Qrs-Complex Fragmentations and Right Ventricular Infarction in the Presence of Inferior Infarction with Triple-Vessels Disease; Bad Initials but a Good Outcome

Rationale: The term “fragmentation of the QRS complex” denotes the existence of high-frequency potentials (spikes) in the QRS-complex. It is either a marker for cardiac structural diseases inducing biventricular hypertrophy or any condition interfering with the normally homogeneous depolarization status inside the myocardium. An associated right ventricular infarction with inferior infarction maybe carry a risk impact and serious complications. Patient concerns: A 64-year-old married, farmer, heavy smoker, Egyptian male patient presented with acute severe chest pain and inferior with right ventricular ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and fragmentation of the QRS complex. Diagnosis: QRS-complex fragmentations and right ventricular infarction in the presence of inferior infarction with the triple-vessels disease. Interventions: Electrocardiography, oxygenation, streptokinase intravenous infusion, echocardiography, and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Outcomes: Dramatic response of acute inferior with right ventricular ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and QRS-complex fragmentations to streptokinase. Lessons: Despite the presence of inferior and right ventricular ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction with QRS-complex fragmentations, but there is no correlation with the severity of the disease. Dramatic clinical and electrocardiographic response signifying the role of streptokinase and fibrinolytic. The presence of fragmentation of the QRS-complex may have a bidirectional impact from seriousness to complications.

Screening of the Promising Direct Thrombin Inhibitors from Haematophagous Organisms. Part I: Recombinant Analogues and Their Antithrombotic Activity In Vitro

The success in treatment of venous thromboembolism and acute coronary syndromes using direct thrombin inhibitors has stimulated research aimed at finding a new anticoagulant from haematophagous organisms. This study deals with the comparison between hirudin-1 from Hirudomedicinalis(desirudin), being the first-known and most well-studied natural anticoagulant, along with recombinant analogs of haemadin from the leech Haemadipsa sylvestris, variegin from the tick Amblyomma variegatum, and anophelin from Anopheles albimanus. These polypeptides were chosen due to their high specificity and affinity for thrombin, as well as their distinctive inhibitory mechanisms. We have developed a universal scheme for the biotechnological production of these recombinant peptides as pharmaceutical substances. The anticoagulant activities of these peptides were compared using the thrombin amidolytic activity assay and prolongation of coagulation time (thrombin time, prothrombin time, and activated partial thromboplastin time) in mouse and human plasma. The preliminary results obtained suggest haemadin as the closest analog of recombinant hirudin-1, the active substance of the medicinal product Iprivask (Aventis Pharmaceuticals, USA) for the prevention of deep venous thrombosis in patients undergoing elective hip or knee replacement surgery. In contrast, variegin can be regarded as a natural analog of bivalirudin (Angiomax, The Medicines Company), a synthetic hirudin-1 derivative certified for the treatment of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention and of patients with unstable angina pectoris after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.

Results of activities of the department of vascular surgery amidst COVID-19 pandemic

Aim. To conduct comparative analysis of the activities of the department of vascular surgery before and during the spread of new coronavirus infection COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2).Methods. The analysis was performed on the number of outpatient visits of vascular surgeon for types of diagnosis, number and type of surgeries performed at the inpatient facilities of the LLC “Grand Medica” over 2019 (whole year) and 2020 (quarterly).Results. Significant decrease was noted in the number of visits of patients with cardiovascular diseases to vascular surgeon in the outpatient facility. The number of surgeries on limb arteries in patients among Kuzbass residents decreased by 26.4 %, among residents of other regions – by 59.5 %; in brachiocephalic arteries – by 12.5 % and 54.5 %, respectively. The number of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in patients among Kuzbass residents increased by 25.3 %, among residents of other regions remained unchanged.Conclusion. Decrease in the volume of provision of care for patients with cardiovascular diseases over 2–4 quarters of 2020 is caused by two groups of factors. The first one is associated directly to the epidemiological situation and countermeasures against the spread of SARS-CoV-2 while the second one is associated indirectly.

Acute myocardial infarction with left main coronary artery ostial negative remodelling as the first manifestation of Takayasu arteritis: a case report

Background Takayasu arteritis is a chronic inflammatory disease involving the aorta and its major branches. Acute myocardial infarction rarely but not so much presents in patients with Takayasu arteritis, and the preferable revascularization strategy is still under debate. Case presentation A 22-year-old female with Takayasu arteritis presented with acute myocardial infarction. Coronary angiography and intravenous ultrasound (IVUS) showed that the right coronary artery (RCA) was occluded and that there was severe negative remodelling at the ostium of the left main coronary artery (LMCA). The patient was treated by primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) with a scoring balloon in the LMCA, without stent implantation. After 3 months of immunosuppressive medication, the patient received RCA revascularization by stenting. There was progressive external elastic membrane (EEM) enlargement of the LMCA ostium demonstrated by IVUS at 3 and 15 months post-initial PTCA. Conclusion Here, we report a case of Takayasu arteritis with involvement of the coronary artery ostium. Through PTCA and long-term immunosuppressive medication, we found that coronary negative remodelling might be reversible in patients with Takayasu arteritis.

The Effects of PCSK9 and Apolipoprotein E Functional Gene Variations On Hypercholesterolemia and Clinical Phenotype in Restenosis Patients After Percutaneous Coronary Angioplasty

Background: In-stent-restenosis is a case restricting the benefits of percutaneous-transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). PCSK9 controls LDLR levels, and variations in PCSK9, ApoE and ApoER genes may affect the development of restenosis. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of genetic variants on restenosis risk after PTCA.Methods and Results: The study groups include 109 CAD-patients with restenosis (S-CAD) and 82 CAD-patients without restenosis (open-stent,OS-CAD). SNPs were analyzed by RT- PCR. PCSK9 levels were detected via ELISA method. The distributions of ApoE Epsilon, APOER (rs5174), PCSK9 rs2182833 and rs11206510 polymorphisms were found similar between study groups while the frequency of the PCSK9 E670G G allele in S-CAD group was found significantly higher than OS-CAD patients (p= 0.015). No difference was found between study groups in terms of the serum levels of PCSK9. LDL-C was found lower and HDL-C was found higher in OS-CAD group comparing with S-CAD group (p=0.042, p=0.008, respectively). Frequencies of Type 2 DM and hyperlipidemia were also found higher in S-CAD group than OS-CAD group (p=0.007, p=0.001, respectively) while EF% was found lower in S-CAD group than OS-CAD group (p=0.007).Conclusions: Our findings indicate that although ApoE Epsilon, APOER (rs5174), PCSK9 rs2182833, rs11206510 and E670G polymorphisms has no effect on serum PCSK9 levels, PCSK9-rs505151G-allele and hyperlipidemia may be risk factors in the development of restenosis.

Trends in the quality and cost of inpatient surgical procedures in the United States, 2002–2015

Objectives This study documents trends in risk-adjusted quality and cost for a variety of inpatient surgical procedures among Medicare beneficiaries from 2002 through 2015, which can provide valuable insight on future strategies to improve public health and health care. Methods We focused on 11 classes of inpatient surgery, defined by the Agency for Health Research and Quality’s (AHRQ’s) Clinical Classification System. The surgical classes studied included a wide range of surgeries, including tracheostomy, heart valve procedures, colorectal resection, and wound debridement, among others. For each surgical class, we assessed trends in treatment costs and quality outcomes, as defined by 30-day survival without unplanned readmissions, among Medicare beneficiaries receiving these procedures during hospital stays. Quality and costs were adjusted for patient severity based on demographics, comorbidities, and community context. We also explored surgical innovations of these 11 classes of inpatient surgery from 2002–2015. Results We found significant improvements in quality for 7 surgical classes, ranging from 0.08% (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty) to 0.74% (heart valve procedures) per year. Changes in cost varied by surgery, the significant decrease in cost ranged from -2.59% (tracheostomy) to -0.34% (colorectal resection) per year. Treatment innovation occurred with respect to surgical procedures utilized for heart valve procedures and colorectal resection, which may be associated with the decrease in surgical cost. Conclusions Our results suggest that there was significant quality improvement for 7 surgery categories over the 14-year study period. Costs decreased significantly for 6 surgery categories, and increased significantly for 3 other categories.

Temperature-dependent tensile properties of polyamide 12 for the use in percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty balloon catheters

Background Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) balloon catheters must withstand high pressures required for the lesion treatment, pushing loads during insertion, and pulling loads during withdrawal. These loads pose a challenge especially for polymeric tubular shafts with small cross sections. In order to enable new design innovations and to better understand the mechanics of current catheter technologies, the tensile properties of polyamide (PA) 12 were investigated. PA 12 dog bone specimens and medical PA 12 tubes were either stored at ambient temperature and humidity or conditioned in water, and subjected to tensile loads at different temperatures. In addition, the effect on the tensile properties of the necking process, a forming process to reduce the wall thickness of the tubes, was determined. Results The tested tubes showed a reduction in both Young’s Modulus (− 41.5%) and yield stress (− 29.2%) compared to standardized specimens. Furthermore, an increase in temperature and water absorption softens the material and reduces the mechanical properties like the Young’s Modulus and the yield stress. It was found that the material strengthens during the necking process. Likely due to the orientation of the polymers chain molecules in load direction (Rösler et al., 2007), the Young’s Modulus of the material could be increased by 43.5%. Furthermore, the absence of a yield point after necking allows for a greater loading capacity of the material without unstable neck growth. Besides the strengthening, the ultimate strain is reduced by 50%. This indicates that the necking process induces plastic deformation. Conclusion The investigation showed that the environmental conditions like temperature and humidity can influence mechanical properties. It could also be shown that pre-forming processes such as necking can enhance the mechanical properties, such as the Young’s Modulus, while reducing the wall thickness. These findings suggest possible further development of catheters with a small cross section and higher mechanical strength and highlight the importance to account for the targeted operating temperature during the design process.

A Prospective Observational Study on Evaluation of Therapeutic Efficacy of Antiplatelets in Coronary Artery Disease with Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty

Coronary artery disease otherwise named as Coronary heart disease. Coronary Artery Disease means narrowing of the coronary arteries. This narrowing causes reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle by buildup of plaque in the arteries of heart. A common symptom of Coronary artery disease is chest pain or chest discomfort which can travel to the shoulder, arm, back, neck or jaws. Other symptoms may include Shortness of breath, palpitations and even fatigue. Majorly antiplatelets are given in the treatment of CAD and followed by angioplasty for the clearing of plaques in the coronary artery. Collected a sample size of 200 patients, among them 126 are males and 74 are females. Patient with age group of 51-60 are more prone to CAD in both males and females. Chest pain is majorly seen in males compared to females. Chest pain, Sweating and shortness of breath is seen in both males and females and the number of male patients are more when compared to females. Patients with only shortness of breath are less when compared to other chief complaints. Social history includes Smokers are 26 (47.2%), alcoholic are 48 (57.14%).. Among all these patients the length of hospital stay of patients treated with combination of aspirin and clopidogrel is less when compared with ticagrelor, aspirin, clopidogrel.Based on the follow up observations we may consider that combination of antiplatelet therapy is effective in CAD patients undergone with percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.

Application of in silico Platform for the Development and Optimization of Fully Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold Designs

Bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS), made either from polymers or from metals, are promising materials for treating coronary artery disease through the processes of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Despite the opinion that bioresorbable polymers are more promising for coronary stents, their long-term advantages over metallic alloys have not yet been demonstrated. The development of new polymer-based BVS or optimization of the existing ones requires engineers to perform many very expensive mechanical tests to identify optimal structural geometry and material characteristics. in silico mechanical testing opens the possibility for a fast and low-cost process of analysis of all the mechanical characteristics and also provides the possibility to compare two or more competing designs. In this study, we used a recently introduced material model of poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) fully bioresorbable vascular scaffold and recently empowered numerical InSilc platform to perform in silico mechanicals tests of two different stent designs with different material and geometrical characteristics. The result of inflation, radial compression, three-point bending, and two-plate crush tests shows that numerical procedures with true experimental constitutive relationships could provide reliable conclusions and a significant contribution to the optimization and design of bioresorbable polymer-based stents.

Arrhythmogenic anterior myocardial infarction with QRS-complex fragmentations and Passing phenomenon or Yasser’s phenomenon; the risk and serious implications

Rationale: The arrhythmias associated with myocardial infarction may be serious. Increasing morbidity and mortality in myocardial infarction-induced arrhythmias will be expected. The term “fragmentation of the QRS complex” denotes the existence of high-frequency potentials (spikes) in the QRS-complex. It is either a marker for cardiac structural diseases inducing biventricular hypertrophy or any condition interfering with the normally homogeneous depolarization status inside the myocardium. An associated Passing phenomenon or “Yasser’s phenomenon” may have an apparent hemodynamic impact. Patient concerns: A 68-year-old married, housewife, Egyptian female patient presented to the physician outpatient clinic with acute chest pain and anterior myocardial infarction with QRS-complex fragmentations and Passing phenomenon or “Yasser’s phenomenon”. Diagnosis: Arrhythmogenic acute extensive anterior infarction with QRS-complex fragmentations and Passing phenomenon or Yasser’s phenomenon. Interventions: Electrocardiography, oxygenation, streptokinase intravenous infusion, echocardiography, and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Outcomes: Dramatic response of acute arrhythmogenic anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction with QRS-complex fragmentations to streptokinase and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Lessons: The presence of runs of ventricular tachycardia, multiform frequent premature ventricular contractions, and QRS-complex fragmentations, elderly, female sex are prognostic factors for the severity of the disease. Dramatic clinical and electrocardiographic response signifying the role of streptokinase, fibrinolytic, and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. The presence of fragmentation of the QRS-complex may have a bidirectional impact from seriousness to complications. Passing phenomenon or “Yasser’s phenomenon” should be directed at the disease progression.