Cardiology Journal 2012, tom 19, nr 2

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is one of the most frequently performed cardiac interventions. However, there is limited data regarding the cause of recurrent hospitalization and repeat revascularization. The aim of this study was to assess re-hospitalization and repeat revascularization within 30 days of the initial hospitalization for PCI, using data from Opolskie Voivodeship, National Health Fund (NHF) Registry. 

Recently, it has been hypothesized that type 2 diabetes might interfere with acute intravenous thrombolysis effectiveness as estimated by angiographic or electrocardiographic criteria. In our study, we compared the thrombolytic effect of streptokinase infusion between diabetic and non-diabetic myocardial infarction (MI) patients. 

The Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice-Ligota, studied 24 patients with clinically diagnosed (using ECG) long-QT syndrome (LQTS) in 18 cases. Nine patients were diagnosed with LQT1 and nine with LQT2. The other six individuals were healthy, with no symptoms characteristic for prolonged QT syndrome, but came from families with confirmed disease occurrence. The study was conducted on members of four families. 

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is considered a risk factor for morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing heart transplantation. Medical therapy with oral and pharmacologic agents is not always effective in reducing pulmonary artery (PA) pressures. Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have been used to reduce PA pressures in cases of PH unresponsive to medical therapy.

Heart failure (HF) is strongly associated with aging. It affects 10–12% of patients older than 80 years, with five-year overall mortality after first hospitalization for HF being as high as 81%. The main objective of this study was to assess the diagnosis and treatment of HF in hospitalized octogenarians compared to younger subjects. 

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate cardiac autonomic function by heart rate turbulence (HRT) indices in normotensive and hypertensive individuals with either non-dipper or dipper type circadian rhythm of blood pressure (BP). 

The speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) method shows the presence of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction before the advent of RV failure and pulmonary hypertension in patients with cardiopulmonary disease. We aimed to assess subclinical RV dysfunction in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) using the STE method. 

Coronary artery anomalies that take place during fetal development are determined in approximately 1.3% of coronary angiograms. The right coronary artery originating from the left coronary system is an extremely rare variation of the single coronary artery anomaly in which the prognosis is usually benign provided that the anomalous vessel dose not pass between the aorta and the pulmonary artery. Anomalous right coronary artery anomaly has been rarely associated with other congenital cardiovascular anomalies such as transposition of the great vessels and tetralogy of Fallot. 

Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) is a life-threatening complication of spinal cord injury (SCI) at T6 or above that results in an uncontrolled sympathetic discharge in response to noxious stimuli. It is a symptom complex characterized by a lethal rise in blood pressure with dangerous consequences.