Search

Echocardiographic parameters were assessed in patients with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome, who underwent emergency percutaneous coronary intervention followed by various outpatient physical cardiac rehabilitation programs. The patients underwent physical rehabilitation for 3 months under conditions of diagnostic centre in the rehabilitation unit according to the standard program including in treadmill or bicycle exercise in the exercise therapy room or with Nordic walking in the main training block. After rehabilitation course, the left ventricular mass index significantly decreased and systolic volume and left ventricular ejection fraction significantly increased in both groups. Nordic walking training for 3 months non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome induced similar positive shifts in the parameters of intracardiac hemodynamics, as standard treadmill or bicycle training program, which allows considering it as an alternative cardiac rehabilitation method.

To evaluate the diagnostic capabilities of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with inflammatory cardiomyopathy (ICMP) and to compare its results with endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) data and clinical and laboratory parameters.Cardiac MRI was performed using the "Lake Louise Criteria" in 51 patients with ICMP and a 4.1 +/- 3.4-year history of chronic heart failure (CHF). EMB was carried out in 25 patients. Their clinical state was evaluated by the results of a 6-minute walk test and by a clinical assessment scale; N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels were estimated. All the patients received the recommended therapy for CHF.Myocardial areas of delayed enhancement were found in 20 (39%) patients. Myocardial edema or early contrast enhancement was not recorded in any case. An immunohistological study revealed myocardial inflammation in 12 (48%) patients. Six patients with chronic myocarditis and 4 patients without myocarditis had delayed-phase contrast enhancement areas. There was a statistically significant correlation of the contrast-enhanced myocardial volume with the frequency of single and paired ventricular premature beats (r = 0.66; p = 0.002 and r = 0.54; p = 0.01). CONCLUSION; The patients with delayed enhancement are at high risk of ventricular tachycardia. The severity of CHF is uncorrelated with the contrast-enhanced myocardial volume. Delayed enhancement is unrelated to the activity of myocardial inflammation, as evidenced by the immunohistological study.