Prospective evaluation of coronary arteries: influence on operative risk in coronary artery surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Coronary angiography data included in the analysis of operative mortality after coronary artery surgery are generally limited to left main coronary artery stenosis and classification into one-, two- or three-vessel disease, but the role of stenoses and quality of distal runoff on each main coronary artery have never been analysed. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of coronary artery status (stenoses and distal runoff) on operative mortality in patients undergoing coronary artery surgery. METHODS: Stenoses of the five main coronary arteries and their distal runoff were prospectively evaluated in a series of 2461 patients undergoing isolated coronary artery surgery. These angiographic variables were included in analysis of operative mortality in combination with conventional preoperative data. RESULTS: Univariate analysis founded 21 preoperative variables being significant: age >70, body surface area <1.8 m2, arterial disease of lower limbs, history of peptic ulcer, CCS class IV angina, unstable angina, post-infarction unstable angina, congestive heart failure, left ventricular ejection fraction <50%, urgency, preoperative intra-aortic balloon pump, previous myocardial infarction, previous cardiac surgery, previous coronary bypass graft, presence of significant stenosis on the left main coronary artery or the circumflex marginal branch or the distal circumflex artery or the right coronary artery, absence of significant stenosis on the left anterior descending artery, impaired distal runoff on the left anterior descending artery or the circumflex marginal branch (for all, P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified poor quality distal runoff in the left anterior descending artery and circumflex marginal branch as independent risk factor (P = 0.0005 and P = 0.04, respectively), while left main coronary artery stenosis was not. This lesion appears to be a significant risk factor only in a small subgroup of patients with CCS class IV angina. Other independent risk factors were CCS class IV angina, previous cardiac surgery, body surface area <1.8 m2, diabetes mellitus, age <70, history of peptic ulcer, left ventricular ejection fraction <50%. Impaired distal runoff or the presence of stenoses on the diagonal branch, right coronary artery, or distal circumflex artery does not significantly influence the operative mortality rate. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of distal runoff of the most frequently grafted vessels is a significant risk factor for operative mortality in coronary artery surgery. Left main coronary artery stenosis was not identified as a risk factor when these angiographic variables were included in the analysis. Functional status remains the most powerful predictive factor.

CARDIOMEDIA: a communicable multimedia medical record on Intranet and digital optical memory card.

As part of French health reform, French physicians were computerised by the end of 1998. A specific Intranet network will be used to communicate medical data between the health professionals. The objectives of the CARDIOMEDIA project were to develop and evaluate the feasibility of a coronary multimedia data record stored on an optical card and communicable on Intranet within the hospital. Patients treated by angioplasty at the University Hospital of Rennes participated in the experiment. In general, patients are treated in the University Hospital and are followed up by another health care provider closer to their home. The patient leaves the University Hospital with his card, which is directly available elsewhere for emergency or for consultation. This approach is assumed to reduce the number of examinations and to offer a better patient follow-up. The CARDIOMEDIA card is a specialised record including various data types: text, images, image sequences of coronarography and ECG signals. For this purpose an optical card with its large memory is very convenient. We used the DICOM format for image exchange and management. It is combined with CARDIOMEDIA specific compressing software. For the multimedia record the HTML format and web Intranet method are chosen. This provides an intuitive interface which can combine various data types and helper applications like a DICOM image viewer.

Understanding coronary artery movement: a knowledge-based approach.

The aim of this paper is to describe a knowledge-based system that interprets three-dimensional (3D) coronary artery movement, using data from digital subtraction angiography image sequences. Dynamic information obtained from artery centerline 3D reconstruction and optical flow estimation, is classified according to experimental evidence indicating that artery displacements are quasi-homogeneous by a segment analysis. Characteristic motion features like displacement direction, perpendicular/radial components, rotation direction, curvature and torsion are qualitatively described from an image sequence using symbolic labels. These facts are then related and interpreted using anatomical-functional knowledge provided by a specialist, as well as spatial and temporal knowledge, applying spatio-temporal reasoning schemes. Facts, knowledge and reasoning rules are stated in a declarative form. Detailed examples of local and global interpretation results, using a real reconstructed angiographic biplane image sequence are presented in order to illustrate how our system suitably interprets coronary artery dynamic behavior.

[Accessory pathways of decremential conduction (Mahaim fibers). Treatment by endocavitary ablation; apropos of 8 cases]. / Voies accessoires à conduction décrémentielle (fibres de Mahaim). Traitement par ablation endocavitaire; à propos de 8 cas.

Mahaim fibres are rare, right sided accessory pathways comparable with respect to certain properties (slow, decremential conduction) with "accessory atrioventricular node" located on the lateral tricuspid annulus at a distance from the Aschoff-Tawara node. Atriofascicular and atrioventricular fibres may be distinguished, both responsible for wide complex tachycardia (left bundle branch block pattern with left axis deviation). The authors report a series of 8 patients (6 women, 2 men: age: 27 +/- 11 years) without underlying cardiac disease, incapacitated by episodes of antidromic reciprocating tachycardia related to the atriofascicular fibres and justifying the indication of treatment by endocavitary ablation. In all cases, the authors tried to identify a specific potential of the Mahaim fibres on the lateral aspect of the tricuspid annulus. When the potential was recorded (7 out of the 8 cases) ablation was successful (procedure time 160 +/- 11 min; average number of applications: 9). It was not possible to identify a specific Mahaim potential in 1 case and so ablation was performed on the distal right ventricular site of insertion with no criterion of efficacy. In one woman, manipulation of the ablation catheter led to prolonged mechanical block in the Mahaim fibres, so suppressing the usual criteria of evaluation of the initial result of ablation: an early recurrence of tachycardia was observed in this case. No complications occurred during the 8 procedures. These results and those of other published cases, showed that radiofrequency ablation of Mahaim fibres is feasible with a high success rate without any immediate or long-term complications. This reliable and effective technique should form one of the therapeutic options for these invalidating junctional tachycardias.

[Isolated myocardial infarction in the right ventricle: clinical and echocardiographic study]. / L'infarctus isolé du ventricule droit: étude clinique et échocardiographique.

The purpose of this study was, on the basis of 4 cases of isolated infarction of the right ventricle (RV), to describe the clinical profile of this disorder and compare the value of ultrasonography with other invasive methods of investigation (hemodynamic and kinetic angiocardiographic methods) in diagnosis and evaluation of the prognosis. In all cases the clinical situation was indicative: prolonged chest pain, slight enzymatic peak, downward shift of the ST segment in V3R and V4R. The diagnosis was rapidly confirmed by ultrasound in the face of the abnormal isolated segmental kinetics in the RV, associated with cavity dilatation and tricuspid incompetence. These data were consistent with those of RV kinetic angiography. Right cardiac catheterism showed the classical signs of adiastolism with no reduction in heart rate, except in one case. The outcome was generally simple. Ultrasound revealed the regression of the abnormalities of parietal kinetics. Thus, ultrasound examination is shown to be a method of exploration which is easy to perform and effective in the diagnosis of this disorder with a good prognosis.

Lack of physiological adaptation of the atrioventricular interval to heart rate in patients chronically paced in the AAIR mode.

Seventeen consecutive patients, aged 56 +/- 12, were chronically paced in the AAIR mode for a symptomatic sinus node disease with atrial chronotropic incompetence defined by a peak exercise heart rate (HR) less than 75% of the maximal predicted heart rate (MPHR) mean = 65 +/- 10%). Sensors used were activity sensing (n = 7), minute ventilation (n = 6), or respiratory rate (n = 4). Basic pacing rate was programmed at 71 +/- 5 beats/min and the maximal sensor rate at approximately 85% MPHR (143 +/- 10); other sensor parameters were programmed individually. Six months after implant, two standardized and symptom limited exercise tests were performed in random order, AAI and AAIR modes, respectively. AAIR pacing significantly improved peak exercise HR (139 +/- 14 vs 112 +/- 30 beats/min; P less than 0.01), maximal sustained workload (132 +/- 42 vs 110 +/- 38 watts; P less than 0.02), and total exercise duration (724 +/- 299 vs 594 +/- 245 sec; p less than 0.02) compared to the AAI mode. In all 17 patients, HR was continuously sensor driven in the AAIR mode, making it possible to precisely study the adaptation of the stimulus-R interval and of the stimulus-R:RR ratio during exercise. Six patients normally adapted with a progressive shortening. Six others did not adapt at all without any variation of interval. Five patients paradoxically increased their stimulus-R interval (286 +/- 10 msec at peak E vs 220 +/- 19 msec at rest) and their stimulus-R:RR ratio (67 +/- 20% vs 29 +/- 4%), producing P waves occurring immediately after, or even within the R wave of the preceding cycle; two patients complained of severe exercise related symptoms corresponding to the so-called "AAIR pacemaker syndrome." The principal factors involved in the nonadaptation of AV interval to HR were related to the patient (organic heart disease, with the particular problem of the denervated heart; the bradytachy syndrome; and the use of drugs, especially beta blockers and Class I antiarrhythmic drugs) or to the pacemaker ("overstimulation" phenomenon). These observations constitute an additional argument for wider indications of implanting DDDR units in these patients.