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Aims: Pocket-size echographs may be useful for bedside diagnosis in acute cardiac care, but their diagnostic accuracy in this setting has not been well tested. Our aim was to evaluate this tool in patients requiring an urgent echocardiogram., Methods: Trained cardiologists performed echocardiograms with a pocket-size echograph (Vscan) in consecutive patients requiring urgent echocardiography. The exams were then compared in a blinded manner with echocardiograms performed with a high-end standard echocardiograph., Results: A total of 104 patients were studied. There was an excellent agreement between the Vscan and the high-end echocardiograph for the left ventricular systolic function and pericardial effusion (Kappa: 0.89 and 0.81, respectively), and the agreement was good or moderate for evaluating the aortic, mitral, and tricuspid valve function and the left ventricular size (Kappa: 0.55-0.66). Visualization of the Vscan images in full-screen format on a PC did not in general confer added value., Conclusion: The Vscan used by a trained cardiologist has good diagnostic accuracy in the emergency setting compared with a high-end echocardiograph, despite small screen size and lack of pulse-wave and continuous Doppler.

The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the appropriateness of cardiac risk factors (CV-RF) management in a Swiss cardiac rehabilitation center. The comparison of the control of CV-RF among 342 patients with coronary artery disease (CHD) aged > or =65 years was improved. The CV-RF management has globally improved during the two periods of observation (1994-95 and 1999-2000). Nevertheless, according to the recommendations published between 1994 and 1999, an underuse of the cardioprotective agents was still observed. Using a standardized protocol for the management of CHD which allows the benchmarking among the network of cardiac rehabilitation centers network could increase the quality of care for such high risk patients.

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess whether the detection of atherosclerotic aortic plaques by transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) could be used as a marker of coronary artery disease (CAD), relying on their number, cross-sectional surface, depth and localisation., Methods: The thoracic aortas of 102 consecutive patients (77 men, mean age 67 +/- 12 years) undergoing elective cardiac surgery were assessed by TEE. Atherosclerotic plaques were defined as > or = 5 mm thick focal hyperechogenic zones of the aortic intima and/or lumen irregularities with mobile structures or ulcerations. All patients had undergone prior coronary angiography., Results: Thoracic aortic plaques were present in 73 patients, 66 of whom had CAD. The presence of aortic plaques detected by TEE identified significant coronary artery disease with a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 76%. The maximum transverse cross-sectional plaque area, the maximum plaque depth and the total plaque number all correlated significantly with the presence of CAD, but not with its severity. Multivariate regression analysis showed that aortic plaques, hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia were significant predictors of CAD, but aortic plaques were the most significant predictor regardless of age and sex., Conclusions: This study suggests that detection of atherosclerotic aortic plaques is a useful marker of significant coronary artery disease. Absence of plaques in the patients aged over 70 identified a subgroup with a very low probability of CAD.

Drainage of the inferior vena cava to the left atrium is an extremely unusual congenital heart disease. We describe a 54-year-old woman, in whom the diagnosis was suggested by transthoracic echocardiography, and then confirmed by a transesophageal exam and magnetic resonance imaging, which also revealed an associated secundum atrial septal defect. Surgical management involved reconstruction of the interatrial septum to include the inferior vena cava in the right atrium. The few previously reported cases in the literature are reviewed.

Poisoning with flecainide acetate is rare and associated with a high mortality. This usually occurs after massive ingestion but can also be observed during therapeutic overdose in patients with renal failure or with amiodarone therapy. The prognostic depends on the haemodynamic and rhythmic effects of the overdose one sign of which is widening of the QRS complexes. Major sodium bicarbonate or lactate infusion is the generally prescribed treatment. The authors report one case of a patient with renal failure on amiodarone who survived a severe flecainide acetate overdose.

A patient with aortic valve endocarditis presented with severe aortic regurgitation, large vegetation, and a periannular cavity at transesophageal echocardiography consistent with an abscess. At surgery a common coronary ostium was found, which was responsible for the abnormal periannular image. Such congenital abnormality, although unusual, is an echocardiographic pitfall in the case of endocarditis.

The ascending aorta may be the site of origin of systemic embolization in some cases that do not have an identifiable source. We report a case in which a free-floating thrombus in the noncoronary sinus of Valsalva was detected by transesophageal echocardiography as a source of left axillary artery embolism. After removal of this pedunculated thrombus of unknown cause, which was attached on a macroscopically and histologically normal aortic wall, the patient made an uneventful recovery.

Three-Dimensional (3D) echocardiography was performed during routine transesophageal examinations in 100 patients to identify the most promising applications. The approach used was based on the integration of multiple two-dimensional images recorded with a multiplane probe to achieve 3D reconstruction. A series of 90 cardiac cycles was recorded from a fixed position during computer-controlled rotation of the transducer. The images were digitized, then reorganized according to their spatial and temporal location. The cardiac structures were then represented dynamically in three dimensions. In 100 patients referred for transesophageal echocardiography, the 3D reconstruction provided good quality images, under new angles, such as the view of the atrial aspect of the mitral valve as seen from the roof of the left atrium. This method was particularly well suited to assess mitral valve prolapse or stenosis. The spatial extent, direction and number of jets of mitral regurgitation were easily appreciated throughout systole, as were the regurgitant jets of mechanical prosthetic valves. However, the sensitivity of the 3D method was not as good as 2D echocardiography for detecting bacterial vegetations in cases of infective endocarditis. On the other hand, the determination of the precise localization of infectious, degenerative and tumoral lesions and their size were facilitated by 3D reconstruction. The authors conclude that 3D echocardiography is applicable in routine practice and the complementary information provided in certain cardiac diseases should help management of these patients.

Two patients in our institution underwent mitral valve reconstruction during the acute phase of Staphylococcus aureus mitral valve endocarditis. In neither case was a pre-existing valve lesion found. Echocardiographic examination revealed severe mitral insufficiency and the extent of valvular lesions. In the first patient, prolapse of the posterior commissure and paracommissural areas was due to ruptured chordae tendinae. In the second patient a perforated abscess was surrounded by vegetations in the median portion of the anterior leaflet and paramedian anterior chordae tendinae were ruptured. The surgical indication was hemodynamic, combined with suspicion of repeated emboli in one case. After a 10-day course of antibiotic therapy, both patients underwent surgical repair by Carpentier's mitral valvuloplasty. During more than 6 months' follow-up no recurrence of endocarditis was observed. Both patients were in class I of the NYHA without echocardiographic evidence of residual mitral regurgitation or stenosis. Early intervention during the acute phase of endocarditis, when mitral valve destruction is not too extensive, allows mitral valvuloplasty which preserves the native valve, eradicates infected tissues and may reduce postoperative mortality and morbidity.

The purpose of this study was to determine in an in vitro model the effect of pulsatile pressure on the decay of echocardiographic contrast agents. Use of contrast agents for quantitative assessment of perfusion requires understanding of the factors controlling their rates of disappearance. Prior studies have shown that constant pressure affects the rate of disappearance of these agents. It is not known whether pulsatile pressure influences the rate of decay of contrast agents. In an in vitro chamber, three contrast agents (Albunex, hand-agitated saline solution, and hand-agitated Angiovist) were exposed to pulses of pressure at three rates (30, 60, and 120 pulsations/min), keeping pressure characteristics (peak, nadir, and mean) within a narrow range. Five injections were performed for each agent at each rate. Two-dimensional echocardiographic images of the effects of contrast material were recorded from injection until total disappearance. Videointensity was measured and time-intensity curves were generated. These curves of intensity decay were fitted to an exponential decay function (I = Ae-lambda t) and the velocity of decay (lambda) was used for comparisons. For all agents, intensity of contrast decreased over time. Saline solution and Angiovist, but not Albunex, showed pulsatile decreases in intensity of contrast with each peak pressure and partial recovery of contrast intensity with each nadir pressure. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Background: Current two-dimensional (2D) echocardiographic measures of left ventricular (LV) volume are most limited by aneurysmal distortion, which restricts application of simple geometric models that assume symmetrical shape. 2D methods also fail to provide separate volumes of the aneurysm and nonaneurysmal residual LV cavity, which could help assess the stroke volume wasted by dyskinesis and the potential residual LV body to guide surgical approaches and predict their outcome. Three-dimensional (3D) echocardiographic reconstruction has potential advantages for assessing aneurysmal left ventricles because it is not dependent on geometric assumptions, does not require standardized views that may exclude portions of the aneurysm, and can potentially measure separate aneurysm and nonaneurysm cavity volumes of any shape. The purpose of this study was first, to validate the accuracy of 3D echocardiographic reconstruction for quantifying total LV and separate LV body and aneurysm volumes in vitro so as to provide direct standards for the separate volumes; and second, to determine the feasibility and accuracy of 3D echocardiographic reconstruction for quantifying the total volume and function of aneurysmal left ventricles in an animal model, providing a reference standard for instantaneous LV volume., Methods and Results: A recently developed 3D system that automatically combines 2D images and their locations was applied (1) to reconstruct 10 aneurysmal ventricular phantoms and 12 gel-filled autopsied human hearts with aneurysms, comparing cavity volumes (total and aneurysm) to those measured by fluid displacement; and (2) to reconstruct the left ventricle during 19 hemodynamic stages in four dogs with surgically created LV aneurysms, comparing total volumes with actual instantaneous values measured by an intracavitary balloon attached to an external column for validation and also calculating the stroke volume wasted by aneurysmal dyskinesis. 3D reconstruction reproduced the distorted aneurysmal LV shapes. In vitro, calculated volumes (aneurysm, nonaneurysm, and total) agreed well with actual values, with correlation coefficients of .99 and SEEs of 3.2 to 6.1 cm3 for phantoms and 3.4 to 4.2 cm3 for autopsied hearts (mean error, < 4% for both). In vivo, LV end-diastolic, end-systolic, and stroke volumes as well as ejection fraction calculated by 3D echocardiography correlated well with actual values (r = .99, .99, .95, and .99, respectively) and agreed closely with them (SEE = 4.3 cm3, 3.5 cm3, 1.7 cm3, and 2%, respectively). The stroke volumes wasted by the aneurysm were -20.1 +/- 19.3% of LV body (nonaneurysm) stroke volume., Conclusions: Despite distorted ventricular shapes, a recently developed 3D echocardiographic system and surfacing algorithm can accurately reconstruct aneurysmal left ventricles and quantify total LV volume (validated in vivo and in vitro) as well as the separate volumes of the aneurysm and residual LV body (validated in vitro). This should improve our ability to evaluate such ventricles and guide surgical approaches.

Although initial morphologic features of vegetations have been related to the risk of early complications, there is little information about the natural history of the vegetations during medical treatment or the relation of morphologic changes in vegetation to late complications. To assess the evolution of valvular vegetations by echocardiography during treatment of infective endocarditis and to relate the morphologic changes in vegetation to late prognosis, serial echocardiograms of patients with successful medical treatment for native valve infective endocarditis were reviewed to assess the presence and morphologic features of valvular vegetations at the onset and at the end of therapy. The evolution of vegetation size, mobility, consistency, the extent of the disease, and the severity of valvular regurgitation were related to late complications such as embolism, valve replacement, or death occurring after the end of therapy. Forty-one vegetations were identified in 32 patients on initial echocardiograms. At the end of treatment, 29 vegetations were still present; 59% had no significant change in size and 52% appeared to be denser in consistency. Morphologic changes did not relate to late complications, but the presence of severe valvular regurgitations was associated with late valve replacement. The echocardiographic persistence of vegetations is common after successful medical treatment of infective endocarditis. In the absence of severe valvular dysfunction, however, persistent vegetations are not independently associated with late complications.

Contrast echocardiography has been applied to identify cardiac structures, shunts, and perfusion territories. Most recently, quantification of flow has been proposed based on disappearance of contrast intensity. This requires that contrast agents are stable and produce a predictable effect. To assess the possible effect of pressure on their stability, the rates of backscatter decay of four echocardiographic contrast agents (Albunex, Levovist, agitated Angiovist, and agitated saline solution) exposed to constant pressures (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mm Hg) were quantitated. Contrast was recorded by echocardiography and measured to construct time-intensity curves. The peak decay rate for each agent at each pressure was determined. For all four agents, contrast intensity (I) decreased over time and could be described by the sigmoid function: I = a [e-lambda(t-ts)/1 + e-lambda(t-ts)] + C. Peak decay rate was significantly affected by pressure (p < 0.005) in a proportionate fashion. At pressures of 0, 100, and 200 mm Hg, the rates increased for each agent in the following fashion: Albunex, 0.144 +/- 0.109 to 0.410 +/- 0.142 to 1.442 +/- 0.309; Levovist, 0.060 +/- 0.023 to 0.162 +/- 0.049 to 0.495 +/- 0.142; Angiovist, 0.089 +/- 0.028 to 0.166 +/- 0.057 to 0.224 +/- 0.027; and saline solution, 0.068 +/- 0.039 to 0.110 +/- 0.036 to 0.154 +/- 0.057. The effect of pressure on the peak rate of contrast disappearance (lambda) was significantly different among agents (p < 0.001). Thus attempts to quantitate blood flow with contrast agents must take into account the influence of pressure.

The presence of a right atrial thrombus is a recognized predictive factor of high mortality in patients with pulmonary embolism. In this report we describe two cases in which a free-floating thrombus in the right atrium was demonstrated by echocardiography; it resolved rapidly in both cases after thrombolytic therapy which resulted in a rapid clinical improvement and favorable outcome. During the acute phase of pulmonary embolism, a dilated right ventricle, a dilated pulmonary artery, a left ventricle of small size and paradoxical motion of the interventricular septum can be detected by echocardiography. In cases of massive pulmonary embolism or when there is doubt regarding the diagnosis, this noninvasive method serves to guide diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. In the special case where a right atrial thrombus is detected by echocardiography, thrombolytic therapy seems warranted.

Recommendations for the prophylaxis of infective endocarditis have been published by working groups in several countries. We performed an enquiry amongst 276 dentists in Geneva to evaluate how the Swiss recommendations were applied. Of the 183 dentists who answered, the majority knew that extraction (85%) or scaling (76%) required prophylaxis. They correctly prescribed antibiotics to patients with valve prostheses (84%), to those with rheumatic heart disease (80%), a previous history of endocarditis (73%) or congenital heart disease (49%). Not conforming to the recommendations, many dentists considered that coronary bypass surgery (40%), mitral valve prolapse without mitral regurgitation (30%) or previous myocardial infarction (22%) also required antibiotic prophylaxis. Only 34% of dentists used the recommended 3 g of amoxicillina, the others preferring a lower dose of another antibiotic. About one third started prophylaxis 1 to 3 days too early and less than 20% used the suggested single dose of antibiotics. These results showed that dentists caring for cardiac patients should be better informed of the risks of endocarditis and its prevention. We make a few suggestions to improve antibiotic prophylaxis.

Disturbances of carbohydrate metabolism due to oral contraceptives appear in diabetics but also in non-diabetics, mainly those who are at high risk for diabetes mellitus (advanced age, obesity, family history, previous abnormality of glucose tolerance). Under oral contraceptives, diabetes mellitus control deteriorates in 30% of all diabetics. Atherosclerosis seems to be accelerated and can lead to serious cardiovascular complications. Reducing the doses of estrogens and progestogens as well as choosing the least diabetogenic progestogen might help to prevent these complications. We believe that micro- or macro-angiopathy is an absolute contraindication of oral contraceptives.

An unusual case of Q fever in a 62-year-old female is described. The patient presented with severe pneumonia and developed renal failure, disseminated intravascular coagulation and pancytopenia which recurred after antibiotics were discontinued. Subsequently hairy cell leukemia was diagnosed and evolved favorably under treatment with doxycycline and alpha-interferon. A review of the literature confirms that renal failure and disseminated intravascular coagulation do not appear to be associated with Coxiella burnetti infections, nor has the association of Q fever and hairy cell leukemia been previously described.