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Objective: Heart failure (HF) is a growing public health problem with high morbidity and mortality. Recently, angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor (ARNi) has emerged as a promising treatment for HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Here, we shared our experience with the use of ARNi in HFrEF from multiple centers in Turkey. Methods: The ARNi-TR is a multicenter, nonintervention al, retrospective, observational study. Overall, 779 patients with HF from 22 centers in Turkey who were prescribed sacubitril/valsartan were examined. Initial clinical status, biochemical and echocardiographic parameters, and New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA-FC) values were compared with follow-up values after 1 year of ARNi use. In addition, the effect of ARNi on number of annual hospitalizations was investigated, and the patients were divided into 2 groups, depending on whether ARNi was initiated at hospitalization or under outpatient clinic control. Results: N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), left-ventricle ejection fraction (LV-EF), and NYHA-FC values improved significantly in both groups (all parameters, p

Acute heart failure is associated with high mortality and rehospitalization rates and required urgent evaluation and early initiation or intensification of therapy. The risk of death and heart failure rehospitalization is greatest in the early post-discharge period, particularly within the first 3-6 months, and declines over time, which is referred as a vulnerable period of acute heart failure hospitalization. Therefore, implementation of guidelines-directed optimal therapy is not only so crucial in the acute phase but also very important in the pre-discharge and early post- discharge period in reducing mortality and rehospitalization rates. The pre-discharge period represents a window of opportunity for treatment optimization which includes to eliminate congestion, to treat comorbidities or precipitating factors, and to initiate or uptitrate oral ther- apy before discharge. Early assessment in the post-discharge period based on clinical evalu- ation and laboratory exams, further optimization of disease-modifying therapy is associated with lower 30-day hospitalization for heart failure. In clinical practice, clinicians usually focus on acute phase intravenous medications and short-term device therapies and, in fact, neglect short- and long-term comprehensive approaches. This paper reviews management strategies that may help reduce mortality and heart failure rehospitalizations in pre-discharge and post- discharge periods and include adopting holistic approaches for heart failure, increasing optimi- zation of evidence-based therapies, treating cardiac and noncardiac comorbidities, improving care transitions, monitoring, and disease management.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) are a new class of drugs for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) which inhibit urinary glucose reabsorption in the proximal tubule of the nephron and result in glucosuria, natriuresis and diuresis. In large, randomized clinical trials, SGLT-2i have been shown to reduce major cardiovascular (CV) events and heart failure (HF) hospitalizations in patients with T2DM who have atherosclerotic CV disease or CV risk factors. In these trials, SGLT-2i is have their greatest and most consistent effect on reducing the risk of HF hospitalization. The reduction in HF hospitalization was also observed in subgroups of patients with a HF diagnosis at baseline, which raised the possibility of a clinical benefit of SGLT-2i in HF patients, regardless of the presence or absence of T2DM. In very recently published DAPA-HF trial, a SGLT-2i, dapagliflozin treatment on top of standard HF therapy has been shown to have clear clinical benefits in terms of reducing HF hospitalization, CV mortality, all-cause mortality and improving quality of life in HF patients. This compelling evidence suggests that SGLT-2i have a potential to be an effective treatment option in HF, regardless of diabetes. This article provides a comprehensive overview focused on the role of SGLT-2i in the treatment of HF.

Objective: The prognostic impact of worsening renal function (WRF) in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) with preserved ejection fraction is controversial, and the pathophysiological mechanisms of WRF are not clearly understood. Methods: Fifty-three patients with ADHF with preserved ejection fraction were analyzed. WRF was defined as an increase of ≥ 0.3 mg/dL in the serum creatinine level during the first 5 days of the hospitalization and occurred in 37.7% of the study population. Results: Although baseline C-reactive protein (CRP) levels on admission was similar between patients with and without WRF, patients with WRF had higher 48-h CRP and delta CRP (Δ−CRP = 48-h CRP value − baseline CRP value) levels than those of patients without WRF. Multivariable analysis revealed that the baseline creatinine level and Δ−CRP were the independent risk factors for the development of WRF. The length of hospital stay (LOS) was significantly longer in the WRF group (9.9 ± 10.2 vs. 5.4 ± 2.8 days; P = 0.020). The median follow-up of the study population was 683 days, and the all-cause mortality rate was higher in patients with WRF than those without WRF (40% vs. 9.1%, P = 0.007, respectively). Conclusion: Baseline creatinine levels and Δ−CRP were the independent predictors of WRF. Increased inflammatory status expressed by Δ−CRP is found to be a novel finding for predicting the development of WRF in patients with ADHF with preserved ejection fraction. The presence of WRF was found to be associated with a poorer prognosis, including longer LOS, higher all-cause in-hospital, and all-cause postdischarge mortality.

An array of medical practitioners, including endocrinologists, family physicians, internal medicine specialists in nephrology and cardiology, unceasingly investigate, diagnose and treat over 8 million diabetic patients in Turkey. Apart from routine glycemic regulation, several frequent coexisting comorbidities such as obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and their associated complications should also be promptly managed. Due to the concomitant occurrence of complications, the involvement of additional specialties in the precise management of such conditions becomes indispensable. Owing to the ever-expanding knowledge about the prevalence and clinical manifestations of diabetes, various international medical societies publish annual diabetes guidelines, which makes it too cumbersome as well as challenging for the practicing physicians to follow these comprehensive guidelines in clinical practice. There is an unmet need for an easyto-read and concise document for all physicians working for diabetes management for a standardized approach for better management of diabetes and improved patient care. This consensus report was prepared collectively by the Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism Turkey, Turkish Society of Cardiology, Turkish Society of Nephrology, Turkish Society of Hypertension and Renal Diseases to prevent cardiac and renal complications of diabetes, to timely detect these complications by using pertinent measures and to develop, implement and monitor strategies for managing them effectively.

Graves’ disease is an autoimmune thyroid disease and a common cause of hyperthyroidism. Thyroid hormones have multiple adverse effect on cardiovascular system through many direct and indirect mechanisms. They increases heart rate, cardiac contractility, systolic and mean pulmonary artery pressure, cardiac output, diastolic relaxation, and myocardial oxygen consumption, whereas decrease systemic vascular resistance and diastolic pressure. All these hemodynamic changes in cardiovascular system can eventually lead to heart failure, tachyarrhythmias, systemic and pulmonary hypertension, if left untreated. Cardiovascular complications of Graves’ disease are frequent and important cause of increased morbidity and mortality. This chapter reviews the cardiovascular complications of Graves’ hyperthyroidism with underlying mechanisms and treatment.

Hyperkalemia is a common electrolyte abnormality in heart failure (HF) that can cause potentially life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. HF patients with diabetes, chronic kidney disease and older age are at higher risk of hyperkalemia. Moreover, hyperkalemia is also often associated with the use of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASi) including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists and sacubitril-valsartan. In clinical practice, the occurrence of hyperkalemia is a major concern among the clinicians and often limits RAASi use and/ or lead to dose reduction or discontinuation, thereby reducing their potential benefits for HF. Furthermore, recurrent hyperkalemia is frequent in the long-term and is associated with an increase in hyperkalemia-related hospitalizations. Therefore, management of hyperkalemia has a special importance in HF patients. However, treatment options in chronic management are currently limited. Dietary restriction of potassium is usually ineffective with variable adherence. Sodium polystyrene sulfonate is commonly used, but its effectiveness is uncertain and reported to be associated with intestinal toxicity. New therapeutic options such as potassium binders have been suggested as potentially beneficial agents in the management of hyperkalemia. This document discusses prevalence, predictors and management of hyperkalemia in HF, emphasizing the importance of careful patient selection for medical treatment, uptitration of the doses of RAASi, regular surveillance of potassium and treatment options of hyperkalemia.

AIM Gender-related differences have been described in the clinical characteristics and management of patients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, published data are conflictive in this regard. METHODS We investigated differences in clinical and management variables between male and female patients from the ATA study, a prospective, multicentre, observational study that included 1462 outpatients with chronic HFrEF between January and June 2019. RESULTS Study population was predominantly male (70.1%). In comparison to men, women with chronic HFrEF were older (66 ± 11 years vs 69 ± 12 years, P

In December 2019, in the city of Wuhan, in the Hubei province of China, treatment-resistant cases of pneumonia emerged and spread rapidly for reasons unknown. A new strain of coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 [SARS-CoV-2]) was identified and caused the first pandemic of the 21st century. The virus was officially detected in our country on March 11, 2020, and the number of cases increased rapidly; the virus was isolated in 670 patients within 10 days. The rapid increase in the number of patients has required our physicians to learn to protect both the public and themselves when treating patients with this highly infectious disease. The group most affected by the outbreak and with the highest mortality rate is elderly patients with known cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is necessary for cardiology specialists to take an active role in combating the epidemic. The aim of this article is to make a brief assessment of current information regarding the management of cardiovascular patients affected by COVID-19 and to provide practical suggestions to cardiology specialists about problems and questions they have frequently encountered.

Objective: heart failure (HF) is a progressive clinical syndrome. SELFIE-TR is a registry illustrating the overall HF patient profile of Turkey. Herein, all-cause mortality (ACM) data during follow-up were provided. Methods: this is a prospective outcome analysis of SELFIE-TR. Patients were classified as acute HF (AHF) versus chronic HF (CHF) and HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), HF with mid-range ejection fraction, and HF with preserved ejection fraction and were followed up for ACM. Results: there were 1054 patients with a mean age of 63.3±13.3 years and with a median follow-up period of 16 (7-17) months. Survival data within 1 year were available in 1022 patients. Crude ACM was 19.9% for 1 year in the whole group. ACM within 1 year was 13.7% versus 32.6% in patients with CHF and AHF, respectively (p, NA

In December 2019, in the city of Wuhan, in the Hubei province of China, treatment-resistant cases of pneumonia emerged and spread rapidly for reasons unknown. A new strain of coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 [SARS-CoV-2]) was identified and caused the first pandemic of the 21st century. The virus was officially detected in our country on March 11, 2020, and the number of cases increased rapidly; the virus was isolated in 670 patients within 10 days. The rapid increase in the number of patients has required our physicians to learn to protect both the public and themselves when treating patients with this highly infectious disease. The group most affected by the outbreak and with the highest mortality rate is elderly patients with known cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is necessary for cardiology specialists to take an active role in combating the epidemic. The aim of this article is to make a brief assessment of current information regarding the management of cardiovascular patients affected by COVID-19 and to provide practical suggestions to cardiology specialists about problems and questions they have frequently encountered.

INTRODUCTION In patients who are admitted to a hospital due to episode of syncope, acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is rarely considered as a possible cause. This report presents two cases illustrating PE as a cause of syncope with elevated cardiac troponin (cTn) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels despite normal echocardiographic examination and negative Doppler ultrasound imaging. Case 1: An 83-year-old woman admitted to the ER due to episodes of recurrent syncopes. According to her anamnesis, she had four episodes of syncopes during last three weeks without chest pain, dyspnea, palpitation or hemoptysis. ECG revealed a normal sinus rhythm with a heart rate of 70 bpm without ischemic changes. Laboratory tests revealed raised levels of cTn and NT-proBNP. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) demonstrated preserved left and right ventricular systolic functions without any cardiac chamber enlargement and mild tricuspid regurgitation with a PAP of 35 mmHg. Patient’s pre-test probability for pulmonary embolism was low (Wells’ score < 2) but D-dimer level was elevated. Doppler imaging for detection of deep vein thrombosis was negative. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) showed filling defects in the pulmonary arteries consistent with pulmonary embolism (Panel A). The patient was discharged with rivaroxaban therapy without any complication. Case 2: A 69- year-old woman presented to ER with symptoms of chest pain and recurrent episodes of syncope for the last 2 days. Her medical history revealed hypertension and hyperlipidemia. On admission ECG showed a normal sinus rhythm with a heart rate of 105 bpm and T-wave inversions in inferior leads. Laboratory tests showed elevated levels of cTn and NT-proBNP. TTE demonstrated normal left ventricular systolic function with an ejection fraction of 55% and normal right ventricular function and chamber size with a tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion of 22 mm. Diagnostic coronary angiography was performed to exclude acute ischemia revealed non-significant coronary artery stenosis. Doppler ultrasound imaging for detection of deep vein thrombosis was negative. CTPA showed filling defects in the bilateral main pulmonary arteries consistent with acute bilateral pulmonary embolism (Panel B-C). The patient was discharged with rivaroxaban therapy after four days of hospitalization period without any complication. CONCLUSION Elevated cTn and NT-proBNP leves on admission strongly suggest transient hemodynamic impairment causing cardiac injury and syncope. Normal admission ECG and TTE can exclude most possible acute cardiac causes of syncope. Although acute right ventricular dsyfunction is the most frequent finding of acute massive PE causing hemodymanic impairment resulting with syncope, diagnosis of acute PE should only be excluded with CTPA in patients with similar clinical characteristics despite normal TTE and negative venous Doppler ultrasound imaging. Abstract P1267 Figure

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is an important vascular disease with high mortality and morbidity and syncope is an uncommon presentation sign of acute PE. This report presents two cases illustrating acute PE as a cause of recurrent syncopal episodes with elevated cardiac troponin and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels despite normal initial trans-thoracic echocardiographic examination and negative Doppler ultrasound imaging for detection of deep vein thrombosis.

Natriuretic peptides have long been introduced into clinical practice. These biomarkers have certainly been shown to provide useful information in the diagnosis, prognosis and risk stratification in heart failure and also may have a role in the guidance of heart failure therapy. Although, there are some limitations in using of these markers such as lack of specificity, aging, renal dysfunction or obesity, among the huge number of candidates for heart failure biomarkers, only natriuretic peptides are currently widely used in daily clinical practice in heart failure. Recent heart failure guidelines recognize natriuretic peptides as an essential tool in the new diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms. Furthermore, natriuretic peptides are not only used in the diagnosis or prognosis of heart failure, but also these biomarkers are referred to have some potential role in primary prevention, cardio-oncology, advanced heart failure, assessment of response to cardiac resynchronization therapy, pulmonary arterial hypertension, acute coronary syndromes, atrial fibrillation and valvular heart disease. in this article, natriuretic peptides have been reviewed for their updated information and new recommendations in heart failure and also potential role of these biomarkers in the management of various clinical conditions have been addressed in the form of expert opinion based on the available data in the literature. (Anatol J Cardiol 2019: 21 Suppl 1; 1-40)

A 77-year-old man with a past medical history of myelodysplastic syndrome, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and chronic atrial fibrillation presented at the hematology outpatient clinic with progressive shortness of breath, weakness, and chest and back pain. Echocardiography was performed and the patient was diagnosed with severe pericardial effusion near the right ventricle. Pericardial drainage was performed. Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae was isolated from the pericardial fluid. Complications of respiratory and renal failure developed during follow-up. The clinical and laboratory findings of vegetation on the tricuspid valve, pericardial effusion, and atrial fibrillation with a low heart rate suggested possible pancarditis. A multidisciplinary treatment approach with the cardiology and infectious disease departments was critical to successful management of this case.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare but well known cause of myocardial ischemia. The majority of the victims are young who have a few cardiac risk factors. SCAD typically causes large myocardial infarction and presents significant challenges to diagnosis and management. SCAD is the most common cause of myocardial ischemia during peripartum and postpartum period in woman of childbearing age. We present a case of acute anterior myocardial infarction (MI) in a breastfeeding woman, 13 days after delivery. The presumed cause was flow limiting left anterior descending (LAD) artery dissection, in the particular context of peripartum. We discuss briefly the epidemiology, pathophysiology, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of myocardial infarction related to pregnancy and postpartum period. (C) 2015 The Czech Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

Kalp yetersizliği, insidans ve prevalansı giderek artan önemli bir toplum sağlığı problemidir. Tedavide sağlanan ilerlemelere rağ- men halen yaşam kalitesi düşük, hastaneye yatış oranları yüksek ve prognoz kötüdür. Kalp yetersizliğine eşlik eden hastalıklar klinik seyri olumsuz etkilemekte, prognozu kötüleştirmekte, tedaviyi güçleştirmekte ve klinik tablonun kontrolünü zorlaştırmaktadır. Bu nedenle kalp yetersizliğine yönelik tedavi ile birlikte komorbid durumların tedavisi ve kontrolünün sağlanması önemle vurgulanmaktadır. Kalp yetersizliğinde en sık rastlanan komorbid durumlardan biri demir eksikliği ve anemidir. Mevcut veriler demir eksikliği ve aneminin hem düşük ejeksiyon fraksiyonlu hem de korunmuş ejeksiyon fraksiyonlu kalp yetersizliğinde yaygın olduğunu göstermektedir. Aynı zamanda kalp yetersizliğinde demir eksikliği ve anemi kötü prognoz için bağımsız prediktörler olarak bulunmaktadır. Ayrıca demir eksikliği ve aneminin klinik tablonun ciddiyeti ile güçlü bir ilişkisi söz konusudur. Son yıllarda komorbid durum olarak demir eksikliği ve/veya aneminin eritropoietin, oral demir veya intravenöz demir ile tedavisiyle kalp yetersizliğinde klinik yarar sağlanıp sağlanamayacağına ilişkin çalışmalar yapılmıştır. Eritropoietin ve oral demir ile yapılan çalışmalarda beklenen klinik yararlar sağlanamamış ve istenmeyen olaylarda artış gözlenmiş- tir. Anemi olsun olmasın demir eksikliği bulunan kalp yetersizliği olgularında intravenöz demir tedavisi ile yapılan çalışmalarda mortalitede olmasa bile klinik sonuçlarda anlamlı yararların gösterilmesi kalp yetersizliğinde demir eksikliğini tedavi hedefi konumuna getirmiştir. Rehber niteliğinde hazırlanan bu belgenin amacı, kalp yetersizliğinde demir eksikliği ve anemiye yaklaşımı güncel kanıtlar eşliğinde değerlendirmektir., Heart failure is an important community health problem. Prevalence and incidence of heart failure have continued to rise over the years. Despite recent advances in heart failure therapy, prognosis is still poor, rehospitalization rate is very high, and quality of life is worse. Co-morbidities in heart failure have negative impact on clinical course of the disease, further impair prognosis, and add difficulties to treatment of clinical picture. Therefore, successful management of co-morbidities is strongly recommended in addition to conventional therapy for heart failure. One of the most common co-morbidities in heart failure is presence of iron deficiency and anemia. Current evi- dence suggests that iron deficiency and anemia are more prevalent in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, as well as those with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction. Moreover, iron deficiency and anemia are referred to as independent predic- tors for poor prognosis in heart failure. There is strong relationship between iron deficiency or anemia and severity of clinical status of heart failure. Over the last two decades, many clinical investigations have been conducted on clinical effectiveness of treatment of iron deficiency or anemia with oral iron, intravenous iron, and erythro- poietin therapies. Studies with oral iron and erythropoietin therapies did not provide any clinical benefit and, in fact, these therapies have been shown to be associated with increase in adverse clinical out- comes. However, clinical trials in patients with iron deficiency in the presence or absence of anemia have demonstrated considerable clinical benefits of intravenous iron therapy, and based on these positive outcomes, iron deficiency has become target of therapy in management of heart failure. The present report assesses current approaches to iron deficiency and anemia in heart failure in light of recent evidence

Heart failure is an important community health problem. Prevalence and incidence of heart failure have continued to rise over the years. Despite recent advances in heart failure therapy, prognosis is still poor, rehospitalization rate is very high, and quality of life is worse. Co-morbidities in heart failure have negative impact on clinical course of the disease, further impair prognosis, and add difficulties to treatment of clinical picture. Therefore, successful management of co-morbidities is strongly recommended in addition to conventional therapy for heart failure. One of the most common co-morbidities in heart failure is presence of iron deficiency and anemia. Current evidence suggests that iron deficiency and anemia are more prevalent in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, as well as those with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction. Moreover, iron deficiency and anemia are referred to as independent predictors for poor prognosis in heart failure. There is strong relationship between iron deficiency or anemia and severity of clinical status of heart failure. Over the last two decades, many clinical investigations have been conducted on clinical effectiveness of treatment of iron deficiency or anemia with oral iron, intravenous iron, and erythropoietin therapies. Studies with oral iron and erythropoietin therapies did not provide any clinical benefit and, in fact, these therapies have been shown to be associated with increase in adverse clinical outcomes. However, clinical trials in patients with iron deficiency in the presence or absence of anemia have demonstrated considerable clinical benefits of intravenous iron therapy, and based on these positive outcomes, iron deficiency has become target of therapy in management of heart failure. The present report assesses current approaches to iron deficiency and anemia in heart failure in light of recent evidence.

Prosthetic valve thrombosis is a serious complication of heart valve surgery. According to the recent studies, thrombolytic therapy is an important alternative therapy to the open heart surgery with successful outcomes. We present a case of a prosthetic mitral valve thrombosis who was successfully treated with modified ultra-slow thrombolytic therapy.

Berrak hucreli sarkom, nadir gorulen bir yumusak doku tumorudur. Berrak hucreli sarkomun kardiyak metastazi daha da seyrek gorulur. Otuz dort yasinda kadin hasta hastanemize sag dizinin arka bolumunde agri ve sislik yakinmasiyla basvurdu. Ameliyat edilen hastadaki popliteal kitle cerrahi sinirlari temiz olarak cikarildi. Hasta tanidan 14 ay sonra klinigimize sag atriyum-sag ventrikul bileskesinde 47x33 mm boyutlarinda metastatik kitle ile yeniden basvurdu. Perikardiyal pencere acilarak, sol anterolateral torakotomi ile perikardiyal rezeksiyon yapildi. Sag ventrikuldeki lezyonun biyopsisi primer popliteal tumorunki ile benzer yapida berrak hucreli karsinoma metastazi ile uyumlu olarak bildirildi. Izleme alinan hasta iki ay sonra yeniden hastaneye yatirildi. Hasta destek tedavisi sirasinda kardiyak arreste girdi. Acilen median sternotomi yapildi. Tumor kitlesi cok buyumustu. Hasta kaybedildi. Bu yazida berrak hucreli sarkomun kalbe metastazi ilk kez bildirilmektedir. Berrak hucreli sarkom kalpte agresif yayilim gostermisdi. Yapilan perikard rezeksiyonu ve bir perikardiyal pencere acilmasi gecici rahatlama sagladiysa da tumorun hizli buyumesi nedeniyle olumcul seyretti. Anah tar soz cuk ler: Kardiyak metastaz; seffaf hucreli sarkom; yumusak doku tumorleri. Clear cell sarcoma is a rare soft tissue tumor. Cardiac metastasis of clear cell sarcoma is seen even rarely. A 34-year-old female patient was admitted to our hospital with the complaints of pain and swelling on the posterior aspect of her right knee. She was operated and the popliteal mass was removed with clean surgical borders. Fourteen months following diagnosis, the patient applied to our clinic with a metastatic mass of 47x33 mm size at the junction of the right atrium and right ventricle. A pericardial window was opened and pericardial resection was made through left anterolateral thoracotomy. Biopsy of the lesions in the right ventricle showed similar findings with the popliteal tumor and was reported as clear cell carcinoma metastasis. The patient was re-hospitalized in the second month of the follow-up. Cardiac arrest occurred during the supportive therapy. Emergent median sternotomy was performed. Tumor mass had grown extremely large. The patient died. In this article, metastasis of clear cell sarcoma to the heart was reported for the first time. The involvement of heart by clear cell sarcoma was aggressive. Although pericardial resection and opening a pericardial window provided temporary relief, the prognosis was fatal due to rapid growth of the tumor.

FUNDAMENTO: Tem-se observado que a depressão é preditora de reinternação e mortalidade na insuficiência cardíaca. O hormônio da paratireoide é um biomarcador novo e promissor que pode predizer a internação, a capacidade funcional e a mortalidade na insuficiência cardíaca. OBJETIVO: Nosso objetivo foi investigar a associação da depressão aos níveis séricos de hormônio da paratireoide em pacientes com insuficiência cardíaca sistólica. MÉTODOS: Cem pacientes ambulatoriais consecutivos com IC sistólica com fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo < 40% foram examinados prospectivamente. Todos os pacientes foram submetidos a exames laboratoriais, incluindo análises de peptídeo natriurético cerebral e de hormônio da tireoide. Os pacientes foram convidados a completar o Inventário de Depressão de Beck-II. RESULTADOS: Cinquenta e um pacientes (51%) apresentavam escore de BDI ruim (escore de BDI > 18). Esses pacientes apresentavam níveis de hormônio da paratireoide significativamente mais elevados em comparação com aqueles com bons escores de BDI (133 ± 46 pg/ml versus 71 ± 26 pg/ml, p < 0,001). No modelo de regressão logística multivariada, constatou-se que o nível do hormônio da tireoide (razão de chances (OR) = 1.035, p = 0,003), fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo (OR = 0,854, p = 0,004), classe funcional III / IV (OR = 28,022, p = 0,005), C-reactive protein (CRP) (OR = 1,088, p = 0,020) e presença de edema pré-tibial (OR = 12,341, p = 0,033) constituíam preditores independentes de depressão moderada a importante após o ajuste de outros possíveis fatores de confusão. CONCLUSÃO: Pacientes com insuficiência cardíaca sistólica com depressão moderada a importante apresentavam níveis séricos elevados de hormônio da tireoide e CRP, capacidade funcional ruim e fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo mais baixa. A associação da depressão com esses parâmetros pode explicar a contribuição da depressão para a internação e a mortalidade na insuficiência cardíaca. 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.

Background: Our purpose was to investigate the clinical outcomes of Zotarolimus- and Paclitaxel-eluting stents in Turkish patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). In general, the outcome of drug-eluting stent (DES) placement has a proven efficacy in randomized trials. However, the difference in efficacy between the Zotarolimus and Paclitaxel-eluting stents in unselected Turkish patients is controversial. Therefore, we investigated the clinical outcomes of these two drug-eluting stents in the real-world. Methods: We created a registry and prospectively analyzed data on a consecutive series of all patients who presented to our institution with symptomatic coronary artery disease between February 2005 and March 2007 and who were treated with the zotarolimus- or the paclitaxel-eluting stent. The follow-up period was approximately two years. The primary end-point was major cardiac events, and the secondary end-point was definite stent thrombosis. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects, and the study protocol was approved by the local ethical committee. Results: In total, 217 patients were treated with either the zotarolimus-eluting stent (n = 116) or the paclitaxel-eluting stent (n = 101). The lesions in the 2 arms of the study were treated similarly by conventional technique. At 24-month follow-up the paclitaxel-eluting stent group showed significantly higher non-Q wave myocardial infarction (2.6% vs 5.9%, p: 0.02), Q wave myocardial infarction (1.7% vs 5.9%, p: 0.049), coronary artery binding graft surgery (2.6% vs 6.9%, p: 0.002), and late stent thrombosis (1.7% vs 3.9%, p: 0.046). Conclusions: Zotarolimus-eluting stents demonstrated better clinical outcomes than Paclitaxel-eluting stents in a daily routine practice of coronary intervention in an unselected Turkish population.

Background: Our purpose was to investigate the clinical outcomes of Zotarolimus- and Paclitaxel-eluting stents in Turkish patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). In general, the outcome of drug-eluting stent (DES) placement has a proven efficacy in randomized trials. However, the difference in efficacy between the Zotarolimus and Paclitaxel-eluting stents in unselected Turkish patients is controversial. Therefore, we investigated the clinical outcomes of these two drug-eluting stents in the real-world.Methods: We created a registry and prospectively analyzed data on a consecutive series of all patients who presented to our institution with symptomatic coronary artery disease between February 2005 and March 2007 and who were treated with the zotarolimus- or the paclitaxel-eluting stent. The follow-up period was approximately two years. The primary end-point was major cardiac events, and the secondary end-point was definite stent thrombosis. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects, and the study protocol was approved by the local ethical committee.Results: In total, 217 patients were treated with either the zotarolimus-eluting stent (n = 116) or the paclitaxel-eluting stent (n = 101). The lesions in the 2 arms of the study were treated similarly by conventional technique. At 24-month follow-up the paclitaxel-eluting stent group showed significantly higher non-Q wave myocardial infarction (2.6% vs 5.9%, p: 0.02), Q wave myocardial infarction (1.7% vs 5.9%, p: 0.049), coronary artery binding graft surgery (2.6% vs 6.9%, p: 0.002), and late stent thrombosis (1.7% vs 3.9%, p: 0.046).Conclusions: Zotarolimus-eluting stents demonstrated better clinical outcomes than Paclitaxel-eluting stents in a daily routine practice of coronary intervention in an unselected Turkish population.