Persistence of a left superior vena cava is a congenital anomaly of considerable interest but by itself exerts no apparent adverse affect on cardiac function. It may occur as an isolated lesion but more often it is associated with many congenital cardiac anomalies. Heretofore it could only be discovered at autopsy or cadaver dissection, but angiocardiography and cardiac catheterization have mad...

An increased level of serum cardiac troponin I is a specific biomarker for myocardial injury. The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in cardiac troponin I levels to determine myocardial injury following diagnostic cardiac catheterization. A prospective cohort study was carried out between July 1 2006 and March 31 2012 among patients who underwent diagnostic cardiac catheterizat...

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a deadly cause of myocardial infarction (MI) that mainly affects otherwise healthy, young females. Forty percent of patients die suddenly or within a few hours of symptom onset. We examine the case of a young female who presented with chest pain. She developed ST elevations in anterolateral leads mimicking ST elevation MI. Cardiac catheterization...

Background: The close proximity of ureters to the colon and rectum, ureteric injury is a potential complication in colorectal surgery. Incidence of iatrogenic ureteric injury ranges from 1 to 10%. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the operative time, the efficacy in preventing iatrogenic ureteric injuries and the complications associated with prophylactic illuminated ureteric catheteriz...

BACKGROUND The optimal population rate of cardiac catheterization is unknown. One potential way to determine it would be to examine whether there is a population rate beyond which the yield of high-risk coronary artery disease (CAD) does not rise. METHODS Using a detailed clinical registry that captures all patients undergoing cardiac catheterization in Alberta, we determined annual populatio...

BACKGROUND Cardiac catheterization has opened an innovative treatment field for cardiac disease; this treatment is becoming the most popular approach for pediatric congenital heart disease (CHD) and has led to a significant growth in the number of children with cardiac catheterization. Unfortunately, based on evidence, it has been demonstrated that the majority of children with CHD are at an in...

Iatrogenic aortocoronary dissection is a rare but potentially disastrous complication of percutaneous coronary intervention. The left main dissection extending into distal bifurcation involving both the left anterior descending and left circumflex is a complex and vital complication, which is classified as Eshtehardi Type II dissection. We presented a case of iatrogenic left main coronary arter...