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Background With the emergence of coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography, anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery (ANOCOR) is more frequently diagnosed. Fractional flow reserve derived from CT (FFRCT) is a noninvasive functional test providing anatomical and functional evaluation of the overall coronary tree. These unique features of anatomical and functional evaluation derived from CT could help for the management of patients with ANOCOR. We aimed to retrospectively evaluate the physiological and clinical impact of FFRCT analysis in the ANOCOR registry population. Methods and Results The ANOCOR registry included patients with ANOCOR detected during invasive coronary angiography or coronary CT angiography between January 2010 and January 2013, with a planned 5‐year follow‐up. We retrospectively performed FFRCT analysis in patients with coronary CT angiography of adequate quality. Follow‐up was performed with a clinical composite end point (cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and unplanned revascularization). We obtained successful FFRCT analyses and 5‐year clinical follow‐up in 54 patients (average age, 60±13 years). Thirty‐eight (70%) patients had conservative treatment, and 16 (30%) patients had coronary revascularization after coronary CT angiography. The presence of an ANOCOR course was associated with a moderate reduction of FFRCT value from 1.0 at the ostium to 0.90±0.10 downstream the ectopic course and 0.82±0.11 distally. No significant difference in FFRCT values was identified between at‐risk and not at‐risk ANOCOR. After a 5‐year follow‐up, only one unplanned percutaneous revascularization was reported. Conclusions The presence of ANOCOR was associated with a moderate hemodynamic decrease of FFRCT values and associated with a low risk of cardiovascular events after a 5‐year follow‐up in this middle‐aged population.

Patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) are prone to develop acute myocardial infarction (AMI) at a younger age.The aim of the present study was to assess 5-year outcomes after AMI according to the presence of FH in a large multicenter cohort of patients.The French registry of Acute ST-elevation and non-ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction consists of nationwide surveys recruiting patients over a 1- to 2-month period every 5 years. Patients recruited in 2005 and 2010 were followed up to 5 years.Of 5147 patients discharged alive and in whom FH status could be assessed, 2.8% had probable/definite FH, using an adapted Dutch Lipid Clinic score. They were 12 years younger, on average, than non-FH patients. Before adjustment, their 5-year survival and event-free survival did not differ from non-FH patients. After adjustment, however, both mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15-2.89; P = .011) and the combined endpoint of death, AMI, or stroke (HR 2.22, 95% CI: 1.51-3.26; P .001) were higher in FH patients. The higher risk in FH patients was also present in patients receiving high-intensity lipid-lowering therapy at discharge: adjusted HR for mortality 2.29, 95% CI: 1.18 to 4.47, P = .015; HR for cardiovascular events 2.57, 95% CI: 1.48 to 4.48, P = .001. Concordant results were observed in propensity score-marched cohorts.The risk of long-term mortality and cardiovascular events is twice as high in FH than in non-FH patients, when adjusted on baseline characteristics, even for those receiving high-intensity lipid-lowering therapy. Additional therapeutic measures are needed in these patients.

IF 4.638; International audience; Background: Few clinical trials have focused on populations with a history of distant myocardial infarction (MI). The PEGASUS trial assessed the impact of dual antiplatelet therapy in such patients, selected by enrichment criteria of high cardiovascular risk. Whether the PEGASUS population reflects the risk of a broader post-MI population is questionable. We analyzed whether 4-year mortality of a routine-practice population would differ according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria used in PEGASUS.Methods: FAST-MI is a nationwide French registry recruiting acute MI patients in November 2005; 2490 patients alive and without recurrent MI at one year were classified into three groups: Group 1 ("PEGASUS-like" population; n = 1395; 56%), Group 2 (population having = 1 exclusion criterion for the trial; n = 677; 27%), and group 3 (population meeting neither the PEGASUS inclusion nor exclusion criteria; n = 418, 17%).Results: Group 1 patients were older than Group 3 patients, with higher GRACE scores, more comorbidity, and less STEMI, but were younger than the PEGASUS trial population. Enrichment criteria successfully defined a population at higher risk: 4-year survival 83% in Group 1, 97% in Group 2, and 68% in Group 3 (P < 0.001). Among risk-enrichment criteria, age alone was highly discriminant: in PEGASUS-like patients, survival was 78% in those = 65 versus 94% in those

The intrinsic muscles of the hand are of interest in spinal cord injury (SCI) and other myelopathies, because they are innervated by the most caudal cord segments innervating the upper limb. In addition, abnormalities of the peripheral nervous system, such as peripheral nerve entrapments, often affect hand intrinsic muscle strength of SCI patients. Therefore, measuring hand intrinsic strength may allow for early diagnosis of neurologic decline.A method was developed for measuring strength of hand intrinsic muscles with a handheld myometer. With the use of a handheld myometer, this study examined the distribution of strength measurements for second-digit abductors, fifth-digit abductors, and thumb opposers in able-bodied participants and in individuals with weakness. The quantitative measurements were compared with manual muscle test scores and interrater reliability is described for these hand intrinsic strength measurements. Thirty-one able-bodied individuals participated (17 men, 14 women; mean age = 37.7 years). In addition, 24, patients with SCI participated (23 men, 1 woman; mean age = 53.5 years; 9 with paraplegia and 14 with tetraplegia as a primary diagnosis). The Bland-Altman method was used to test for interrater reliability.Mean strength of able-bodied participants was 5.0 kg for second-digit abduction, 3.1 kg for fifth-digit abduction, and 5.0 kg for thumb opposition, and the lower limits of normal were 3.0, 1.8, and 3.4 kg, respectively. The 95th percentile of interrater differences were 29.3% for second-digit abduction, 38.5% for fifth-digit abduction, and 43.7% for thumb opposition.Abnormal hand intrinsic strength should be suspected if values are lower than the 5th percentile values listed above or if strength change exceeds the 95th percentile for interrater differences shown above. These quantitative hand strength measurements may allow for earlier diagnosis of secondary neurologic complications and may aid in monitoring neurologic recovery in persons with SCI.

International audience; AIMS: Proof-of-concept evidence suggests that mechanical ischaemic post-conditioning (PostC) reduces infarct size when applied immediately after culprit coronary artery re-opening in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with thrombolysis in myocardial infarction 0-1 (TIMI 0-1) flow grade at admission. Whether PostC might also be protective in patients with a TIMI 2-3 flow grade on admission (corresponding to a delayed application of the post-conditioning algorithm) remains undetermined. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this multi-centre, randomized, single-blinded, controlled study, STEMI patients with a 2-3 TIMI coronary flow grade at admission underwent direct stenting of the culprit lesion, followed (PostC group) or not (control group) by four cycles of (1 min inflation/1 min deflation) of the angioplasty balloon to trigger post-conditioning. Infarct size was assessed both by cardiac magnetic resonance at Day 5 (primary endpoint) and cardiac enzymes release (secondary endpoint). Ninety-nine patients were prospectively enrolled. Baseline characteristics were comparable between control and PostC groups. Despite comparable size of area at risk (AAR) (38 +/- 12 vs. 38 +/- 13% of the LV circumference, respectively, P = 0.89) and similar time from onset to intervention (249 +/- 148 vs. 263 +/- 209 min, respectively, P = 0.93) in the two groups, PostC did not significantly reduce cardiac magnetic resonance infarct size (23 +/- 17 and 21 +/- 18 g in the treated vs. control group, respectively, P = 0.64). Similar results were found when using creatine kinase and troponin I release, even after adjustment for the size of the AAR. CONCLUSION: This study shows that infarct size reduction by mechanical ischaemic PostC is lost when applied to patients with a TIMI 2-3 flow grade at admission. This indicates that the timing of the protective intervention with respect to the onset of reperfusion is a key factor for preventing lethal reperfusion injury in STEMI patients. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT01483755.

Bivalirudin, a direct thrombin inhibitor, demonstrated an improvement in the prognosis of acute coronary syndromes by a decrease in major bleeding complications. This observational study evaluated inhospital outcome of patients with acute myocardial infarction treated by prehospital bivalirudin before primary angioplasty.We included, from June 2010 to June 2012, all patients with acute myocardial infarction receiving prehospital bivalirudin with bolus of 0.75mg/kg followed by an infusion of 1.75mg/kg per hour until the arrival in the catheterization laboratory. Bivalirudin was possibly continued after primary angioplasty.We included 152 patients aged 57.6±11.6 years. A prehospital 60mg loading dose of prasugrel was given in 77% of patients. Coronary angiography with radial access (77.6%) was performed before a successful angioplasty in 97.3% of cases. The bivalirudin infusion was continued after the procedure in 81.6% of patients. Inhospital outcome showed two deaths (1.3%) and two re-infarctions (1.3%) of which one was related to the single acute stent thrombosis (0.6%). Major bleeding complications were limited irrespective of the Gusto (0.6%), Timi (0.6%) or Horizons-MI (4.6%) classification. Bleeding complications rate was similar when bivalirudin was followed or not after primary angioplasty.The use of bivalirudin in the prehospital setting for primary angioplasty seems to be effective and safe about ischemic and bleeding complications during the inhospital outcome.

Background— The value of prehospital initiation of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors remains a controversial issue. We sought to investigate whether in-ambulance initiation of abciximab in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) improves ST-segment elevation resolution (STR) after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods and Results— MISTRAL (Myocardial Infarction with ST-elevation Treated by Primary Percutaneous Intervention Facilitated by Early Reopro Administration in Alsace) is a prospective, randomized, double-blind study. Two hundred and fifty-six patients with acute STEMI were allocated to receive abciximab either in the ambulance (ambulance group, n=127) or in the catheterization laboratory (hospital group, n=129). The primary end point was complete (>70%) STR after PCI. Complete STR was not significantly different between the 2 groups (before PCI, 21.6% versus 15.5%, P =0.28; after PCI, 70.3% versus 65.8%, P =0.49). Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) 2 to 3 flow rates before PCI tended to be higher in the ambulance group (46.8% versus 35%, P =0.08) but not after PCI (70.3% versus 65.8%, P =0.49). Slow flow tended to be lower (5.6% versus 13.4%, P =0.07), and distal embolization occurred significantly less often in the ambulance group (8.1% versus 21.1%, P =0.008). One- and 6-month major adverse cardiac event rates were low and similar in both groups. Conclusions— Early ambulance administration of abciximab in STEMI did not improve either STR or TIMI flow rate after PCI. However, it tended to improve TIMI flow pre-PCI and decreased distal embolization during procedure. Larger studies are needed to confirm these results. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT00638638.

To evaluate the results and the feasibility of the technique of percutaneous closing of patent foramen oval (PFO) with Atrial Septal Aneurysm (ASA) among young patients having presented a cryptogenic cerebral ischemia.Eighteen patients: 14 cryptogenic stroke and 4 TIA with a broad PFO (rank III) and an important ASA (excursion higher than 15 mm) at transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). The average age is 48.2 years: man 61%, women 39%. The patients have little cardiovascular risk factor (0.83/patient) and 38% presented recurrent thromboembolic events. Percutaneous closing is carried out under general anaesthesia with TEE and Amplatzer devices implantation. A control TEE is carried out 6 months after closing.No complication occurred at the time of the procedures. After 72 hours, one patient presented a major complication: one arteriovenous fistula requiring a surgery. Five patients presented a minor complication: two non complicated femoral hematoma, two atrial arrhytmias and one asymptomatic secondary displacement of the device without need for surgery. Seven-teen patients had TEE at six months: the shunt disappeared for 95% from the patients, no thrombus was found. No recurrent thromboembolic event appeared for the 18 patients (median follow-up 19.2 months).The installation of a technique of percutaneous closing of the PFO+ASA is safe and effective.

This study evaluated the hospital outcome of octogenarian patients treated by primary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction less than 12 hours. The long-term mortality and social outcome were evaluated, social outcome was based on IADL and IADL-E scales corresponding to physical autonomy and level of dependence. We included from 1999 to 2005 47 old patients of 83.5+/-3.2 years. The reperfusion of the obstructed coronary artery was obtained in 45 patients (95.7%) with TIMI 3 flow. Hospital mortality was 25.5% and 4.2% without hemodynamic complication. A multivariate analysis identified a Killip score1 as predictive factor of hospital mortality (OR=8.9 and p=0.05). The long-term survival without death with a follow-up of 26.3+/-18.3 months was 82.2% at 24 months and 70.6% at 48 months according to the Kaplan-Meier method. In an multivariate analysis, hospitalization exit without aspirine was associated with a higher long term mortality (OR=34.8 and p=0.04). According to the evolution of scores of IADL and IADL-E scales, patients had an excellent autonomy and good capacities before the infarction and they kept them on the long term. Thus octogenarians with acute myocardial infarction treated by primary angioplasty have a high in hospital and long term mortality but the survivors preserve an excellent daily autonomy.

This prospective multicenter study assessed the prevalence and feasibility of percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in the acute phase of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in 3 nonacademic interventional cardiology centers (Alsace, France).We studied the clinical characteristics, angiographic data, and PCTA results of all STEMI patients and analyzed the revascularization rates and adverse events during hospitalization. We compared patients at least 75 years of age and younger patients for these data and with the literature.Of the 1672 patients admitted for STEMI, 342 (20.45%) were at least 75 years of age. Half the patients in this high-risk subgroup were women. These patients had more co-morbidities (e.g., hypertension and diabetes mellitus) than younger patients, and more of them had three-vessel disease. Mortality rate was high in this subgroup and always higher than for comparable younger subjects, but it varied according to the initial clinical profile. Their global mortality rate was 20.47%, but it fell to 5.41% when we excluded patients with cardiogenic shock or in Killip stage ill, and those who were resuscitated. PTCA is a coronary reperfusion technique especially indicated for elderly patients with STEMI. It is an effective revascularization technique, with a reperfusion rate (exclusively TIMI III flow) reaching 93.88% in the elderly group, only slightly lower than among younger patients (97.18%).PTCA is a technique particularly indicated in the elderly in Alsace because of regional geographic and medical specificities: nearby emergency services are available to virtually the entire population of Alsace, and most interventional cardiology teams apply a strategy of exclusive primary PTCA.

The objective of the study was to assess the frequency of late stent-thrombosis-related acute myocardial infarction in patients with LAD stents. A series of 930 PCI procedures involving LAD stenting were performed in 920 patients (mean age: 63 years, 667 men) from January 1999 to December 2001. Among those 14 patients had late (30 days), thrombosis-related acute myocardial infarction after a mean delay of 135 +/- 131 days. Three-year thrombosis-free survival was 97.6%. By univariate analysis, risk of late thrombosis was associated with LAD-diagonal bifurcation stenting, placement of a stent on the ostium of a diagonal branch and number of stents implanted on the LAD. Patients with these risk factors might be appropriate candidates for long-term combined antiplatelet therapy.

Evaluation of angioplasty for primary cardiogenic shock in acute myocardial infarction in three non-universitary alsacians centres between 1999 and 2002.One hundred and eighty-two patients were included. Hospitalisation survival rate is 43.96% after hospital discharge. One hundred and forty-nine patients were treated by primary angioplasty. Angioplasty is successful in 79.12%. The predictives factors of death are: age75, TIMI = 0 at the admission, three vessels disease. Twenty-four months survival is 91% (follow-up data available on 28.75% of the patients alive at hospital discharge).Angioplasty seems to be the right choice in case of acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock, the results are better than medical treatment at short- and mid-term.

A consecutive series of 746 patients undergoing heart beating myocardial revascularization was reviewed. An average of 2.30 grafts/patients was performed. The rate of mortality in the first 30 postoperative days was 0.28%. Two cases had to be terminated on-pump. We used the inotropic drugs in 0.6% of cases. The postoperative events were: atrial fibrillation (12.6%), myocardial infarction (0.3%). The rate of transfusion was 7.4%. The extubation was performed in the first 24 h postoperatively in 94.7% of cases. The majority of patients (91.3%) left the hospital in the first 8 d postoperatively. Off pump coronary artery bypass grafting gives good result for the most of the patients even for those with multiple vessel disease and high operating risk.

The object of this study was to assess the incidence and significance of atrioventricular block (AVB) induced by radiofrequency ablation of intranodal reentrant tachycardias. The study population was 18 patients aged 44 to 83, selected from a total population of 144 patients treated for recurrent, refractory tachycardias. These patients developed complete AVB (9 cases), 2nd degree ABV (3 cases) and 1st degree AVB (6 cases) either immediately or in the chronic phase after radiofrequency ablation. The outcomes were as follows: 1. In the 9 patients with complete AVB, the block regressed in a period ranging from 7 seconds to 5 minutes. It recurred as complete AVB 1 to 4 days later in 2 patients, and regressed again after a maximum of 10 days. One 47 year old woman had definitive complete AVB; 2. In the 3 patients with 2nd degree AVB, the block regressed within 7 days; 3. In the 6 cases of 1st degree AVB, 2 patients developed transient complete AVB the following day. The possible causes of AVB were: increased vagal tone in 1 case, ablation of the rapid pathway located in a postero-septal site in 8 cases and, in the remainder, pre-existing conduction defects. The authors conclude that transient complete AVB is common and usually has a good prognosis. Definitive complete AVB is a rare but possible (0.7%) complication of radiofrequency ablation of reentrant intranodal tachycardias; other forms of AVB generally regress quickly and, although they may recur within days, they carry a good prognosis in the following months. However, long-term follow-up remains necessary.

Curative radiofrequency ablation of the reentry circuit of paroxysmal junctional tachycardia is a relatively common method of treating this condition. The aim of this study was to determine whether the age of the patients should be taken into account for assessing the indication. The study population was 178 patients aged 18 to 86 years (average 56 +/- 19 years), who had paroxysmal junctional tachycardia and normal interatrial ECGs. One hundred and thirty-five patients were under 70 years of age (Group I) and 43 were over 70 (Group II). No significant differences in the mechanism of reentry, which was intranodal in 67% of cases, in the risk of immediate complications (11%) or in recurrence of tachycardia were observed between the two groups. Functional improvement was more spectacular in Group II with regression of the symptoms of associated cardiac disease and, above all, in reduction in the number of hospital admissions. The common association of cardiac disease and other pathologies in Group II should however lead to more careful management and follow-up of the more elderly patients. The authors conclude that radiofrequency ablation of paroxysmal junctional tachycardia in the over 70s is feasible and often provides better clinical results than observed in younger patients.

Four cases of Saccharomyces boulardii fungemia, a very rare side effect of Saccharomyces boulardii therapy, are reported. The clinical impact of Saccharomyces boulardii infection appeared to be moderate. However, even though organ involvement was never demonstrated, septic shock with no other etiology was observed in one of our patients. All patients had an indwelling vascular catheter. Contamination of the air, environmental surfaces, and hands following the opening of a packet suggests that catheter contamination may have been a source of infection. To prevent catheter contamination it is recommended that packets or capsules of Saccharomyces boulardii be opened with gloves, outside the patient's room.

In order to define the best strategy of prognostic evaluation in relation to patients in heart failure, 415 patients with impaired left ventricular function (ejection fraction40%) were prospectively included, between June 1993 and 1996, in a study comparing the respective value of high amplification ECG and Holter analysis of sinus variability, 308 patients in sinus rhythm and narrow QRS complexes were included. The patients were distributed into 4 groups according to the presence or absence of late potentials and altered sinus variability (group I with 2 normal examinations, group II with late potentials and normal variability, group III without late potentials, but with altered variability and group IV with 2 abnormal examinations). The sudden and overall mortality was significantly greater in groups III (28 and 11%) and IV (28 and 9%) than in group I (7 and 3%) and II (11 and 2%). The presence of potential was unable to identify patients at risk of ventricular tachycardia and sudden death. In another 60 patients with complete branch block, the prognosis was also correlated with the alteration of sinus variability. In conclusion, high amplification ECG correctly evaluated the prognosis of subjects in heart failure. However, analysis of sinus variability should be systematically proposed to detect subjects at high risk of mortality, whether the subject has large or narrow QRS complexes.

The reproducibility of programmed ventricular stimulation has been previously demonstrated for periods of a few hours to several months. It has not been studied over longer intervals. The aim of this study was to assess the reproducibility of the method at long-term (2 years). Forty-six patients with underlying cardiac disease underwent two programmed ventricular stimulations in the absence of antiarrhythmic treatment at intervals of 2 to 6 years (mean 4 years). None of the patients had myocardial infarction or cardiac surgery during this period. The protocol was identical: up to 3 extra-stimuli were delivered in the two right ventricular sites over 3 cycles. Twenty-eight patients had inducible sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia during the first investigation (Group I): the investigation was negative in the remaining 18 patients (Group II). During the second investigation, 26 of the 28 patients in Group I had inducible ventricular tachycardia, the rate of which decreased from 206 +/- 50 bpm to 196 +/- 54 bpm. The induced ventricular tachycardia was slower in 15 patients and faster in 5 patients. The mode of induction was different in 12 cases. In Group II, 4 patients (22%) had inducible sustained ventricular tachycardia at the second investigation. The authors conclude that the reproducibility of programmed ventricular stimulation remains good in the long-term in subjects within inducible tachycardia, demonstrating the stability of the arrhythmogenic substrate; the frequency of this tachycardia is generally slower. In subjects with an abnormal initial investigation who became symptomatic, it may be useful to repeat programmed ventricular stimulation.

The aim of this study was to determine whether advances in angioplasty techniques have improved results in multiple vessel coronary disease and to compare present results with those reported in randomised trials comparing angioplasty and surgery. The hospital results of two cohorts of multivessel coronary patients treated by angioplasty during two different periods were compared (group 1: 1990-1991. group 2: 1994-1995). The first period corresponded to the inclusion period of randomised trials comparing surgery and angioplasty. The patients in group 2 (n = 449) were older than those in group 1 (n = 424), had more triple vessel disease, more severe angina and more previous angioplasty attempts. Moreover, there were more cases of unfavourable lesions. Nevertheless, the clinical success rate was high in group 2 (92% vs 84%; p0.001) and the major complication rate (death, myocardial infarction or emergency bypass surgery) was lower (2.9% vs 6.1%; p = 0.02). The main technical difference between the two periods concerned the use of coronary stents (12% vs 8%; p0.001). The fact of being in group 2 was identified by multivariate analysis as an independent predictor for clinical success and a lower major complication rate. The authors conclude that, since the publication of randomised trials comparing angioplasty with coronary surgery, the hospital results of angioplasty have significantly improved. This should be taken into account in considering the clinical applications of the results of these trials.

Supraventricular tachyarrhythmias (SVTA) may occur in patients with the arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the incidence of SVTA in 47 patients with ARVD proved by right ventricular angiography. Thirty-three men and 14 women, aged 21 to 72 years (mean 44 +/- 18) were admitted for nonsustained or sustained ventricular tachycardia. Eight patients had a history of spontaneous SVTA several years before ventricular tachycardia occurrence. Protocol of the study consisted of programmed atrial stimulation with one and two extrastimuli delivered during sinus rhythm and two driven rhythms (600 and 400 msec), programmed ventricular stimulation with up to three extrastimuli and was performed in the control state and after infusion of isoproterenol. The results of programmed atrial stimulation were compared with those obtained in 36 asymptomatic subjects without heart disease and with a mean age of 50 +/- 18 years (control group). Sustained SVTA (1 minute) was induced in seven of eight patients with spontaneous SVTA, in 27 (69%) of those with ARVD, who did not have spontaneous SVTA, and in two control subjects (5.5%) (p0.001). SVTA was inducible in the control state, but ventricular tachycardia induction required isoproterenol in 11 of 27 patients. Two patients without SVTA history but with inducible SVTA developed later spontaneous SVTA. ARVD was associated with a significantly higher incidence of inducible SVTA than in a control population. Supraventricular tachycardias may precede ventricular tachycardias. This association argues for a diffuse myocardial disorder in ARVD.

The study of heart rate variability is a new means of assessing autonomic nervous system function and the risks of cardiac and sudden death in patients with advandec cardiac disease. The aim of this study was to analyse changes in heart rate variability in the hours preceding cardiac death and just before its occurrence. Seventeen subjects aged 78.5 +/- 10 years, with advanced cardiac disease responsible for a reduction of left ventricular ejection fraction below 40%, died during Holter ECG recording. Ten died of ventricular fibrillation, 5 of bradycardia and 2 of non-rhythmic causes. General analysis of heart rate variability showed a decrease in all but 1 patient, the average standard deviation of normal RR intervals in subjects in sinus rhythm being 53 +/- 14 msec and the fractioned spectral power (low frequency/high frequency power) being 1 +/- .07. The change in heart rate variability did not allow prediction of the mechanism of death: the mean heart rate only increased before death in 3 of the patients with an ischaemic component in the hours before death, the indices of vagal tone were very low in the majority of patients and, just before death, a disequilibrium between the spectral powers with a sudden increase in LF/HF ratio of 10 of the 17 patients, irrespective of the cause of death, appeared. In conclusion, a decrease in heart rate variability was observed in all cases but did not predict the mechanism of death. Just before death occurred, some patients, especially those with acute ischaemia, showed a sudden change in the indices of heart rate variability indicating a terminal vaso-sympathetic disequilibrium.

Programmed atrial stimulation is a technique increasingly used to assess different pathologies but the reproducibility of the results is totally unknown. The aim of this study was to determine its reproducibility. Two electrophysiological studies were undertaken without antiarrhythmic therapy in an interval of one to three months (average 18 months) in 48 patients. The programmed atrial stimulation used 1 and 2 extrastimuli delivered in sinus rhythm and then three paced rhythms (sinus cycle -10%, 600 ms, 400 ms). Twenty-one patients had documented atrial arrhythmias (atrial fibrillation n = 13, flutter n = 3 or tachycardia n = 5) (group 1) and the 27 other patients had no spontaneous arrhythmias (group II). In group I, clinical tachycardial was reproduced in 18 patients during the initial stimulation procedure. During the second investigation, 17 remained inducible and in the 3 in whom stimulation was negative, it remained so in 2 of the cases. The reproducibility was therefore 90%. In group II, 12 patients had inducible sustained (for over 1 minute) tachycardia during the first procedure (44%) but this only remained inducible in 6 patients. In the other 15 subjects, stimulation was negative during the first procedure but 7 of them had inducible tachycardial during the second procedure. The reproducibility of the technique was therefore only of 52%. The authors conclude that the reproducibility of programmed atrial stimulation in patients with documented spontaneous paroxysmal arrhythmias is excellent. However, the reproducibility is mediocre in subjects without spontaneous arrhythmias and the induction of tachycardial in this group of patients should be interpreted with caution given the variability of the response to programmed atrial stimulation.

We compared the prognostic significance of prior angina pectoris in 151 patients > or = 75 years of age admitted for acute myocardial infarction. There was a similar in-hospital course, but the long-term outcome was poorer in patients with prior angina.

Class I antiarrhythmic drugs may increase the incidence of cardiac death, and controlled treatment is required in patients with severe ventricular arrhythmias. Electrophysiologically guided antiarrhythmic therapy remains an important method to manage patients with sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the correlations between baseline heart rate variability in ambulatory electrocardiographic recordings of patients with sustained ventricular tachycardia and the response to hydroquinidine on VT inducibility, and to look for the changes in heart rate variability during hydroquinidine treatment. Thirty-five patients with spontaneous and inducible sustained VT were studied. Programmed ventricular stimulation and time and frequency domain analysis of heart rate variability were studied in the control state and 9-12 days after treatment with 300-600 mg of hydroquinidine. In 11 patients (group I), hydroquinidine prevented VT induction. In 24 patients (group II), sustained VT remained inducible during treatment with hydroquinidine. In the control state, heart rate variability was similar in both groups. During treatment with hydroquinidine, heart rate variability tended to decrease in groups I and II, but the changes were significant only in group II: the coefficient of variance (CV) decreased from 13 +/- 4% to 10% +/- 3% (p0.01) and low frequency/high frequency amplitude ratio decreased from 4.6 +/- 3.3 to 2.87 +/- 2.42 (p0.05). In conclusion, baseline heart rate variability does not differentiate the responders and nonresponders to hydroquinidine. Hydroquinidine decreases heart rate variability in all patients, but principally in those with still inducible VT.

1/1 atrial tachycardia or "quinidine" flutter under class I antiarrhythmic drugs is a serious complication of these agents which, unfortunately, cannot be anticipated. The aim of this study was to review the cases of 11 patients who had suffered this complication of class I antiarrhythmic therapy to see if it could have been prevented. All drugs of this class were included. The 11 subjects were aged 57 to 78: 7 had no apparent underlying cardiac disease and the others had valvular (n = 1), hypertensive (n = 1) and ischaemic (n = 2) heart disease. They were treated for episodes of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation or tachycardia. In the absence of treatment, 7 patients had a short PR interval on the ECG (PR between 0.11 and 0.14 s). In the other 4, the PR interval was normal (0.16 to 0.20 s), but the P wave was widened with appearances of left atrial hypertrophy or an intra-atrial conduction defect. High amplification ECG performed in 3 patients showed continuity of atrial and ventricular depolarisation. Atrial stimulation showed excellent nodal conduction with a Wenckebach point of 200/min. The authors conclude that a short PR interval is predisposing factor to 1/1 atrial tachycardia with class I antiarrhythmics. High amplification ECG which allows identification of the end of the P wave with respect to the QRS complex could help identify subjects at risk when the P wave is widened and that, consequently, the PR interval appears to be normal.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may be associated with both supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias, which may play a role in the genesis of syncope. The aim of this study was to assess the findings of electrophysiological study and programmed atrial and ventricular stimulation and their possible role in syncope. Programmed atrial and ventricular stimulation using up to two extrastimuli in right atrium and three in right ventricle at three cycle lengths (600, 400 ms and spontaneous) was systematically performed in 56 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Thirty seven had unexplained dizzinesses or syncopes (group I) and 19 did not present loss of consciousness (group II). Patients with syncopes had a higher prevalence of induced sustained supraventricular tachyarrhythmia (73%) than those of group II (16%) (P0.05). Inducible supraventricular tachycardia was the only finding in 16 patients with syncopes. During the follow-up (3 years+/-6 months), empirical antiarrhythmic therapy suppressed the symptoms, except in two patients who developed atrial fibrillation despite therapy. The high incidence of inducible atrial tachycardia of these patients was not correlated with particular Holter findings or echocardiographic data. However, their mean age was rather high (58+/-12 years). In conclusion, atrial tachyarrhythmias may play a role in syncopes of middle-aged patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Moreover programmed atrial stimulation is an useful means to identify this syncope mechanism.

An abnormal signal-averaged electrocardiogram (SAECG) has predictive value for arrhythmic events in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and a normal conduction. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the presence of a complete bundle branch block (BBB) affects prognostic information of the SAECG. We prospectively obtained SAECGs in 128 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Forty-three of them had BBB and 85 had a normal QRS duration. According to their clinical history and results of ventricular programmed stimulation, patients were divided into 4 groups: (1) group IA with BBB and ventricular tachycardia (VT) (n = 18); (2) group IB with BBB but without VT (n = 25); (3) group IIA without BBB but with VT (n = 40); (4) group IIB without BBB and without VT (n = 45). Patients were compared with 129 patients without heart disease and without VT. Fifty-seven of them had BBB (group III) and 72 had normal conduction (group IV). The filtered QRS duration was longer in group IB than in group III (175 +/- 21 vs 149 +/- 16 ms, p0.001), and in group IIB than in group IV (111 +/- 19 vs 96 +/- 12 ms, p0.05). QRS duration was similar in groups IA and IB (176 +/- 24 vs 175 +/- 21 ms) but longer in group IIA than in group IIB (131 +/- 24 vs 111 +/- 19 ms, p0.001). The low-amplitude signal duration (LAS) and the root-mean-square voltage (RMS) of the last 40 ms of the filtered QRS did not differ between groups IB and III and IA and IB. LAS and RMS were, respectively, longer (44 +/- 20 vs 31 +/- 13 ms, p0.01) and lower (21 +/- 20 vs 43 +/- 33 microV, p0.001) in groups IIA and IIB. In groups IA and IB the combination of 2 of the 3 available criteria: QRS duration170 ms, RMS20 microV, LAS45 ms lead up to the best overall statistical result, with a sensitivity and specificity of 78% and 56%, respectively. In groups IIA and IIB, using conventional late potential criteria, the sensitivity and specificity of the SAECG for VT detection were 65% and 73%, respectively. The risk of sudden death was not predicted by the SAECG, and total cardiac mortality was only dependent on left ventricular ejection fraction. In conclusion, QRS duration was prolonged in all of the patients with a dilated cardiomyopathy compared with those without heart disease. BBB did not change the sensitivity but decreased the specificity of the SAECG to predict any VT risk in dilated cardiomyopathy. The risk of sudden death and total cardiac mortality could not be predicted by the SAECG.

High-amplification ECG (HA ECG) is now used routinely to evaluate ventricular tachycardia. The effects of 300 to 600 mg quinidine were determined in 26 heart disease patients with spontaneous and inducible ventricular tachycardia. Programmed ventricular stimulation was performed and an HA ECG recorded (40 Hz high-pass filter) before and under treatment. The stimulation became negative under treatment in nine patients (group I), whereas the 17 others had persistent inducible tachycardia (group II). HA ECG tracings were modified in groups I and II, with a QRS duration increase of 7% and 8%, respectively, and RMS 40 decrease of 37% and 29%, and an LAS increase of 16% and 17%. Furthermore, one of the three group I and four of the seven group II patients who had a normal HA ECG tracing before treatment developed HA ECG abnormalities under treatment. An arrhythmia-inducing effect of the treatment was noted in three group II patients; this effect was not detected by HA ECG. In conclusion, changes in HA ECG tracings were seen during quinidine therapy of patients with ventricular tachycardia, and this effect was independent from the effect of antiarrhythmic agents on induction of the ventricular tachycardia. In addition, abnormalities of high-amplification ECG tracings developed in some patients under quinidine therapy. These data suggest that class I antiarrhythmic agents modify high-amplification ECG tracings and that these modifications fail to predict whether the treatment will prove effective.

Radiofrequency ablation of the slow pathway of the reentry circuit is the usual radical treatment of nodal tachycardia. It is, however, possible to create atrioventricular conduction defects, the significance of which is not known. The aim on this study was to report the history of these conduction defects created during ablation of the slow pathway of the intranodal reentry circuit. Four cases were observed in a series of 27 patients. In one female patient, complete atrioventricular block was observed for 5 minutes before conduction returned to normal followed by recurrence of the tachycardias. Three other women developed complete atrioventricular block one to four days after the ablation. The block regressed after a maximum delay of 7 days. Six months to one year after the procedure, these three patients remain free of tachycardia and have only first degree atrioventricular block on the surface ECG. These patients were not implanted with a pacemaker. The authors conclude that complete atrioventricular block after ablation of the slow pathway may be treated conservatively, providing it is well tolerated. It normally regresses within few days.

The purpose of the study was to report the prevalence of inducible supraventricular tachyarrhythmias (SVTA) in 827 consecutive patients aged 17 to 90 years who did not have spontaneous documented SVTA and who had unexplained presyncope and/or syncope. The electrophysiologic study (EPS) included programmed atrial and ventricular stimulation up to two extrastimuli at three cycle lengths, and the study of sino-atrial and AV conduction. The results were as follows. EPS was normal in 386 patients. Inducible junctional tachycardia or atrial flutter and fibrillation was the only finding in 187 patients (23%). In the remaining patients we found ventricular tachycardia in 103 (12%), heart block in 67 (8%), sick sinus syndrome in 56 (7%) and increased vagal tone in 28 (3%). The presence of an underlying heart disease (47%) and salvos of atrial premature beats on Holter monitoring (39%) were significantly correlated with the induction of SVTA. However, the comparison with similar groups without syncope indicates that only the induction of SVTA in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and mitral valve prolapse was significantly correlated with the history of syncope. In patients without heart disease or with prior myocardial infarction or decreased left ventricular function, the induction of SVTA, which is not associated with hypotension in the supine position, could require an induction after head-up tilting, because of the lack of specificity of programmed stimulation in these patients. Programmed atrial stimulation should be systematically performed in patients with unexplained syncope, in particular in those with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and mitral valve prolapse, who require a specific treatment, if a SVTA is induced. In other patients the results of programmed atrial stimulation should be interpreted cautiously.

The authors have evaluated an ELISA (Toxo-IgG EIA; bioMérieux) and a direct agglutination test using a sensitized antigen (Toxo-Screen DA; bioMérieux), with a fluorescent test antibody (Toxo-Spot IF; bioMérieux) as a reference for the screening of toxoplasmosis IgG antibodies. A good correlation was obtained for these two methods with fluorescent test antibody (p less than 0.00001) on 841 sera. However, results obtained with direct agglutination test were better than those obtained with ELISA (direct agglutination versus fluorescent test antibody: 97.4% of agreement; ELISA versus fluorescent test antibody: 96.1% of agreement). In addition, the use of the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, showing the changes of sensitivity and specificity as a function of the possible values of each threshold, indicated that sera with titers between 15-20 IU/ml should be interpreted very cautiously.

A case of orbital zygomycosis, probably mucormycosis, histologically demonstrated was observed in a healthy host. The etiologic agent could not be identified because of the unsuccessful cultures. No clinical antecedent allowed us to suppose that an immunological deficiency statement was present. It seemed that the fungus did not penetrates by the classical nasal and sinusal pathways. The fungus inoculation probably resulted from a subocular traumatism. The ketoconazole treatment, the only one possible in our case, was efficient.

46 out of 76 samples of water originating from the water supply of the town of Poitiers, and concerning each stage of it, were found positive to free-living amoebae. 3/4 of the isolated strains belonged to the genus Acanthamoeba only 2 to the genus Naegleria, and the remaining to the genus Hartmanella. All the strains are insensible to 5-Fluoro-cytosin and Amphotericin B at concentrations compatible with human use. No experimental pathogen power could be demonstrated by inoculation to laboratory mice.

The recent discovery of self-resolving Cryptosporidium infection in immunocompetent patients has aroused growing interest in this parasite, which has thus far been known to affect mainly immunodeficient individuals. Following the hospitalization of two children attending the same day-care center in February 1986 Cryptosporidium oocysts were found in the stools of one of them. This led to an epidemiological investigation to assess the frequency of Cryptosporidium oocysts in the stools of children attending the 7 day-care centers in the city of Poitiers, France. Testing for Cryptosporidium oocysts was performed on formalinized stools, after smear staining by the modified Ziehl-Neelsen procedure. Each positive stool was also submitted to virological and bacteriological examination. Stool specimens from 235 children were studied: 9 (3.8%) of them had Cryptosporidium oocysts in their stools. Four of the children had diarrhea, and 5 (2.2%) were asymptomatic. The existence of healthy carriers should lead to caution in the interpretation of stool parasitology.

The authors report a case of Plasmodium falciparum malaria acquired in Kenya by a French tourist under correct chloroquine prophylaxis. She recovered under quinine and a sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine association. This is a new case of high level resistance (R II or R III) of Plasmodium falciparum to amino-4-quinolines recognized in East Africa. Malarial chemoprophylaxis recommended until now for this area may need to be reviewed.

Plasma free insulin was measured repeatedly for 4 hours following a standardized breakfast in 20 C-peptide negative chronically pumped type I diabetic patients and 5 normal subjects. In the former group, insulin was given as a 1 u/h basal infusion and a 1h superimposed meal-dose of 6 u via a peritoneal (IP) catheter lying in the low (n = 10), or in the mid-abdomen (n = 10). The results of the IP patients were correlated with glycosylated haemoglobin and home capillary blood glucose. Fasting free insulin of IP patients was lower than those of normals (14.7 +/- 0.5 vs 21.0 +/- 1.3 mU/l, p less than 0.01). Dose-induced peak occurred similarly in IP patients and normals (70 +/- 6 vs 70 +/- 12 min.). Values tended to baseline after 165 +/- 15 and 185 +/- 22 min. in IP patients and normals (NS). Results of the mid--and low peritoneum subgroups differed only for peak values (31.5 +/- 2.9 vs 25.0 +/- 1.6 mU/l respectively) and did not correlate with diabetic control.

Part of an inquiry which took place in R. C. A. from january 1972 to january 1975, we are able to give results concerning the prevalence of haemoglobin S in three new prospected regions and the value of sickling test. Cellogel electrophoresis sorted 20 0/0 of haemoglobin S bearers (AS or SS) od of 527 school children. On the same lot, sickling test by field practice, revealed only 7 0/0 and on the whole lot of examined individuals (684) only 8 0/0. This confirms that sickling test, when alone, is not reliable enough to appreciate the prevalence of haemoglobin S.

Three cases of tinea favus of pityriasic aspect and without a "scutulum" sign are diagnosed in a small town of "Poitou" region. They correspond to an autochtonal focus. The various enquiries show that favus has become rare in France but the local focus as are still active, since 43 p. 100 of recorded favus are of local origin.