[Correlation between quality of life and social/demographic factors in patients with stroke].

The population of Kaunas was studied in 2004-2006. The main group included 508 patients with first-ever stroke and the control group included 508 age- and sex-matched people randomly selected from the population. The SF-12 quality of life questionnaire in the domains of physical and mental health was used. The significant inverse correlation (p < 0.05) between the physical health and the age was found both in patients (r = -0.34) and controls (r = -0.64). The scores of physical health were higher in men (p < 0.001) as compared to women only in the control group. The physical health of Livonian patients was better (p < 0.008) than that of patients of other ethnic groups. People living alone scored their physical health lower as in the control (p < 0.01) as well in main (p < 0.008) groups. The physical health of working people was better (p < 0.005) in both groups. In both groups, subjects with higher education and those not living alone reported themselves in better health regardless of sex compared to people with lower education and/or those living alone and/or unemployed.

Relation between ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death in patients with acute myocardial infarction: the predictors of ventricular fibrillation.

Continuous electrocardiographic monitoring was recorded in 102 patients during the first 48 hours after the onset of myocardial infarction. One hundred forty-eight episodes of ventricular tachycardia having an ectopic rate of 180/min or more and without a background of treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs were analyzed; these included 125 cases of ventricular tachycardia that terminated spontaneously and 23 cases that deteriorated to ventricular fibrillation. Episodes of ventricular tachycardia with a polymorphic configuration were more frequent in the group with than in the group without ventricular fibrillation (30.4 and 8%, respectively). The incidence of ventricular tachycardia continuing for more than 100 QRS complexes was 20 times greater in the group with ventricular fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia initiated by and R on T ventricular premature beat was recorded three times more often in this group. The 10 minute pretachycardia interval in both groups showed no significant difference in the incidence, complexity, intensity or dynamic pattern of ventricular premature contractions. The data provide reason to doubt the significance of ventricular premature beats as harbingers of sudden death from ventricular fibrillation. Rather, ventricular tachycardia with an ectopic rate of 180/min or more, a polymorphic configuration and persistence for more than 100 QRS complexes (or initiated by an R on T ventricular premature beat) is a more reliable predictor of the occurrence of ventricular fibrillation.

Ventricular tachycardia in myocardial infarction: relation to heart rate and premature ventricular contractions.

Analysis of monitored electrocardiograms, recorded in 77 patients during the first 48 hours following the onset of myocardial infarction, revealed 492 episodes of ventricular tachycardia with rates of 90-220 min-1. Characteristics of the ventricular tachycardia episodes were correlated with heart rate and with the rate and complexity of ventricular arrhythmias in the 10-min period preceding ventricular tachycardia. Ventricular tachycardia with rates of 140-180 min-1 and with a QS configuration was the most frequent event. The first ectopic complex of VT was R-on-T in only 17.2%. Sinus tachycardia was associated with significantly fewer episodes of VT with rates of 110-140 min-1 than when the sinus rate was normal. However episodes of ventricular tachycardia with rates of 181 to 220 beats min-1 were more frequent during sinus tachycardia. Analysis of the frequency of premature ventricular contractions in the 10-min period immediately preceding ventricular tachycardia revealed no premature ventricular contractions in 24.4% of cases. Multiple premature ventricular contractions with a frequency of greater than or equal to 5 min-1 were observed in 8.4% of cases, multifocal in 30.3%, couplets in 24% and early PVCs in 12.2%. In the minute before ventricular tachycardia, only 40.2% of cases displayed premature ventricular contractions. In that minute, complex premature ventricular contractions were distributed as follows: multifocal in 10%, couplets in 8.7% and early PVCs in 2.6% of cases. Out of the total of 492 runs of ventricular tachycardia, 5 cases (1%) resulted in ventricular fibrillation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)