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The possibility of development of tolerance of treatment with vasodilators was investigated in 16 patients with severe chronic congestive cardiac failure. Independent of the primary site of action, the first application of a vasodilator resulted in lowering of pulmonary artery pressure by about 30% (isosorbide dinitrate 40 mg orally in delay-action form and 5 mg sublingually, prazosin 2 mg, dihydralazine 75 mg). Only dihydralazine reduced systemic resistance acutely by 42% and increased cardiac minute volume by 66%. After treatment for 12 days with isosorbide dinitrate delay-action (three times 20 mg), prazosin (three times 2 mg) or dihydralazine (three times 75 mg), there was persistent lowering of the pulmonary artery pressure 16 hours after cessation of treatment only after isosorbide dinitrate (-29%) and dihydralazine (-27%). A decrease of systemic resistance by 11% and an increase of cardiac minute volume by 20% were seen only after dihydralazine. An additional acute application of isosorbide dinitrate or dihydralazine resulted in a further decrease of pulmonary artery pressure (-25% and -11%, respectively). An additional decrease of systemic resistance (-23%) and increase of cardiac minute volume (+18%) were again only seen with dihydralazine. In contrast to the first medication there was no significant change of the pulmonary artery pressure after treatment with prazosin for 12 days.

AIM In coronary heart disease, the surgical therapy of choice is the construction of an artenal bypass of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) using the internal thoracic artery 8ITA). We define age dependent normal values for the ITA such as diameter of the lumen (LD), peak systolic (Vs) and diastolic (Vd) flow velocity and the ratio of these two values (SDR) measured by duplex ultrasound. Furthermore, the modification and pathological changes of the Doppler curve after minimal invasive bypass of the LAD (MIDCAB) are described. MATERIAL AND METHODS 96 people, age 18 - 87 years, subdivided into 6 age groups were examined by duplex to define the normal values of the ITA, and 55 patients (mean age 63 +/- 10 years, 48 men, 7 women) were evaluated after MIDCAB-surgery to describe the postoperative modification of the Doppler curve. The examinations were performed using a 4 - 7 MHz linear ultrasound transducer in the right and left 1. or 2. intercostal space parasternally. RESULTS In all 96 people, the ITA was detectable on both sides presenting a typical bi- or triphasic Doppler flow profile. A linear age dependent increase in the LD of 1.95 +/- 0.15 mm (right ITA) and 1.93 +/- 0.27 mm (left ITA) respectively to 2.65 +/- 0.48 mm and 2.55 +/- 0.43 mm was found. No significant side difference was found for Vs and Vd, nor were there any age dependent differences for Vs. The SDR showed an age dependent linear increase on the right side from 3.5 +/- 1.1 to 6.1 +/- 2.2, p 2.0 has a sensitivity of 100 % and a specificity of 97 % in the detection of a haemodynamically relevant (>70 %) ITA-graft-stenosis. CONCLUSIONS With rising age, there is an increase in the LD of the ITA and the peripheral resistance, expressed as SDR. After MIDCAB surgery the former triphasic Doppler flow curve changes into a mono- or biphasic curve corresponding to the coronary blood flow. An SDR >2.0 is a strong indicator of bypass failure.

BACKGROUND To evaluate the efficacy, safety and limitation of a new 6F-compatible nitinol stent (Dynalink(TM). MATERIAL AND METHODS We treated 50 patients (17 women, 33 men, mean age 72 +/- 8 years) by implanting 80 Dynalink(TM)-stents into 75 vessels during a 6-month period. Target lesions were: iliac artery: 25, femoral artery: 31, popliteal artery: 16, femoro-popliteal bypass: 5, subclavian vein: 3. Preinterventional Rutherford classifications: Class 1 : 3 legs (5 %), class 2 : 27 legs (51 %), class 3 : 16 legs (31 %), class 4 : 2 legs (4 %), class 5 : 5 legs (9 %). 40 % stents each were implanted ipsilateral, 60 % cross-over. RESULTS All interventions were successful regardless of a sometimes anatomically difficult access to the lesion. The device was characterised by a high flexibility and radial force and the stent did not shorten. COMPLICATIONS One distal stent dislocation during placement occurred, no puncture site complication. The mean diameter stenosis was reduced from 91 +/- 10 % (75 - 100 %) to 4 +/- 8 % (0 - 30 %). The ankle-brachial index was improved from 0.46 +/- 0.22 to 0.75 +/- 0.23 (p < 0.001). Post-interventional Rutherford classifications: Class 0 : 43 legs (81 %), class 1 : 5 legs (4,5 %), class 5 : 5 legs (4,5 %). CONCLUSIONS The new 6F-sheath compatible nitinol stent is characterised by a good flexibility, radial force, and a lack of shortening. By the reduction of the diameter of the device to 6F, the potential risk of a local bleeding complication may be reduced and 6F sealing devices will be usable. Disadvantages are the 0.018 inch guide-wire lumen and the limited stent sizes.

Aim Although colour coded Doppler ultrasound (CCDU) is established as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for detecting renal artery stenoses (RAS), no uniform criterion for defining a hemodynamically relevant stenosis (i.e. angiographic stenosis of > or = 70% of the diameter) exists. We therefore investigated the predictive value of the renal-aortic flow-velocity ratio (RAR) > 3.5 m/s and a difference of Patients and methods We analysed 500 consecutive CCDU examinations of patients with hypertension retrospectively. An RAR > 3.5 and/or a lateral inequality of the RI Results In 448 patients (90%) both renal arteries could be found, in 11 patients (2%) only the right artery, in 6 patients (1%) the left artery, and in 35 patients (7%) no renal artery was detectable. In 98 patients (19.6%), RAS was diagnosed, 69 (71%) of them underwent angiography. 38 patients presented an RAR > 3.5 plus dRI > 0.05. In 29 of these, angiography was performed. 96% of them presented with an RAS of > or = 70% and 4% showed an RAS of 40-69% (specificity 97%, sensitivity 76%). In 54 patients the RAR was > 3.5, but dRI or = 70%, 68% with an RAS of 40-69%, and 8% with an RAS of Conclusion An experienced physician using a high quality colour-coded duplex-machine can reliably detect the renal arteries. The presence of RAS can be diagnosed with certainty by CCDU applying the criterion of RAR > 3.5, but the diagnosis of a one-sided haemodynamically relevant RAS can only be certain if the criterion of dRI > 0.05 is used in addition.

BACKGROUND To evaluate the efficacy, safety and limitations of a new rotational thrombectomy device (Straub-Rotarex) in clinical practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS The Straub-Rotarex catheter is a new, wire-guided rotational thrombectomy device for the treatment of acute and subacute occlusions of the femoro-popliteal arteries. Over a 6-month period, 28 patients (64% male, mean age 69 +/- 9.5, 51-91 years) with 31 legs, mean duration of occlusion 4.4 +/- 4 (0-20) weeks, mean occlusion length 22 +/- 11 (5-40) cm were treated with the device, 5 of them in a cross-over technique. Target lesions: Aortic-femoral bypass, common iliac artery, external iliac artery, common femoral artery: 1 each, superficial femoral artery: 23, popliteal artery: 17. Initial stage of claudication: IIa: 6%, IIb: 72%, III: 16%, IV: 6%. RESULTS Primary success rate: 90% (ipsilateral: 100%, cross-over: 40%). Stage of claudication after intervention: I: 85%, IIa: 7%, III: 4%, IV 4%, one amputation. 3-months follow-up: stage I: 86% (n = 24), IIa: 14% (n = 4), one femoro-popliteal bypass. Restenosis rate 18%. 6-months follow-up: stage I: 56% (n = 9), IIa: 31% (n = 5), IIb: 13% (n = 2). Restenosis rate 56%. COMPLICATIONS 32% (5 perforations, three cases of embolism after PTA, one wire-induced dissection, one retroperitoneal bleeding coming from the puncture site). CONCLUSIONS The new device is a useful tool for the treatment of (sub)acute long-distance occlusions of the SFA and popliteal artery and in-stent restenosis as well in antegrade technique. Main complications are perforations. Cross-over interventions can only be done in special cases.

The goal of this study was to assess the current practice of endocarditis prophylaxis in Germany. We conducted a survey using a standardized questionnaire, which was sent to 100 hospital cardiologists, to 430 cardiologists in office practice and to 389 dentists and oral surgeons. In addition, 364 patients with valvular or congenital heart disease were interviewed in our outpatient clinic. Seventy five percent of cardiologists informed their patients by both written and oral instructions. Half recommended the use of penicillin, according to the German Society of Cardiology, while the rest followed recommendations of other societies. Sixty-three percent of patients who had undergone a procedure requiring prophylaxis against bacterial endocarditis within the year prior to the questionnaire, had actually received it. This is higher than previously reported, but is far from acceptable. The indications for prevention of endocarditis, as seen by the dentists, deviated markedly from official recommendations. Although 77% administered antibiotics themselves, in only 57% did the type of prophylaxis applied correspond to one of the available recommendations. Recommendations on the prevention of bacterial endocarditis are not well known by dentists and oral surgeons who perform procedures for which it is indicated. Further patient- and physician-oriented strategies are urgently needed to improve compliance with prevention of endocarditis in Germany.

Investigations carried out in recent years have shown that patients with coronary heart disease display partial to considerable extent transient ST-segment changes that can be determined with ambulatory ECG. An interesting question is how often transient ST-segment changes are present in patients in whom the indication for an aortocoronary bypass operation or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) has already been determined. In the patients who are waiting for a bypass operation or PTCA, the proof of myocardial ischemia has been determined, and which subgroups of patients display ST changes in the ambulatory ECG must be tested. It is interesting to ask what happens to such transient ischemic episodes as a result of surgical or catheter intervention, how often such episodes are present even after these interventions, and whether the latter has a clinical significance in view of the success of the intervention (graft patency in coronary artery bypass graft patients or reocclusion in PTCA patients). Furthermore, it is to be tested whether transient ST-segment changes take on a prognostic significance in the long-term follow-up after bypass operation or PTCA.

Die Aufgaben der Bewegungstherapie und ihre Wirkung richten sich nach Stadium und Schweregrad der Erkrankung sowie der korperlichen Leistungsfahigkeit des Patienten. Ganz allgemein kann man folgende Zielrichtungen anfuhren: In der Akutphase der Erkrankung soll bei bettlagerigen Patienten die basale korperliche Leistungsfahigkeit erhalten und die Pravention von Zweiterkrankungen (z. B.Thromboembolien) bewirkt werden. Wahrend der Rekonvaleszenz soll die korperliche Leistungsfahigkeit gesteigert und wenn moglich wiederhergestellt werden. Im chronischen Stadium der Erkrankung wird im Sinne der lebenslangen Sekundarpravention die Erhaltung und ggf. die Steigerung der korperlichen Leistungsfahigkeit, die Verbesserung der metabolischen Fitness mit begleitender Senkung von pro-atherogenen und pro-inflammatorischen Risikofaktoren und schlieslich die Erhohung der motorischen Kompetenz und der Lebensqualitat im Alltag angestrebt.

Am Anfang dieses Abschnitts soll mit einem etwas vereinfachenden Schema eine Abgrenzung des morphologischen, funktionellen und klinischen Bereichs der Koronarerkankungen erfolgen

Nach einer diagnostisch nicht befriedigenden Vorperiode nichtselektiver Koronarangiographie, die v. a. an die Namen Dotter (Dotter u. Frische 1961), Bellmann (Bellmann et al. 1960) und Paulin (1964) geknupft ist, wurde 1962 von Sones u. Shirey an der Cleveland Clinic die selektive Koronarangiographie mit Zugang uber die A. brachialis eingefuhrt. Ungefahr zur gleichen Zeit ist von Judkins (1967) der transfemorale Zugang unter Verwendung vorgeformter Katheter propagiert worden. Diese beiden Techniken der selektiven Koronarangiographie — selektiv, weil das Kontrastmittel direkt in die Abgange der Koronararterien eingespritzt wird — finden heute als Sones-Technik und Judkins-Technik weltweite Anwendung.

Acute embolic or local thrombotic ischaemia of the upper limbs can be treated by embolectomy or by endovascular techniques. We report here on the endovascular thrombectomy of acute embolic occlusions of subclavian and axillary arteries in two patients using a rotational thrombectomy device and give an overview about the actual literature. Two female patients, each with a history of multivessel coronary disease and intermittent atrial fibrillation, complained of sudden onset of pain at rest and paleness of the left and right arm, respectively. Duplex ultrasound showed a localized embolic occlusion of the left subclavian artery and the bifurcation of the brachial artery in the first patient and a localized embolic occlusion of the distal right subclavian and axillary artery in the second patient. In the first patient, the left subclavian artery was reopened using a 8F-Rotarex device via the femoral access, while the bifurcation of the brachial artery was reopened by local thrombolysis using 25 mg rt-PA because of the insufficient length of the thrombectomy device of 80 cm. In the second patient, the right subclavian and axillary arteries were reopened using a 6F-Rotarex device. Follow-up examinations before discharge and after 6 months showed normalized perfusion of the arms of both patients.

In coronary heart disease, the surgical therapy of choice is the construction of an artenal bypass of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) using the internal thoracic artery 8ITA). We define age dependent normal values for the ITA such as diameter of the lumen (LD), peak systolic (Vs) and diastolic (Vd) flow velocity and the ratio of these two values (SDR) measured by duplex ultrasound. Furthermore, the modification and pathological changes of the Doppler curve after minimal invasive bypass of the LAD (MIDCAB) are described.96 people, age 18 - 87 years, subdivided into 6 age groups were examined by duplex to define the normal values of the ITA, and 55 patients (mean age 63 +/- 10 years, 48 men, 7 women) were evaluated after MIDCAB-surgery to describe the postoperative modification of the Doppler curve. The examinations were performed using a 4 - 7 MHz linear ultrasound transducer in the right and left 1. or 2. intercostal space parasternally.In all 96 people, the ITA was detectable on both sides presenting a typical bi- or triphasic Doppler flow profile. A linear age dependent increase in the LD of 1.95 +/- 0.15 mm (right ITA) and 1.93 +/- 0.27 mm (left ITA) respectively to 2.65 +/- 0.48 mm and 2.55 +/- 0.43 mm was found. No significant side difference was found for Vs and Vd, nor were there any age dependent differences for Vs. The SDR showed an age dependent linear increase on the right side from 3.5 +/- 1.1 to 6.1 +/- 2.2, p0.0012, and on the left from 3.9 +/- 1.2 to 6.7 +/- 1.7, p0.0001. Postoperatively, the Doppler spectrum was modified into a mono- or biphasic Doppler curve with a reduced Vs and an increased Vd resulting in a significantly decreased SDR on the left side compared with the right side (1.3 +/- 0.8 vs. 5.4 +/- 2.0, p0.00001). Three patients with angiographically proven graft failure had an SDR of 2.6 - 5.2 (mean 3.8), as opposed to a value of2.0 in case of a patent bypass. An SDR2.0 has a sensitivity of 100 % and a specificity of 97 % in the detection of a haemodynamically relevant (70 %) ITA-graft-stenosis.With rising age, there is an increase in the LD of the ITA and the peripheral resistance, expressed as SDR. After MIDCAB surgery the former triphasic Doppler flow curve changes into a mono- or biphasic curve corresponding to the coronary blood flow. An SDR2.0 is a strong indicator of bypass failure.

To evaluate the efficacy, safety and limitation of a new 6F-compatible nitinol stent (Dynalink(TM).We treated 50 patients (17 women, 33 men, mean age 72 +/- 8 years) by implanting 80 Dynalink(TM)-stents into 75 vessels during a 6-month period. Target lesions were: iliac artery: 25, femoral artery: 31, popliteal artery: 16, femoro-popliteal bypass: 5, subclavian vein: 3. Preinterventional Rutherford classifications: Class 1 : 3 legs (5 %), class 2 : 27 legs (51 %), class 3 : 16 legs (31 %), class 4 : 2 legs (4 %), class 5 : 5 legs (9 %). 40 % stents each were implanted ipsilateral, 60 % cross-over.All interventions were successful regardless of a sometimes anatomically difficult access to the lesion. The device was characterised by a high flexibility and radial force and the stent did not shorten.One distal stent dislocation during placement occurred, no puncture site complication. The mean diameter stenosis was reduced from 91 +/- 10 % (75 - 100 %) to 4 +/- 8 % (0 - 30 %). The ankle-brachial index was improved from 0.46 +/- 0.22 to 0.75 +/- 0.23 (p0.001). Post-interventional Rutherford classifications: Class 0 : 43 legs (81 %), class 1 : 5 legs (4,5 %), class 5 : 5 legs (4,5 %).The new 6F-sheath compatible nitinol stent is characterised by a good flexibility, radial force, and a lack of shortening. By the reduction of the diameter of the device to 6F, the potential risk of a local bleeding complication may be reduced and 6F sealing devices will be usable. Disadvantages are the 0.018 inch guide-wire lumen and the limited stent sizes.

To evaluate the efficacy, safety and limitations of a new rotational thrombectomy device (Straub-Rotarex) in clinical practice.The Straub-Rotarex catheter is a new, wire-guided rotational thrombectomy device for the treatment of acute and subacute occlusions of the femoro-popliteal arteries. Over a 6-month period, 28 patients (64% male, mean age 69 +/- 9.5, 51-91 years) with 31 legs, mean duration of occlusion 4.4 +/- 4 (0-20) weeks, mean occlusion length 22 +/- 11 (5-40) cm were treated with the device, 5 of them in a cross-over technique. Target lesions: Aortic-femoral bypass, common iliac artery, external iliac artery, common femoral artery: 1 each, superficial femoral artery: 23, popliteal artery: 17. Initial stage of claudication: IIa: 6%, IIb: 72%, III: 16%, IV: 6%.Primary success rate: 90% (ipsilateral: 100%, cross-over: 40%). Stage of claudication after intervention: I: 85%, IIa: 7%, III: 4%, IV 4%, one amputation. 3-months follow-up: stage I: 86% (n = 24), IIa: 14% (n = 4), one femoro-popliteal bypass. Restenosis rate 18%. 6-months follow-up: stage I: 56% (n = 9), IIa: 31% (n = 5), IIb: 13% (n = 2). Restenosis rate 56%.32% (5 perforations, three cases of embolism after PTA, one wire-induced dissection, one retroperitoneal bleeding coming from the puncture site).The new device is a useful tool for the treatment of (sub)acute long-distance occlusions of the SFA and popliteal artery and in-stent restenosis as well in antegrade technique. Main complications are perforations. Cross-over interventions can only be done in special cases.

Although colour coded Doppler ultrasound (CCDU) is established as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for detecting renal artery stenoses (RAS), no uniform criterion for defining a hemodynamically relevant stenosis (i.e. angiographic stenosis ofor = 70% of the diameter) exists. We therefore investigated the predictive value of the renal-aortic flow-velocity ratio (RAR)3.5 m/s and a difference of0.05 between the left and right side for the resistance index according to Pourcelot (dRI) in the detection of a relevant RAS.We analysed 500 consecutive CCDU examinations of patients with hypertension retrospectively. An RAR3.5 and/or a lateral inequality of the RI0.05 were used as stenosis criterion.In 448 patients (90%) both renal arteries could be found, in 11 patients (2%) only the right artery, in 6 patients (1%) the left artery, and in 35 patients (7%) no renal artery was detectable. In 98 patients (19.6%), RAS was diagnosed, 69 (71%) of them underwent angiography. 38 patients presented an RAR3.5 plus dRI0.05. In 29 of these, angiography was performed. 96% of them presented with an RAS ofor = 70% and 4% showed an RAS of 40-69% (specificity 97%, sensitivity 76%). In 54 patients the RAR was3.5, but dRI0.05. 24% of the patients undergoing angiography (n = 37) presented with an RAS ofor = 70%, 68% with an RAS of 40-69%, and 8% with an RAS of40% (specificity 60%, sensitivity 100%). 44 hypertensive patients who underwent angiography after a CCDU examination not suggesting the presence of RAS were used as control group.An experienced physician using a high quality colour-coded duplex-machine can reliably detect the renal arteries. The presence of RAS can be diagnosed with certainty by CCDU applying the criterion of RAR3.5, but the diagnosis of a one-sided haemodynamically relevant RAS can only be certain if the criterion of dRI0.05 is used in addition.

The CIS was undertaken with the aim to evaluate the effects of lipid modifications on angiographic progression and regression of CAD in patients with CAD and hypercholesterolemia. The design included a multicenter randomized, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled comparison, with target and safety limits for adjusting the trial medication depending on the LDL cholesterol level (LDL-C) achieved, i.e., up to 40 mg of simvastatin (S) or placebo (P) daily, add-on medication (up to 3 x 4 g Colestyramin), and diet counselling. Male patients, average age 49 (or = 56) years, were included with angiographic CAD and a screening total cholesterol of 207-350 mg/dl, who were not due to undergo coronary bypass surgery or PTCA, who did not suffer from serious other disease (e.g., diabetes mellitus), and who had not undergone coronary bypass surgery previously.All baseline variables were comparable in the treatment groups, with 129 patients taking S and 125 taking P. Of these 254 patients 217 had their final study visit and 207 underwent a second angiography after an average treatment time of 2.3 years under an average daily dose of 37 mg S. 205 pairs of films were available for analysis. Vital information was obtained of all patients until closure of the data bank, half a year after the last study angiography. Five deaths occurred within the study period, 12 through March 15, 1995 (S: 1/6, P: 4/6). 37 patients (S: 18, P: 19) discontinued trial drug and protocol. Concomitant CAD medication was comparable in both groups, except lipid-lowering add-on medication which was significantly higher in the P group (38% versus 13%). Significant changes in lipid levels, on treatment, were observed in the S group amounting to a mean difference in LDL-C of -35%, in Apo-Protein B (ApoB) of -30%, in VLDL-C of -37%, and in triglycerides (TG) of -27%, and in HDL-C of +6%, in comparison to the control group; these differences were even greater in 137 fully compliant patients: -41, -36, -39, -31, and +7%, respectively. Progression in the S group was significantly less, as defined by the two primary target criteria: 1) the minimum obstruction diameter (MOD), determined by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA), decreased about five times less in comparison to the control group (S: by -0.017; P: -0.0954 mm), and 2) the standardized visual global change score (GCS) deteriorated almost three times less in the S group (by +0.20) than in the P group (+0.58). Of the secondary target criteria, the mean lumen diameter (QCA) also developed a significant difference (S: -0.20; P: +0.23 mm; p = 0.0006) with a trend toward regression in the S group. The QCA-%-stenosis deteriorated three- to four-times less in the S group as compared to the control group (S: by 0.69%; P: by 2.73%; p = 0.0022), and the number of patients with angiographic progression was nearly halved (S: 30%; P: 56%; p0.0000). These differences were determined by intention to treat analysis (ITT), and they were obtained in spite of lipid lowering add-on medication in 38% of the P patients; they turned out to be more pronounced in 137 fully compliant patients, in an analysis "as treated". The mean decrease in LDL-C serum level caused by S was significantly correlated to the decrease in progression, and multivariate regression analysis of both treatment groups identified LDL-C (or ApoB) and TG as independent predictors of progression. Progression appeared to be most pronounced in low and medium sized lesions, and the beneficial effect of lipid intervention dominated in lesions with 12-56% QCA stenosis severity. A small fraction of patients who suffered from exercise-induced angina, with ST-segment-depression at the beginning of the study, experienced a significant improvement under S as compared to P treatment. Although the study was not designed to show differences in clinical events, the combined number of all major cardiovascular events tended to be less frequent in the S than in the C gr

In coronary heart disease (CHD), pathological myocardial ischemic changes do not always occur with the symptom of heart pain. Methodological problems make it difficult to examine the factors that influence silent and symptomatic myocardial ischemia in everyday life. This study uses a computer-assisted monitoring system with an interactive Holter ECG, an actometer, and an electronic diary. Self-report measurements indicate that symptomatic patients tend toward increased neuroticism, whereas asymptomatic patients engage in beneficial and active coping skills more frequently. The results of the monitoring study demonstrate the same degree of ischemia in silent and symptomatic episodes. However, these episodes show differences in certain psychological context variables. Symptomatic episodes are linked to high subjective strain and severe tension. Because angina pectoris is not a reliable warning signal of myocardial ischemia, the use of the interactive monitoring system is recommended for educating CHD patients on how to cope with excessive strain in everyday life.

Standardized guidelines for exercise training for patients with chronic congestive heart failure (CHF) have not been established. In the past, CHF patients involved in exercise training studies demonstrated a wide range of cardiac and functional impairment, with an ejection fraction between 18 and 35% and a peak VO2 between 12.2 and 25.4 ml/kg/min on average. For determination of training intensity, a VO2 between 40 and 70% of peak VO2 and/or training heart rate between 60 and 80% of peak heart rate was used. There was also a wide range for frequency (between 3 and 7 times per week) and duration of training (between 20 and 60 min per session). For aerobic exercise training only continuous training methods were applied. We have developed a new interval training method which allows intense exercise stimuli on peripheral muscles with minimal cardiac strain. After only three weeks of training, the improvement in aerobic capacity was similar to that reported after longer training periods using continuous methods. To determine work rate for work phases of interval training, a special steep ramp test was developed. By analysis of acute physical responses to this testing procedure and to the interval training, both were proven to be tolerable in CHF patients, even if their ejection fraction is as low as 13%, or peak cardiac index not greater than 1.61/m2/min, and peak VO2 less than 8.5 ml/kg/min.

We evaluated the use of both intracoronary ultrasound (ICUS) information and unique balloon characteristics provided by a combined ICUS/variable diameter balloon catheter during coronary interventions to achieve the maximal residual lumen using the least number of devices. In 47 patients, 64 coronary lesions were treated with either sequential percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) (n = 40) or stenting (primary [n = 17], secondary [n = 7]). The result after PTCA was judged satisfactory if the lumen cross sectional area (by ICUS) in the lesion exceeded 65% of the mean reference area. Stent implantation was judged according to revised MUSIC trial criteria. PTCA or stenting was successful in all 64 lesions using 47 combination devices and 10 conventional balloons (mean number of balloons per lesion: 0.90). PTCA group: diameter stenosis decreased from 78 +/- 11 to 23 +/- 13% following inflation at 10.3 +/- 3.0 atm. ICUS lumen area was 4.6 +/- 1.9 mm2 (proximal reference: 7.4 +/- 3.3 mm2, distal reference: 5.7 +/- 1.8 mm2) resulting in a residual area stenosis of 28 +/- 15%. Stent group: diameter stenosis was reduced from 77 +/- 14 to 10 +/- 10% after stenting. ICUS defined minimal lumen area in the stent was 8.2 +/- 2.2 mm2 (proximal reference: 8.7 +/- 2.6 mm2, distal reference: 8.0 +/- 2.2 mm2) resulting in a residual area stenosis of 7.2 +/- 14.6%. No patient death, myocardial infarction, or emergency surgery occurred and only one target lesion required re-PTCA during hospitalization. In conclusion, use of a combined ICUS/variable diameter balloon catheter allows a single device strategy for ICUS-guided PTCA and stenting in the majority (84%) of unselected lesions.

Background : Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) are characterized by abnormal gas exchange and ventilatory responses to exercise. Hypothesis : This study compares variables obtained from cardiopulmonary exercise testing in 35 patients with CHF with 35 age- and weight-matched healthy subjects. A second goal was to obtain cardiopulmonary variables measured at ventilatory threshold to distinguish patient changes from those of healthy subjects. Methods : Exercise testing was carried out using bicycle ergometry with ramplike protocol (work rate increments 12.5 W/min). Gas exchange and ventilation were measured breath by breath. Results : Compared with healthy subjects, the VO 2 in patients was lower at identical work rates (p

Am Anfang dieses Abschnitts soll mit einem etwas vereinfachenden Schema eine Abgrenzung des morphologischen, funktionellen und klinischen Bereichs der Koronarerkrankungen erfolgen (Abb. 29,1).

Vor 20–30 Jahren wurde der Herzinfarkt noch vordergrundig als ein akutes Ereignis mit mehr oder minder ausgepragten chronischen Folgen angesehen. Nach dem Herzinfarkt wurde der Patient als „Zustand nach Herzinfarkt“ deklariert. Die Langzeitbehandlung stand vorrangig unter dem Motto: Nachbehandlung und Nachsorge.