Background: The diagnostic significance of a tilt table test (TTT) in patients with a suspected arrhythmic etiology for syncope and negative electrophysiologic study (EPS) has not been previously ...assessed comparing the TTT results with the findings of prolonged monitoring using an implantable loop recorder (ILR). We sought to assess the diagnostic yielding of TTT in patients with suspected arrhythmic syncope and negative EPS.
Methods and Results: In 81 patients with suspected arrhythmic etiology for syncope and negative EPS, TTT was performed and an ILR implanted regardless the results of TTT. TTT was positive in 38 patients. During follow‐up, syncope or presyncope recurred in 32 patients (39.5%). No differences were found in recurrence rates in patients with positive and negative TTT (31.5% vs 46.5%, P = ns). According to rhythm registered during ILR activation, mechanisms of syncopal events were classified as: arrhythmic (atrioventricular AV block and ventricular tachycardia; n = 18), neurally mediated (sinus bradycardia and sinus pause; n = 9), and indeterminate (normal sinus rhythm; n = 5). There was no statistical association between the results of TTT and the mechanism of syncope.
Conclusions: In patients with a suspected arrhythmic etiology for syncope and a negative EPS, TTT is of little value to predict the mechanism of syncope and the ILR implantation seems to be a useful and safe diagnostic strategy.
Some authors have described seasonal variations in the incidence of acute myocardial infarction. The aim of this study was to determine the existence of seasonal rhythms in admissions for acute ...myocardial infarction to coronary care units, and in mortality, and to analyze the influence of age on environmental factors.
The study included a total of 8400 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted to 12 coronary care units in the PRIMVAC registry from January 1995 to December 1999. Seasonal rhythms were analyzed with the time series method and the Cosinor regression equation. The influence of age was analyzed with the χ
2 test.
The total number of admissions increased in winter and decreased in summer. The highest peak (acrophase) occurred in winter, with 2183 cases (r
2=0.91), specifically in February, with 742 cases (r
2=0.66). The age of the patients conditioned seasonal variations (
P = .006), and the influence was statistically significant for patients over 65 years of age. Changes in mortality with time did not reach statistical significance.
A seasonal rhythm in admissions for acute myocardial infarction was found, with an increase in winter and a decrease in summer. Age conditioned the effect of environmental factors on acute myocardial infarction, and patients aged 65 years or older were more sensitive to mechanisms that led to increases in admissions in winter.
Se ha descrito un aumento en la incidencia del infarto agudo de miocardio durante los meses fríos. Se pretende averiguar si existe un ritmo estacional en los ingresos por infarto en las unidades coronarias y en su mortalidad, y determinar si la edad condiciona el efecto de los factores ambientales.
A partir del registro PRIMVAC, se estudió a 8.400 pacientes ingresados consecutivamente por infarto agudo de miocardio desde enero de 1995 a diciembre de 1999 en 12 hospitales de la Comunidad Valenciana. Se analizó el ritmo estacional mediante el estudio de series temporales y la ecuación de regresión Cosinor. El análisis de la influencia de la edad en los ingresos y la mortalidad se realizó mediante el test de la χ
2.
El número de ingresos por infarto agudo de miocardio aumentó en invierno y disminuyó en verano. El pico máximo (acrofase) se produjo en invierno, con 2.183 casos (r
2 = 0,91), concretamente en el mes de febrero, con 742 casos (r
2 = 0,66). La edad condiciona las variaciones estacionales en el número de ingresos (p = 0,006), con diferencias estadísticas a partir de los 65 años. Las variaciones en la mortalidad no alcanzan significación.
Existe un patrón estacional en los ingresos por infarto agudo de miocardio, con un aumento en el número de casos durante el invierno y un descenso durante el verano. La edad de los pacientes condiciona el efecto de los factores ambientales en el infarto. A partir de los 65 años, los sujetos son más sensibles a los mecanismos causantes del aumento de ingresos en invierno.
The management of cardiac ischemic patients differs depending on their comorbidity. The Charlson Index (ChI) and its adaptations are well established and widely used tools to quantify a patient ...comorbidity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of comorbidity quantified by the ChI in the treatment administered at admission and in the pharmacological treatment prescribed at discharge in the setting of an acute myocardial infarction with and without ST segment elevation.
We studied a total of 955 patients consecutively admitted in our hospital with the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. Comorbidity was obtained at the first day of admission applying the ChI. According to this value patients were classified from minor to major in 2 subgroups (ChI <or= 2, ChI >or= 2) and differences in the admission and discharge treatments between both groups were analyzed.
Patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction without ST segment elevation and ChI > 2 received less frequently betablockers at discharge, but there were no significant differences in the use of ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers or statins. In addition they were submitted less frequently to revascularization procedures or treadmills, and no differences were found in the use of echocardiograms. Patients with ST segment elevation and ChI > 2 were less frequently treated with betablockers or statins at discharge, and were submitted to less treadmills or echocardiograms; furthermore, in these patients, there were no significant differences in the use of ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, thrombolytics or revascularization procedures.
Comorbidity quantified on admission by the ChI is an independent factor that modifies in-hospital and ambulatory management of patients with acute myocardial infarction. There is a lower use of invasive techniques as well as a lower prescription of betablockers at discharge in patients with greater comorbidity.
In recent years, the relation between biological markers of inflammation and prognosis in patients suffering from acute coronary syndromes has been investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate ...the association between baseline fibrinogen concentrations and the development of clinical events in patients admitted with suspicion of unstable angina and non-Q-wave myocardial infarction.
Levels of fibrinogen at enrollment were analyzed in 325 consecutive patients with acute coronary syndromes. Fibrinogen values were divided into tertiles and the incidence of clinical events was evaluated at each level. The combination of death and/or myocardial infarction was the main endpoint.
Fibrinogen levels were significantly higher in patients who subsequently had myocardial infarction, cardiac death, or both during follow up. The probabilities of death and/or myocardial infarction were 6%, 13%, and 29% (p < 0.0001), respectively, in patients grouped by fibrinogen tertiles (304, 305-374 and 375 mg/dl). Multivariate predictors of combined events were age, previous angina, ST-segment depression in the admission ECG, and fibrinogen into tertiles. The adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) for patients in the upper tertile was 4.8 (1.6-14; p = 0.004).
High fibrinogen levels were related to a less favorable long-term or short-term outcome in patients admitted for suspicion of unstable angina and non-Q-wave myocardial infarction. This association persists after adjustment for other classical risk factors such as age, prior angina, and ST-segment depression in the ECG.
To assess the diagnostic capacity of a protocol to study syncope of unknown cause in which electrophysiological studies and tilting table tests are selectively used.
The study was performed in 137 ...consecutive patients (94 men and 43 women, with a mean age of 57.6+/-18.3 years) with syncope of unknown cause after the initial clinical evaluation, who were divided into two groups. Group A consisted of 77 patients meeting any of the following criteria: a) presence of structural heart disease; b) abnormal ECG; c) presence of significant non-symptomatic arrhythmia in the Holter recording, and d) presence of paroxysmal palpitations. These patients initially underwent an electrophysiological study. Group B consisted of 60 patients not meeting any of the above criteria, who were initially submitted to tilting table tests.Results. In group A, the electrophysiological study was positive in 43 patients (55%). In group B, the tilting test was positive in 41 patients (68%). Among patients in group A with a negative study, 20 (59%) were submitted to the tilting table test, with positive results in 7 cases (35%). Five patients from group B with a negative tilting test underwent the electrophysiological study, which was negative in all of them. Overall, a positive diagnosis was achieved in 91 of 137 patients (66%).
In patients with syncope of a non-apparent cause in the initial assessment, selective use of electrophysiological studies or tilting table tests, guided by clinical criteria, allows for a positive diagnosis in over 60% of the cases. Our results suggest that the tilting table test should be performed in cases of group A with a negative electrophysiological study.
Diagnosis of ventricular tachycardia García Civera, R; Sanjuán Mañez, R; Morell Cabedo, J S ...
Revista española de cardiologia,
1980, Letnik:
33, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Since physiological pacing systems have become available, a debate has raged about the merits of atrial versus ventricular pacing in the sick sinus syndrome. The goal of this retrospective report was ...to study the long term incidence and the independent predictors for atrial fibrillation and stroke in 153 paced patients with sick sinus syndrome, adjusting for differences in baseline clinical variables with multivariate analysis.
From 1980 to 1994, we implanted 32 dualchamber, 33 atrial, and 88 ventricular pacemakers to treat patients with sick sinus syndrome. After a maximum follow-up of 177 months (median 30 months for paroxismal atrial fibrillation, 45 months for chronic atrial fibrillation and 43,5 months for stroke) the actuarial incidence of paroximal atrial fibrillation was 7.8% at 1 year, 29% at 5 years and 42% at 10 years. The actuarial incidence of chronic atrial fibrillation was 1.3% at 1 year, 9.8% at 5 years and 22% at 10 years. Independent predictors for paroxismal AF from Cox's model was history of atrial tachyarrhythmias (p < 0.0001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (p = 0,006) and age (> 70 years-old) (p = 0.035). Only a history of atrial tachyarrhythmias before pacemaker implant was an independent predictor for chronic atrial fibrillation (p < 0.0001). The odd ratio for paroxismal atrial fibrillation in patients with previous atrial tachyarrhythmias and chronic atrial fibrillation were 6 (2.8-12) and 4 (1.6-9.7) (95% confiance limits). Actuarial incidence of stroke was 3% at 1 year, 10% at 5 years and 14% at 10 years. Independent predictors for stroke were history of peripheral vascular disease (p = 0.033) and hypertensive cardiomyopathy (p = 0.015). Development of paroxysmal and chronic atrial fibrillation during the follow-up were higher in patients with stroke (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05).
Development of atrial fibrillation and stroke in paced patients with sick sinus syndrome are strongly determined by clinical variables. Preimplant paroxysmal atrial tachyarrhythmias is the most important predictor for atrial fibrillation in the follow-up.
