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Beta-blockers showed better results in lowering elevated blood pressure in the younger age group of patients with higher renin plasma levels. Actual recommendations from the European Society of Cardiology for treatment of arterial hypertension from 2013 insist that heart rate should always be measured along with blood pressure. These recommendations point out the significance of resting heart rate as an independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with arterial hypertension. Beta-blockers have a compelling indication for treatment of arterial hypertension in patients with coexistence of coronary artery disease, especially post myocardial infarction, as well as in patients with systolic heart failure. Bisoprolol, a highly selective beta-blocker with a long half-life and a prolonged antihypertensive effect, has shown consistent blood pressure control over a period of 24 hours. It has been demonstrated in placebo-controlled studies that administration of thiazide diuretics, in addition to lowering blood pressure levels, had also been associated with a reduction of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality rates. It is evident that effectiveness of thiazide diuretics is dose-dependent; however, undesirable effects of drugs are also dose-dependent. Depending on the dose, they aggravate glucose intolerance, increase lipid levels, cause hypokalemia, hyponatremia, and hypomagnesemia, and increase levels of uric acid. Administration of very low doses of a thiazide diuretic is acceptable in combination with other antihypertensive drugs, because it potentiates the action of other drugs without causing undesirable metabolic effects. The effectiveness and safety of the combination of bisoprolol (in various doses) and a thiazide diuretic in a small dose has been proven in clinical trials.

Introduction. Bilateral coronary artery fistulae to pulmonary artery with ventricular tachycardia have not yet been described in the literature. Case Outline. A case of a 23-year-old male patient who was treated at our clinic for recurrent ventricular tachycardia is presented. The patient was born with six fingers on his left hand, which was surgically corrected in his early childhood. Perfusion scintigraphy demonstrated reversible ischemia at the irrigation zone of the right coronary artery. The coronary angiography revealed two coronary to pulmonary artery fistulae. The right coronary artery fistula drained through a tubular vessel formation into the pulmonary artery, but the left anterior descendent fistula drained via multiple thin tortuous vessels into the pulmonary artery. The right coronary artery fistula was ligated surgically. The control scintigraphy registered no perfusion defect subsequently, but during the procedure ventricular tachycardia occurred. An electrophysiology study followed, but ventricular tachycardia could not be provoked. Two months later ventricular tachycardia occurred again. Two subsequent electrophysiology studies showed no ventricular tachycardia. The patient was treated with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Ventricular tachycardia was terminated four times during the first year follow-up. Conclusion. The mechanism of the ventricular tachycardia was unclear. The electrophysiology study was not sufficiently reliable in the patient with recurrent ventricular tachycardia and bilateral coronary artery to pulmonary artery fistulae. The therapy of choice and the prevention of sudden death in this case was an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

Introduction. The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) was developed in order to predict operative risk in cardiac surgery and to assess the quality of the cardio-surgical care. Introduction of the uniform terminology in result evaluation process leads to the significant improvement in measuring and evaluation of surgical treatment quality. Objective. The aim of the study was to evaluate our results in isolated coronary surgery using the EuroSCORE. Methods. The study was done respectively by analyzing predicted mortality according to the EuroSCORE model and observed operative risk in 4,675 coronary patients operated at our Clinic during the period 2001-2008. For statistical analyses, the Pearson, Chisquare and ANOVA tests were used. Results. The total postoperative mortality predicted by the EuroSCORE was 2.9±2.25, while the observed one was 2.2%. When the scoring system and observed results were compared over the years, a considerably lower observed mortality was found during the last 4 years. Overall average number of distal anastomoses was 2.62±0.84. During the period 2004-2008, the average number of coronary anastomoses increased over the years reaching the value of 2.77±0.88. The difference is at the level of statistical significance with the trend of further increase. Percentage of the patients with single or double graft myocardial revascularization decreases, while the number of the patients with triple or more bypasses increases. Conclusion. During the last years, the results in isolated coronary surgery have considerably improved. The EuroSCORE overestimates operative risk. In order to improve its predictive value, the model should be recalibrated.

Introduction. Infantile nephropathic cystinosis (INC) is a metabolic disorder due to impaired carrier-mediated transport of cystine out of cellular lysosomes. Objective. To examine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of INC in paediatric patients with end- stage renal disease (ESRD) in Serbia and give a recent statement of the disease. Methods. ESRD database of the Centre for Paediatric Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) in Serbia was used to identify all patients with INC who started RRT before age of 19 years during the period January 1980 - December 2008; their records concerning clinical characteristics, therapy and outcome were evaluated. Results. Only three of 298 paediatric patients with ESRD had INC. The first signs of the illness were recognised during infancy. Fancony syndrome was diagnosed in the second year, but the diagnosis of cystinosis was delayed at mean 6 years. ESRD occurred in the first decade of life. All patients under- went cadaver kidney transplantation. At the end of the study period all patients were alive. A 31-year-old female patient was on maintenance chemodialysis due to graft failure after functioning for 11 years. She was growth retarded, single, unemployed, with severe signs of renal dystrophy. Two male patients (14.3 and 14.7 years old) had normal graft function, normal education, and good quality of life, although they were also severe growth retarded. Conclusion. The prevalence of infantile nephropathic cystinosis is low in Serbia. The diagnosis of cystinosis was delayed in all patients, although they exhibited the typical course of the disease.