[Acute coronary syndrome in elderly patients: experience of Aix-en-Provence General Hospital]. / Le syndrome coronarien aigu chez le sujet âgé : expérience du centre hospitalier d'Aix-en-Provence.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular causes are the first causes of death in elderly patients. Nevertheless, elderly patients are underrepresented in randomized studies of acute coronary syndromes although treatment of ACS for elderly patients has specificities that need special attention. METHODS AND RESULTS: To discuss these specificities, we realized a retrospective study involving patients aged more than 75years old and admitted for ACS in the cardiology department of Aix-en-Provence General Hospital in the first six months of 2010 (Group A) and 2012 (Group B) which we compared. Initial presentation was chest pain in only 78.6% of Group A versus 81.6% in Group B (NS), renal insufficiency was found in 41.4% of the patients of Group A versus 50.5% of the patients in Group B (NS), anaemia was found in 34.3% of Group A patients versus 40.2% of Group B (NS), invasive strategy is less systematic with 74.2% of Group A patients having a revascularization versus 73.6% of Group B (NS), Drug Eluting Stents were less frequently used with 14.3% of Group A patients versus 14.7% of Group B (NS), radial access was used for angioplasty in 61.2% of Group A patients versus 80.2% of Group B (P=0.02), unfractioned heparin was used in 74.3% of the cases in Group A versus 68% in Group B (NS). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Acute coronary syndrome of the elderly patients has numerous specificities, first there are frequent unusual presentation making diagnosis more difficult, second they have frequent co morbidities making them frail patients with higher risk of hemorrhagic complications and lesser tendency to invasive evidence based treatment. In the absence of specific recommendations, their treatment should not differ from younger patients. This work allowed us also to evaluate our professional practices in order to improve them; we note a positive evolution with the significant raise in the use of radial access, invasive strategy though should be more systematic and use of low molecular weight heparin and Fondaparinux should be more frequent.

[Electrical storm]. / Orages rythmiques.

Electrical storm is defined as repeated occurrence of severe ventricular arrhythmias requiring multiple cardioversions, two or more or three or more following different studies. The clinical aspect can sometimes be made of multiple, self aggravating, life threatening accesses. There are three main clinical circumstances of occurrence: in patients equipped with intracardiac defibrillators, during the acute phase of myocardial infarction and in Brugada syndrome. 10 to 15% of patients with cardiac defibrillators are subject to electrical storms in a period of two years. The causative arrhythmia is most often ventricular tachycardia than ventricular fibrillation, especially in secondary prevention and if the initial arrhythmias justifying the device was a ventricular tachycardia. Precipitaing factors are present in one third of cases, mainly acute heart failure, ionic disorders and arrhythmogenic drugs. Predictive factors are age, left ventricular ejection fraction<35% and renal insufficiency. Arrhythmia reduction is obtained by electrical shock in 50% of cases, antitachycardi stimulation in 30% and in 20% by association of the two. Treatment, after elimination of inappropriate shocks, is mainly based on beta-blockers and amiodarone, class I antiarrhythmics, lidocaïne or bretylium in some cases, and sedation pushed to general anesthesia in some cases. Radio-frequency ablation and even heart transplantation have been proposed in extreme cases. Quinidine has been proved efficient in cases of Brugada syndrome.

[Acquired long QT syndrome: a dominant problem?]. / QT long acquis: un problème envahissant?

QT prolongation is essentially of pharmacologic origin. It is principally linked to a block of the outward potassium current Ikr, with as a consequence a prolongation of the repolarisation causing early after potentials and re-entry. The term "repolarisation reserve" expresses the variable risk of arrhythmia among individuals under the same drug blocking Ikr. This reserve can be altered under various pathologic or genetic conditions. A series of risk factors (bradycar-Torsades de pointes} were described in 1966 by Dessertenne. They are due to a perturbation of ventricular repolarisation causing QT prolongation on surface ECG. Acquired dia, electrolytic disorders, cardiac disease, neurologic disorders, nutrition troubles, female gender) can play a role as well as the metabolic processing of pharmacological agents by Cytochrome P450 and various inhibitors or inductors of this system which can influence the half life of drugs. The list of drugs involved is continuously increasing: antiarrhythmics, antihistamines, psychotropics, anti-infectious are the main categories involved. Risk prediction is difficult particularly for non cardiovascular drugs and a low risk incidence. An other risk is to exclude patients from the benefit of an efficient drug for a serious but not frequent risk, at last an industrial risk for the manufacturer when a drug is withdrawn lately when important quantities of money have already been invested for its development. The diagnosis of torsades is easy on standard ECG although QT measurement and its heart rate variation remain uneasy. The treatment of the arrhythmias is based on heart rate acceleration by Isoprenaline or intravenous pacing and on intravenous administration of magnesium.

[Aneurysm of a saphenous vein bypass graft to coronary artery: a case report discovered as an incidental finding]. / Anévrisme d'un pontage veineux aortocoronarien: a propos d'un cas de découverte fortuite.

We report a case of aortocoronary bypass graft aneurysm revealed by exertional dyspnea and presenting as an anterior mediastinal mass at the unenhanced computed tomography scan. The diagnosis has been established using combined contrast-enhanced CT scan which specified the vascular nature of the mass and coronary angiography which connected it to the aorto-marginal branch saphenous vein graft. This case illustrates the frequently asymptomatic expression of aneurysm and the importance of combined imaging modalities for the diagnosis.

[Cardiac resynchronization in congestive heart failure: role of Doppler echocardiography in patient selection]. / Resynchronisation cardiaque dans l'insuffisance cardiaque: intérêt de l'échodoppler pour la sélection des patients et l'évaluation de la stimulation.

Cardiac echodoppler is an efficient tool to analyse cardiac mechanic loop. Diastolic and systolic desynchronisation criteria are analysed. It should allow a more efficient selection of patients who could take benefit of resynchronization therapy, but also to choose resynchronization system, to program optimal atrioventricular delay, interventricular delay and to evaluate resynchronization efficiency. However, this tool should be evaluated in large studies in order to compare it to electrocardiogram.

[Resynchronization of the failing heart by pacing]. / Resynchronisation du coeur défaillant par la stimulation.

Cardiac pacing has been proposed for patients with advanced heart failure refractory to optimal drug treatment and having conduction disorders to resynchronize mechanical activity of the heart. Activation asynchronism as caused by bundle branch block results in alteration of systolic function and arrhythmias. A too short or too long atrio-ventricular delay can also affect diastolic ventricular filling. Early clinical studies showed a benefit of very long atrioventricular delays shortening, not confirmed by further studies. Direct stimulation of the left ventricle was beneficial in acute hemodynamic studies. Three controlled clinical studies now completed, PATH-CHF, MYSTIC and MIRACLE have showed a functional benefit. Other studies (COMPANION, CARE-HF) are currently in process to evaluate the effect on survival and the interest to associate an automatic defibrillator. Technical aspects are also under investigation: optimal lead placement in the coronary venous system, types of leads, special pacing devices. This paper reports the experience of the first 50 patients treated with multisite pacing in Aix-en-Provence general hospital, 33 men and 17 women, 71 years of mean age, on NYHA class III or IV, and showing QRS width above 120 ms. During the follow-up (mean duration 16 months) 15 deaths (30%) happened. The benefit on NYHA class was 1.34; rehospitalization rate was low. Coronary sinus access was successful in 100% of cases. Sixteen per cent had a reintervention for lead displacement or threshold elevation. Left atrioventricular crosstalk, observed in six patients, supports the use of devices with three independent channels. Echocardiography is of interest for responders identification, optimal device programming and follow-up.

[Rhythmic pitfalls in cardiac pacing]. / Pièges rythmologiques en stimulation cardiaque.

Some electrocardiographic appearances in cardiac pacing may suggest pacemaker dysfunction but in fact the unit may be functioning normally or have a minor fault which is easy to correct by reprogramming. A pacing rate different to that programmed may be due to the rate-response hysteresis or rate smoothing functions. Irregular pacing is often due to phenomena of inappropriate sensing. A pacemaker in the bipolar AAI mode may seem to have no output if the spike is not visible: function in AAI mode should not be interpreted as pacing catheter displacement. The practician may wrongly interpret faulty ventricular sensing in patients with AAI pacemakers and atrial fibrillation when irregular pacing is observed or when ventricular extrasystoles do not inhibit the pacemaker. In dual chamber pacing, the blanking period may result in inadequate ventricular stimulation. The phenomenon of crossed detection or cross-talk is a cause of inappropriate inhibition. Applications of the magnet blocks the sensing function: the magnet pacemaker rate is an indicator of pacemaker end of life. In fact, the magnet induces different behaviours depending on the model of pacemaker which makes it essential to know the special characteristics of each pacemaker. The application of the magnet may trigger arrhythmias or no output of pacemakers at the end of life. The A-V interval may vary with respect to its response to the heart rate, when there is a hysteresis function of the A-V interval, sensing in the "safety" gap or when anti-atrial trachycardia algorithms are activated. The acceleration of a dual-chamber pacemaker may be related to electronic reentrant tachycardia or to an atrial tachycardia: a fault or delayed activation of various anti-arrhythmic algorithms may also cause difficulties in the interpretation of the electrocardiogram.

[Intrinsic sinus node dysfunction in adolescence during anorexia nervosa]. / Dysfonction sinusale intrinsèque de l'adolescence au cours d'une anorexie mentale.

A seventeen year old girl with anorexia nervosa (32 kg; 165 cm) was admitted as an emergency after syncope with severe bradycardia resistant to atropine monitored over a one week period. Autonomic blockade confirmed the intrinsic character of the sinus node dysfunction with chronotropic incompetence on exercise. Secondarily, a Mobitz I second degree AVB was observed. A DDDR pacemaker was implanted with an excellent functional result. With a one year follow-up, the bradycardia persists but body weight has increased. The authors discuss the physiopathology of this case: in the literature, the classical bradycardia of anorexia nervosa is sensitive to vagolytic drugs and only exceptionally as intense as in this patient. Sinus node dysfunction is very rare in the young in the absence of congenital heart disease. It is possible that the bradycardia had become chronic in this case.

Preliminary evaluation of a dual chamber pacemaker with bradycardia diagnostic functions.

Unexplained syncope is the main indication for the implantation of a diagnostic pacemaker. Studies on those implanted have shown that in patients with unexplained syncope, the diagnosis of paroxysmal bradycardia was feasible and reliable. The present study was designed to evaluate a new bradycardia diagnosis algorithm, loaded in a dual chamber pacemaker, in 24 patients considered as candidates for diagnostic pacemakers. During a mean follow-up of 153 days, at least one bradycardia episode was recorded in 13 patients. The mean number of detected bradycardias was 6 and the median was 3. The mean delay between the algorithm activation and the first bradycardia episode was 67 days. The mechanism of bradycardia was atrioventricular block in 6 patients, sinus node dysfunction in 6 patients, and consecutive blocked atrial premature beats in 1 patient, as indicated by the event markers. In 11 patients bradycardia was recorded during the daytime only or day and night. In two patients the episodes were recorded only at night. Overall, the algorithm was well-tolerated; however, some mild symptoms were observed due to the method of bradycardia determination, allowing bradycardia. Three patients were symptomatic as a direct result of the algorithm operation, and four patients had symptoms related to the single chamber operation of the pacemaker while functioning in the diagnosis mode (VDI). These symptoms were relieved with DDD pacing.

[Preliminary study of a double chamber pacemaker with diagnostic function]. / Etude préliminaire d'un stimulateur double chambre à fonction diagnostique.

Pacemakers with diagnostic functions have been implanted for several years. The main clinical indication for these devices is unexplained syncope. Some reports of the use of diagnostic pacemakers have shown that in patients with unexplained syncope, paroxysmal bradycardia was a common finding after implantation. Until recently, diagnostic functions were only available in VVI pacemakers, which explains the limitations of this type of function in determining the mechanism of the bradycardia. The aim of this study was to assess a new dual-chamber diagnostic pacemaker functioning in the VDI mode. Twenty-three patients were implanted with this type of unit and followed up for an average of 153 days. The number of episodes of bradycardia detected was 6 +/- 10 (median: 3). The interval between the installation of the algorithm and the date of the first episode of bradycardia was 67 +/- 86 days (range: 12-306 days). The mechanisms of the bradycardia were atrioventricular block (6 patients), sinus node dysfunction (6 patients) and blocked atrial bigeminy in 1 patient. These conclusions were drawn from analysis of chains of markers. Bradycardia was recorded during the day or during the day and night in 21 patients; bradycardia was exclusively nocturnal in only 2 patients. The tolerance of the algorithm was good on the whole but 3 patients reported minor symptoms related to the relative bradycardia inherent with this type of algorithm. Four other patients had a VDI pacemaker syndrome which was completely corrected by reprogramming the pacemaker to the standard DDD mode. These new devices represent a technical advance in the field of diagnostic pacemakers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Cardiology in general hospitals. A cooperative survey on medical teams, technical means and activity]. / La cardiologie en hôpital général. Enquête coopérative sur les équipes médicales, les moyens techniques et l'activité.

A national enquiry carried out in 1990 in the departments of cardiology of general and private non-profit making hospitals established the status of these departments and the evolution of their personnel and equipment since their creation. The enquiry involved two thirds of the cardiology departments of the general hospitals (119/180) and showed that most (66%) were established between 1974 and 1988. Implanted in fairly important cities with catchment areas of 100,000 to 400,000 people, they have an average of 32 beds (range 11 to 100) and 7.25 coronary care beds (range 4 to 19); 347 doctors work full (211) or part time (136) in these departments. These two types of work are allowed in the majority of these units (64/119). Specialist certified cardiologists practice in 62 departments (56%). The usual technical equipment is available in 80% of the units (Doppler echocardiography, exercise stress testing, Holter monitoring, right heart catheterisation). Permanent pacing is performed in 65% of these hospitals, more so in the provinces than in the Paris region. Coronary angiography is only available in 21%, radioisotopic investigations in 15% and coronary angioplasty in 12% of these centres. A prospective study performed in 1990 concerning 110 hospitals recruited 1,030 myocardial infarctions, which enabled the total number of infarcts hospitalised in the coronary care units of the general hospitals to be estimated at about 21,000 (60% of French myocardial infarctions).

[Effects of disopyramide on normal and pathological atrioventricular conduction]. / Effets du disopyramide sur la conduction auriculo-ventriculaire normale et pathologique.

Disopyramide is a Vaughan-Williams class Ia antiarrhythmic, which is distinguished by its anticholinergic activity, which is due to its active metabolite: mono-N-alkyl disopyramide. In cells with a rapid response, such as those in the His-Purkinje tissue, it depresses conduction. In slow-responding cells (sinus node and Tawara's node) direct depression of conduction and automatism, and anticholinergic stimulation have opposing effects. In terms of clinical electrophysiology, this is a Touboul class IIa compound: and action mainly on the His-Purkinje system involving extension of the conduction time and of the refractory time. Nodal conduction is improved according to measurement of the alternate Wenckebach; according to studies of the denervated heart in transplanted patients, there is a depressant effect on automatism and conduction at all levels, but the vagolytic effect corrects this activity at Tawara's node. Clinical trials have demonstrated the absence of any deterioration, and in some cases and actual improvement of nodal conduction disorders in response to disopyramide and good safety in the presence of non-major intraventricular conduction problems (such as bundle branch block). In practice, these properties mean that moderate nodal conductive disorders and simple bundle branch block do not constitute an obstacle to the use of disopyramide. In junctional tachycardia, it is particularly indicated for use in tachycardia involving an accessory pathway, but is also effective in intranodal tachycardia due to its twofold action.

[Topographic diagnosis of Kent's bundles using dynamic vectorcardiography. Correlation with the new electrocardiographic criteria proposed by R. Franck]. / Diagnostic topographique des faisceaux de Kent par vectocardiographie dynamique. Corrélations avec les nouveaux critères électrocardiographiques proposés par R. Franck.

The topographic diagnoses of Kent's bundles obtained from vectorcardiograms with maximum preexcitation in 33 patients (dynamic VCH) were compared with those obtained using Franck's new algorithm. Only three cases disagreed, and the three anteroseptal topographies were identified a posteriori. This simple method therefore shows very satisfactory sensitivity (82%) and provides worthwhile orientation for later investigations.

[Discordant evolution in monozygotic twins with familial nephropathy]. / Evolution discordante chez deux soeurs jumelles monozygotes atteintes de néphropathie familiale.

Two monozygotic twin sisters presented a familial nephropathy, discovered at 5 years of age. The clinical course was quite different for each patient: end-stage renal failure occurred at 5.5 years of age for one and at 14 years for the other. This difference raises the hypothesis of the role of environmental factors on the clinical expression of an inherited disease.