Abnormal Valsalva blood pressure response in dilated cardiomyopathy: association with "pseudonormalization" of echocardiographic Doppler transmitral filling velocity pattern.

In patients with dilated cardiomyopathies, the presence of an abnormal blood pressure response to the Valsalva maneuver has been shown to correlate well with increased left-sided filling pressures. The presence of a "pseudonormalized" early peak to late peak velocity (E/A) ratio on echocardiographic Doppler transmitral filling pattern has also been correlated with increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressures in these patients. Since both abnormal blood pressure response to the Valsalva maneuver and a "pseudonormalized" Doppler transmitral E/A ratio probably represent elevated left ventricular filling pressure, we postulated that there would be a positive correlation between the two in a group of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and abnormal systolic function. Twenty-five consecutive male patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II to IV heart failure and dilated cardiomyopathy were included. Patients with abnormal blood pressure responses to Valsalva had significantly larger peak early (E) velocities, smaller peak late (A) velocities, and larger E/A ratios compared with patients with normal responses. E/A ratio < 1.0 was present in eight (100%) of the eight patients with a normal blood pressure response to the Valsalva maneuver and E/A ratio > 1.0 was present in 12 (71%) of 17 patients with an abnormal response (p < 0.01). This correlation supports the hypotheses of the physiologic mechanisms of these phenomena and also provides two noninvasive methods of evaluating left-sided filling pressures useful in the diagnosis and treatment of congestive heart failure caused by dilated cardiomyopathy.

Characterization of pulsed-dye laser-mediated vasodilatation in a rabbit femoral artery model of vasoconstriction.

Vasoconstriction is a clinical problem associated with invasive vascular procedures, microvascular reconstruction and subarachnoid hemorrhage. We sought to characterize the ability of pulsed-dye laser irradiation to reverse and prevent vasoconstriction in an anesthetized rabbit model of surgically and pharmacologically induced vasoconstriction. Five groups of experiments were performed to study the effect of pulsed-dye laser irradiation delivered through a 320 microns core ball-tip fiber into the femoral artery. The studies demonstrated that pulsed-dye irradiation can reproducibly cause vascular dilatation. The zone of vasodilatation propagated equally proximal and distal to the site of irradiation within the vessel. When saline was infused into the vessel to replace flowing blood during delivery of laser irradiation, no significant vasodilatation occurred. After laser irradiation reversed surgical and pharmacologic vasoconstriction, the vessel was resistant to further pharmacologic vasoconstriction. This resistance to pharmacologic vasoconstriction did not occur if the vessel was pharmacologically predilated before delivery of laser irradiation. Pathologic analysis of the vessels revealed endothelial damage and mild to moderate medial necrosis, most significant at the site of energy delivery. These studies provide characterization of pulsed-dye laser-mediated vasodilatation in an in vivo model. Delivery of pulsed-dye laser energy has potential clinical application and warrants further investigation.

Successful use of the right brachial approach to perform directional atherectomy of the left coronary artery.

Although directional coronary atherectomy permits the treatment of complex coronary lesions, its use is limited in patients with peripheral vascular disease by the need to use a large guiding catheter. We describe a patient in whom the right brachial approach was successfully used to perform atherectomy of a semi-protected left main coronary stenosis.

Antegrade selective coronary angiography via the transseptal approach in a patient with severe vascular disease.

We describe a case of a woman with severe vascular disease in whom retrograde access to the aortic root was limited by both aortoiliac and axillary disease. Transseptal catheterization was performed in anticipation of percutaneous aortic valvuloplasty. Selective antegrade angiography was successfully performed using catheters introduced through the transseptal sheath.