We report a rare case of bilateral renal infarction resulting in acute renal failure in a previously healthy 26-year-old soldier. The patient presented with an abdominal pain and bilateral costovertebral angle tenderness. Laboratory studies showed elevated serum creatinine, mild leukocytosis, and increased lactate dehydrogenase. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed multiple perfusion defects in both kidneys with wedge-shaped infarction in right kidney. Kidney biopsy performed in the left kidney revealed microinfarction. Comprehensive work-up did not reveal any specific causes or risk factors except smoking, and the infarction was considered to be idiopathic. He emphasized that he received extremely strenuous military training several days before he came to the hospital. He was treated with low molecular weight heparin with significant improvement in renal function. Further studies are needed for the characterization of idiopathic renal infarction in previously healthy individuals and evaluating the mechanisms including strenuous physical activity on the renal blood flow.
Abdominal Pain ; Acute Kidney Injury ; Adult ; Biopsy ; Creatinine ; Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight ; Humans ; Infarction* ; Kidney ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; Leukocytosis ; Male* ; Military Personnel ; Motor Activity ; Perfusion ; Renal Circulation ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking

Stent migration and loss are rare but can be devastating complications during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for coronary artery disease. We report a unique case of wandering stent from the right coronary artery to the femoral artery via the axillary artery. Initially, the stent was stripped from the delivery catheter and embolized to axillary artery during emergent PCI. An intra-aortic balloon pump might have forced retrograde movement of the stent to axillary artery which have subsequently remobilized to the femoral artery. After stabilization, the stent was successfully removed by a percutaneous approach using a snare. Immediate retrieval of wandering stent is recommended for the prevention of secondary embolization.
Axillary Artery* ; Catheters ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Embolism ; Femoral Artery* ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; SNARE Proteins ; Stents*

OBJECTIVE: Effects of life style modifications on lipid profiles have been well established. However, data is scarce in Korean patients. We tried to quantify the effect of life style modifications on lipid profiles in relatively large number of Korean hyperlipidemic patients. METHODS: This study enrolled 1037 consecutive hyperlipidemic patients (total cholesterol or triglyceride levels ≥200 mg/dL) from 2003 to 2013. They were consisted of patients with hypercholesterolemia (n=308), borderline hypercholesterolemia (n=302), mixed hyperlipidemia (n=107), borderline mixed hyperlipidemia (n=156), and hypertriglyceridemia (n=164). Blood lipid levels were measured before and after life style modification for 2-4 months. RESULTS: Life style modification showed a small but significant reduction of body weight in all groups. It reduced low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 9.1% (p=0.000), 5.9% (p=0.000), and 4.8% (p=0.003) in patients with hypercholesterolemia, borderline hypercholesterolemia, and mixed hyperlipidemia, respectively. LDL cholesterol was elevated in hypertriglyceridemic patients by 35% (p=0.000). Triglyceride levels decreased in patients with hypertriglyceridemia by 22% (p=0.000) and increased in hypercholesterolemic patients. There were no different effects of life style modification between men and women. CONCLUSION: Life style modification made significant improvement in lipid profiles in Korean patients. The degree of improvement from this study may provide useful data for the management of Korean hyperlipidemic patients.
Body Weight ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Diet Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Hyperlipidemias* ; Hypertriglyceridemia ; Life Style* ; Lipoproteins ; Male ; Triglycerides

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze cost-effectiveness of two most-commonly used statins from the perspective of the Korean national health system. METHODS: The scope of the analysis included rosuvastatin (5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg) and atorvastatin (10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg, and 80 mg). Effectiveness was defined as percentage (%) and absolute (mg/dL) reductions of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) from the baseline. They were derived from published randomized controlled studies for rosuvastatin and atorvastatin. Effectiveness was defined as reductions in LDL-C levels per mg dose of the drugs. The annual direct medical costs including drug acquisition costs and monitoring costs over the one-year time horizon were calculated for each alternative. The average cost-effectiveness ratios (ACERs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for each statin dose were calculated. RESULTS: The ACERs for all doses of rosuvastatin (5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg) were lower than those for all doses of atorvastatin (10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg, and 80 mg). Rosuvastatin 10 mg was the most cost-effective statin for LDL-C reduction. In cost-effectiveness analyses for corresponding doses of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin, rosuvastatin was the superior strategy which suggests both higher effectiveness and lower costs than atorvastatin. However, we have to consider this analysis is highly influenced by current price of statins in each market. CONCLUSIONS: For reduction of LDL-C levels in Korean patients with dyslipidemia, rosuvastatin 10mg is the most cost-effective statin in the current Korean market.
Acer ; Atorvastatin Calcium* ; Cholesterol ; Cost-Benefit Analysis* ; Dyslipidemias* ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; Lipoproteins ; Rosuvastatin Calcium*

OBJECTIVE: Black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) has been known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects and for improving vascular endothelial function in patients at high-risk for cardiovascular disease. We investigated short-term effects of black raspberry on lipid profiles, vascular endothelial function and circulating endothelial progenitor cells in statin naïve participants with metabolic syndrome. METHODS: Patients with metabolic syndrome (n=51) without lipid lowering medications were prospectively randomized into the black raspberry group (n=26, 750 mg/day) and placebo group (n=25) during the 12-week follow-up. Lipid profiles, brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (baFMD) and inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, TNF-α, C-reactive protein, adiponectin, sICAM-1, sVCAM-1 were measured at baseline and at 12-week follow-up. Central blood pressure and augmentation index were also measured at baseline and at 12-week follow-up. RESULTS: Decreases from baseline in total cholesterol levels (-22.7±34.3 mg/dL vs. 0.0±34.7mg/dL, p<0.05, respectively) and total cholesterol/HDL ratio (-0.34±0.68 vs. 0.17±0.56, p<0.05, respectively) were significantly greater in the black raspberry group when compared to the placebo group. Decreases from baseline in IL-6 (-0.5±1.4 pg/mL vs. -0.1±1.1 pg/mL, p<0.05, respectively) and TNF-α levels (-5.4±4.5 pg/mL vs. -0.8±4.0 pg/mL, p<0.05, respectively) were significantly greater in the black raspberry group. Increases from the baseline in adiponectin levels (2.9±2.1 µg/mL vs. -0.2±2.5 µg/mL, p<.05) were significant in the black raspberry group. Increases in baFMD at 12-week follow-up were significantly greater in the black raspberry group when compared to the placebo group (2.9±3.6 mm vs. 1.0±3.9 mm, p<0.05, respectively). Radial augmentation indexes were significantly decreased in the black raspberry group when compared to the placebo group (-2±10% vs. 4±13%, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The use of black raspberry significantly decreased serum total cholesterol levels, inflammatory cytokines, and augmentation index, thereby improving vascular endothelial function in statin naïve participants with metabolic syndrome during the 12-week follow-up.
Adiponectin ; Antioxidants ; Blood Pressure ; Brachial Artery ; C-Reactive Protein ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cholesterol ; Cytokines ; Dilatation ; Endothelial Progenitor Cells ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors* ; Interleukin-6 ; Prospective Studies ; Rubus*

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to define the effect of the changes of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on long-term major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: Clinical analysis was performed on 1,188 AMI patients who completed follow- up 2-dimensional (2D) echocardiography after one year and clinical follow-up for 5 years. These patients were divided into three groups according to the LVEF change ratio: group A [increased LVEF change ratio, N=626], group B [decreased LVEF change ratio<20%, N=414], group C [decreased LVEF change ratio≥20%, N=148]. RESULTS: Initial low LVEF group and normal LVEF group showed no differences in MACEs. The mean initial and follow-up LVEF were 54.4±12.2% and 60.4±12.3% in the group A, 54.6±13.0% and 47.9±12.1% in the group B, and 56.5±12.6% and 39.9±11.6% in the group C (p=0.71). Total MACEs occurred in 62 (9.9%) patients in the group A, 83 (20.0%) patients in the group B, 44 (29.7%) patients in the group C during 5-year clinical follow-up (p=0.01). Initial low EF (<45%) was not a risk factor for long-term MACEs (Odd ratio (OR), 1.686; 95% confidence index (CI), 0.861-2.862, p=0.065), but the LVEF change ratio was a strong risk factor for long-term MACEs (OR, 3.731; 95% CI, 2.039-6.828, p=0.001). MACE-free survivals of patients with initial low LVEF and patients with low LVEF during follow-up period showed no significant differences (p=0.731). CONCLUSION: Initial low LVEF is not a predictor of long-term MACEs, but the decreased LVEF ratio during follow-up period is a strong predictor of long-term MACEs.
Echocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the usefulness of cardiac biomarkers in the evaluation of prognosis and cardiac involvement (CI) in patients with acute aortic syndrome (AAS). METHODS: A total of 260 AAS patients with the measurements of cardiac biomarkers were divided into 2 groups; the survived (n=215, 60.6±13.7 years, 110 males) vs the dead (n=45, 64.5±13.6 years, 19 males). N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), cardiac specific troponin-I (cTnI), C-reactive protein (CRP), creatinine kinase (CK), MB fraction of CK (CK-MB), and D-dimer were compared. RESULTS: NT-proBNP and D-dimer were significantly elevated in the dead group than in the survived group (3558.7±5497.2 vs 949.9±2307.3 pg/mL, p<0.001, 4.5±5.1 vs 2.0±3.2 ug/mL, p<0.001, respectively). CI was observed in 59 patients (22.7%), and NT-proBNP was significantly elevated in patients with CI than in patients without CI (2497.7±4671.3 vs 722.5±1489.1 pg/mL, p=0.034). In univariate analysis, Stanford type A, CI, NT-proBNP, and D-dimer were significantly associated with mortality, but NT-proBNP was the only significant independent predictor of mortality in multivariate analysis. By receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the optimal cut-off value to predict mortality was 517.0 pg/mL for NT-proBNP (area under the curve 0.797, sensitivity 86.7%, specificity 71.7%). CONCLUSION: The elevation of cardiac biomarkers is not infrequent in patients with AAS. NT-proBNP is significantly associated with CI and is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with AAS. The measurement of NT-proBNP would be useful in the risk stratification of AAS.
Biomarkers* ; C-Reactive Protein ; Creatinine ; Humans ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Phosphotransferases ; Prognosis* ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Troponin I

Left-sided portal hypertension and consequent gastric varices can occur in patients with isolated splenic vein thrombosis. It is a rare but clinically significant and curable cause of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Our patient, a 20-year-old woman, with left flank pain was diagnosed with having idiopathic splenic vein thrombosis with resultant splenic infarction. Thorough workups for the possible etiologies of splenic vein thrombosis were all negative. After six months of anticoagulation, follow-up computed tomography revealed formation of gastric varices; one month following the discovery, she developed gastrointestinal bleeding. Splenectomy was performed, resulting in the resolution of gastric varices.
Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Female ; Flank Pain ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal ; Splenectomy ; Splenic Infarction* ; Splenic Vein* ; Thrombosis* ; Young Adult

A 44-year-old man, who had a history of myocardial infarction (MI) due to thrombotic occlusion of right coronary artery (RCA) aneurysm, visited emergency department presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The patient had been on oral anticoagulant therapy (warfarin) from the first thrombotic event, but the medication had been recently changed to aspirin 4 months before the second event. Emergent coronary angiography revealed thrombotic total occlusion of RCA with heavy thrombotic burden from middle RCA to the ostium of the posterior descending branch. Combination pharmacotherapy was performed with anticoagulants (heparin), fibrinolytics (urokinase), and Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonists (abciximab), in addition to mechanical thrombosuction. However, on hospital day 2, the patient complained recurrent chest pain and again underwent coronary angiography, which revealed distal embolization of large thrombus to the posterior lateral branch. Coronary flow was recovered after repeated mechanical thrombosuction was performed. This case has shown the importance of aggressive combination drug therapy, accompanied by mechanical thrombosuction in patient with myocardial infarction due to thrombotic occlusion of coronary artery aneurysm and the importance of unceasing life-long anticoagulant therapy in those particular patients.
Adult ; Aneurysm* ; Anticoagulants ; Aspirin ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Aneurysm ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Occlusion* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Drug Therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Glycoproteins ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Thrombectomy ; Thrombosis ; Warfarin*

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to compare the clinical benefits between high-intensity and low-to moderate-intensity statin therapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: A total of 1,230 patients in the Korea AMI Registry (KAMIR) were enrolled. Patients were divided into two groups according to the dosage of statin for the secondary prevention after AMI. The primary endpoint was composite of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) including cardiac death, non-fatal MI, repeat revascularization during the 12 months of clinical follow-up. RESULT: The primary endpoint occurred in 101 patients (11.3%) from the low-to moderate-intensity statin group and 45 patients (13.4%) from the high-intensity statin group. The cumulative incidence of MACEs during 12-month follow-up was not significantly different between the two groups (p=0.323). After multi-variate analysis, MACEs-free survival rate was not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: High-intensity statin therapy did not show additional clinical benefit over low-to moderate-intensity statin therapy after AMI.
Death ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors* ; Incidence ; Korea ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Secondary Prevention ; Survival Rate