Lipid profile and lipprotein [a] in chronic renal failure patients before and after hemodialysis

In this study, 20 male subjects with chronic renal failure [CRF] with no family history of ischemic heart disease were investigated for lipids and apolipoproteins before and after one year of hemodialysis in addition to 20 males matched for the same age included as a control group. After hemodialysis, these levels were significantly increased compared with the predialytic stage. Phospholipids and HDL cholesterol were significantly decreased in CRF patients and this decrease continued even after hemodialysis. Lipoprotein [a] showed no significant change in chronic renal failure patients before and after dialysis and when compared with the control group

Non-invasive diagnosis of right ventricular infarction

100 patients with acute transmural inferior myocardial infarction diagnosed by E.C.G. and serum creatine kinase enzyme admitted to intensive care unit were the subject of this study. Right ventricular infarction [RVI] diagnosed by E.C.G. could be detected in 18 patients 8%. The most important ECG findings in patients with RVI were segment elevation and patterns of necrosis [QR, QS] in the right led precordial leads. Among these leads, V4R was the one that had more consistently shown a very high diagnostic sensitivity of RVI. Reading of the right preccordial leads during the first hours of an acute inferior myocardial infarction greatly improves accuracy of the ECG to diagnose RVI, since most of the associated ECG abnormal. were very transient in nature. Hence, a 12 lead ECG with the right precordial leads [V3R to V6R] should be a routine part of the initial evaluation of patients with acute inferior myocardial infarction. Two dimensional echocardiography study of the 18 patients with ECG criteria of RVI showed abnormal wall motion in t he right utricle and interventricular septum, abnormal flattening of the normal curvature of the septum during diastole and right ventricular dilation. Such ECHO findings were also reversible. Early two dimensional ECHO examination of the heart with the xiphosternal approach is a valuable noninvasive method for assessment of right ventricular functions in patients with acute inferior myocarial infraction and suspected RVI