October 2004
|Volume 16 Issue 10
Platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome (POS) is defined as dyspnea and arterial desaturation induced by upright posture and relieved by recumbence.1,2 Although the precise underlying mechanism by which an atrial communication accounts for this disorder is un…
Initially described in 1949 by Burchell et al.,1 the Platypnea-Orthodeoxia Syndrome (POS) is an uncommon symptom complex and was well characterized by the mid-1980s.2 POS is characterized by: 1) increased dyspnea in the upright position, relieved b…
For many years the treatment of the stenosis of the carotid artery bifurcation has been the dominion of the vascular or neurosurgeon. Carotid endarterectomy has been shown to be beneficial with respect to the medical treatment for both symptomatic an…
Although diagnostic cardiac catheteriazation is usually performed on an out-patient basis, overnight stay is still the standard approach for the majority of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The main reasons for this are t…
Suppose you need coronary angioplasty. Would you prefer to stay in the hospital overnight or would you prefer to go home a few hours after your treatment? The answer will depend on the balance between the comfort of sleeping at home, on the one hand,…
Large vessel arterial compliance declines with advancing age and with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.1-7 While compliance can be measured in a detailed manner using hi-fidelity hemodynamics,8 pulse pressure (aortic systolic pressure – aortic…
Vessel closure is a major complication after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and is associated with a high rate of adverse clinical events.1,2 The occurrence of abrupt closure has been observed and evaluated mostly after stent implantation.3…
Luminal renarrowing after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) typically occurs several weeks after the procedure. The time course for modification of the luminal geometry after dilatation of in-stent restenosis (ISR) has been less characterized…
Free wall rupture (FWR) is one of the major causes of mortality of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).1–3 Acute free wall rupture leads to cardiac tamponade, rapid hemodynamic deterioration and almost instantaneous death. Previous studies demonstrated…
Myocardial free wall rupture (FWR) continues to be a dreadful complication of acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) occurring in about 1.3–2.5% of patients.1–3 FWR has been considered a significant cause of death in patients with S…