ABSTRACT
Late potentials (LPS) have been shown to be predictive of ventricular tachycardia in coronary artery disease subjects, but the prevalence of LP in the general population is not as well-known. The study included 487 men without a history of cardiovascular disease (aged 50-59) living in Southwestern France. Standard-averaged high resolution electrocardiogram was performed using Butterworth filtering at 40-250 Hz. LPS were defined as two or more of the following criteria: QRS > 114 ms, duration of the low amplitude signals in the terminal portion of QRS > 38 ms, root mean square (RMS) voltage of the last 40 ms < 20 microV. The mean QRS duration was 97 +/- 12 ms (mean +/- SD), duration of the low amplitude signals in the terminal portion of QRS was 32 +/- 10 ms, and RMS voltage in the last 40 ms was 39 +/- 27 microV. Eight percent of subjects (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6%-11%) had a QRS duration > 114 ms; 22% (95% CI: 18%-26%) had a duration of low amplitude signals > 38 ms, and 25% (95% CI: 22%-29%) had RMS voltage in the last 40 ms < 20 microV. Finally, the prevalence of LP was 21% (95% CI: 18%-25%). In conclusion, according to commonly used criteria, the prevalence of LP in this healthy population of middle-aged men is 21%, close to the values found in the literature for myocardial infarction patients. Those findings indicate the need for reconsidering the definition of LPS.
Subject(s)
Coronary Disease/epidemiology , Electrocardiography , Tachycardia, Ventricular/epidemiology , Coronary Disease/diagnosis , Coronary Disease/physiopathology , Cross-Sectional Studies , France/epidemiology , Humans , Incidence , Male , Middle Aged , Prognosis , Reference Values , Risk Assessment , Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted , Tachycardia, Ventricular/diagnosis , Tachycardia, Ventricular/physiopathologyABSTRACT
Seventy-four consecutive patients (18 to 55 years) underwent programmed atrial stimulation in the investigation of unexplained ischaemic stroke after a full work-up including transoesophageal echocardiography to exclude abnormalities of the interatrial septum (patent foramen ovale and/or atrial septal aneurysm). The parameters recorded during atrial electrophysiological investigation were: the effective atrial refractory period, loco-regional intra-atrial conduction, the index of latent atrial vulnerability and the inducibility by the extrastimulus technique. Seventy five per cent of patients with a patent foramen ovale and/or an atrial septal aneurysm were inducible compared with only 38% of patients with normal interatrial septa on transoesophageal echocardiography (p = 0.001). Fifty two per cent of patients with an anomaly of the atrial septum had latent atrial vulnerability compared with 26% of those with normal transoesophageal echocardiography (p = 0.02). These results confirm the relationship between atrial septal anomalies and latent atrial vulnerability in unexplained ischaemic stroke of young adults.
Subject(s)
Brain Ischemia/etiology , Heart Septal Defects, Atrial/complications , Stroke/etiology , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Electrophysiology , Female , Heart Septal Defects, Atrial/pathology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
The authors report two cases of Bartonella endocarditis in native valves. The first case was a 15 year old North African Girl who lived in poor social conditions and was admitted to hospital with pyrexia and congestive heart failure. Investigations revealed massive mitral regurgitation due to ruptured chordae tendinae, vegetations on the pulmonary valve with severe pulmonary hypertension due to persistent ductus arteriosus. After antibiotic therapy, the patient underwent surgery for mitral valve replacement, pulmonary valvuloplasty and closure of the patent ductus arteriosus. The second case was a 39 year old man with no fixed abode with a history of alcoholism who presented with a recurrent ischaemic stroke in a context of infection with a murmur of aortic regurgitation. Echocardiography showed a vegetation on the aortic valve with grade III/IV regurgitation requiring aortic valve replacement with a homograft after antibiotic therapy. The aetiological diagnosis was made a posteriori by the finding of high antibody titres and specific genetic amplification of Bartonella. In patients with negative blood cultures, Bartonella infection should be looked for systematically especially in those living under poor social conditions. The practical diagnostic investigation of endocarditis with negative blood cultures is reviewed.
