[Interest of coronary flow reserve of the LAD during dobutamine stress echocardiography]. / Faisabilité et intérêt de la mesure de la réserve coronaire de l'IVA lors de l'échographie dobutamine.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To assess the value of the coronary flow reserve (CFR) in the left anterior descending artery (LAD) during dobutamine stress echocardiography in the diagnosis of significant LAD stenosis (more than 70%). METHOD: Retrospective study of 81 patients with a positive stress echocardiography who underwent a coronarography. RESULTS: Measurement of coronary flow reserve was able in half echocardiographic exams. Medium Pic diastolic velocity was 0.33 m/s (SD 0.20), medium maximal diastolic velocity during stress was 0.62 m/s (SD 0.20), medium CFR was 2.25 (SD 0.65). In 50 patients LAD was not seen; in five of them LAD was occluded. The predictive positive value (PPV) of a low coronary flow reserve to detect LAD stenosis is 66.7% and the negative predictive value (NPV) is 65.4%. An abnormal anterior contraction during stress echo with a low reserve has a PPV of 75% for the diagnosis of significant IVA stenosis and a normal contraction during stress with normal coronary flow reserve means a NPV of 65%. We did not show a significant correlation between low coronary flow and abnormal contraction during stress echocardiography (kappa 0.51). CONCLUSION: Coronary flow reserve of LAD during stress echo is feasible but does not really improve exam performance to detect significant IVA stenosis. This measurement remains to be clear in coronary patients management.

[Timing and indications for surgical intervention in infective endocarditis]. / Indications et moment de l'intervention chirurgicale dans l'endocardite infectieuse.

This paper reviews current knowledge on the indications for and timing of cardiac surgery in patients with infective endocarditis. The main indications for surgery are haemodynamic compromise, persisting infection, peripheral embolisation, large size of vegetations, large valvular and paravalvular damage and infections caused by certain microorganisms.

[Whipple's disease endocarditis: report of 5 cases and review of the literature]. / Endocardites de la maladie de Whipple: cinq observations et revue de la littérature.

PURPOSE: Endocarditic lesions (infectious endocarditis) associated with Whipple's disease are exceptional. We report five cases from the cardiovascular and pneumologic hospital Louis Pradel in Lyon. METHOD: We have collected all cases of Tropheryma whipplei endocarditis diagnosed between 1995 and 2004. RESULTS: Five men with a mean age of 53 years at time of diagnosis. The symptoms were essentially cardiovascular: murmur, embolism in 3 cases, and heart failure secondary to valvular insufficiency in 2 cases. The valvular involvement, double in 3 cases, was more often aortic. Vegetations were present in all patients and valvular destruction sometimes very important. A low grade fever was present in 4 cases, associated with weight loss in 2 cases. The only extra-cardiac symptoms were arthralgias or arthritis in all cases, considered in 3 patients as seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, B27+ spondylarthritis, and psoriasic arthritis. Their was no other clinical manifestations of Whipple's disease, particularly digestive, ocular, neurologic or adenopathy, and duodenal biopsies secondarily performed in 4 cases were non contributive. This differs from literature as an extra-cardiac location was identified in 11 out of 17 cases. The diagnosis was obtained by histology and PCR on the cardiac valves, as all the patients underwent surgery. The evolution was favourable with a prolonged antibiotic therapy. CONCLUSIONS: These report confirms the existence of endocarditic forms of the Whipple's disease, in which the single extra-cardiac manifestation is rheumatologic, and reminds us the usefulness of histology and PCR on the cardiac valves at the time of valvular surgery.

[End-stage heart failure: quantity or quality of life?]. / Insuffisance cardiaque terminale: quantité ou qualité de vie ?

Several clinical trials testing the safety and efficacy of different positive inotropic agents in patients suffering form end-stage heart failure have confirmed that these drugs increase mortality. We nevertheless, use these agents regularly because of the presumption that they improve quality of life. However, this presumption, sound a priori, is not firmly anchored. When we prescribe these drugs, do we inform our patients? Do the patients ultimately decide whether to be treated with inotropic agents? What is the role of palliative care in the end-stage heart failure patient? We review the literature and reflect on these issues, long completely ignored, though beginning to elicit specific articles.