Association of carotid intima-media thickness with exercise tolerance test in type 2 diabetic patients.

AIMS: Atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease are more common in diabetic patients. Atherosclerosis process can disturb the normal functioning of the vascular endothelium and increase vessel wall thickness. The aim of this study was the comparison of Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) with Exercise tolerance test as an alternative way to evaluate cardiac ischemia in diabetic patients. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 30 diabetic patients with positive exercise test and 30 diabetic patients with negative exercise test were enrolled. CIMT of the carotid artery in both groups of patients was measured. RESULT: CIMT in the patients with positive and negative exercise test were 1.04 ±â€¯0.21 mm and 0.61 ±â€¯0.11 mm, respectively (P < 0.001). CIMT in positive exercise test group was positively associated with age and negatively associated with gender, FBS, HDL and LDL cholesterol and in negative exercise group was negatively associated with gender, age, FBS, HDL and LDL cholesterol. CONCLUSION: Considering observed significant positive association between CIMT with result of exercise tolerance test (ETT) in type 2 diabetic patients, it may possible to use CIMT as an inexpensive and non-invasive method for evaluation of ischemic heart disease in diabetic patients.

Outcome of coronary artery bypass grafting in patients without major risk factors and patients with at least one major risk factor for coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has become a safer procedure in recent years. AIMS: We aimed to compare complications and early outcome of CABG in patients without history of general risk factors with those in patients with at least one general risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Postoperative in-hospital complications, 30-day mortality rate and length of stay in hospital of 708 patients without preoperative general risk factors undergoing CABG in three university hospitals were assessed and compared with 10,844 patients undergoing CABG with at least one general risk factor as controls. In addition, the association of the studied variables with patients' early outcome was evaluated. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: SPSS software with Pearson's chi2 test; independent sample t test, Mann-Whitney test and univariate analysis were used. RESULTS: All studied in-hospital complications were similar between the two groups. Thirty days mortality rate (0.7% in study group and 1.4% in control group) was similar between groups, whereas prolonged length of stay (>12 days) was more frequent in control group (61.33% vs. 71.36%, P<0.0001). Atrial fibrillation (P<0.0001) was a strong predictor for prolonged length of stay in hospital. CONCLUSION: Most aspects of early complications after CABG, as well as 30-day mortality rate, were similar between patients with and without general risk factors for coronary artery disease undergoing CABG.