Transcatheter treatment of angina after coronary surgery due to concomitant internal mammary steal and right coronary artery stenosis: a need for staging

Unligated side branches of the internal mammary artery used as a conduit in bypass surgery can be responsible for a flow steal phenomenon, causing recurrent angina. In this report we describe such a case, which was treated with a transcatheter embolization technique using coils as an alternative to surgery. However, heparin administration for simultaneous balloon dilatation of another lesion delayed successful embolization. Whenever balloon dilatation and embolization have to be performed on the same patient, both procedures should be staged to avoid heparin administration during and after the embolization procedure.

Biventricular thrombi in dilated cardiomyopathy: massive simultaneous pulmonary and systemic embolisation

A patient with biventricular thrombus formation in dilated cardiomyopathy suffered massive combined systemic and pulmonary embolization shortly after oral anticoagulation was started. Although this can be coincidental, it can also suggest that the basis of a thrombus may dissolve first with any, including oral, anticoagulation. In unusual conditions surgical removal of thrombi in dilated cardiomyopathy may be a safer alternative.

Comparison of thoracic and lumbar epidural infusions of bupivacaine and fentanyl for post-thoracotomy analgesia

Epidural analgesia, via either a thoracic or lumbar route, is commonly used to provide postoperative analgesia following thoracotomy for pulmonary resection, but little data indicate which location is better in terms of postoperative analgesia, side effects, or associated complications. In this study, 45 patients, who were scheduled to have epidural analgesia and undergo a lateral thoracotomy, were randomized to receive either a thoracic or a lumbar catheter. Pain assessments and routine clinical data were recorded to determine if either thoracic or lumbar epidural catheters provided superior analgesia, fewer side effects, or fewer complications. This study found no statistical difference in pain relief or side effects between lumbar and thoracic epidural analgesia for post-thoracotomy pain. An increased infusion rate (6.4 +/- 1.9 v 5.1 +/- 1.4 mL/h, P = 0.02) was required in the lumbar group to achieve equivalent analgesic levels.

Cardiac anatomy and diastolic filling in professional road cyclists

In the literature two divergent types of exercise-induced cardiac hypertrophy have been described: isotonic exercise induced eccentric hypertrophy with proportional increase in end-diastolic left ventricular dimension and wall thickness and isometric exercise induced concentric hypertrophy with normal end-diastolic left ventricular dimension but increased wall thickness. Using echocardiography, cardiac anatomy and diastolic filling were studied in 26 professional road cyclists. Compared to 21 control subjects, matched according to age, sex and morphometry the athletes had significantly larger left atrial dimension [41.3 (SD 4.8) vs 36.6 (SD 4.5) mm], left ventricular dimension [56.0 (SD 3.8) vs 53.2 (SD 4.7) mm], end-diastolic septum thickness [11.1 (SD 2.5) vs 8.4 (SD 1.9) mm], end-diastolic posterior wall thickness [11.6 (SD 2.2) vs 8.4 (SD 1.5) mm] and left ventricular mass index [170.4 (SD 40.6) vs 107.0 (SD 27.7) g.m-2]. We concluded that the hypertrophy in the road cyclists was of the mixed type (concentric-eccentric) with an increase in the internal dimension of the left ventricle and an even larger increase in the thickness of the ventricular walls. Diastolic filling however was similar in the athletes and control subjects. No correlations were found between the left ventricular mass index and diastolic filling parameters. We concluded therefore that professional road cycling causes mixed cardiac hypertrophy without diastolic filling abnormalities and can therefore be considered benign.

Relationship between blood pressure measured in the clinic and by ambulatory monitoring and left ventricular size as measured by electrocardiogram in elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension

OBJECTIVE

To assess the additional diagnostic precision conferred by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring on clinic blood pressure measurement in evaluating the severity of isolated systolic hypertension.

METHODS

The association between left ventricular size as determined by ECG voltages [R-wave voltages in lead V5 (RV5) and S-wave voltages in lead V1 (SV1)] and blood pressure as assessed by clinic measurements and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was studied in 97 elderly patients included in the placebo run-in phase of the Syst-Eur trial. The additional diagnostic precision conferred by ambulatory monitoring on clinic blood pressure measurements was assessed by relating the residual ambulatory blood pressure level to the ECG-left ventricular size. The residual ambulatory blood pressure level was calculated by subtracting the predicted ambulatory blood pressure level for each patient (using the linear regression equation relating both techniques for the group) from the observed ambulatory blood pressure.

RESULTS

Clinic systolic blood pressure was on average 20 mmHg higher (P < 0.001) than daytime ambulatory blood pressure while diastolic blood pressure was similar with both techniques. The sum of SV1 + RV5 was significantly related to clinic systolic pressure (r = 0.25), and 24-h (systolic, r = 0.37; diastolic, r = 0.29), daytime (systolic, r = 0.30; diastolic, r = 0.19) and night-time (systolic, r = 0.33; diastolic, r = 0.28) ambulatory blood pressure levels. These findings were not affected by adjustment for gender, age and the body mass index. The sum of SV1 + RV5 was significantly related to the residual 24-h (systolic, r = 0.30; diastolic, r = 0.31), daytime systolic (r = 0.20) and night-time (systolic, r = 0.31; diastolic, r = 0.29) ambulatory blood pressure monitoring levels.

CONCLUSION

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring adds to the diagnostic precision of clinic blood pressure measurement in assessing the severity of hypertension in this population. The ongoing side project on ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in the Syst-Eur study should establish whether these findings hold true for morbidity and mortality.

Right atrial invasive thymoma with protrusion through the tricuspid valve

A patient with superior caval vein compression due to malignant thymoma with infrequent intracavitary cardiac growth is presented. Diagnostic accuracy of cardiac involvement was higher using transesophageal echocardiography compared to transthoracic echocardiography. The majority of the rare intracavitary cardiac thymomas seem to be confined to the right side of the heart.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension

OBJECTIVES

This study compared clinic and ambulatory blood pressure measurement and the reproducibility of these measurements in older patients with isolated systolic hypertension (ISH).

PATIENTS

Eighty-seven patients aged greater than or equal to 60 years with ISH on clinic measurement were followed in the placebo run-in phase of the Syst-Eur trial.

METHODS

Clinic blood pressure was defined as the mean of two blood pressure readings on each of three clinic visits (six readings in total). Ambulatory blood pressure was measured over 24 h using non-invasive ambulatory blood pressure monitors.

RESULTS

Daytime ambulatory systolic pressure was, on average, 21 mmHg lower than the clinic blood pressure, whereas diastolic pressure was, on average, similar with both techniques of measurement. In the 42 patients who had repeat measurements, clinic blood pressure levels nad the amplitude of the diurnal blood pressure profile (fitted by Fourier analysis) were equally reproducible. However, both were less reproducible than ambulatory blood pressure levels. The repeatability coefficients, expressed as per cent of near maximum variation (four times the standard deviation of a given measurement), were 52% and 45% for the clinic systolic and diastolic pressures, 56% and 42% for the amplitude of the diurnal profile, and 29% and 26% for mean 24-h pressures.

CONCLUSIONS

In older patients with ISH, clinic and ambulatory systolic blood pressure measurements may differ largely: the prognostic significance of this difference remains to be elucidated. Furthermore, in these patients the level of pressure is more reproducible by daytime ambulatory blood pressure measurement than by clinic measurement.

Decreased exercise capacity in mild essential hypertension: non-invasive indicators of limiting factors

Available data suggest that exercise capacity is limited in hypertension. The mechanism of this reduced maximal exercise capacity has not been fully elucidated. In this study 22 patients with mild essential hypertension (162 +/- 22 mmHg systolic and 95 +/- 8 mmHg diastolic) and 36 normotensive control subjects (128 +/- 13 mmHg systolic and 80 +/- 7 mmHg diastolic) (P less than 0.01) performed an ergometer test till exhaustion. Body mass index in the two groups did not differ. The maximal oxygen consumption VO2 was lower in the hypertensive group (18 +/- 7 versus 23 +/- 8 ml/kg/min; P less than 0.02) as was the maximal workload (141 +/- 52 vs. 185 +/- 70 Watt; P less than 0.01). Rate pressure product rose only 2.7 fold in hypertensive patients versus 3.5 fold in the control group (P less than 0.001). In hypertensive patients maximal workload decreased with increasing resting systolic blood pressure (P less than 0.05) while in the normotensive subjects maximal workload rose with increasing resting systolic blood pressure (P less than 0.05). In conclusion both high and low blood pressure was associated with a decreased maximal voluntary exercise capacity. Even mild hypertension was accompanied by lower maximal exercise capacity. Hypertensive patients also had a lower maximal VO2 and lower maximal rate pressure product than did normotensive subjects.

Twenty-four hour blood pressure monitoring in the Syst-Eur trial

This article describes the objectives and protocol of a study on ambulatory blood pressure in elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension. This study constitutes an optional side-project to the Syst-Eur trial. The multicentre Syst-Eur trial investigates whether antihypertensive treatment of elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension will influence the incidence of stroke. Secondary endpoints include cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction. The main objective of the side-project is to investigate whether ambulatory blood pressure monitoring will improve the prediction of cardiovascular complications based on blood pressure measurement in the clinic. The side-project also provides the opportunity to evaluate the diurnal profile of blood pressure in elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension randomized to placebo or active antihypertensive treatment.

Evaluation of the metabolic compensation after treadmill test in patients with peripheral occlusive arterial disease

Patterns of release of lactate, hypoxanthine, and arginine into the bloodstream after a standardized treadmill test (twelve minutes, 1.6-2.8 mph, inclination 0,5,10,15%) were recorded in 21 consecutive patients with stage II peripheral arterial occlusive disease. Heart rate, systolic blood pressure, ankle blood pressure, and ankle/brachial systolic blood pressure ratio (A/B ratio), as well as plasma lactate, plasma hypoxanthine and serum arginine were recorded before and at fifteen to thirty-minute intervals for up to two hours after the treadmill test. Immediately after the treadmill test, lactate levels (36.6 +/- 3.7 mg/L) and hypoxanthine levels (2.73 +/- 0.19 mmol/L) were significantly (p less than 0.001) increased but returned to preexercise levels after thirty and sixty minutes, respectively. Arginine levels did not change significantly. Ankle blood pressure (57 +/- 5 mm Hg) and A/B ratio (0.40 +/- 0.04) were significantly (p less than 0.001) decreased after exercise, while heart rate and systolic blood pressure were increased. These parameters returned to normal as well within a half hour after exercise. Absolute walking distance correlated significantly (p less than 0.01) with the postexercise systolic blood pressure (r = -0.62), ankle pressure (r = 0.63) and A/B ratio (r = 0.72). Induced hypoxanthine and lactate production intercorrelated significantly positively (r = 0.57, p = 0.007) but were independent of the absolute walking distance. In contrast with lactate, hypoxanthine production correlated significantly with postexercise ankle pressure (r = 0.49, p = 0.02) and exercise-induced fall in A/B ratio (r = 0.66, p = 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Is prevention of vascular dementia possible? The Syst-Eur Vascular Dementia Project

Vascular dementia (VD) is the second most common cause of dementia in the elderly after Alzheimer's disease (AD). Prevalence estimates from community surveys indicate that, on average, 5% of persons over 65 and 15 to 20% of people over 80 suffer from "severe dementia". Clinico-pathological studies have shown that AD accounts for 50 to 60% of the cases and VD for about 10 to 20%; 20% of the patients have both disorders. The incidence rate of VD ranges from 7 per 1,000 person-years in normal volunteers to 16 per 1,000 person-years in subjects with risk factors for strokes, particularly high blood pressure. The only effective therapeutic approach to VD is the prevention of strokes, mainly through the treatment of hypertension; however, none of the therapeutic trials has included VD prevention as one of its treatment goals. Syst-Eur Study is a European placebo controlled trial which aims to determine whether morbidity and mortality are changed when elderly patients (60 years and over) with isolated systolic hypertension are treated. In this trial, the incidence of VD will be carefully recorded during the five year follow-up of the expected 3,000 patients. The present side project to the Syst-Eur trial will specifically address the following questions: does antihypertensive treatment reduce the incidence of VD?, and how do the cognitive functions of elderly patients change when treated with active or placebo treatment? The protocol is based on the administration of the MMS (Folstein) once a year to all patients. If the MMS score is 23 or less, a set of criteria will be used to establish the diagnosis of vascular dementia. A pilot study has demonstrated the feasibility of the trial. The main study is in progress.

Influence of nonhemodynamic factors on the microcirculation in moderate arterial essential hypertension

This study is aimed at examining the role of non-hemodynamic factors on the impaired microcirculation in patients with moderate essential hypertension. In a series of 31 patients (mean age, 47.8 +/- 1.1 years) with newly diagnosed untreated moderate essential hypertension (mean systolic blood pressure 161.7 +/- 2.0 mm Hg, mean diastolic blood pressure 102.4 +/- 1.5 mm Hg), parameters of the capillaroscopic examination of the finger microcirculation (mean number of capillaries, NRCAP), length of the capillaries (LECAP, microns), diameter micron) of the efferent (EFDI) and afferent (AFDI) apillaries, and mean red blood cell velocity (RBCV, microns/sec), which was measured by the flying spot technique, were correlated with a number of hormones (sampled after an overnight fast) including: plasma renin activity, aldosterone, and parathyroid hormone (PTH). A significant correlation (P less than .05) could be obtained between several parameters of the microcirculation and PTH:PTH (23.8 +/- 1.4 pg/mL)-NRCAP (14.9 +/- 0.5): r = -0.440, P = .013; PTH-AFDI (4.0 +/- 0.5 microns): r = 0.442, P = .012; PTH-EFDI (2.8 +/- 0.5 microns): r = 0.416, P = .019; PTH-RBCV (711 +/- 69 microns/sec): r = -0.351, P = .05. Furthermore, 24-h urinary norepinephrine (U-NOR) and afferent and efferent diameter of the capillaries intercorrelated significantly: U-NOR (46.0 +/- 6.2 micrograms/24 h)-AFDI: r = 0.439, P = .034; U-NOR-EFDI; r = 0.462, P = .025. This study shows that in patients with moderate essential arterial hypertension nonhemodynamic factors have an influence at the level of the microcirculation.

Risks and benefits in the trial of the European Working Party on High Blood Pressure in the Elderly

Hypertensive patients over the age of 60 years were admitted to a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Patients in the actively treated group received a combined potassium-losing and -sparing diuretic (triamterene 50 mg plus hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg; n = 416); this dose could be doubled and methyldopa (up to 2 g, daily) was added in 35% of patients when blood pressure remained high. The placebo group (n = 424) received matching capsules and tablets. Adverse effects were assessed in the double-blind period of the trial by calculating the incidence of abnormal biochemical results, investigator reports of diseases and prescriptions of concomitant therapy and a self-administered symptom questionnaire completed by patients. In 1000 hypertensive subjects over 60 years of age, 1 year of active treatment would prevent 11 fatal cardiac events, 6 fatal and 11 non-fatal strokes and 8 cases of severe congestive heart failure. No unexpected adverse treatment effects were observed. A significant excess incidence rate (per 1000 person years) was found in the active group compared with placebo for: (1) impaired renal function, a serum creatinine greater than 180 mumol/l (2.0 mg/dl); (2) mild hypokalaemia, a serum potassium less than 3.5 mmol/l; (3) reports of gout; and (4) an elevated serum uric acid greater than 0.52 mmol/l in men or greater than 0.46 in women. Elevated blood sugar and prescriptions for hypoglycaemic drugs tended to be more frequent in the actively treated group, but this difference was not statistically significant. In both groups, there was a low incidence (less than 7 per 1000 person years) of anaemia and depression and diseases of the liver, gall bladder or pancreas.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Age-related effects of placebo and active treatment in patients beyond the age of 60 years: the need for a proper control group

The age-related response to placebo and active antihypertensive treatment was evaluated in 742 elderly hypertensive patients who were followed in the double-blind placebo-controlled trial conducted by the European Working Party on High blood pressure in the Elderly (EWPHE). In the two treatment groups, the fall in systolic and diastolic blood pressures after 3 months was negatively correlated with age (P less than 0.02), indicating that the hypotensive effect of placebo and active treatment was more pronounced in older patients. Further comparison of the two treatment groups failed to demonstrate any statistical differences in the slopes of the hypotensive effect on age. These conclusions were not altered by cumulative adjustments for baseline blood pressure, pulse rate, serum creatinine and the presence of cardiovascular complications at entry. In conclusion, in the present study, a similar blood-pressure-lowering action which increased with age was observed on active and placebo treatment; thus, proof that an observed age-related hypotensive effect is caused by a particular drug requires comparison with a control group on placebo.

Is a high serum cholesterol level associated with longer survival in elderly hypertensives?

The relationship between serum total cholesterol, measured at randomization, and mortality was investigated in 822 patients, who were followed for an average of 3.1 years in a double-blind trial, conducted by the European Working Party on High Blood Pressure in the Elderly. Serum cholesterol, measured at randomization, was 0.54 mmol/l higher in women than in men, and declined with increasing age in both men (0.028 mmol/l per year) and women (0.036 mmol/l per year). During follow-up on randomized treatment, cholesterol fell by a similar amount with placebo (0.11 mmol/l per year) and with active treatment (0.14 mmol/l per year). Active treatment consisted of hydrochlorothiazide (25-50 mg/day) plus triamterene (50-100 mg/day) with the addition of alpha-methyldopa (0.5-2.0 g/day) in one-third of the patients. Serum total cholesterol, measured at randomization, was independently and inversely correlated with total (P = 0.03), non-cardiovascular (P = 0.03) and cancer (P = 0.04) mortality during follow-up on double-blind treatment. Total and non-cardiovascular mortality were also negatively correlated with haemoglobin and body weight at randomization.