Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0018801 (heart failure)
 72,216 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Pericardial lesions are the most frequent complications of thoracic radiotherapy; they occur in 2% to 30% of the cases depending on the publications. Acute pericarditis, which is the most common form, develops early or late and usually has a favourable course. Chronic pericarditis is divided into chronic pericardial effusion, the incidence of which is underestimated as it produces few or no symptoms, and chronic constrictive pericarditis, itself divided into 2 subgroups of different prognosis depending on the presence (pure fibrous pericarditis) or absence (constrictive sero-fibrous pericarditis) of underlying myocardial lesions. The incidence of myocardial lesions ("myocarditis") varies from 4% to 13% in the literature. They have a minor clinical form characterized by arrhythmias or disorders of conduction and a major form as restrictive or congestive cardiomyopathy with or without cardiac failure. Lesions of the coronary vessels are probably underestimated in view of the results of recent necropsies. Radiation-induced vascular lesions and hyperlipidaemia seem to act synergetically in the genesis of atherosclerosis. Cardiac valve lesions are even less frequent, but here again their incidence seems to be underestimated by conventional diagnostic methods. Echocardiography, radionuclide angiography and exercise tests appear to be useful for the long-term monitoring of patients who had their chest irradiated.
 ...
PMID:[Radiation-induced cardiopathies]. 294 May 28

A total of 11085 patients have been operated on for rheumatic heart diseases over thirty years, 85.4% of those, for mitral stenosis or its relapse, using the "closed" method (total mortality was 2.7%). In recent years, the mortality rate has dropped to 1.5% in that group of patients. Prevention of heart failure and thromboembolic complications still are the principal problem of mitral commissurotomy. Traumatic regurgitation was seen in 2%. The operation was performed under extracorporeal circulation in 6.2% of patients. Mortality, associated with mitral prosthesis implantation, has decreased threefold (to 10.8%) over 15 years. A total of 131 patients have been operated on for constrictive pericarditis, the mortality rate was 10.7%. Primary implantation of electric pacemaker for complete transverse heart block has been performed in 196 patients, and the generator was replaced in 143 patients.
 ...
PMID:[Results of 30 years' surgical treatment of acquired defects and diseases of the heart]. 296 20

Since 1982, 85 patients (aged 18 to 81 years) with supraventricular arrhythmias resistant to an average of 3.8 +/- 1.2 classes of antiarrhythmic drugs, 53 of whom had underlying cardiac disease (62.3%), underwent attempted catheter ablation of the normal AV conduction pathway in 8 different French centers. The indication was atrial fibrillation and flutter in 51 cases (60%) and intranodal reentry in 16 cases (18.8%). An average of 2.5 +/- 2.3 electrical shocks of 130 to 400 joules delivered in 1 to 3 sessions successfully induced high degree AV block in 79 patients, present at the time of discharge from hospital in 43 patients (50.5%). There were 3 cases immediately complicated by non-sustained ventricular tachycardia. Late complications (1 day to 1 month) included ventricular tachycardia (2 patients) septicaemia (3 patients) and pericarditis (1 patient). Sixty nine patients were followed up for an average of 12.9 +/- 10.0 months. There was one death from septicaemia due to infection of the pacemaker and two deaths at 5 and 6 months due to cardiac failure which had been present before the procedure. Fifty six patients were asymptomatic (81.1%), 27 with high degree AV block and 29 patients with (N = 19) or without (N = 10) antiarrhythmic therapy. There were 10 failures. This study shows that closed chest interruption of the normal AV conduction pathway is an effective and relatively safe alternative method of treating supraventricular tachycardias resistant to antiarrhythmic therapy.
 ...
PMID:[Percutaneous electric interruption of normal auriculoventricular conduction. Analysis of French cases]. 309 38

The increasing number of physicians competent to carry out emergency echocardiography, and the availability of high performance equipment, facilitated the development of this technique in the Coronary Care Unit (CCU). This paper reports our experience of 610 2D echocardiographic recordings performed on 319 patients admitted to the CCU. The quality of the recording was excellent or satisfactory in 67% of cases and mediocre in 30% of cases. In 11 patients (3%) the quality of the recording was too poor to obtain reliable data. In this group of patients, the apical 4-chamber and subcostal views seemed better than the apical 2-chamber and parasternal views. An echocardiographic diagnosis was made in 94% of cases. It contributed to the diagnostic process in 70% of cases. Of the patients studied, 54% were admitted for a recent myocardial infarction. Echocardiography was particularly useful in atypical forms or when the diagnosis was difficult. It was also helpful in detecting complications of recent myocardial infarction, the frequency of which was determined. With respect to other cardiovascular emergencies, echocardiography was determined. With respect to other cardiovascular emergencies, echocardiography was very useful in the diagnosis of dissection of the aorta, pericarditis and for assessing left ventricular function and the causal mechanism in cases of decompensated cardiac failure. The non invasive nature of the investigation allows repeated examination of the patient at the bedside and makes it a particularly valuable technique to monitor the evolution of acute cardiac conditions requiring admission to the Coronary Care Unit.
 ...
PMID:[Two-dimensional echocardiography in a cardiac intensive care unit]. 310 69

The authors analyze 574 cases of heart failure observed in the Cardiology Department of the University Hospital Ignace-Deen in Conakry, in a period of 5 years (1981-1985), from the etiological and nosological standpoints. The result is that cardiac insufficiency is very frequent in the department and the patients, in most cases, are found in stage IV of the NYHA (64.98%). There are more men (59.75%) than women (40.25%). Age varies from 15 to 80 years (mean: 49.2 years). Hypertension (37.47%), senile cardiopathies (20.20%), various myocardiopathies (17.24%), rheumatoid valvulopathies (13.95%) are the most frequently encountered etiologies. Pericarditis is rare (0.34%).
 ...
PMID:[Etiologic and nosologic considerations apropos of 574 cases of cardiac decompensation in Conakry]. 319 Jan 42

The group B streptococcus has been shown to be a major cause of meningitis in the newborn and an occasional cause of endocarditis and sepsis in postpartum women. Little attention has been devoted to this organism as a cause of bacterial endocarditis. Twelve patients with group B streptococcal endocarditis were seen at The Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, between 1974 and 1985. There were seven women, five men. Ages ranged from 32 to 81 years. Serious underlying disease was present in all - diabetes mellitus in seven, carcinoma in three (bladder in two, and breast in one), alcoholism in three, malnutrition in two, heroin addiction in one, tuberculosis in one, serious prior valvular heart disease in two. The aortic valve was affected in four patients - mitral in two, mitral and aortic in one, tricuspid in four, unknown in one. The presentation was acute in seven patients. Metastatic infection occurred in seven, heart failure in six, major emboli in four, septic pericarditis in one, myocardial abscess in one. The group B streptococcus should be considered as a pathogen capable of causing acute endocarditis in certain patients with defects of host defense, particularly patients with diabetes mellitus, carcinoma or alcoholism. Cardiac surgery may be necessary in these patients due to the rapid destruction of the valves which occurs, in spite of the fact that the organisms are usually highly susceptible to penicillin.
 ...
PMID:Streptococcus agalactiae (group B) endocarditis--a description of twelve cases and review of the literature. 330 82

In 24 patients with constrictive pericarditis proven by cardiac catheterization, the amplitude of diastolic left ventricular posterior wall motion was evaluated by M-mode echocardiography and compared to the results of 24 healthy volunteers. The amplitude was significantly less in constrictive pericarditis patients than in normal controls (0.3 +/- 0.2 mm versus 3.9 +/- 0.4 mm) (P less than 0.001). No constrictive pericarditis patient demonstrated a higher value than 2 mm whereas none of the healthy volunteers had an amplitude less than 3 mm. In 11 of 13 constrictive pericarditis patients who underwent pericardiectomy, an increase in amplitude was observed. In 6 patients the amplitude returned to normal limits after surgery. No significant correlation between the degree of heart failure or the level of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and the reduction of the amplitude was found. In addition, the amplitude of left ventricular diastolic posterior wall motion did not allow a clear separation between patients who could be treated medically and those requiring pericardiectomy.
 ...
PMID:Reduced diastolic left ventricular posterior wall motion in patients with constrictive pericarditis--incidence, hemodynamic and clinical correlations. 340 83

A 43-year-old man with idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome survived a relatively long term (6 1/2 years) before he succumbed to intractable heart failure. Six months before death, his chronic heart failure from restrictive cardiomyopathy was well compensated. Autopsy demonstrated severe constrictive pericarditis which was not suspected antemortem. Constrictive pericarditis as a late complication of idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome is discussed.
 ...
PMID:Severe constrictive pericarditis as an unsuspected cause of death in a patient with idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome and restrictive cardiomyopathy. 341 16

Exudative cholesterol xanthomatous pericarditis was found at autopsy of a patient aged 57 who had suffered from the edematous form of thrombophlebitis of the deep crural veins complicated by thromboses of the iliac veins, vena cava inferior, recurring thromboembolism of the pulmonary artery, and pulmonary infarctions. The clinical picture of the main disease was interpreted as cardiac failure; numerous thromboembolic episodes were regarded as myocardial infarctions. The presence of cholesterol crystals in the exudate indicated a prolonged course of pericarditis. Laboratory findings confirmed the aseptic allergic genesis of pericarditis.
 ...
PMID:[Case of cholesterol xanthomatous pericarditis with an unusual pathogenesis]. 342 80

In conclusion, systemic sclerosis is both a fascinating and frustrating affliction. It is a systemic disease of multiple stages. Prognosis is dependent on the site and extent of visceral involvement. There is evidence to implicate the vascular system as the primary target organ of the disease. The cardiovascular manifestations include myocardial fibrosis, pericarditis, and a variety of arrhythmias and conduction abnormalities. Intractable heart failure or sudden cardiac death can ensue. Cardiac involvement in systemic sclerosis portends an ominous prognosis, and is probably most directly related to the extent of myocardial fibrosis which is present. The pathogenesis of myocardial fibrosis has not been determined, but it appears to be a result of an impairment of myocardial perfusion at both the small artery and microvasculature level. Obstructive, vasospastic, and devascularization factors all may be playing a role.
 ...
PMID:The cardiovascular manifestations of systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). 348 17


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>