BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Knowing the ototoxic potential of the agents used in medical treatments is important for the protection of hearing. Although we have knowledge regarding some effects of dexmedetomidine, which is an anesthetic-sparing drug, its influence over the hearing system has never been studied and is obscure yet. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of intravenous dexmedetomidine application during sevoflurane anesthesia on otoacoustic emissions (OAEs). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This prospective randomized study was performed on 60 patients (34 male, 26 female, mean age: 30.6±9.2 years) who were scheduled for an elective surgery under general anesthesia and the patients were enrolled and randomly divided into 2 groups. They received dexmedetomidine (Group D) or Saline (Group S) infusion during a standardized Sevoflurane anesthesia. Transient and distortion product OAEs were measured preoperatively and postoperatively (24th hour). OAE results were compared within and between groups. RESULTS: In group D postoperative OAEs were lower than preoperative OAEs and postoperative levels of group S, especially at low frequencies (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Dexmedetomidine infusion affects the micromechanical function of cochlea especially in the low-frequency region. Dexmedetomidine should be carefully used during general anesthesia to avoid its probable harmful effects on cochlear micromechanics.
Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Cochlea ; Dexmedetomidine ; Female ; Hearing ; Humans ; Male ; Prospective Studies

Drug-eluting stents have changed the practice in interventional cardiology. With the widespread use of these stents important safety concerns regarding stent thrombosis and formation of coronary artery aneurysm have been expressed. While the majority of attention was focused on stent thrombosis, the formation of coronary aneurysm was only described in anecdotal reports. We report on a patient who suffered from very late stent thrombosis in association with coronary artery aneurysm formation secondary to drug-eluting stent but not to bare-metal stent.
Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; adverse effects ; Coronary Aneurysm ; diagnosis ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Thrombosis ; diagnosis ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND: The level of Galectin-3 (Gal-3) protein purportedly reflects an ongoing cardiac fibrotic process and has been associated with ventricular remodeling, which is instrumental in the development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) syndrome. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential use of Gal-3 in improved characterization of the grades of diastolic dysfunction as defined by echocardiography. METHODS: Seventy HFpEF patients undergoing routine echocardiography were prospectively enrolled in the present monocentric study. Blood samples for measurements of Gal-3 and amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were collected within 24 hours pre- or post-echocardiographic examination. The classification of patients into subgroups based on diastolic dysfunction grade permitted detailed statistical analyses of the derived data. RESULTS: The Gal-3 serum levels of all patients corresponded to echocardiographic indices, suggesting HFpEF (E/A, P=0.03 and E/E', P=0.02). Gal-3 was also associated with progressive diastolic dysfunction, and increased levels corresponded to the course of disease (P=0.012). Detailed analyses of ROC curves suggested that Gal-3 levels could discriminate patients with grade III diastolic dysfunction (area under the curve [AUC]=0.770, P=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Gal-3 demonstrates remarkable effectiveness in the diagnosis of patients suffering from severe grade diastolic dysfunction. Increasing levels of Gal-3 possibly reflect the progressive course of HFpEF, as classified by the echocardiographic grades of diastolic dysfunction.
Classification ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography* ; Galectin 3* ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Ventricular Remodeling

BACKGROUND: As a result of improved and novel treatment strategies, the spectrum of patients with cardiovascular disease is consistently changing. Overall, those patients are typically older and characterized by increased burden with comorbidities. Limited data on the prognostic impact of age in cardiogenic shock (CS) is available. Therefore, this study investigates the prognostic impact of age in patients with CS. METHODS: From 2019 to 2021, consecutive patients with CS of any cause were included. The prognostic value of age (i.e., 60-80 years and > 80 years) was investigated for 30-day all-cause mortality. Spearman's correlations, Kaplan-Meier analyses, as well as multivariable Cox proportional regression analyses were performed for statistics. Subsequent risk assessment was performed based on the presence or absence of CS related to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). RESULTS: 223 CS patients were included with a median age of 77 years (interquartile range: 69-82 years). No significant difference in 30-day all-cause mortality was observed for both age-groups (54.6% vs. 63.4%, log-rank P = 0.169; HR = 1.273, 95% CI: 0.886-1.831, P = 0.192). In contrast, when analyzing subgroups stratified by CS-etiology, AMI-related CS patients of the group > 80 years showed an increased risk of 30-day all-cause mortality (78.1% vs. 60.0%, log-rank P = 0.032; HR = 1.635, 95% CI: 1.000-2.673, P = 0.050), which was still evident after multivariable adjustment (HR = 2.072, 95% CI: 1.174-3.656, P = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS Age was not associated with 30-day all-cause mortality in patients with CS of mixed etiology. However, increasing age was shown to be a significant predictor of increased mortality-risk in the subgroup of patients presenting with AMI-CS.