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Atrial fibrillation and diabetes: time to reconsider duration of the disease to evaluate the bleeding risk? Impact of diabetes status in patients suffering of non-valvular atrial fibrillation requiring anticoagulation have been analysed previously and risk/benefit balance of NOACs have been confirmed in these patients. The implication of that pathology in the evaluation of the thrombotic risk is discussed but more importantly bleeding risk in this growing population is analysed, perhaps neglected until now.

Dual anti-platelet therapy is prescribed in the setting of coronary heart disease for the prevention of stent thrombosis and acute thrombotic events. The optimal duration of dual anti-platelet therapy is still under debate as numerous trials have shown non-inferiority of a strategy of early cessation of one of the agents as compared to the standard practice whereas two larger trials have demonstrated benefit of prolonging dual anti-platelet therapy.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between serum total and active myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels and the presence of coronary artery disease in consecutive patients evaluated by coronary angiography and to correlate the levels of the enzyme with instability., Methods and Results: Prospective analysis of serum samples of patients before coronary angiography. Total and active MPO concentrations were assessed by the sandwich Elisa and SIEFED® methods. Stable and unstable patients were separated into two groups. Differences between groups were analysed using the Student t test, chi square test or Fisher exact test, as appropriate. The relationship between total and active MPO was assessed using linear and curvilinear regression. Two hundred and twenty patients were included (age 66±11 years, 67% male) in the study. Among these, 62% presented significant coronary artery disease. Twenty-four patients (11%) presented unstable coronary syndrome. Mean active and total MPO levels in the population were 50.1±63.5 and 147.6±223.3 ng.mL(-1), respectively. In stable patients, mean active MPO was 47.1±47.9 ng.mL(-1) and in unstable patients 75.1±135.2 ng.mL(–1) (P=0.04). Mean total MPO was 146.3±224.7 ng.mL(-1) in the stable patients and 158.2±215.8 ng.mL(-1) in the unstable patients (P=0.8). Unstable patients had a significantly higher level of active MPO than stable patients but there was no significant difference between unstable and stable patients regarding total MPO., Conclusion: A correlation was observed between active MPO and clinical instability but not with total MPO. These results suggest that this marker could be a powerful indicator of instability and could have a prognostic impact.

Coronary artery fistula is a relatively rare finding in patients undergoing diagnostic cardiac catheterization. Incidence, angiographic characteristics and natural history of coronary fistulas of this type have not been well defined in the literature. We report a case of a 54-year-old man in whom such abnormalities have been diagnosed with invasive and non-invasive coronary imaging and review the epidemiology, treatment and prognosis of coronary fistulas.

Objectives: Several devices have been proposed as an alternative to manual compression (MC) for femoral access management (FAME) following catheterization. Although these devices allow earlier ambulation, they have not always been shown to reduce vascular complications. As a consequence, their cost efficacy is not obvious., Methods: During MC a special catheter deployed temporarily within the artery to achieve haemostasis (Bio-DISC) (BD) was compared with an anchor-collagen based system Angio-Seal (AS) among 463 consecutive patients undergoing PCI. We examined vascular or systemic complications, nursing time spent to puncture site management and patient's satisfaction., Results: Relative contra-indications to the use of vascular closure devices were encountered in 158 patients. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the patients assigned to each of the 3 treatment groups. The deployment success rate was 98% for AS and 90% for BD (p = 0.037). Vascular complications occurred in 10.8%, 4.0% and 5.8% (p: NS) of MC, AS and BD patients, respectively. The longer sheath dwell time contributed to most of the complications in MC and BD. Nursing time spent for access management was 48.9 min in MC; 28.1 min in BD and 9.9 min in AS (p < 0.0001 ). Satisfaction score above 70 was noted in 46%, 86% and 92% of patients managed by MC, BD and AS, respectively., Conclusion: AS use is associated with fewer complications, improved patient well being and saves 39 minutes of nursing time. The additional cost of AS is justified when used in selected patients undergoing PCI.

Objective: To evaluate the short and long-term results of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in patients aged 80 years or older and to identify predictors of event-free survival., Methods and Results: Clinical and angiographic data from all patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention in our institution are prospectively collected and stored in a computerized database. The clinical and angiographic characteristics of all patients aged 80 years or older undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention between January 1994 and December 1999 were analysed retrospectively. Follow-up was obtained by interview or through the referring physician. One hundred and fifty-eight patients aged 80 years or older (median: 83.4; range: 80.2-92.2) underwent percutaneous coronary intervention in our institution during the study period. The initial angiographic success rate was 92%. In-hospital mortality was 8.2% and procedural success 84.8%. One-year and two-year survival were 81% and 72.2% respectively, while event free survival at 1 year and 2 years was 65.8% and 57%. Using the Cox proportional hazards method, we identified incomplete revascularization and low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) as predictors of death at 2 years. Complete revascularization and stenting were independent predictors of 2-year event-free survival., Conclusion: Percutaneous coronary intervention can be performed safely in octogenarians. Complete revascularization, stenting and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction were independent predictors of better outcome in this population.

Meningitis due to Neisseria meningitidis occurred in a young man. On admission, he was in septic shock and the electrocardiogram revealed convex upwards ST-segment elevation in inferior and lateral leads. Rapid and complete normalisation of the ECG was observed and the patient had a favourable evolution with intensive therapy. The mechanisms of the ECG abnormalities in this disease are unclear. In this patient, ST-segment elevation was probably related to severe transmural ischaemia or prolonged coronary artery spasm as suggested by increase and decrease of cardiac enzymes and transient echocardiographic wall motion abnormalities without pericarditis. However, myocarditis could not be completely ruled out.