Usefulness of Coronary Sinus Reducer Implantation for the Treatment of Chronic Refractory Angina Pectoris.

The coronary sinus (CS) Reducer is a novel device designed for the management of patients with severe angina symptoms refractory to optimal medical therapy and not amenable to further revascularization. Aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and the safety of the CS Reducer device in a real-world, multicenter, and country-level cohort of patients presenting with refractory angina pectoris. The study included patients affected by refractory angina pectoris who underwent CS Reducer implantation in 16 centers. Clinical follow-up was carried as per each center's protocol. One hundred eighty-seven patients were included. Technical and procedural success were achieved in 98% and 95%, respectively. Minor peri-procedural complications were recorded in 8 patients. During a median follow-up of 18.4 months, 135 (82.8%) patients demonstrated at least 1 CCS class reduction after Reducer implantation, and 80 (49%) patients at least 2 CCS class reduction. Mean CCS class improved from 3.05 ± 0.53 at baseline to 1.63 ± 0.98 at follow-up (p < 0.001). Treatment benefit was also reflected in a significant improvement in quality of life scores and in a reduction of the mean number of anti-ischemic drugs prescribed for patient. In conclusion, in this multicenter, country-level study, the implantation of CS Reducer in patients with refractory angina pectoris resulted to be safe and effective in reducing of angina pectoris and improving quality of life.

Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction-Like Syndrome in Scombroid Tuna Fish Poisoning.

Mistreated fish products ingestion can lead to a histaminergic illness known as Scombroid Syndrome (SS). The disease usually causes cutaneous rash, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, breathing disorder and further histamine-related symptoms. To date, however, SS has been disregarded among the potential triggers of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), in spite of prior published occasional case reports. In the present study we describe 3 consecutive patients presenting with signs and symptoms of ACS associated to SS. Two men and a woman with no history of coronary artery disease and food allergy were studied. Clinical characteristics, electrocardiographic presentation and outcomes are described. Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction-like pattern was observed in all patients. The 2 men underwent unremarkable coronary angiography, whereas the woman was just monitored at emergency department. All individuals had uneventful follow-up. The present study confirms non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction-like ACS as a possible histaminergic toxic, not allergic, epiphenomenon of mistreated raw tuna fish ingestion, likely due to transient epicardial and/or microvascular coronary vasospasm.

Very late recurrence of Takotsubo syndrome.

Recurrence of the Takotsubo syndrome is possible, and in the majority of cases it occurs within 4 years. The present report is focused on a case of the Takotsubo syndrome recurrence after 10 years. The patient had been admitted for the first time in 1999 with a diagnosis of "non-q wave acute anterolateral myocardial infarction." Ten years later, she was readmitted for suspected acute myocardial infarction; coronary arteries, however, were normal, and the left ventricular angiogram demonstrated apical ballooning typical for the Takotsubo syndrome. It is worth noting that the clinical presentation and the ECG were the same on both occasions; in addition, both events were triggered by an emotional stress.

A rare case of lack of correlation of carotid atherosclerosis and coronary atherosclerosis.

Signs of plaque inflammation in carotid arteries may serve as a window to the entire cardiovascular system, to identify "vulnerable" patients. Moreover, flow-mediated vasodilation in the brachial artery and intima media thickness (IMT) in the carotid artery could represent a surrogate diagnostic method for assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD) severity. Renal function is an important predictor of the presence and severity of angiographic CAD in patients without severe renal impairment with incremental value over traditional risk factors for CAD and IMT. It has also been reported ,that renal dysfunction may exert differential effects on the development of coronary and peripheral atherosclerosis. An accumulating burden of hypertension, diabetes, and smoking is important in the progression of atherosclerosis from the coronary to the carotid circulation. We present an unusual case of lack of correlation of carotid atherosclerosis and coronary atherosclerosis.

Hyperventilation-induced ST segment elevation mimicking acute myocardial infarction in a comatose patient with tracheostomy.

Controlled hyperventilation leading to respiratory alkalosis may induce coronary artery spasm. This manoeuvre is currently used in the diagnosis of Prinzmetal's angina. We describe the case of a comatose patient with tracheostomy in whom hyperventilation, caused by excessive bronchial secretion resulting in partial obstruction of the tracheal cannula, was followed by ST segment elevation mimicking acute myocardial infarction.

Bifid T waves in leads V2 and V3 in children: a normal variant.

INTRODUCTION: The T wave is rarely bifid, apart from patients with long QT syndrome or subjects treated with antiarrhythmic drugs. At times, a U wave partially superimposed upon the T wave is responsible for an apparently bifid T wave. Bifid T waves, in contrast, have been described in normal children in the past, but the phenomenon has not received any attention in recent years, to the extent that it is not mentioned in current textbooks of paediatric cardiology. Aim of the present study was to determine the incidence and clinical counterpart of bifid T waves in a paediatric population. METHODS: We selected 604 consecutive children free from clinically detectable heart disease; subjects whose electrocardiogram showed a bifid T wave underwent a complete clinical and echocardiographic examination. In addition, the electrocardiograms of 110 consecutive adults have also been analyzed. A T wave was considered as bifid whenever it was notched, being the 2 peaks separated from each other by a notch with duration >/= 0.02 sec and voltage >/= 0.05 mV. Moreover, in 7 children with bifid T wave in lead V2 further precordial recordings were obtained: a small electrode was gradually moved from V1 to V3, and 4 additional leads were recorded: 2 between V1 an V2, and 2 between V2 and V3. RESULTS: A bifid T wave was observed in 110 children (18,3%), with a relatively age-related incidence; the highest rate of bifid T waves (53%) occurred in the group of 5-year-old children. The bifid T wave was detected only in lead V2 in 51 cases (46,4%), only in lead V3 in 5 cases (4,6%), in both leads V2 and V3 in 50 cases (45,4%), and in leads other than V2 and V3 in 4 cases (3,6%). In the adult group, none of the examined electrocardiograms showed bifid T waves in any lead.In the bifid T wave paediatric population, the echocardiogram did not reveal any abnormality, apart from 3 subjects which had an asymptomatic mitral valve prolapse; a trivial mitral and/or tricuspid regurgitation detected by color Doppler, as well as a patent foramen ovale in infants, were not considered as abnormal findings. The QTc interval was normal in all of the subjects; the average QTc interval was not different in the bifid T wave population (402 +/- 46 msec) with respect to the control group (407 +/- 39 msec). CONCLUSION: The incidence of bifid T waves in leads V2 and V3 in normal children is high, and awareness of this phenomenon avoids possible misinterpretations leading to a diagnosis of ECG abnormalities.

Alternating right and left bundle branch block aberration during atrial tachycardia.

In a patient with atrial tachycardia with a rate of 200 per minute, the A-V conduction ratio was at times 2:1, but often it was 4:3 or 3:2 with progressive P-R interval prolongation (Wenckebach mechanism, an expression of presumable A-V nodal block). In each episode of 4:3 conduction, the first QRS complex was narrow, and the 2 ensuing beats were wide due to aberrant conduction. Aberration did not occur with a constant configuration, but in consecutive episodes of 4:3 conduction ratio there was a regular alternation of left bundle branch block and right bundle branch block. The pattern was explained by concealed retrograde conduction into the anterogradely blocked bundle branch. This caused 2 distinct effects: (1) shifting "to the right" of the refractory period of the affected bundle branch, resulting in maintenance of aberration with the same configuration, if consecutive atrial impulses were conducted to the ventricles, and (2) shortening of the effective cycle of the affected bundle branch, resulting in aberration due to block of the controlateral bundle branch, whenever a pause occasioned by a nonconducted atrial impulse was followed by restoration of 1:1 conduction for 2 or more consecutive beats.

Capsaicin, arterial hypertensive crisis and acute myocardial infarction associated with high levels of thyroid stimulating hormone.

Chili peppers are rich in capsaicin. The potent vasodilator calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is stored in a population of C-fiber afferents that are sensitive to capsaicin. CGRP and peptides released from cardiac C fibers have a beneficial effect in myocardial ischemia and reperfusion. It has been reported that capsaicin pretreatment deplete cardiac C-fiber peptide stores. Furthermore, it has also been reported that capsaicin-treated pigs significantly increase mean arterial blood pressure compared with controls and that the decrease in CGRP synthesis and release contributes to the elevated blood pressure. It has also been reported that sub-clinical hypothyroidism is associated with a significant risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). We present a case of arterial hypertensive crisis and acute myocardial infarction in a 59-year-old Italian man with high levels of thyroid stimulating hormone and with an abundant ingestion of peppers and of chili peppers which occurred the day before.

Systemic embolism in takotsubo syndrome.

A 57-year-old woman with acute left leg ischemia due to popliteal artery occlusion and deep T-wave inversion at ECG revealed she had suffered, the day before, from typical chest pain after a confrontational argument; yet, she had not sought medical assistance. Echocardiography showed left ventricular wall motion abnormalities consistent with the diagnosis of emotional stress-induced takotsubo syndrome. Coronary angiography ruled out obstructive atherosclerotic disease and left ventriculography confirmed apical ballooning with evolving thrombosis. Left leg angiography demonstrated diffuse embolisation of the popliteal artery. Ventricular thrombosis is a complication of takotsubo syndrome and has been associated with adverse events supposed to be due to a cardioembolic mechanism, in particular cerebro-vascular accidents. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first direct visualization of systemic cardiogenic embolism in takotsubo syndrome. Physicians should be aware that ventricular thrombosis may be present in the earliest stages of the disease and that emboli dislocation can occur even before wall motion normalization.

Coronary artery embolisation.

In the setting of an acute inferior myocardial infarction undergoing primary stent implantation, we could document a macroscopic embolus moving along the right coronary artery. Coronary embolisation is a well known drawback of percutaneous coronary interventions and dedicated devices can be used in order to minimize myocardial damage. Nonetheless, unexpected macroscopic embolisation after the first manual contrast injection through a diagnostic catheter remains a possible complication and may lead to unsatisfactory results when the upstream pharmacological therapy is not appropriate.

Left ventricular pseudodiverticulum.

The differential diagnosis between left ventricular aneurysm and diverticulum remains a matter of debate. Cardiac magnetic resonance is dramatically helpful in the anatomical and functional characterization of the walls of any angiographical left ventricular outpouching.

Supraventricular tachycardia in infants: epidemiology and clinical management.

Supraventricular tachycardias (SVTs) are observed in 0,1-0,4% of the paediatric population and represent an important clinical problem with related significant health and social issues. Most tachycardias are paroxysmal, being associated with sudden onset and termination, and only a relatively small number of them is permanent, namely chronic. Paroxysmal tachycardias, in addition, can be either sustained (lasting > 30 seconds) or non-sustained whenever their duration is less. Most SVTs are due to re-entry, and only atrial tachycardia and and junctional ectopic tachycardia are caused by enhanced automaticity. Atrial tachycardia, however, can also be due, although rarely, to re-entry or to triggered activity. A prompt recognition of these arrthmias in children by pediatric cardiologist is essential for a correct clinical managemet of the patients. In this review, the epidemiologic data regarding the SVTs in pediatric age are reported along with the description of the pathophysiological mechanisms and the analysis of electrocardiographic findings to be considered for a correct clinical diagnosis and a rational therapeutic approach to these arrhythmias.

Can we finally get a coronary angiography with the least amount of dye?

The incidence of adverse events complicating coronary angiography is still considerably high. Founded concerns about risks of coronary angiography, and mainly its inherent invasiveness, have favored the increasing request for noninvasive techniques to evaluate the coronary anatomy, such as multislice computed tomography (MSCT). Nonetheless, it has to be kept in mind that several risks and complications are the same both for MSCT and conventional coronary angiography. Rotational angiography has been shown to be a powerful imaging tool for the evaluation of coronary anatomy resulting in the use of less contrast media and less radiation, without losing the possibility to obtain a precise, efficient and fast characterization of obstructive coronary artery disease. It is likely that in the next future the overall performance, taking into account both the diagnostic accuracy and the risk of exposure to radiation and contrast media, of MSCT techniques will have to be compared to that of rotational angiography, especially when the latter is coupled with minimally invasive approaches.

Imaging of left main coronary artery dissection with multislice computed tomography.

We occurred in a left main (LM) dissection during primary coronary intervention in a 45-year-old man with anterior acute myocardial infarction. Successful, multiple direct stenting was performed from the ostial to the mid left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). Nonetheless, an LM dissection involving the proximal circumflex artery (Cx) was still evident at the end of the intervention. Multislice Computed Tomography (MSCT) coronary angiography images showed that LM dissection was definitely long and close to the ostium; moreover, the proximal stent had both excluded the false lumen in the LAD and stabilized the dissection towards the Cx. Two months later, at MSCT coronary angiography the LM dissection was still evident and the patient had remained totally asymptomatic. MSCT coronary angiography can be recommended as a complementary diagnostic tool for the assessment of LM anatomy because of the possibility of three-dimensional reconstructions and consequent clear evaluation of its take-off, course and bifurcation.

Myocardial ischemia due to a coronary-to-pulmonary artery fistula proximal to an intermediate stenosis in the left anterior descending coronary artery: percutaneous closure by means of angioplasty and stent grafting.

This case report refers to a 46-year-old patient with symptomatic stable angina and myocardial ischemia documented at 99mTc-MIBI SPECT scintigraphy. Coronary angiography revealed a coronary artery fistula (CAF) and a non-significant stenosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). We performed coronary angioplasty and stenting of the LAD and closure of the CAF using a covered stent. After the procedure the patient was asymptomatic and a myocardial scintigraphy, performed 6 months later, confirmed the absence of myocardial ischemia. This suggests that a CAF arising before a coronary stenosis may contribute to the genesis of myocardial ischemia, perhaps by giving rise to a steal phenomenon.

Anatomical M-mode: an old-new technique.

The M-mode (motion mode) technique has improved the diagnostic possibilities of echocardiography due to its high temporal resolution. The use of a two-dimensional (2D) image as a basis for M-mode analysis at a defined line, independent of the transducer orientation, namely the anatomic M-mode (AMM), has been proposed from the beginning of 2D echocardiography. For several years, however, this could not be accomplished due to several reasons including the limited digital memory, the relatively rough pixels of 2D images, and the low temporal resolution of the screen. The AMM has been improved by the "fully digital" machines. These are able to provide a series of digital data (direction, position, and timing) relative to any single echo received from any point of the tissue. AMM analysis, thus, can be performed in any direction, as a "normal" monodimensional echocardiogram. With respect to traditional M-mode, AMM permits a more detailed analysis of cardiac chambers diameters obtained by linear measurements, regional wall motion of the left ventricle (both at rest and during stress), and location of accessory pathways. In particular, the assessment of left ventricular regional wall motion represents the most important goal of this new technique, which results in marked reduction or even elimination of the limitations due to the subjective character of wall motion evaluation with 2D echocardiography.