Cardiology Journal 2009, tom 16, nr 3

In this issue of Cardiology Journal Al-Mallah et al. [1] report the seemingly counter-intuitive result that lower LDL levels (£ 105 mg/dL) at presentation of non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) predict worse outcomes than higher LDL levels (> 105 mg/dL). In this retrospective study of 517 patients at a tertiary care center, patients with LDL > 105 mg/dL had half the three-year mortality event rate (7.1%) that was observed for patients with LDL £ 105 mg/dL (14.8%)...

Supraventricular arrhythmia (SVA) is a frequent clinical complication in adult patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). The aim of this study is prognostic evaluation of congenital heart defect complexity, performed cardiac surgery, initial functional impairment of the heart — NYHA > I, cyanosis, age and sex of the adult patients with CHD, presenting for the first time to an outpatient clinic, on SVA occurrence during long-term observation...

Several studies have reported that primary hyperparathyroidism is a risk factor of higher cardiovascular mortality, mainly because hyperparathyroidism is related to arterial hypertension, arrhythmias, structural heart abnormalities and activation of the renin–angiotensin– aldosterone system. However, very few studies have shown the electrocardiographic changes that occur after parathyroidectomy...

In drug-refractory heart failure, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an established method in patients with sinus rhythm, severe reduced ejection fraction and broad QRS. Heart failure is known as a predisposition for atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the putative impact of atrioventricular node (AVN) ablation in chronic AF and CRT remains unclear...

We present the case of a 52 year-old male with a history of C-hepatitis and two liver neoplastic lesions treated by radiofrequency (RF) ablation. The patient wears an abdominally-implanted unipolar VVI pacemaker that did not show any signs of interference during RF pulses...

The relationship between admission low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels and long-term outcomes has not been established in patients with acute coronary syndrome. We tested the hypothesis that patients who develop non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) despite low LDL have a worse cardiovascular outcome in the long term...

Prinzmetal’s angina is a distinct syndrome characterized by episodes of chest pain and transient ST-segment elevation caused by coronary vasospasm. This variant form of angina is sometimes associated with complete atrioventricular block and ventricular arrhythmias...

Until recently it was generally thought that early repolarization is benign. But a recent article in the NEJM (Haissaguerre et al.) suggests that some persons with early repolarization may be at risk of life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmia. Unexplained syncope or sudden death occurs mostly during sleep. However, some cases of cardiac arrest during exertion have been reported...

Methadone is increasingly prescribed for chronic pain, yet the associated mortality appears to be rising disproportionately relative to other opioid analgesics. We review the available evidence on methadone-associated mortality, and explore potential pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic explanations for its greater apparent lethality...

The additional purpose for pacemaker implantation, beyond treating arrhythmias and conduction disturbances, is to improve the quality of life (QoL) of the patient. Most previous research has shown this purpose to have been achieved. However, the question as to whether all mental and physical components improve QoL to the same degree is still valid...