[Effect of primary coronary angioplasty on long-term prognosis in patients with diabetes mellitus]. / Vliv prímé koronární angioplastiky na dlouhodobou prognózu nemocných s diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate feasibility and safety of primary PCI in diabetic patients. BACKGROUND: Diabetic patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have been shown to be at high risk for adverse clinical outcomes. Limited data is available on long term prognosis of diabetics treated with primary PCI. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of consecutive 67 diabetic patients and 211 non diabetic patients treated with primary PCI from 1/1995 to 12/1999, follow up for 38 +/- 12 months. RESULTS: The baseline characteristics were comparable in both groups. The mean age was 62 years in diabetic patients and 59 years in non diabetic patients. Hypertension (50% vs. 36%, p = 0.05), contraindications to thrombolytic treatment (13.4% vs. 5.7%, p = 0.037), cardiogenic shock (16.4% vs. 7.1%, p = 0.023), multivessel disease (34% vs. 23%, p = 0.07) and longer time delay to treatment (240 vs. 180 min., p = 0.05) were more often present in diabetic group. 47% of diabetic and 42% of nondiabetic patients received stents. The TIMI 2 or 3 flow rates were reached in 91% of diabetic patients and in 90% of nondiabetic patients, but TIMI 2 flow was found more often in diabetics (9% vs. 2.4%, p = 0.016). Higher rate of bleeding complications leading to significant change in the blood count (7.5% vs. 1.4%, p = 0.01) and higher 30 day mortality (11.9% vs. 5.2%, p = 0.05) was observed in diabetic group. However when the shock patients were excluded from the analysis, the 30 day mortality was different insignificantly in both groups (4.5% vs. 2.4%, p = 0.36). During follow up of 259 acute phase survivors 24 patients died. There was a trend to higher total long term mortality (22.3% vs. 13.2%, p = 0.07) and higher rate of nonfatal reinfarction (13.4% vs. 6.2%, p = 0.05) in diabetic group. CONCLUSIONS: Primary PCI is safe and effective treatment of diabetic patients presenting with AMI. The higher rate of slow flow in infarct related artery after PCI observed in diabetics can be one of reasons for higher 30 day mortality in this group. Mean ischemic time in diabetics is behind the 4 hour border, where the possible benefit from reperfusion decreases. The main reason for higher mortality in our diabetic group was the higher rate of cardiogenic shock. Higher risk of bleeding complications at puncture site in diabetic patients can be explained by the lower quality of vessel wall.

[Comparison of the morphology of atherosclerotic plaques in patients with stable angina pectoris and acute coronary syndrome using intravascular ultrasonography]. / Srovnání morfologie aterosklerotických plátu u nemocných se stabilní anginou pectoris a akutním koronárním syndromem pri vysetrení intravaskulárním ultrazvukem.

The article summarises present knowledge on the differences in the structure of atherosclerotic plaques in patients with stable angina pectoris and in those with acute coronary syndrome during intravascular ultrasound examination. Authors describe differences in the pathologic anatomy and also in the clinics. The review includes pictures of the typical structural features and references of papers with similar topics.

[Fibrinolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarct]. / Fibrinolytická lécba akutního infarktu myokardu.

Direct PTCA is a treatment of choice in patients with acute myocardial infarction with ST segment elevations (STEMI). Fibrinolysis remains important modality of treatment in these patients. Currently, there are more then 100 tissue plasminogen activator mutants available with different fibrin specificity. In a clinical practice, tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA), tenecteplase (TNK-tPA) and lanoteplase (n-PA) are most important examples. Fibrinolytic treatment in STEMI patients should be used in patients presenting in first 4 hours after beginning of chest pain, when it is sure, that direct PTCA cannot be started within next 90 minutes. Concomittant therapy of acute STEMI patients consists of anticoagulans, antiplatelet and antiagregatory treatment.

[Comparison of the occurrence of positive and negative vascular remodeling in patients with stable vs unstable angina pectoris]. / Srovnání výskytu pozitivní a negativní cévní remodelace u nemocných se stabilní vs. nestabilní anginou pectoris.

BACKGROUND: The vascular remodelling refers to the increase or decrease in EEM (external elastica membrane) area that occurs during development of atherosclerosis. The positive remodeling, which was thought only as a compensatory factor during atheroma development, was also found as a one of the main features of unstable plaque. The intravascular ultrasound is very good tool to measure different type of arterial remodelling. These findings correlate with histologic post-mortem specimen with excellent results. AIM OF THE STUDY: To correlate the remodelling index from patients suffered from stable angina pectoris (SAP) and from patients suffered from unstable angina (UA). METHOD: We performed IVUS in 51 patients. In the group of patients with unstable angina were included patients with worsening angina symptoms in last six weeks or with angina in rest. We used IVUS--endosonics In-Vision with 30 MHz probe Awanar with mechanical pull-back. We studied the occurrence of positive remodelling, negative remodeling (an index that describes remodeling is expressed as: lesion EEM CSA/reference EEM CSA. If the lesion EEM area is greater than the reference EEM area, positive remodelling has occurred, and the index will be > 1.0. If the lesion EEM area is smaller than the reference EEM area, negative remodelling has occurred, and the index will be < 1.0). RESULTS: We performed the intravascular ultrasound in 51 patients, 22 patients (43.1%) with unstable angina (UA) and in 29 patients (56.9%) stable angina (SAP). The positive remodelling was found in 14 patients (63.6%) in UA group vs. 5 patients (17.2%) in group with SAP, p < 0.05. The negative remodelling was found in 6 patients (27.3%) in UA group vs. 23 patients (79.3%) in SAP group, p < 0.05. CONCLUSION: Positive remodelling is more often found in patients with UA vs. in patients with SAP. Positive arterial remodelling is therefore one of the features of unstable atherosclerotic plaque.

[Idiopathic aneurysm of the pulmonary artery]. / Idiopatické aneuryzma arterie pulmonalis.

Aneurysm of pulmonary artery (PAA) is relatively rare clinical finding and appears mostly in association with significant cardiovascular or pulmonary abnormalities and is frequently caused by pulmonary hypertension. Its diagnosis is not difficult. However, guidelines for the treatment were not yet established. Patients with PAA are at risk for sudden death by a rupture of aneurysm. Therefore, surgical correction (graft replacement) is the method of choice. Nevertheless, it seems that certain group of patients with asymptomatic idiopathic aneurysm of pulmonary artery without presence of any serious cardiovascular or pulmonary abnormality can profit from conservative approach. We refer a 62-years old man with idiopathic PAA, in whom we did not indicate surgical correction. However, the long-term follow-up is necessary.

[Direct percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in patients with acute myocardial infarct treated at the Cardiac Center of the General Medical School Hospital in Prague: a 1-year retrospective study]. / Prímá perkutánní transluminální koronární angioplastika u pacientu s akutním infarktem myokardu v Kardiocentru Vseobecné fakultní nemocnice Praha: jednorocní retrospektivní studie.

UNLABELLED: Direct percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (d-PTCA) in patients with acute myocardial infarctions (AIM) has become an alternative of thrombolytic treatment. If the involved department has adequate experience the success rate of the procedure is high and the immediate and long-term results are better than those of thrombolysis. Moreover contrary to thrombolytic treatment successful percutaneous coronary intervention in AIM is more beneficial for patients also later than 6 hours after the development of infarction pain. In the Cardiocentre of the General Faculty Hospital (GFH) patients with AIM are constantly attended, i.e. those indicated for reperfusion therapy are treated solely by the d-PTCA method. OBJECTIVE AND METHOD: Retrospective analysis of d-PTCA in AIM made during the annual period from Jan. 1 2000 to Dec. 31 2000. Into the observation study patients were included with clinical and/or ECG signs of AIM when the period from the onset of pain to the beginning of intervention did not exceed 12 hours. All patients were given before the procedures 500 mg of acetylsalicylic acid and 10,000 u. heparin. Cardiac catheterization was implemented by the percutaneous Seldinger technique via the a. femoralis l.dx., in exceptional cases from the left femoral artery. An approach via the a. radialis and/or a. brachialis was not used in any of the patients. From the investigation patients were excluded who had before the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) a thrombolytic preparation (so-called rescue-PTCA). RESULTS: During the mentioned period in the Cardiocentre of the GFH a total of 673 PTCA were performed, incl. 127 (18.9%) d-PTCA in patients with AIM. In the mentioned group of 127 patients subjected to intervention were 87 (68.5%) men and 40 (31.5%) women. The mean age of the men was 59.1 +/- 12 years and the mean age of the women 68.2 +/- 12 years. As to the main risk factors of coronary atherosclerosis arterial hypertension was present in 48%, smoking in 42%, diabetes in 23% and hyperlipoproteinaemia in 31% of the treated patients. More than one third of the patients had a history of myocardial infarction (38%). The infarcted artery was the r. interventricularis anterior (LAD) in 51 (40.2%), the right coronary artery (RCA) in 54 (42.5%), the r. circumflex (LCX) in 16 (12.6%), the left main coronary artery in 2 (1.6%) and the bypass in 4 (3.1%). Multiple coronary affections were recorded in 80 (63%) patients, affections of one artery in 47 (37%). Primary procedural success (flow TIMI 3/2) was achieved in 121 patients (95.3%). Normal flow through the infarcted artery TIMI 3 was achieved in 118/127 (85.8%) patients. In 91 (71.7%) into the infarcted artery a coronary stent was implanted, during hospitalization no subacute stenosis of the stent developed. The mean period between the onset of infarction pain--injection was 4.4 +/- 2.3 hours. The mean period of the entire procedures was 48 +/- 14.5 minutes. As contrast material only non-ionic contrast substances were used (Iomeron 350) with a mean consumption of 150 ml per patient. The mean skiascopic time was 13.6 +/- 1.8 min. A total of 9 (7.1%) patients were treated with GP IIb/IIIa receptor blockers (abciximab). The total hospitalization mortality of the intervened group was 7.1% (9 patients). In a sub-group of 9 patients who at the onset of the procedure were in cardiogenic shock 3 (33%) died. The hospitalization mortality of the sub-group of patients with AIM without cardiogenic shock, treated with d-PTCA was 5.1% (6/118). During hospitalization the authors did not observe any intracranial haemorrhage. DISCUSSION: The group of subjects with AIM subjected to catheterization who are treated by d-PTCA is relatively numerous in our department. According to a number of clinical studies successful d-PTCA in AIM gives better short-term and long-term results as compared with thrombolytic therapy. The primary success rate of d-PTCA was high and the hospital mortality was low and comparable with contemporary data in the literature. CONCLUSION: Direct PTCA is effective treatment in patients with acute myocardial infarction. The authors results confirm the high procedural success rate and acceptable hospital mortality. These favourable results of an invasive approach to treatment of AIM must be compared in future with bolus thrombolytic treatment by new types of thrombolytic preparations in combination with anti-platelet treatment with blockers of platelet glycoprotein receptors IIb/IIIa with/or without subsequent percutaneous coronary intervention.

[Induction of labor and its synchronization in hogs]. / Indukce porodu a jejich synchronizace u prasnic.

The authors describe the synchronization of farrowing by the induction of parturition with a prostaglandin F2alpha analogue (Cloprostenol). The time sequence of the beginning of parturitions was recorded in 147 sows after administration of 175 microgram Cloprostenol. 93.7% of the parturitions take place between the 14th and 39th hour after administration, the peak time being between the 24th and 27th hour (31.2%). The schedule of the farrowing days is described as a prerequisite for a qualitative change in the organization of work in large pig herds.