BACKGROUND: The heart rate adjusted ST segment criteria(Delta ST/HR index and rate-recovery loop or R-R loop) compared to standard ST segment criteria may improve the ability of the exercise electrocardiogram for the prediction of severe coronary artery disease and future cardiac events in patients with chronic angina pectoris, but the predictive value of these criteria for predicting these issues has not been studied in patients with acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: 64 patients with first uncomplicated myocardial infarction were studied. All patients performed predischarge(mean 8+/-4 days) symptom-limited exercise test and coronary angiography(mean 11+/-15 days). During the follow-up period(mean 449+/-273 days), the occurrence of the major cardiac events(death, reinfarction, coronary artery bypass surgery) and minor cardiac event(angina, heart failure) were recorded, and then univariate and multivariate analysis of several clinical and exercise variables known to be as prognostic markers were performed. RESULTS: The results are as follows : 1) The sensitivities of Delta ST/HR index and R-R loop(92%, 83% respectively) for predicting multivessel disease showed no significant difference compared to that of standard ST segment criteria(83%). 2) Major cardiac events occurred in 12(20%) of 64 patients and only single independent predictive factor for its prediction was multivessel coronary artery disease(p=0.0001), whereas total cardiac event occurred in 32(50%), multivessel disease(p=0.003), and maximal workload <5mets(p=0.038). 3) For the prediction of total cardiac event, DeltaST/HR index and R-R loop(all 97%) were significantly more sensitive(p<0.05) than standard ST segment criteria(78%), and there was a tendency to increase in specificity in R-R loop(84%) compared to DeltaST/HR index(59%) or standard ST segment criteria(66%). 4) The negative predictive value of all negative test of three ST segment criteria for predicting total cardiac event was 100%. CONCLUSION: Although the heart rate-adjusted ST segment criteria have no advantage over standand ST segment criteria for the prediction of severe coronary artery disease, they can be more useful prognostic markers by enhancing the accuracy of the predischarge exercise electrocardiogram for the prediction of subsequent cardiac events after a first acute myocardial infarction.
Angina Pectoris ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Electrocardiography ; Exercise Test* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Prognosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Coronary spasm may be induced by a variety of physiologic and pharmacologic stimuli but specific receptor blockade has not been consistently shown to prevent the attacks. Most patients with variant angina respond well to treatment with calcium antagonists and nitrates. A small proportion of patients are refractory to this therapy. We report a case of the patient with a 9-year-history of variant angina who has been refractory to high doses of calcium antagonists and nitrates. The repeated addition of clonidine was consistently effective in abolishing both symptoms and objective evidence of myocardial ischemia in this particular patient.
Calcium ; Clonidine* ; Humans ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Nitrates ; Spasm

No abstract available.
Coronary Artery Bypass* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Echocardiography*

BACKGROUND: The diastolic transmitral flow velocity pattern has been commonly used to assess left ventricular(LV) diastolic function. The effects of multiple factors(such as, LV preload, afterload and heart rate, etc.) make difficulties in accurate interpretation. METHODS: In order to investigate the diastolic transmitral filling patterns according to the changes of the proload or heart rate, we studied 27 normal subjects with pulsed Doppler echocardiography after the administration of nitroglycerin(0.6mg/tab.) sublingually or atropine(0.5mg/amp.) intravenously. RESULTS: 1) After nitroglycerin administration, the folowings were obtained. ; The systolic blood pressure and LV diastolic filling time(DFT) decreased by 10.1% and 15.3%, respectively(p<0.001), compared with baseline data. The ratio of peak early to late diastolic transmitral flow velocities (E/A) and time-velocity integrals(TVIE/TVIA) decreased by 10.3% and 14.8%, respectively(p<0.01). The early diastolic filling time(Time E) was unchanged. Therefore, we suggest that time E is helpful, compared with the increments of the preload or the diastolic dysfunction. 2) After atropin administration, the heart rate, peak late diastolic transmitral flow velocity(PA) and percent atrial contribution(%AC) significantly increased by 43.6%, 25.1% and 41.4%, respectively(p<0.001). The E/A, TVIE/TVIA and DFT significantly decreased by 42.9%, 38.9% and 43.0%, respectively(p<0.001) compared to the data before drug administration. 3) The heart rate correlated negatively to the E/A, TVIE/TVIA and DFT. It was correlated positively to %AC(r=+0.63; p<0.001). The normalized E/A ratio by DFT(E/A/DFT) didn't correlate. Therefore, E/A/DFT is helpful on the exclusion of the influences of heart rate by the administration of the atropine. CONCLUSION: The decrement of preload or the increment of heart rate changes the diastolic transmitral flow velocity patterns. Therefore, when the diastolic function is assessed by interpretation of the Doppler transmitral flow velocity pattern with pulsed Doppler echocardiogram, the potential influences of preload and heart rate must be taken into account.
Atropine* ; Blood Pressure ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler* ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed ; Heart Rate ; Humans* ; Nitroglycerin* ; Time

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second* ; Pregnancy*

Pheochromocytomas can arise wherever chromaffin cells are found, and most of them(90%) are in one or both adrenal glands. But they may be located anywhere along the sympathetic chain and rarely in aberrant sites. One of the common extra-adrenal sites from which these tumors can arise is a collection of para-aortic and para-ganglion cells around the origin of the inferior mesenteric artery. We experienced a case of extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma located at the organ of Zukerkandl in a 21-year-old female patient with abdominal colic and paroxysmal hypertension, whose symptoms and blood pressure returned to normal after successful surgical excision of the tumor.
Adrenal Glands ; Blood Pressure ; Chromaffin Cells ; Colic* ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Mesenteric Artery, Inferior ; Pheochromocytoma* ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Echocardiography, Doppler, Color* ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency*

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with end stage liver disease is rare but the risk of hemodynamic deterioration during liver transplantation may be high. This study was done to characterize the pulmonary hemodynamics during liver transplantation and to seek the relationship between pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and other hemodynamic variables. METHODS: One hundred patients undergoing liver transplantation were chosen and we divided patients into normal and PH groups (mean pulmonary artery pressure [MPAP] > 25 mmHg). Hemodynamic data was collected throughout the surgery. Studied variables between groups were analyzed with an unpaired t-test. The relationship between MPAP and other hemodynamic variables was analyzed with a linear regression test. Survival analysis was performed by cumulative survival analysis (Logrank test). RESULTS: Incidence of PH during liver transplantation was 34%, and true PH (pulmonary vascular resistance index [PVRI] > 150 dyne.sec/cm5/m2, MPAP > 25 mmHg) was 7%. MPAP, systemic vascular resistance index, cardiac index, right ventricular ejection fraction, maximum elastance, central venous pressure (CVP), pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP), and right ventricular end-diastolic volume index were significantly higher in the PH group. In the PH group, right ventricular function curve was abnormal. MPAP correlated significantly with PAOP, and CVP (P < 0.01). One year survival rate showed no significant difference between groups (Logrank test P = 0.49). CONCLUSIONS: Episodes of increased pulmonary artery pressure during liver transplantation was not infrequent. PAP was more dependent on preloads. In patients with high PAP, RV diastolic dysfunction was usually observed. Early mortality rate after liver transplantation was not associated with PH.
Central Venous Pressure ; End Stage Liver Disease ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Incidence ; Linear Models ; Liver Transplantation* ; Liver* ; Mortality ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Stroke Volume ; Survival Rate ; Vascular Resistance ; Ventricular Function, Right

To test the hypothesis that hyperinsulinemia and/or abnormalities of red cell membrane Na^+ transport are concerned in the pathogenesis of hypertension, we investigated the relationship between blood pressure, insulin level and red cell membrane Na^+ transport in patients with acromegaly which is frequently associated with hypertension, hyperinsulinemia and abnormalities of red cell membrane Na^+ transport.The results were as follows;1) BMI and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly higher in patients with acromegaly than in control subjects.2) Fasting glucose and insulin levels were higher, and both serum glucose and insulin responses after a 75g glucose load were significantly increased in patients with acromegaly as compared with control subjects.3) Vmax of Na^+-Li^+ countertransport were significantly higher in patients with acromegaly than in control subjects while red cell Na^+ concentration and Vmax of Na^+, K^+ ATPase were similar in the two groups.4) In multiple stepwise regression analysis, age was directly correlated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in acromegaly. On the other hand both insulin level and red cell membrane Na^+ transport showed little correlation with either systolic or diastolic pressure. 5) Prevalence of hypertension in acromegaly was 39%(9 out of 23) and only age except for blood pressure was significantly higher in hypertensive acromegalic patients than in normotensive acromegalic patients while GH level, insulin levels and red cell membrane Na^+ transport were similar in the two groupsThese results suggest that hyperinsulinemia or abnormalities of red cell membrane Na^+ transport are not causally related to hypertension in patients with acromegaly.
Acromegaly ; Adenosine Triphosphatases ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Cell Membrane ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Hand ; Humans ; Hyperinsulinism ; Hypertension ; Insulin ; Prevalence

No abstract available.
Herpesvirus 3, Human* ; Korea* ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length*