (P=0.007) and low HDL levels (P<0.001). Positive correlations were found between log GGT and CAC (r=0.233, P<0.001). In the multivariate analysis GGT, age, smoking and serum uric acid levels appeared as independent factors predictive of presence of CAC. We demonstrated a significant correlation between serum GGT levels and CAC and CHD risk factors. Serum GGT level was an independent marker of CAC. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Inactivating Variants in ANGPTL4 and Risk of Coronary Artery Disease

    PubMed Central

    Dewey, Frederick E.; Gusarova, Viktoria; O’Dushlaine, Colm; Gottesman, Omri; Trejos, Jesus; Hunt, Charleen; Van Hout, Cristopher V.; Habegger, Lukas; Buckler, David; Lai, Ka-Man V.; Leader, Joseph B.; Murray, Michael F.; Ritchie, Marylyn D.; Kirchner, H. Lester; Ledbetter, David H.; Penn, John; Lopez, Alexander; Borecki, Ingrid B.; Overton, John D.; Reid, Jeffrey G.; Carey, David J.; Murphy, Andrew J.; Yancopoulos, George D.; Baras, Aris; Gromada, Jesper; Shuldiner, Alan R.

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND Higher-than-normal levels of circulating triglycerides are a risk factor for ischemic cardiovascular disease. Activation of lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme that is inhibited by angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4), has been shown to reduce levels of circulating triglycerides. METHODS We sequenced the exons of ANGPTL4 in samples obtain from 42,930 participants of predominantly European ancestry in the DiscovEHR human genetics study. We performed tests of association between lipid levels and the missense E40K variant (which has been associated with reduced plasma triglyceride levels) and other inactivating mutations. We then tested for associations between coronary artery disease and the E40K variant and other inactivating mutations in 10,552 participants with coronary artery disease and 29,223 controls. We also tested the effect of a human monoclonal antibody against ANGPTL4 on lipid levels in mice and monkeys. RESULTS We identified 1661 heterozygotes and 17 homozygotes for the E40K variant and 75 participants who had 13 other monoallelic inactivating mutations in ANGPTL4. The levels of triglycerides were 13% lower and the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were 7% higher among carriers of the E40K variant than among noncarriers. Carriers of the E40K variant were also significantly less likely than noncarriers to have coronary artery disease (odds ratio, 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.70 to 0.92; P = 0.002). K40 homozygotes had markedly lower levels of triglycerides and higher levels of HDL cholesterol than did heterozygotes. Carriers of other inactivating mutations also had lower triglyceride levels and higher HDL cholesterol levels and were less likely to have coronary artery disease than were noncarriers. Monoclonal antibody inhibition of Angptl4 in mice and monkeys reduced triglyceride levels. CONCLUSIONS Carriers of E40K and other inactivating mutations in ANGPTL4 had lower levels of triglycerides and a lower risk of coronary artery

  3. Temporary ventricular overdrive pacing for electrical storm after coronary artery bypass grafting.

    PubMed

    Yoshida, Toshihito; Naito, Yuji; Nishimura, Kuniharu

    2011-11-01

    A 57-year-old man who had been receiving chemotherapy for multiple myeloma complained of chest pain and was diagnosed with coronary artery disease. Coronary artery bypass grafting without cardiopulmonary bypass was performed smoothly, and extubation was done in the operating room. The next evening, cluster of ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation triggered by ventricular premature contractions occurred and required multiple electrical defibrillations. Despite intravenous administration of lidocaine, amiodarone, magnesium, and β-blocker, the storm sustained and was suppressed only by temporary ventricular overdrive pacing. He was discharged on foot.

  4. Radial Artery as a Coronary Artery Bypass Conduit: 20-Year Results.

    PubMed

    Gaudino, Mario; Tondi, Paolo; Benedetto, Umberto; Milazzo, Valentina; Flore, Roberto; Glieca, Franco; Ponziani, Francesca Romana; Luciani, Nicola; Girardi, Leonard N; Crea, Filippo; Massetti, Massimo

    2016-08-09

    There is a lack of evidence for the choice of the second conduit in coronary surgery. The radial artery (RA) is a possible option, but few data on very-long-term outcomes exist. This study describes 20-year results of RA grafts used for coronary artery bypass grafting and the effects of RA removal on forearm circulation. We report the results of the prospective 20-year follow-up of the first 100 consecutive patients who received the RA as a coronary bypass conduit at our institution. Follow-up was 100% complete. There were 64 deaths, 23 (35.9%) from cardiovascular causes. Kaplan-Meier 20-year survival was 31%. Of the 36 survivors, 33 (91.6%) underwent RA graft control at a mean of 19.0 ± 2.5 years after surgery. The RA was found to be patent in 24 cases (84.8% patency). In the overall population, probability of graft failure at 20 years was 19.0 ± 0.2% for the left internal thoracic artery (ITA), 25.0 ± 0.2% for the RA, and 55.0 ± 0.2% for the saphenous vein (p = 0.002 for RA vs. saphenous vein, 0.11 for RA vs. ITA, and p < 0.001 for ITA vs. saphenous vein). Target vessel stenosis >90%, but not location of distal anastomosis, significantly influenced long-term RA graft patency. No patients reported hand or forearm symptoms. The ulnar artery diameter was increased in the operated arm (2.44 ± 0.43 mm vs. 2.01 ± 0.47 mm; p < 0.05) and correlated with the peak systolic velocity of the second palmar digital artery (Pearson coefficient: 0.621; p < 0.05). The 20-year patency rate of RA grafts is good, and not inferior to the ITA, especially when the conduit is used to graft a vessel with >90% stenosis. RA harvesting does not lead to hand or forearm symptoms, even at a very-long-term follow-up. Copyright © 2016 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. The conical stent in coronary artery improves hemodynamics compared with the traditional cylindrical stent.

    PubMed

    Yu, Yi; Zhou, Yujie; Ma, Qian; Jia, Shuo; Wu, Sijing; Sun, Yan; Liu, Xiaoli; Zhao, Yingxin; Liu, Yuyang; Shi, Dongmei

    2017-01-15

    This study sought to explore the efficacy of the conical stent implantation in the coronary artery by comparing the effects of cylindrical and conical stents on wall shear stress (WSS) and velocity of flow and fractional flow reserve (FFR). The traditional cylindrical stent currently used in the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has a consistent diameter, which does not match the physiological change of the coronary artery. On the contrary, as a new patent, the conical stent with tapering lumen is consistent with the physiological change of vascular diameter. However, the effect of the conical stent implantation on the coronary hemodynamics remains unclear. The coronary artery, artery stenosis and two stent models were established by Solidworks software. All models were imported into the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software ANSYS ICEM-CFD to establish the fluid model. After the boundary conditions were set, CFD analysis was proceeded to compare the effects of two stent implantation on the change of WSS, velocity of flow and FFR. Hemodynamic indexes including FFR, blood flow velocity distribution (BVD) and WSS were improved by either the cylindrical or the conical stent implantation. However, after the conical stent implantation, the change of FFR seemed to be slower and more homogenous; the blood flow velocity was more appropriate without any obvious blood stagnation and direction changes; the WSS after the conical stent implantation was uniform from the proximal to distal side of the stent. Compared with the cylindrical stent, the conical stent implantation in the coronary artery can make the changes of vascular hemodynamic more closer to the physiological condition, which can reduce the incidence of intra-stent restenosis and thrombosis, thus making it more suitable for PCI therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. A mechanical argument for the differential performance of coronary artery grafts.

    PubMed

    Prim, David A; Zhou, Boran; Hartstone-Rose, Adam; Uline, Mark J; Shazly, Tarek; Eberth, John F

    2016-02-01

    Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) acutely disturbs the homeostatic state of the transplanted vessel making retention of graft patency dependent on chronic remodeling processes. The time course and extent to which remodeling restores vessel homeostasis will depend, in part, on the nature and magnitude of the mechanical disturbances induced upon transplantation. In this investigation, biaxial mechanical testing and histology were performed on the porcine left anterior descending artery (LAD) and analogs of common autografts, including the internal thoracic artery (ITA), radial artery (RA), great saphenous vein (GSV) and lateral saphenous vein (LSV). Experimental data were used to quantify the parameters of a structure-based constitutive model enabling prediction of the acute vessel mechanical response pre-transplantation and under coronary loading conditions. A novel metric Ξ was developed to quantify mechanical differences between each graft vessel in situ and the LAD in situ, while a second metric Ω compares the graft vessels in situ to their state under coronary loading. The relative values of these metrics among candidate autograft sources are consistent with vessel-specific variations in CABG clinical success rates with the ITA as the superior and GSV the inferior graft choices based on mechanical performance. This approach can be used to evaluate other candidate tissues for grafting or to aid in the development of synthetic and tissue engineered alternatives. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Concomitant Carotid and Coronary Artery Reconstruction

    PubMed Central

    Craver, Joseph M.; Murphy, Douglas A.; Jones, Ellis L.; Curling, Patrick E.; Bone, David K.; Smith, Robert B.; Perdue, Garland D.; Hatcher, Charles R.; Kandrach, Michael

    1982-01-01

    Data are presented on 68 patients who underwent concomitant carotid endarterectomy (CE) and coronary artery bypass surgery (CAB) at Emory University Hospital from January 1974 to February 1981. This group is then compared with a randomly selected, matched population without known carotid disease who underwent CAB alone. Asymptomatic bruit was the reason for investigation in 40 patients (59%); another 23 patients (34%) experienced transient cerebral ischemic attacks (TIAs); and five patients (7%) had TIA and prior stroke. Carotid stenoses (>75% luminal narrowing) were demonstrated as follows: isolated left, 24 patients; isolated right, 27 patients; and bilateral lesions, 16 patients. One patient had innominate artery stenosis. Associated total occlusion of one or both vertebral arteries was demonstrated in six patients. Ninety-seven per cent of patients had disabling angina pectoris prior to operation; the angina was unstable in 57%, 15% had congestive heart failure, and 54% had had at least one prior myocardial infarction (MI). Single-vessel coronary disease was present in 12.5% of patients, double in 37.5%, triple in 41.1%, and left main stenosis in 9%; 43% of patients had abnormal ventricular contractility. CE was performed on 67 patients (36 left and 31 right); aortocarotid bypass was performed on one. The CE procedures were performed immediately prior to the sternotomy for CAB under the same anesthesia. CAB consisted of single bypass in eight patients (11.8%); double in 16 patients (23.5%); triple in 22 patients (32.4%); and quadruple or more in 22 patients (32.4%) (mean = 2.9 grafts per patient). There was no hospital mortality. Perioperative MI occurred in 2.0% and stroke with residual deficit in 1.3%. Cumulative survival is 98.5% at two years. Sixty-three patients (92%) reported improvement or elimination of anginal symptoms after operation. Rehospitalization for stroke was necessary in 3.7% patients. Postoperative activity levels are; self-care only, 3

  8. Coronary artery disease in patients with body mass index ≥30 kg/m(2): a retrospective chart analysis.

    PubMed

    Alkhawam, Hassan; Nguyen, James; Sayanlar, Jason; Sogomonian, Robert; Desai, Ronak; Jolly, JoshPaul; Vyas, Neil; Syed, Umer; Homsi, Maher; Rubinstein, David

    2016-01-01

    In this study, we evaluated obesity as a single risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD), along with the synergistic effect of obesity and other risk factors. A retrospective study of 7,567 patients admitted to hospital for chest pain from 2005 to 2014 and underwent cardiac catheterization. Patients were divided into two groups: obese and normal with body mass index (BMI) calculated as ≥30 kg/m(2) and <25, respectively. We assessed the modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors in obese patients and the degree of CAD. Of the 7,567 patients who underwent cardiac catheterization, 414 (5.5%) had a BMI ≥30. Of 414 obese patients, 332 (80%) had evidence of CAD. Obese patients displayed evidence of CAD at the age of 57 versus 63.3 in non-obese patients (p<0.001). Of the 332 patients with CAD and obesity, 55.4% had obstructive CAD versus 44.6% with non-obstructive CAD. In obese patients with CAD, male gender and history of smoking were major risk factors for development of obstructive CAD (p=0.001 and 0.01, respectively) while dyslipidemia was a major risk factor for non-obstructive CAD (p=0.01). Additionally, obese patients with more than one risk factor developed obstructive CAD compared to non-obstructive CAD (p=0.003). Having a BMI ≥30 appears to be a risk factor for early development of CAD. Severity of CAD in obese patients is depicted on non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors such as the male gender and smoking or greater than one risk factor, respectively.

  9. Cost-effectiveness of follow-up of pulmonary nodules incidentally detected on cardiac computed tomographic angiography in patients with suspected coronary artery disease.

    PubMed

    Goehler, Alexander; McMahon, Pamela M; Lumish, Heidi S; Wu, Carol C; Munshi, Vidit; Gilmore, Michael; Chung, Jonathan H; Ghoshhajra, Brian B; Mark, Daniel; Truong, Quynh A; Gazelle, G Scott; Hoffmann, Udo

    2014-08-19

    Pulmonary nodules (PNs) are often detected incidentally during coronary computed tomographic (CT) angiography, which is increasingly being used to evaluate patients with chest pain symptoms. However, the efficiency of following up on incidentally detected PN is unknown. We determined demographic and clinical characteristics of stable symptomatic patients referred for coronary CT angiography in whom incidentally detected PNs warranted follow-up. A validated lung cancer simulation model was populated with data from these patients, and clinical and economic consequences of follow-up per Fleischner guidelines versus no follow-up were simulated. Of the 3665 patients referred for coronary CT angiography, 591 (16%) had PNs requiring follow-up. The mean age of patients with PNs was 59±10 years; 66% were male; 67% had ever smoked; and 21% had obstructive coronary artery disease. The projected overall lung cancer incidence was 5.8% in these patients, but the majority died of coronary artery disease (38%) and other causes (57%). Follow-up of PNs was associated with a 4.6% relative reduction in cumulative lung cancer mortality (absolute mortality: follow-up, 4.33% versus non-follow-up, 4.54%), more downstream testing (follow-up, 2.34 CTs per patient versus non-follow-up, 1.01 CTs per patient), and an average increase in quality-adjusted life of 7 days. Costs per quality-adjusted life-year gained were $154 700 to follow up the entire cohort and $129 800 per quality-adjusted life-year when only smokers were included. Follow-up of PNs incidentally detected in patients undergoing coronary CT angiography for chest pain evaluation is associated with a small reduction in lung cancer mortality. However, significant downstream testing contributes to limited efficiency, as demonstrated by a high cost per quality-adjusted life-year, especially in nonsmokers. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

  10. Surgical Correction of Truncus Arteriosus With Unusual Origin of the Right Coronary Artery.

    PubMed

    Rodríguez, Humberto; Montero, Hernán; Fernández, Antonio; Guzman, Armando; Sessa, Thomas Di

    2016-05-01

    An 11-year-old male with a diagnosis of truncus arteriosus (common arterial trunk) with origin of the right coronary artery anteriorly from the pulmonary segment of the common trunk underwent reparative surgery. The pulmonary trunk was long, and it had a kink with stenosis that protected the distal pulmonary vascular bed from elevated pressure. Adequate flow allowed well-developed distal branch pulmonary arteries. An oval incision was made in the pulmonary trunk, which created a flap. At its center was the right coronary artery. This flap, which remained attached to the aorta proximally, was then used to close the aortic defect. The segment of the pulmonary trunk with stenosis was resected. The patient's pericardium was used to fashion a valved conduit that was interposed between the right ventricle and the confluence of the pulmonary artery branches. © The Author(s) 2016.

  11. Hirudin (desulfated, 54-65) contracts canine coronary arteries: extracellular calcium influx mediates hirudin-induced contractions.

    PubMed

    Sorajja, Paul; Cable, David G; Hamner, Chad E; Schaff, Hartzell V

    2004-09-01

    Although the anticoagulatory properties of hirudin are well known, its direct vasoactive effects have not been investigated extensively. Hirudin stimulates nitric oxide and prostacyclin production in noncoronary vascular beds, but its actions on coronary arteries are unknown. Five-millimeter segments of canine left circumflex coronary arteries were obtained for organ chamber experiments. Some segments were denuded of endothelium before study. Segments were exposed to hirudin (10(-10)-10(-6) mol/L) following precontraction with prostaglandin F(2alpha) with or without pretreatment with indomethacin or calcium channel blockers (verapamil and nifedipine). Hirudin stimulated endothelium-independent contraction in coronary arterial segments. Maximum tension (hirudin 10(-6) mol/L) above precontraction baseline was 33.6 +/- 9.0% (n = 10, P < 0.05) for endothelium-intact and 31.8 +/- 11.5% (n = 8, P < 0.05) for endothelium-denuded arterial segments. Differences between endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded segments were not significant. Contractile responses to hirudin were unaffected by the presence of indomethacin. Pretreatment with either verapamil or nifedipine (10(-4) mol/L) for 1 h attenuated these contractions. The maximal increase in tension above baseline (hirudin 10(-6) mol/L) for verapamil and nifedipine was only 6.2 +/- 12.4 and 3.8 +/- 7.0% (n = 6, P < 0.05 versus endothelium-intact control), respectively. Hirudin stimulates endothelium-independent contractions of canine coronary arteries in vitro. Pretreatment with calcium channel blockers attenuates this response, suggesting that extracellular influx of calcium has an important mechanistic role in hirudin-mediated coronary artery constriction.

  12. Successful percutaneous coronary intervention with GuideLiner® catheter for subtotal occlusive lesion in the right coronary artery with anomalous origin from the left sinus of Valsalva: a case report.

    PubMed

    Shirota, Ayumi; Nomura, Tetsuya; Kubota, Hiroshi; Taminishi, Shunta; Urata, Ryota; Sugimoto, Takeshi; Higuchi, Yusuke; Kato, Taku; Keira, Natsuya; Tatsumi, Tetsuya

    2015-07-28

    Because of the unusual anatomy of an anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the left sinus of Valsalva, selective cannulation of the guiding catheter in percutaneous coronary intervention for these cases is always challenging. A 58-year-old Japanese man was admitted to our hospital complaining of worsening exertional chest pain. He was suspected of having unstable angina pectoris and underwent cardiac catheterization. We found a subtotal occlusive lesion in the mid-portion of his right coronary artery that originated from the left sinus of Valsalva. On the previous percutaneous coronary intervention, we failed to cannulate the guiding catheter to the anomalous orifice of the right coronary artery. Therefore, we decided to use the GuideLiner catheter for stable back-up support from the beginning. A 6Fr GuideLiner catheter was introduced into the right coronary artery by anchoring it coaxially with a semi-compliant balloon catheter. And we successfully deployed two drug-eluting stents by crossing over the posterior-descending artery. Final angiography demonstrated favorable dilatation of the target lesion, and native blood flow in the right coronary artery was completely recovered. GuideLiner is a monorail-type "child" support catheter that facilitates coaxial guiding catheter engagement and an appropriate back-up force, achieving successful device delivery to target lesions in this kind of complex percutaneous coronary intervention.

  13. Angiographic findings and clinical outcomes in asymptomatic patients with severe obstructive atherosclerosis on computed tomography angiography.

    PubMed

    Kornowski, Ran; Bachar, Gil N; Dvir, Danny; Fuchs, Shmuel; Atar, Eli

    2008-01-01

    Cardiac computed tomography angiography is a relatively new imaging modality to detect coronary atherosclerosis. To explore the diagnostic value of CTA in assessing coronary artery disease among asymptomatic patients. In this retrospective single-centered analysis, 622 consecutive patients underwent CTA of coronary arteries between November 2004 and May 2006 at the Mor Institute for Cardiovascular Imaging in Bnei Brak, Israel. All patients were asymptomatic but had at least one risk factor for atherosclerotic CAD. The initial 244 patients were examined with the 16-slice Brilliance CT scanner (Philips, Cleveland, OH, U.S.A.), and in the remaining 378 patients the 64-slice scanner (GE Healthcare, The Netherlands) with dedicated cardiac reconstruction software and electrocardiography triggering was used. Scanning was performed in the cranio-caudal direction. Images reconstructed in different phases of the cardiac cycle using a retrospective ECG-gated reconstruction algorithm were transferred to a dedicated workstation for review by experienced CT radiologists and cardiologists. Of 622 patients, 52 (8.4%) had severe obstructive atherosclerosis (suspected > or = 75% stenosis) according to CTA interpretation. Invasive coronary angiography was performed in 48 patients while 4 patients had no further procedure. A non-significant CAD (e.g., diameter stenosis < 70%) was identified in 6 of 48 patients (12%) by selective coronary angiography. Forty-two patients showed severe CAD with at least one lesion of 70% stenosis. Percutaneous coronary intervention was performed in 35 patients and coronary artery bypass grafting surgery in the other 4 patients. Angioplasty procedures were successful in all 35 patients and stents were utilized in all cases without complications. No further complications occurred among the study cohort undergoing either PCI or surgery. The 6 month survival rate in these patients was 100%. Non-invasive coronary CTA appears to be a reliable technique, with

  14. A novel coronary active perfusion system using a conventional intra-aortic balloon pump for off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

    PubMed

    Kiuchi, Ryuta; Tomita, Shigeyuki; Yamaguchi, Shojiro; Nishida, Yuji; Ohtake, Hiroshi; Nakamura, Hiroyuki; Watanabe, Go

    2014-07-01

    It is important for coronary active perfusion systems to avoid myocardial ischemia during off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. We have developed a new concept for a perfusion system to pump blood based on changes in helium gas volume. This system uses a conventional intra-aortic balloon pump to activate the perfusion pump. Our study used basic and animal experiments to investigate the most suitable system for coronary perfusion using this new concept. A conventional intra-aortic balloon pump was used to supply power. A device for perfusion was developed with a balloon placed inside a stiff syringe barrel. The device was connected to the helium gas line of the intra-aortic balloon pump. Changes in flow with changes in augmentation level were noted when volumes outside and within the balloon were changed. Six pigs with occlusion of the left anterior descending artery were used for system validation, with monitoring to identify changes in hemodynamics and cardiac enzyme levels. In the basic experiment, an 80-mL outside volume and 3.0-mL inner volume resulted in the greatest percentage change in flow rate with respect to changes in augmentation. In the animal experiment, the new coronary active perfusion system prevented myocardial ischemia during coronary occlusion. We clarified the most suitable method for our new coronary active perfusion system. Using this system, safe anastomosis was consistently performed in animal experiments. Clinically, off-pump coronary artery bypass may potentially be performed more safely and easily using this new system. Copyright © 2014 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Coronary Events and Anatomy After Arterial Switch Operation for Transposition of the Great Arteries: Detection by 16-Row Multislice Computed Tomography Angiography in Pediatric Patients

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Oztunc, Funda, E-mail: foztunc@yahoo.com; Baris, Safa, E-mail: safabaris@hotmail.co; Adaletli, Ibrahim, E-mail: iadaletli@yahoo.com

    2009-03-15

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of multislice computed tomographic (MSCT) angiography as a noninvasive method for detecting ostial, proximal, and middle segment coronary stenosis or occlusion and anatomy in patients with transposition of the great arteries who had undergone arterial switch operation (ASO). Sixteen-detector-row MSCT angiography was performed in 16 patients treated with ASO for transposition of the great arteries. The median age was 10.3 years (range, 6.2-16.3 years). Sixteen-detector-row MSCT angiography was performed in 16 patients who had undergone ASO. CT imaging was performed in the craniocaudal direction from 2 cm above the carinamore » up to the heart basis. Noninvasive assessment of coronary artery stenosis and anatomy were investigated by MSCT angiography. Two patients were excluded from the study because of artifacts. Of 14 evaluated patients, 1 patient had ostial stenosis (7.1%). A coronary artery anatomy variant was present in six patients: left main artery (LMA) and right coronary artery (RCA) originating from the right sinus as a single orifice (n = 2); left circumflex artery (LCX) originating from the RCA (n = 1); LMA and RCA, after branching to the LCX, originating separately from the right sinus (n = 1); and LMA (n = 1) and left anterior descending artery (LADA; n = 1) originating directly from the right sinus. Intramural bridging in the LAD (n = 2) was detected. Five patients were normal. In conclusion, MSCT angiography, as a noninvasive, feasible technique for assessing coronary stenosis or occlusion and anatomy, can be used in the follow-up of patients who have undergone ASO.« less

  16. Natriuretic Peptide and High-Sensitive Troponin T Concentrations Correlate with Effectiveness of Short-Term CPAP in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Coronary Artery Disease.

    PubMed

    Strehmel, Ralf; Valo, Misa; Teupe, Claudius

    2016-01-01

    The risk of cardiovascular complications is increased in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most effective way to treat clinically significant OSA. We hypothesized that the concentrations of the cardiac risk markers N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitive troponin T (hs-TropT) correlate with the effectiveness of CPAP therapy in patients with OSA and coexisting coronary artery disease (CAD). Twenty-one patients with severe OSA and coexisting CAD (group 1) and 20 control patients with severe OSA alone (group 2) were treated with CPAP and monitored by laboratory-based polysomnography. NT-proBNP and hs-TropT levels were measured before and after CPAP. Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and oxygen desaturation were similar in both groups. In group 1, hs-TropT levels correlated with AHI and oxygen desaturation upon CPAP. Elevated NT-proBNP levels in group 1 were significantly reduced by CPAP. NT-proBNP levels correlated with AHI and showed negative correlation with ST-segment depression. No such correlations were found in group 2. CPAP has the potential to normalize elevated NT-proBNP serum levels in patients with severe OSA and coexisting CAD. Levels of NT-proBNP and hs-TropT correlated with AHI and oxygen desaturation.

  17. Perceived cognitive function in coronary artery disease--an unrecognised predictor of unemployment.

    PubMed

    Kiessling, Anna; Henriksson, Peter

    2005-08-01

    We aimed to assess whether perceived cognitive function influences employment and return to work in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Prospective longitudinal cohort study. Health care system of Södertälje, Stockholm County, Sweden. We included consecutive unselected patients less than 65 years of age with CAD and followed them during 2 years. Gainful employment and return to work in patients with CAD. We found that perceived cognitive function predicts both prevalence of unemployment [OR 2.06 (95% CI: 1.36-3.13); p = 0.0006] and early retirement and sick leave due to coronary artery disease [OR 1.59 (95% CI: 1.12-2.25)] both at baseline and 2 years later. Furthermore, perceived cognitive function predicted return to work after an acute coronary event [OR 2.28 (95% CI: 1.08-4.84)]. Covariates such as age, sex, prevalence and degree of angina (CCS grade), cardiovascular risk factors and events did not change the predictive power. Perceived cognitive function is a hitherto unrecognised independent predictor of unemployment, sick leave and return to work in patients with coronary artery disease. Perceived cognitive function adds a new perspective on ability to gainful employment in patients with CAD. The findings might have significance both to individual care and to society.

  18. Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery with patent ductus arteriosus: a must to recognize entity.

    PubMed

    Awasthy, Neeraj; Marwah, Ashutosh; Sharma, Rajesh; Dalvi, Bharat

    2010-09-01

    Anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk (ALCAPA) presents in early infancy with a clinical picture of congestive heart failure with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and mitral insufficiency. These manifestations of myocardial ischaemia may be masked in the presence of an associated patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) or ventricular septal defect (VSD) which prevents the fall of pulmonary artery pressures and allows perfusion of the anomalous coronary artery. We present a case of a patient with large PDA-associated ALCAPA and preserved LV function. The importance of such a finding lies in the fact that VSD closure or PDA ligation in such cases would unmask the ALCAPA.

  19. Critical care for patients with congenital abnormalities of the coronary arteries.

    PubMed

    Flores, Saul; Moore, Ryan A; Statile, Christopher J; Michelfelder, Erik C; Wanstrath, Shawna G; Knilans, Timothy K; Morales, David L; Cooper, David S

    2015-12-01

    Congenital abnormalities of the coronary arteries in the absence of structural heart disease account for a small but interesting percentage of cardiac lesions in children. Their presentation may vary from incidental identification to aborted/sudden cardiac death. Patients with aborted sudden death episodes will require significant support if they develop extensive ischaemic myocardial injury. Ultimately, surgical repair should be carried out as soon as haemodynamic stability is attained and the neurological status is evaluated. The aims of this article were to provide a review of congenital abnormalities of the coronary arteries most commonly seen in children in the ICU as well as to review the current critical-care management thereof.

  20. Danish study of Non-Invasive testing in Coronary Artery Disease (Dan-NICAD): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Nissen, Louise; Winther, Simon; Isaksen, Christin; Ejlersen, June Anita; Brix, Lau; Urbonaviciene, Grazina; Frost, Lars; Madsen, Lene Helleskov; Knudsen, Lars Lyhne; Schmidt, Samuel Emil; Holm, Niels Ramsing; Maeng, Michael; Nyegaard, Mette; Bøtker, Hans Erik; Bøttcher, Morten

    2016-05-26

    Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is an established method for ruling out coronary artery disease (CAD). Most patients referred for CCTA do not have CAD and only approximately 20-30 % of patients are subsequently referred to further testing by invasive coronary angiography (ICA) or non-invasive perfusion evaluation due to suspected obstructive CAD. In cases with severe calcifications, a discrepancy between CCTA and ICA often occurs, leading to the well-described, low-diagnostic specificity of CCTA. As ICA is cost consuming and involves a risk of complications, an optimized algorithm would be valuable and could decrease the number of ICAs that do not lead to revascularization. The primary objective of the Dan-NICAD study is to determine the diagnostic accuracy of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) as secondary tests after a primary CCTA where CAD could not be ruled out. The secondary objective includes an evaluation of the diagnostic precision of an acoustic technology that analyses the sound of coronary blood flow. It may potentially provide better stratification prior to CCTA than clinical risk stratification scores alone. Dan-NICAD is a multi-centre, randomised, cross-sectional trial, which will include approximately 2,000 patients without known CAD, who were referred to CCTA due to a history of symptoms suggestive of CAD and a low-risk to intermediate-risk profile, as evaluated by a cardiologist. Patient interview, sound recordings, and blood samples are obtained in connection with the CCTA. All patients with suspected obstructive CAD by CCTA are randomised to either stress CMRI or stress MPS, followed by ICA with fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurements. Obstructive CAD is defined as an FFR below 0.80 or as high-grade stenosis (>90 % diameter stenosis) by visual assessment. Diagnostic performance is evaluated as sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, likelihood ratios, and C statistics