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To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ahj.2004.08.004 Byline: Oner Gulcan (a), Alpay T. Sezgin (b), Senol Demircan (b), Hakan Atalay (a), Riza Turkoz (a) Abstract: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect that coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and aneurysmectomy in the same session have on QT dispersion (QTd) in moderate or severe left ventricular dysfunction. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Adana Teaching and Medical Research Center, Baskent University, Adana, Turkey (b) Department of Cardiology, Adana Teaching and Medical Research Center, Baskent University, Adana, Turkey Article History: Received 6 May 2004; Accepted 1 August 2004

Background: Depression has been found to be a predictor of rehospitalization and mortality in heart failure (HF). Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is a novel promising biomarker that can predict hospitalization, functional status and mortality in HF., Objective: We aimed to investigate the association of depression with serum PTH levels in patients with systolic HF., Methods: A total of consecutive 100 outpatients with systolic HF having left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 40%, were prospectively studied. All patients underwent laboratory tests, including brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and PTH analyses. The patients were asked to complete the Beck Depression Inventory- II (BDI)., Results: Fifty-one patients (51%) were shown to have poor BDI score (BDIS > 18). Patients with poor BDI score had significantly higher PTH levels compared to those with good BDIS (133 ± 46 pg/ml vs. 71 ± 26 pg/ml, p < 0.001). In multivariable logistic regression model, PTH level (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.035, p = 0.003), LVEF (OR = 0.854, p = 0.004), NYHA functional class III/IV (OR = 28.022, p = 0.005), C-reactive protein (CRP) (OR = 1.088, p = 0.020), and presence of pretibial edema (OR = 12.341, p = 0.033) were found to be independent predictors of moderate to severe depression after adjustment of other potential confounders., Conclusion: Systolic HF patients with moderate to severe depression had higher serum levels of PTH and CRP, poor functional status and lower LVEF. The association of depression with such parameters might explain the contribution of depression to hospitalization and mortality in HF.

The value of echocardiography, especially tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), in the assessment of risk of postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is not clear. One hundred two consecutive patients (80 men; mean age 61 +/- 10 years) who underwent elective isolated CABG were included in the study. All patients underwent conventional transthoracic echocardiography and TDI of the left and right heart before surgery. Also, 24-hour Holter recordings were obtained for all patients. The study end point was the development of postoperative AF. The surgical mortality rate was 2%. Postoperative AF occurred in 18 patients (18%). Patients with postoperative AF have been significantly older than patients without postoperative AF (73 +/- 7 vs 58 +/- 9 years, respectively; p <0.001). Compared with patients without postoperative AF, a significantly higher proportion of patients with postoperative AF experienced paroxysmal AF before surgery (6% vs 33%, respectively; p = 0.001). Patients with postoperative AF had a significantly larger mean left atrial diameter compared with patients without postoperative AF (37 +/- 3 vs 35 +/- 3 mm, respectively; p = 0.012). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified age as the most significant predictor of postoperative AF (odds ratio 1.254, 95% confidence interval 1.127 to 1.396; p <0.001). Of the echocardiographic variables, only left atrial diameter was identified as a significant predictor of postoperative AF (odds ratio 1.250, 95% confidence interval 1.055 to 1.562; p = 0.047). In conclusion, in the prediction of postoperative AF after isolated CABG, preoperative transthoracic echocardiography, including both conventional echocardiography and TDI, is of little value.

The aim of the study was to determine carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis (RMS). Between January 2001 and December 2003, 112 consecutive patients who had been diagnosed with RMS were screened. Patients with known cerebrovascular disease, coronary artery disease, diabetes, hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, hyperlipidemia, abnormal laboratory results, smoking, or age over 50 years were excluded. Forty-eight patients (43 women, 5 men, mean age 39.7 +/-8.3 years) with RMS without risk factors were enrolled in the study. Age- and sex-matched healthy individuals (n = 48; 43 women, 5 men, mean age 39.6 +/-8.6 years) with normal echocardiographic findings constituted the control group. Carotid IMT was determined by using a high-resolution ultrasound system equipped with a 7-MHz imaging probe (Acuson 128 XP CI) with a computer measurement software. The mean common carotid artery IMT thicknesses both in the right (0.604 +/-0.112 mm vs 0.521 +/-0.072 mm) and in the left side (0.581 +/-0.097 mm vs 0.516 +/-0.065 mm) were significantly higher in patients with RMS than in the control group (p < 0.001). Backward stepwise logistic regression analysis identified RMS as independent predictors of increased IMT (OR, 17.25 (CI, 3.99 to 76.28), p <0.001). The present study demonstrated that RMS is associated with increased IMT. The findings indicate that in patients with RMS not only valvular but also systemic endothelium is damaged.

Objective: When mitral stenosis is associated with other valve lesions, diagnosis, prognosis and the treatment strategies are affected. Mitral valve prolapse may occur in some pathological settings that affect mitral apparatus. We investigated the incidence of valve lesions including mitral valve prolapse that accompany mitral stenosis and assessed the relation between echocardiographic measures., Methods: Two hundred and one patients (31 male, 170 female) between 16 and 72 years of age (mean age 40.9+/-11.4 years) with mitral stenosis were included in the study. Patients were divided into three groups according to the mitral valve area obtained by echocardiography using planimetric method as Group I (MVA<1.1 cm(2)), Group II (MVA -1.1-1.5 cm(2)) and Group III (MVA >1.5 cm2)., Results: Mitral stenosis with mitral regurgitation, aortic regurgitation, aortic stenosis, combined aortic valve disease, tricuspid regurgitation and tricuspid stenosis were found in 117 (58.2%), 84 (41.8%), 18 (9%), 9 (4.5%), 62 (30.8%) and 6 (3%) patients, respectively. Twenty- three patients (11.4%) had mitral valve prolapse in only anterior leaflet. Nobody of patients had mitral valve prolapse of posterior mitral valve leaflet. Age, gender, rhythm, degree of stenosis, degree of mitral and aortic regurgitations, mean pressure gradient, left atrial diameter, ejection fraction and valve score did not differ in patients with and without mitral valve prolapse., Conclusion: Our study has shown that valve lesions including mitral valve prolapse frequently accompany mitral stenosis and the incidence of mitral valve prolapse in patients with mitral stenosis is high.