BACKGROUND: Compliance with self-care and lifestyle modification is recommended for all patients with acute coronary syndrome to prevent a secondary attack. Data is limited regarding the association between compliance with self-care and restenosis. This study was conducted to examine the association between compliance with self-care and restenosis and to determine the predicting factors for restenosis and low compliance with self-care. METHODS: A total of 166 acute coronary syndrome patients (64.2+/-10.8 years) hospitalized for an angiogram during routine follow-up or symptom management were conveniently recruited from a university hospital cardiovascular care unit. Self-administered questionnaires were used to evaluate the level of compliance with self-care and symptom-related satisfaction. RESULTS: In-stent restenosis was found in 40.4% of the subjects and 36.1% were persistently smoking. There was no significant relationship between low compliance with self-care and restensosis. A lower symptom-related satisfaction significantly predicted restenosis and low compliance with self-care. A longer period after initial diagnosis predicted restenosis and a shorter period after initial diagnosis predicted low compliance with self-care. Persistent smoking was independently associated with low compliance with self-care. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who continued to smoke and had lower symptom-related satisfaction with daily living showed a stronger tendency for lower compliance with self-care and lifestyle modification. Effective educational strategy focusing on smoking cessation is needed to increase compliance with self-care in patients with ACS, especially during admission with a first heart attack.
Acute Coronary Syndrome ; Compliance ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart ; Humans ; Life Style ; Patient Compliance ; Self Care ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Smoking Cessation ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Thumb*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Suicide, Attempted*

OBJECTIVE: The study was performed to evaluate whether thallium reinjection (RI) distinguishes viable from nonviable myocardium among myocardial segments which showed persistent perfusion defect (PD) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 22 patients underwent PTCA after AMI. SPECT was performed in all patients using dipyridamole stress- 4 hour redistribution (RD) followed by 24 hour RI protocols. Dysfunctional segs were classified into 5 groups: 1) normal, 2) reversible, 3) mild to moderate PD, 4) severe PD and 5) reverse redistribution (RR). All patients underwent follow up echocardiography after 4 months to assess regional wall motion (WM) improvement such as a criteria of viable myocardium. RESULTS: A total of 127 segs with abnormal WM was analyzed. Of 74 segs with PD, 17 (23%) showed enhanced uptake after 24 hour RI. Five of 17 segs (29%) with PD that responded to RI with enhanced thallium uptake showed WM improvement. WM improvement were seen in the 24 of 57 segs (42%) not responding to RI. All four segs (100%) with RR that responded to RI showed improvement. WM improvement were not seen in the 5 of 8 segs (71%) with RR not responding to thallium RI. Eleven (73%) of 15 segs with mild-moderate PD after RI showed improvement, but 33% of segs with severe PD after RI did not showed improvement. Segs with mild-moderate PD after RI and fill in after RI showed improvement in comparison to segs with severe PD after RI(p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that because only small proportion of PD showed further perfusion improvement after RI and predictive value by the uptake after RI was low, there was limited role of RI after myocardial infarction. Usefulness of RI could be found in segs showing RR responding to RI in AMI reflects viable myocardium.
Dipyridamole ; Echocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Myocardium ; Perfusion ; Thallium ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Multiple cerebral infarction developed in a 36-year-old woman with adenocarcinoma of the right lung with direct cardiac invasion. Neurological examination and brain MRI showed findings of ordinary infarction. Transesophageal echocardiography showed left atrial pedunculated mass which was the potential source of embolism. We report a rare case who had such multiple spontaneous tumor emboli large enough to result in clinically detectable cerebral infarction.
Adenocarcinoma ; Adult ; Brain ; Cerebral Infarction* ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Embolism ; Female ; Humans ; Infarction ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating ; Neurologic Examination

No abstract available.
Child* ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Poisoning*

No abstract available.
Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic*

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify the clinical characteristics and risk factors on the occurrence of variant angina, and to examine the predicting factors on the vascular endothelial dysfunction of the patients with variant angina. METHODS: A total of 134 patients diagnosed with variant angina were recruited from 2006 to 2008. The degrees of endothelial dysfunction were measured and recorded by the researcher using the values of flow-mediated vasodilation of their brachial arteries and Nitroglycerine-mediated dilation. Subjects' demographic data and risk factors were gathered after obtaining informed consent, and their electronic medical records were reviewed to collect laboratory data. RESULTS: The mean age was 54.2 +/- 9.6 years and 52% was male patients. More than 50% of the male patients were cigarette smokers and had hypercholesterolemia. 84% of the male patients and 70% of the female patients had more than one risk factor of cardiovascular disease. A stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that smoking and hypercholesterolemia predicted the decrease of flow-mediated vasodilation (Adjusted R(2) = .204, p < .001). CONCLUSION: Tailored educational interventions for smoking cessation and cholesterol management are needed to prevent recurrence of angina attack for patients with variant angina and to prevent cardiovascular disease for middle-aged workers.
Angina Pectoris, Variant ; Brachial Artery ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cholesterol ; Electronic Health Records ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Informed Consent ; Male ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Smoking Cessation ; Tobacco Products ; Vasodilation

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a rare connective tissue disorder characterized by congenital malformation of the great toes and by progressive heterotopic ossification of the tendons, ligaments, fasciae and skeletal muscles. We document the radiologic manifestation of FOP passed from a sporadically affected father to each of his two children (a son and a daughter). Previous consideration of a genetic etiology was based on the fact that the disease has been reported in several sets of monozygotic twins and that increased paternal age has been associated with sporadic occurrence of the disorder. Although autosomal-dominant transmission has long been suspected, the findings in this family provide confirmation for such inheritance and a basis for the diagnosis and counseling of patients with FOP.
Child ; Connective Tissue ; Counseling ; Diagnosis ; Fascia ; Fathers ; Humans ; Ligaments ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Myositis ; Myositis Ossificans* ; Ossification, Heterotopic ; Paternal Age ; Tendons ; Toes ; Twins, Monozygotic ; Wills