Value of measuring ankle brachial index for diagnosing peripheral arterial disease in Chinese patients with high cardiovascular risk / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the value of measuring ankle brachial index (ABI) for diagnosing peripheral arterial disease(PAD) compared with conventional digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as the reference standard.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 383 consecutive inpatients (245 male, mean age 64.1 +/- 11.7 years) underwent both conventional DSA and ABI measurements.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The rate of statin intervention was 90.9%, ACEI 69.2%, antiplatelet 96.6% and beta-blockers 67.9%. The intravascular stenosis was classified into six degrees: normal, < 30%, 30% - 49%, 50% - 69%, 70% - 89% and > or = 90%. Compared to the traditional gold standard (DSA) in diagnosis PDA, the ABI value decreased in proportion to the severity of PAD (the ABI value was 1.08 +/- 0.11, 1.05 +/- 0.16, 0.99 +/- 0.17, 0.66 +/- 0.24, 0.55 +/- 0.28 and 0.54 +/- 0.00 respectively in the six ranks). There was a significant correlation between DSA and ABI in diagnosis PAD.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>ABI measurement is an accurate and reliable non-invasive alternative to conventional DSA in the assessment of lower extremity arteries in patients with peripheral arterial disease.</p>

The relationship between TIMI (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction) risk score and efficacy of conservative or interventional strategy in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relationship between thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) risk score and efficacy of different treatment strategies in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From Oct. 2001 to Oct. 2003, 545 consecutive patients with NSTE-ACS were randomly assigned to early conservative strategy (n = 284) or early invasive strategy group (n = 261). The combined cardiovascular events (a combination of cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal heart failure and re-hospital admission due to recurrent ischemia angina) within 30 days and 6 months were analyzed and related to the TIMI risk score at admission.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Rehospitalization due to recurrent ischemia angina of 30 days and the combined cardiovascular events of 30 days and 6 months were significantly lower in early invasive strategy group (3.5%, 10.0%, 21.1%) compared with early conservative strategy group (8.1%, 16.9%, 28.2%, all P < 0.05). Subgroup analysis indicated early invasive strategy could significantly decrease the 30 d incidence of the combined end point events in patients with high TIMI risk score and the 6 months incidence of the combined end point events in patients with moderate and high TIMI risk score (all P < 0.01), but the incidence was similar between the two different strategies in patients with low TIMI risk score.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Early invasive strategy may significantly reduce combined cardiovascular events in NSTE-ACS patients with moderate and high TIMI risk score compared with early conservative strategy.</p>

The studies of risk factors and early intervention in patients with acute coronary syndromes without ST-segment elevation / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the risk factors and the values of early invasive intervention in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) without ST-segment elevation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Five hundred and forty-five patients of ACS without ST-segment elevation were randomly assigned to an early conservative strategy or early invasive strategy who had been admitted to hospitals consecutively from Oct. 2001 to Oct. 2003. The combined cardiovascular events (a combination of cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal heart failure and re-hospital admission due to recurrent ischemia angina) within 30 days and 6 months were analyzed and the primary high risk factors for combined cardiovascular events were evaluated by means of multivariate logistic regression analysis among baseline clinical characteristics and laboratory data, meanwhile, the effects of an early conservative strategy or early invasive strategy on outcomes were also investigated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The incidences of combined cardiovascular events within 30 days and 6 months among 513 cases were 14.0% and 25.7% respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis implied ST-segment depression, elevation of troponin I level, increased C-reactive protein, lower ejection fraction of left ventricular and higher TIMI risk scores were all associated with an increases in cardiovascular events within 6 months, and they were respectively independent predictive factor for the increases of cardiovascular events. Early invasive strategy was associated with a lower rate of re-hospital admission due to recurrent ischemia angina within 30 days and a decreased incidences of combined cardiovascular events within 30 days and 6 months compared with early conservative strategy (all P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>ST-segment depression, elevation of troponin I level, increased C-reactive protein, lower ejection fraction of left ventricular and higher TIMI risk scores are high risk factors for patients with ACS without ST-segment elevation, and early invasive strategy can have a substantial impact in reducing combined cardiovascular events.</p>

Effectiveness of sirolimus-eluting stents in emergency percutaneous coronary intervention / 中华全科医师杂志

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of applying sirolimus-eluting stents in emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for the patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).Methods In total,220 patients with AMI were enrolled in this study at Shanghai Tongji Hospital, divided into two groups,one with bare-metal stent and the other with sirolimus-eluting stent.Cardiovascular fatality,major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and target vessel revascularization (TVR) were observed one and six months after PCI in the two groups.Results There was no significant difference in overall fatality and MACE in the 1~(st) or 6~(th) months after PCI between the two groups.Three cardiogenic deaths occurred in bare-metal stent group with a fatality of 2.8 percent,and five deaths in sirolimus-eluting stent group with a fatality of 4.5 percent in six months after PCI.However,rate of restenosis in those with sirolimus-eluting stents was significantly lower than that of bare-metal stents (6.0 percent vs 16.1 percent,P

Clinical application of portable echocardiography system in acute paroxysmal dyspnea / 中华全科医师杂志

Objective To study the clinical value of portable echocardiography system in diagnosis for acute paroxysmal dyspnea.Methods Clinical data of 81 patients with acute paroxysmal dyspnea recorded by a portable echocardiography apparatus at their bedside were retrospectively analyzed,and compared to those of 45 patients by conventional echocardiography.Results The 2D images in portable echocardiograph were similar to those of conventional echocardiograph.Diagnosis could be established in 74 (91.4%),corrected in six (7.4%) and not confirmed only in one (1.2%) of 81 patients with acute paroxysmal dyspnea by portable echocardiography system.And,portable echocardiography system could be used to diagnose pericardial effusion and to monitor perieardial puncturing and draining at bedside. Conclusions Portable echocardiography systems can provide rapid,accurate and valuable information on diagnosis and treatment for acute paroxysmal dyspnea,and make its clinical intervention accurate,scientific and effective,bringing echocardiography performed at bedside possible.