Cardiology Journal 2013, tom 20, nr 2

Dear Friends, This is a special moment in the evolution of the Cardiology Journal, which, while going through a change of the Editor-in-Chief, will continue with its established work based on education and scientific dissemination...

Since analysis of data from the CASS registry [1] critical stenosis of unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) has become a classic indication for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with stable angina pectoris. Effective and safe percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in ULMCA stenosis in stable patients is technically feasible, and long-term outcomes are highly satisfactory when drug-eluting stents are used [2, 3]...

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a common acute disease in cardiology with a high mortality rate [1, 2]. Clearing obstructed vessels rapidly and effectively is critical for the treatment of AMI [3]. However, reperfusion is closely associated with metabolic dysfunction and structural damage to the cardiocytes, which is known as myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MI/RI) [4]...

Flecainide is a class 1C antiarrhythmic drug used especially for the management of supra-ventricular like atrial fibrillation (AF) [1]. It causes ratedependent slowing of the rapid sodium channel slowing phase 0 of depolarisation and in high doses inhibits the slow calcium channel [2]. Flecainide also slows conduction in all cardiac fibers, increasing conduction times in the atria, ventricles, atrioventricular node and His-Purkinje system...

A 59-year-old hypertensive man presented to the emergency department with an episode of dizziness without syncope. A surface 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) showed sinus rhythm at 82 bpm with a 2:1 complete right bundle branch block (RBBB) pattern (Fig. 1). The patient presented a full spontaneous recovery and was subsequently discharged and referred for ambulatory diagnostic work-up...

We intentionally read the article ”Red cell distribution width is associated with acute myocardial infarction in young patients” written by Uysal et al. with great interest [1]. They aimed to investigate the relationship between red cell distribution width (RDW) and acute ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) in young patients. Compared with young patients with normal coronaries, young patients with STEMI had signifi cantly higher values of RDW...

We reported that high levels of red cell distribution width (RDW) were associated with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in young patients in Cardiology Journal [1]. We read with interest the letter to editor about our article titled “Red cell distribution width: A novel infl ammatory marker in clinical practice” by Demirkol et al. [2]. We thank for comments and we would like to reply this important comments on our article...

We read the article “The infl uence of acute pulmonary embolism on early and delayed prognosis for patients with chronic heart failure” by Gromadziński et al. [1] with interest. The authors aimed to evaluate the potential impact of acute pulmonary embolism (APE) on early and long-term prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). They concluded that patients with CHF and acute episode of PE are characterized by a higher 6-month total and cardiovascular mortality rate following discharge from hospital compared to patients hospitalized due to acute CHF decompensation...

In response to the letter of Aydogan et al. [1] concerning our study entitled “The infl uence of acute pulmonary embolism on early and delayed prognosis for patients with chronic heart failure” published in Cardiology Journal [2] we agree that in order to assess major risk factors for mortality in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) large-scale prospective randomized studies in this group of patients would be of value. It is clear that not only co-morbidities in CHF but also medication used for treatment of co-morbidities and the patients’ lifestyles affect complications and the prognosis in this group of patients [3]...

We read with great interest the article by Gromadziński et al. [1] entitled “The infl uence of acute pulmonary embolism on early and delayed prognosis for patients with chronic heart failure”, which published in Cardiology Journal. They aimed to evaluate the potential impact of acute pulmonary embolism (APE) on early and long-term prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF)...