The freon test. A new sensitive technic for the detection of small cardiac shunts

A new, sensitive, qualitative technic is described for detecting small left-to-right and right-to-left circulatory shunts. Advantages over other sensitive shunt detection devices are: (1) the use of a readily available, nonradioactive, nonexplosive, nontoxic gas, namely Freon 22; (2) the ability to sample through standard cardiac catheters as small as 5F; (3) an immediate answer due to recording of the gas concentration in blood; and (4) extremely high sensitivity allowing the detection of the smallest left-to-right and right-to-left shunts.

The hemodynamic results of instrumental and digital valvotomy in patients with mitral stenosis

In order to evaluate the postoperative results from mitral valvotomy when patients were selected according to age, sex, cardiac rhythm, and mode of operation, the mitral valve area (MVA) was determined by cardiac catheterization in 32 patients before and 1 year following closed mitral valvotomy. There was a significantly greater increase in MVA in female patients, younger patients, and patients with sinus rhythm than in males, patients over 45 years of age, and patients with atrial fibrillation. Patients who had an instrumental valvotomy (20 patients) did not have a greater postoperative increase in MVA than patients who had a digital valvotomy (12 patients); however, patients with the largest postoperative MVA had instrumental valvotomy. The incidence of postoperative mitral insufficiency was similar in patients with digital and instrumental valvotomy. Small flecks of mitral valve calcification, as determined by preoperative image-intensification fluoroscopy, did not influence the postoperative MVA.

Immediate hemodynamic response of patients with atrioventricular block and cardiac failure to transvenous pacing

Immediate hemodynamic improvement in patients with complete heart block occurs when the ventricular rate is increased by electrical pacing. During pacing, there is reduction in the pulmonary artery wedge, right atrial, and left and right ventricular filling pressures. The mean rate of ejection, stroke volume, and stroke work decreased following pacing, whereas the ejection time per minute increased, and dye curves assumed a more normal configuration. Very little change was noted in the resting cardiac output.

The paced heart is able to obtain greater increases in cardiac output, stroke volume, and mean rate of ejection during exercise than when unpaced. In addition, pacing tends to return elevated exercising filling pressures in the right and left ventricles toward normal.

Acute myocardial infarction secondary to thromboembolism from a fractured prosthetic aortic valve

A case of coronary artery embolism from thrombus in a fracture in an aortic Starr-Edwards prosthesis was documented at necropsy. This 40-year-old white man had replacement of the aortic and mitral valves by ball-valve prostheses 5 years prior to his death. Following surgery, he was able to return to full-time work. He did not return for follow-up for 2 years, and when next seen he had an acute myocardial infarction and left ventricular failure. An embolus to the left anterior descending coronary artery was demonstrated at the postmortem examination. The mitral ball was intact, but the aortic ball had two large fractures which contained thrombi.

Serum lactate dehydrogenase elevation in ambulatory cardiac patients. Evidence for chronic hemolysis

Activity of total lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and that of the heat-stable isozyme (LDH-1) was measured by the method of Strandjord and Clayson in the serum of 62 cardiac patients with congenital and valvular heart disease before and after cardiac catheterization and at follow-up examination after cardiac surgery. A universal elevation of both total and heat-stable LDH was found in patients with prosthetic heart valves of several types. Lesser degrees of abnormalities were seen in a number of the patients without prosthetic devices. Some patients had a small increase in serum enzyme activity the day after cardiac catheterization. The evidence presented implicates hemolysis in the production of these abnormalities. It is suggested that all patients with prosthetic valves and a significant percentage of patients with severe hemodynamic abnormalities have chronic, usually compensated, intravascular hemolysis secondary to mechanical damage to red blood cells. These findings must be kept in mind in interpreting serum LDH determinations in patients with valvular prostheses or congenital and valvular heart disease who present with complaints of chest pain.

Q-1 interval of the phonocardiogram in patients with atrial septal defect

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