Prospective screening of 5,615 high school athletes for risk of sudden cardiac death.

Sudden cardiac death among high school athletes is a very infrequent though tragic occurrence. Despite widespread preparticipation screening for known causes of this event, the frequency has not changed. The ECG is an acknowledged sensitive screening tool for the common causes of sudden cardiac death in young athletes. The specificity of the ECG in this setting is believed to be relatively low in young athletes for which reason, in part, it is not used. We added an ECG to the usual preparticipation screening. An echocardiogram was performed when screening was abnormal. Outcome measures of serious or potentially serious cardiovascular abnormalities were defined by the 16th Bethesda Conference. These abnormalities either preclude sports participation or require further testing before approval for participation in sports can be considered. Over 3 yr, 5,615 male and female high school athletes were screened prospectively from 30 different high schools in northern Nevada. Outcome measures were detected in 22 athletes or one per 255. Cardiac history led to detection of outcome measures in 0 athletes, auscultation/inspection in 1/6,000 athletes, blood pressure measurement in 1/1,000 athletes, and the ECG in 1/350 athletes. Specificity was 97.8% for an abbreviated cardiac history and auscultation/inspection and 97.7% for ECG. Overall, the ECG was a much more effective screening tool than cardiac history and auscultation/inspection in detecting cardiovascular abnormalities requiring further tests before approval for participation in sports could be given. ECG and cardiovascular history/ausculation/inspection had similar specificity ECG was efficiently performed on large groups of high school athletes.

Transluminal coronary angioplasty: comparison of brachial and femoral artery methods.

The brachial and femoral artery methods for (percutaneous) transluminal coronary angioplasty are compared. We attempted 901 angioplasties with 539 (59.8%) via the brachial and 362 (40.2%) via the femoral artery. The stenosis was crossed in 670 attempts (74%); in 410 (76%) via the brachial, and in 260 (72%) via the femoral artery. Successful angioplasty was achieved in 607 attempts (67%): in 370 (69%) via the brachial, and in 237 (65%) via the femoral artery. There was no difference between the techniques in crossing the stenosis or achieving a primary success. The left anterior descending artery stenosis was statistically more likely to be crossed than a stenosis in the right (p less than 0.001), circumflex (p less than 0.05), left main coronary artery (p less than 0.05), or saphenous vein graft (p less than 0.05); the left anterior descending artery stenosis was more likely (p less than 0.05) to be successfully dilated if the lesion were crossed (410 of 445 cases, 92%) than a right coronary stenosis (117 of 136 cases, 80%). The brachial and femoral artery methods are comparable techniques. Interventional angiographers performing coronary angioplasty should utilize the angiographic approach with which they are most familiar.

The brachial artery method to transluminal coronary angioplasty.

The development of a brachial artery guiding catheter for (percutaneous) transluminal coronary angioplasty is described. Three-hundred angioplasty procedures were attempted with 196 (65%) via the branchial and 104 (35%) via the femoral artery. The coronary stenosis was crossed in 202 attempts (67%); in 138 via the brachial (70%) and 64 via the femoral artery (62%). A successful angioplasty occurred in 117 via the brachial (85%) and in 50 via the femoral artery (78%). Successful angioplasty of the left anterior descending artery was equally effective with either technique. Successful angioplasty of the right coronary artery was more difficult (P less than 0.05) using the femoral artery. An unsuccessful angioplasty with one technique was occasionally overcome by use of the other technique. No brachial artery complications were encountered. The brachial method to transluminal coronary angioplasty is an acceptable and complementary alternative to the femoral technique. Those laboratories contemplating percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty may desire to utilize both approaches.

Dorros-Spring pressurizer: an inflation device for use in transluminal angioplasty procedures.

A simple hand-operated balloon inflation device has been developed for use in coronary and peripheral transluminal angioplasty procedures. This device is compact, portable, and easily sterilized and eliminates the need for compressed gas, pneumatic pistons, carbon dioxide cartridges, or a complex holder or mounting apparatus. This device, the Dorros-Spring pressurizer, provides for precise control of pressures which inflate the angioplasty dilatation catheters by means of an hydraulic saline-contrast system. This inflation device has been used in over 150 coronary and 100 peripheral transluminal angioplasties without the occurrence of failure of mechanical components or loss of calibration.