Comparison of long-term results of drug-eluting stent and bare metal stent implantation in heart transplant recipients with coronary artery disease.

UNLABELLED: The aim of the study was to compare long-term results of intracoronary implantation of drug-eluting stents (DES) and bare metal stents (BMS) in patients suffering from transplant coronary artery disease (TxCAD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of all intracoronary stent implantations for TxCAD among subjects with at least one follow-up coronary angiography. We identified 28 sirolimus-eluting DES (n = 17) patients, 24 BMS (n = 13 patients), and both DES and BMS (n = 7 patients) implantations among 23 recipients. Mean follow-up after DES was 14 months and after BMS implantation, 20 months. We compared the occurrence of in-stent restenosis (ISR), and patient survival in the context of risk factors that were identified separately for each stent type. Significance was assessed using the log-rank, chi(2) and Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: There were 2 (7%) ISR among DES versus 14 (58%) ISR among BMS (P = .0002) patients, with a longer time of freedom from IRS after DES implantation (P = .022). There were three deaths (18%) among DES, four (31%) with BMS, and one (14%) with DES and BMS (P = NS). Left anterior descending artery was the place of DES implantation in 17 (61%) versus 10 (42%) of BMS cases (P = NS). Risk factor profile was comparable except for a higher age at the time of transplantation (46 +/- 7 vs 41 +/- 6 years; P = .011) and stent implantation (54 +/- 7 vs 49 +/- 6 years; P = .0002) for DES. CONCLUSION: Favorable long-term results of sirolimus-eluting stents over BMS implanted for TxCAD suggested their preferential use in heart transplant recipients.

Acute ethanol poisonings during the New Year's Eve party "95/'96 in Kraków.

Distilled spirits are the major source of ethanol consumption in Poland. Such concentrated alcohol is drunk quickly, especially in teenager groups who consider consumption of 250 or 500 ml of vodka during one hour or one hour and half as quite normal. For two years the New Years Eve party has been celebrated in the Main Market Square in Kraków. In 1995 unfavourable weather conditions had been observed for at least 14 days before the New Year's Eve night. During that night only 15 people-participants of the party were admitted to the Department of Toxicology. The aim of this study is to present the cases of poisoned people with ethanol during the last night of the year 1995. All the patients were young (10 poisoned patients were below 17 years of age), considerably low body temperature, and relatively low coma grade. 80% of the patients were admitted between 0:00 and 5:00 a.m. after 200 minutes since the moment they started to drink alcohol. Blood ethanol concentration ranged from 1.2 to 4.23 g/L and serum osmolality from 338 to 440 mOsm/kg H2O. Both ethanol concentration and serum osmolality progressively rose reaching the highest values in the group of patient with III coma degree (p < 0.001). All the cases of acute ethanol poisoning presented in the study had a good outcome, as patient were admitted at the Clinic in relatively short time after symptoms of poisoning have occurred.