Impact of angiographic & procedural factors on the treatment of ostial LAD or LC(x) disease.

AIMS & OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to evaluate the impact of angiographic & procedural factors on MACE after DES deployment in ostial lesions of LAD & LC(x). PATIENTS, MATERIALS & METHODS: 65 patients with ostial disease of LAD or LC(x) underwent PCI using DES. In 56 patients the stent was placed perfectly at the ostium & in 9 patients the LMCA was covered as per protocol. Angiographically 48 patients had a bifurcation angle > 70 degrees whereas in 17 patients the angle was < 70 degrees. RESULT & ANALYSIS: Multivariate Regression Analysis was done. Mean age was 59 years & 77% were male patients. 69% were hypertensives & 52% diabetics. LAD was treated in 88%. 74% had bifurcation angle > 70 degrees. 26% presented with an angle < 70 degrees LMCA was covered during stent implantation in 12% of cases. Average follow up was 1.5 +/- 0.8 years. Overall MACE was 12%. Bifurcation angle > 70 degrees & use of Cypher stent remained significant in reduction of MACE (P < 0.05). Using Univariate analysis of 2 sample sets like cases with angle of separation > 70 degrees (n = 48) & with angle less than < 70 degrees (n = 17), it was found that covering LMCA was beneficial in cases with angle of separation < 70 degres (p-value and correlation coefficient nearer to statistical significance). CONCLUSION: Angiographic factors like bifurcation angle is important to formulate the strategy of stenting procedure in the ostial disease of LAD or LC(x) even with DES.

A case of primary ciliary dyskinesia with pulmonary arterial hypertension responding to oral sildenafil.

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is an autosomal recessive heterogeneous group of conditions with variable clinical findings like recurrent respiratory tract infections, bronchiectasis, situs inversus, singly or in various combinations. Development of Pulmonary arterial hypertension can be a late complication of this disease. Here we present a case of PCD with recurrent respiratory tract infections, bronchiectasis and severe PAH, who responded to treatment with Oxygen, IV broad spectrum antibiotics and oral sildenafil.

Importance of ischaemic time as a predictor of LV systolic function in Indians.

OBJECTIVE: Sucessful reperfusion therapy in AMI improves LV systolic function. Success in thrombolytic therapy is directly related to the ischaemic time. Our aim in the present study was to observe the importance of ischaemic time as a predictor of left ventricular systolic function in patients undergoing PPCI. In addition, the contribution of presentation delay in determining the ischaemic time in the Indian scenario was also observed. MATERIALS & METHODS: The present pilot study was carried out on 48 Indian patients (Male-40) of STEMI (Killip class I & II) undergoing primary PCI in last 2 yrs. Suggestive chest pain, ECG evidence of STEMI coming within 12 hrs were the inclusion criteria. Patients coming after 12 hours without ongoing chest pain, Killip class III & IV, the patients who were thrombolysed outside and the patients with prior PCland/or CABG were excluded from the study. Cardiac echodoppler study was done in every patient during followup at one month.Every patient received pre and peri procedural abciximab infusion and thrombosuction was done in all before deployment of BMS during the transfemoral primary PCI. RESULTS: Data analysis revealed mean age was 57.6 yrs, male preponderance (80%),diabetes (35%),hypertension (61%), Smoking (61%), average total ischaemic time 7.6 +/- 3.78 hours, average presentation delay 6.26 +/- 3.77 hrs, average door to balloon time 60 +/- 14 mins, SVD (69%), LAD involvement(60%). Multivariate regression analysis without considering any other factor showed predicted LV Systolic function one month post PPCI to be 74.08%. Mean LVEF: 58.2%. Most interesting observation is 0.63% reduction of predicted LVEF for each hour increment of ischaemic time. Also LAD occlusion is associated with 4.91% reduction of predicted LVEF compared to other vessel(s) involvement. All the 48 patients who underwent PPCI not only survived but also had good LV Systolic function one month post PPCI. CONCLUSION: Ischaemic time is an important predictor of LV Systolic function even after PPCI. lncrease in ischaemic time by one hour reduces predicted LVEF by 0.63%.Presentation delay is mostly responsible for total ischaemic time in India.