Cardiology Commons^™

Does The Expression Of Transforming Growth Factor Β-1: Affect The Outcome Of The Radiofrequency Modified Maze Procedure In Patients With Rheumatic Atrial Fibrillation?, Wei Wang, Lei Liu, Yuan Li, Sheng-Shou Hu, Yun-Hu Song, Xin Wang

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

We investigated whether the expression of transforming growth factor β-1 in the left atrial appendage affected the outcome of the radiofrequency modified maze procedure in patients with rheumatic valve disease and long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation.

Messenger RNA and protein expression of transforming growth factor β-1 and volume fractions of collagen types I and III were measured in 80 patients with rheumatic valve atrial fibrillation who underwent valve surgery with the radiofrequency modified maze procedure; the same was done in a control group of 20 patients with rheumatic valve disease and sinus rhythm who underwent valve surgery alone.

At 6 months' …

Ectopic And Atretic Ostium Of Left Main Coronary Artery: From Interleaflet Triangle Between Left And Noncoronary Cusps, Ta-Chung Shen, Hsin-Hua Chou, Kuei-Ton Tsai

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Left main coronary artery atresia is an extremely rare coronary anomaly in which there is no left coronary ostium and the left main trunk ends blindly. Ectopic origin of the left coronary artery from the left ventricle is an even rarer condition. Herein, we describe the case of a 37-year-old woman whose left main coronary artery atresia was not corrected during previous surgical correction of patent ductus arteriosus and aortic insufficiency. Five years after that first operation, the patient developed severe angina and heart failure. She underwent coronary artery bypass grafting with greater saphenous vein directly to the left main …

Bioabsorbable Atrial Septal Occluder For Percutaneous Closure Of Atrial Septal Defect In Children, Osman Baspinar, Mehmet Kervancioglu, Metin Kilinc, Ahmet Irdem

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

The BioSTAR bioabsorbable septal repair implant is a new transcatheter secundum atrial septal defect occlusion device that is absorbed and replaced by healthy native tissue. This retrospective analysis was designed to determine the most significant factors for its successful use in children. From October 2009 through December 2010, 33 children underwent catheterization to close secundum atrial septal defects by means of the BioSTAR. The mean age of the patients was 6.8 ± 3.4 years (range, 2.5-13 yr), and the mean body weight was 22.6 ± 11 kg (range, 11-55 kg). The device was successfully implanted in 91% of patients (30/33). …

False Scents, False Sense, And False Cents: Why Physicians Should Read Sherlock Holmes, Ira Martin Grais

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.

Chronic Kidney Disease Is Associated With Increased Coronary Artery Atherosclerosis As Revealed By Multidetector Computed Tomographic Angiography, Sion K Roy, Albert Cespedes, Dong Li, Tae-Young Choi, Matthew J Budoff

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events. We evaluated whether multidetector computed tomographic angiography (MDCTA) revealed a link between pre-dialysis CKD and coronary artery atherosclerosis.

We retrospectively analyzed 549 patients who underwent MDCTA. Patients were divided into 3 groups: normal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (GFR >90 mL/min/1.73 m2 body surface area), mild CKD (>60GFR≤90 mL/min/1.73 m2), and moderate CKD (>30GFR≤60 mL/min/1.73 m2). Normality testing was performed to determine if continuous variables were modeled in Gaussian distribution before analysis of variance was applied. The χ2 test was used to compare GFR subgroups. Multiple linear …

Earlier Surgical Intervention In Congenital Heart Disease Results In Better Outcome And Resource Utilization, Roheena Z. Panni, Awais Ashfaq, Muhammad M. Amanullah

Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Background:Congenital heart disease (CHD) accounts for a major proportion of disease in the pediatric age group. The objective of the study was to estimate the cost of illness associated with CHD pre, intra and postoperatively, among Patients referred to a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. This is the first study conducted to estimate the cost of managing CHD in Pakistan.

Methods:

A prevalence based cost of illness Study Design was used to estimate the cost of cardiac surgery (corrective & palliative) for congenital heart defects in children Results:The mean age at the time of surgery in group …

Wnt Signaling Exerts An Antiproliferative Effect On Adult Cardiac Progenitor Cells Through Igfbp3., Angelos Oikonomopoulos, Konstantina-Ioanna Sereti, Frank Conyers, Michael Bauer, Annette Liao, Jian Guan, Dylan Crapps, Jung-Kyu Han, Hanhua Dong, Ahmad F Bayomy, Gabriel C Fine, Karen Westerman, Travis L Biechele, Randall T Moon, Thomas Force, Ronglih Liao

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

RATIONALE: Recent work in animal models and humans has demonstrated the presence of organ-specific progenitor cells required for the regenerative capacity of the adult heart. In response to tissue injury, progenitor cells differentiate into specialized cells, while their numbers are maintained through mechanisms of self-renewal. The molecular cues that dictate the self-renewal of adult progenitor cells in the heart, however, remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE: We investigate the role of canonical Wnt signaling on adult cardiac side population (CSP) cells under physiological and disease conditions.

METHODS AND RESULTS: CSP cells isolated from C57BL/6J mice were used to study the effects of canonical …

We Can Do It Together: Par1/Par2 Heterodimer Signaling In Vsmcs., Rafal Pawlinski, Michael Holinstat

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

In this issue, Sevigny and colleagues demonstrate that a protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1)-PAR2 heterodimer regulates vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) hyperplasia following vascular injury ¹. PARs belong to a family of G-protein coupled receptors that are proteolytically activated by a variety of proteases ^{2, 3}. Cleavage of PARs results in intracellular signaling mediated by activation of various G proteins including G_12/13, G_q, and G_i ^{2, 4-6}. The PAR family consists of 4 members, PAR1-PAR4, with PARs 1, 3, and 4 being primarily activated by thrombin, while PAR2 is activated by trypsin and …

Outcomes In St Elevation Myocardial Infarction; A Comparison Of A Tertiary Care Center In Pakistan With European Centers, Sadia Arshad, Sajid Dhakam, Safia Awan

Section of Cardiology

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and in hospital outcome data of patients presenting to the Aga Khan University Hospital with ST elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) and its comparison with data from patients enrolled in the European Heart registry for the same duration.METHODS: Data on 296 patients with STEMI was prospectively collected from 1st January 2010, till 31st December 2010 from the cardiology section at the Aga Khan University Hospital. European data was collected on 7485 patients retrieved from the Eurobservational Research programme Acute Coronary Syndrome Registry 2010 for the same duration.RESULTS: A total of 296 patients were enrolled from …

Adherence To The European Society Of Cardiology (Esc) Guidelines For Chronic Heart Failure - A National Survey Of The Cardiologists In Pakistan, Sana Shoukat, Saqib A. Gowani, Ather M. Taqui, Rameez Ul Hassan, Zain A. Bhutta, Anum I. Malik, Sajjad A. Sherjeel, Quratulanne Sheheryar, Sajid H. Dhakam

Section of Neurosurgery

Background:The aims of this study were to evaluate the awareness of and attitudes towards the 2005 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines for Heart Failure (HF) of the cardiologists in Pakistan and assess barriers to adherence to guidelines.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in person from March to July 2009 to all cardiologists practicing in 4 major cities in Pakistan (Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar). A validated, semi-structured questionnaire assessing ESC 2005 Guidelines for HF was used to obtain information from cardiologists. It included questions about awareness and relevance of HF guidelines (See Additional File 1). Respondents' management …

Percutaneous Implantation Of The Edwards Sapien Transcatheter Heart Valve For Conduit Failure In The Pulmonary Position: Early Phase 1 Results From An International Multicenter Clinical Trial., Damien Kenny, Ziyad M. Hijazi, Saibal Kar, John Rhodes, Michael Mullen, Raj Makkar, Girish S. Shirali, Mark Fogel, John Fahey, Mary G. Heitschmidt, Christopher Cain

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Edwards SAPIEN transcatheter heart valve (Edwards Lifesciences LLC, Irvine, California) in the pulmonary position in patients with moderate to severe pulmonary regurgitation with or without stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement is evolving, but to date, experience has been limited to the Melody valve (Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota).

METHODS: Eligible patients with dysfunctional right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery conduits were screened if body weight was ≥35 kg and the in situ conduit diameter was ≥16 mm and ≤24 mm. Standardized implantation and follow-up protocols were used.

RESULTS: …

Diurnal Variations Of Genes Contributing To Sodium And Potassium Cardiac Currents, Parvathi Nataraj

Kaleidoscope

No abstract provided.

Ghrelin Receptor Deficiency Does Not Affect Diet-Induced Atherosclerosis In Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Null Mice, Kirk M. Habegger, Erin Grant, Paul Thomas Pfluger, Diego Perez-Tilve, Alan Daugherty, Dennis Bruemmer, Matthias H. Tschöp, Susanna M. Hofmann

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: Ghrelin, a stomach-derived, secreted peptide, and its receptor (growth hormone secretagogue receptor, GHSR) are known to modulate food intake and energy homeostasis. The ghrelin system is also expressed broadly in cardiovascular tissues. Since ghrelin has been associated with anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic properties, but is also well known to promote obesity and impair glucose metabolism, we investigated whether ghrelin has any impact on the development of atherosclerosis. The hypothesis that endogenous ghrelin signaling may be involved in atherosclerosis has not been tested previously.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We crossed ghrelin receptor knockout mice (GHSr^-/-) into a low-density lipoprotein receptor-null …

Postoperative Glycemic Variability In Diabetic And Non Diabetic Patients, Boris Mraovic, Md, Brian Hipszer, Md, Zvi Grunwald, Md, David Gratch, Do, Charles J. Yeo, Md, Jennifer Lessin, Rn, Kathleen O'Malley, Rn, Angela Gulino, Md, Peter Simpson, Meng, Jeffrey Joseph

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

Objectives: Glycemic variability increases oxidative stress and may trigger the inflammation and coagulation cascades. Variability may be associated with increase morbidity and mortality in ICU patients. We analyzed glycemic variability after major surgery in diabetic (DM) and non-diabetic (NDM) patients using an automated intravenous blood glucose monitor (IVBG).

The Prevalence And Risk Factors Of Acute Myocardial Infarction (Ami) After Acute Ischemic Stroke (Ais) In The United States, Ali Seifi, Md, Fred Rincon, Md, Msc, Michael Moussouttas, Md, Mitchell Maltenfort, Phd, Matthew Vibbert, Md, Rodney Bell, Md, Maria Carissa Pineda, Md, Diana Tzeng, Md, Jacqueline Urtecho, Md, Anish Koka, Md, William Mcbride, Md

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and risk factors for, and the association with in-hospital mortality of, AMI after AIS, and to study the effect of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-tPA) in this setting. We hypothesized that AMI would be associated with lower survival rate at hospital discharge but that intravenous r-tPA would be associated with lower risk of AMI.

Non-Geometric Echocardiographic Indices Of Ventricular Function In Patients With A Fontan Circulation., Jonathan Rhodes, Renee Margossian, Lynn A. Sleeper, Piers Barker, Timothy J. Bradley, Minmin Lu, Mark Fogel, Matthew A. Harris, Wyman W. Lai, Andrew J. Powell, Michael D. Puchalski, Girish S. Shirali, Steven D. Colan, Pediatric Heart Network Investigators

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Complex anatomy and limited windows complicate echocardiographic assessments of ventricular function in Fontan patients. For the Pediatric Heart Network Fontan Cross-Sectional Study, data were acquired from which mean ventricular pressure change during isovolumetric contraction (dP/dt(ic)), Tei index, and maximal systolic annular velocity (S') could be measured. The purpose of this study was to compare these nongeometric indices of ventricular function to cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) measurements of ventricular ejection fraction (EF).

METHODS: Echocardiographic and CMR studies were performed prospectively using standardized protocols; measurements were completed by core laboratories. Data from both modalities were available from 137 patients.

RESULTS: A …

Predictors Of Appropriate Defibrillator Therapies- A Single Center Analysis, Rina R. Shah, Ratika Gupta, Carrie Stackhouse, Robin Ward, Behzad B. Pavri

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

Discussion:

• Although differences in HR and the JT interval were statistically significant in patients who received appropriate shock vs. those who did not, these differences are not clinically meaningful
• We did not identify any clinical predictors of early vs. late ICD shocks
• These data suggest that we may not be able to improve on current guidelines for patient selection for ICD implantation.

Effect Of Percutaneous Mitral Vavuloplasty On Pregnant Mother And Foetus--A Tertiary Care Hospital Experience From A Developing Country, Syed Haider Imam, Abbas Haider Zaidi, Sana Shoukat, Sajid H. Dhakam

Section of Cardiology

This study evaluated the short and long-term consequences of Percutaneous Mitral Valvuloplasty (PMV) in pregnant patients and their offspring, in a tertiary care setting, Karachi, Pakistan. The hospital database was used to retrieve all patients who underwent PMV during pregnancy in the period 1998-2007. The follow up data of the patients and the born children were obtained from the hospital records and also by contacting the patients via phone. Six patients underwent PMV but follow-up was available for 5 patients only. All 5 patients were admitted due to severe mitral stenosis with symptoms of dyspnea and palpitation. Mean age was …

Carotid Intima Media Thickness In The Prediction Of St Elevation Myocardial Infarction, Ashish Kabra Md, Justin D. Roberts Do, Nitin Verma Md, Lori Neri Msn, Martin E. Matsumura Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Advanced Glycation End Products Accelerate Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury Through Receptor Of Advanced End Product/Nitrative Thioredoxin Inactivation In Cardiac Microvascular Endothelial Cells., Yi Liu, Yanzhuo Ma, Rutao Wang, Chenhai Xia, Rongqing Zhang, Kun Lian, Ronghua Luan, Lu Sun, Lu Yang, Wayne B Lau, Haichang Wang, Ling Tao

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

The advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are associated with increased cardiac endothelial injury. However, no causative link has been established between increased AGEs and enhanced endothelial injury after ischemia/reperfusion. More importantly, the molecular mechanisms by which AGEs may increase endothelial injury remain unknown. Adult rat cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) were isolated and incubated with AGE-modified bovine serum albumin (BSA) or BSA. After AGE-BSA or BSA preculture, CMECs were subjected to simulated ischemia (SI)/reperfusion (R). AGE-BSA increased SI/R injury as evidenced by enhanced lactate dehydrogenase release and caspase-3 activity. Moreover, AGE-BSA significantly increased SI/R-induced oxidative/nitrative stress in CMECs (as measured …

Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy: A Review., Anil George, Vincent M Figueredo

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

Alcohol abuse can cause cardiomyopathy indistinguishable from other types of dilated nonischemic cardiomyopathy. Most heavy drinkers remain asymptomatic in the earlier stages of disease progression, and many never develop the familiar clinical manifestations that typify heart failure. We review the current thinking on the pathophysiology, clinical characteristics, and treatments available for alcoholic cardiomyopathy. The relationship of alcohol to heart disease is complicated by the fact that in moderation, alcohol has been shown to afford a certain degree of protection against cardiovascular disease.

Mother And Child Technique Combined With Super Selective Pharmacological Intervention For Large Intracoronary Thrombus, Nasir Rahman, Sajid H. Dhakam

Section of Cardiology

Primary percutaneous intervention (PCI) in acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (MI) is a preferred way of treatment nowadays. Sometimes it becomes difficult to get good myocardial blood flow during PCI if clot burden is large. In this case of an elderly lady, the use of "Mother and Child Technique" combined with super selective pharmacological intervention is demonstrated to achieve good blood flow when conventional means are not working.

Coronary Ct Radiation Reduction - The Lehigh Valley Health Network Experience, Nitin Verma Md, Ashish N. Kabra Md, Justin D. Roberts Do, James A. Newcomb Md, Howard Rosenberg Md, Julie Gubernick, Robert Kricun Md, Matthew W. Martinez Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Elderly Patients And Their Health In Pakistan: Current Status, Issues, Challenges And Opportunities, Waris Qidwai, Tabinda Ashfaq

Department of Family Medicine

No abstract provided.

White Coat Hypertension Is Not A Benign Entity: A Cross-Sectional Study At A Tertiary Care Hospital In Pakistan, Saniya Siraj Godil, Halima Tabani, Aamir Hameed Khan, Aysha Almas

Department of Medicine

Objectives: To determine the frequency of White Coat Hypertension in patients undergoing ambulatory blood pressure monitoring at a tertiary care center and to compare ambulatory blood pressure profiles of normotensives, white coat hypertensives and hypertensives.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted which included all adult patients undergoing ambulatory blood pressure monitoring over a 3-year period. Those patients with incomplete data, less than 85% successful BP readings and inadequate number of daytime and nighttime readings were excluded from the study. The data on ambulatory blood pressure monitoring comprised of demographics, blood pressure, pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure readings at …

White Coat Hypertension Is Not A Benign Entity: A Cross-Sectional Study At A Tertiary Care Hospital In Pakistan, Saniya Siraj Godil, Halima Tabani, Aamir Hameed Khan, Aysha Almas

Section of Cardiology

Objectives: To determine the frequency of White Coat Hypertension in patients undergoing ambulatory blood pressure monitoring at a tertiary care center and to compare ambulatory blood pressure profiles of normotensives, white coat hypertensives and hypertensives.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted which included all adult patients undergoing ambulatory blood pressure monitoring over a 3-year period. Those patients with incomplete data, less than 85% successful BP readings and inadequate number of daytime and nighttime readings were excluded from the study. The data on ambulatory blood pressure monitoring comprised of demographics, blood pressure, pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure readings at …

Choosing Radial Vs. Femoral Cardiac Catheterization: Does Operator Seniority Matter? A Single Center Experience, Nitin Verma Md, Amit N. Nanavati Md, Justin D. Roberts Do, Nainesh C. Patel Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

16-Year Trends In The Infection Burden For Pacemakers And Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators In The United States 1993 To 2008., Arnold J Greenspon, Jasmine D Patel, Edmund Lau, Jorge A Ochoa, Daniel R Frisch, Reginald T Ho, Behzad B Pavri, Steven M Kurtz

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: We analyzed the infection burden associated with the implantation of cardiac implantable electrophysiological devices (CIEDs) in the United States for the years 1993 to 2008.

BACKGROUND: Recent data suggest that the rate of infection following CIED implantation may be increasing.

METHODS: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) discharge records were queried between 1993 and 2008 using the 9th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9-CM). CIED infection was defined as either: 1) ICD-9 code for device-related infection (996.61) and any CIED procedure or removal code; or 2) CIED procedure code along with systemic infection. Patient health profile was evaluated …

Surgical Correction Of Aorto-Pulmonary Window: A Rare And Lethal Cause Of Pulmonary Hypertension, Adeel Ahmed Shamim, Mubashir Zareen Khan, Mehnaz Ahmed Atiq, Mansoor Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Muneer Amanullah

Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Aorto-pulmonary window is a relatively rare congenital cardiac malformation with an overall incidence of 0.1%. Pulmonary hypertension develops quickly if the lesion is left untreated hence early surgical intervention is warranted after diagnosis. The surgery for correction of APW has evolved over years, currently an open repair on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) with a single patch technique yields good results. Mortality is affected by association of pulmonary hypertension and other cardiac malformations. We present a case of an infant with a large type II APW with a relatively low pulmonary vascular resistance. Hospital stay was complicated because of pulmonary arterial disease …

Ganglioneuroblastoma Of The Posterior Mediastinum: A Case Report., Saulat Fatimi, Samira A Bawany, Awais Ashfaq

Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Introduction:Ganglioneuroblastoma is a rare peripheral neuroblastic tumor that is derived from developing neuronal cells of the sympathetic nervous system, and is found mostly, but not exclusively, in babies and young children.

Case Presentation:

To the best of our knowledge, there have been no previously reported cases of ganglioneuroblastoma of the mediastinum from Pakistan. We present a case of ganglioneuroblastoma in an eight-year-old Pakistani Sindhi boy incidentally found to have a large posterior mediastinal mass that on biopsy initially looked like ganglioneuroma. He underwent successful excision of the mediastinal mass and remained stable post-operatively. Final pathology findings showed a ganglioneuroblastoma. …