Follow-up data on future coronary events was collected on 6,500 patients who had undergone stress testing; 1,327 of these exhibited ventricular premature contractions (VPCs) associated with one or more phases of treadmill stress testing (TSTs). Eighty-three percent of all patients tested had known or suspected cardiovascular disease. The annual incidence of new coronary events (myocardial infar...

Background Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a strong predictor of subsequent cardiovascular events in patients with ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. CMR is an excellent technique for assessment of LVEF as well as for the detection of myocardial scar. We sought to evaluate if the presence of myocardial scarring in nonischemic cardiomyopathy could be an important predictor of...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Fibrinogen is an independent risk factor for coronary events in population-based studies and in patients with coronary heart disease, but there is uncertainty about prediction of stroke, particularly in secondary prevention. METHODS We studied unpublished data from 3 prospective studies of patients with recent transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor ischemic stroke: th...

OBJECTIVE To describe the incidence of cardiovascular adverse events in patients with sepsis in its various stages. DESIGN A longitudinal, descriptive, observational study was carried out. SETTING Intensive care units of two university hospitals in Bogotá (Colombia). PATIENTS A number of patients consecutively admitted to the adult ICU with a diagnosis of sepsis, and no evidence of previo...

Ischemic brain injury involves a complex sequence of excitetoxic and oxidative events. Metformin is proposed as one of the potential candidates for returning the body to its basic homeostasis in ischemic situations. Metformin can either protect or damage cells by activating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and its downstream factors so, it has a dual role in the cerebral ischemia context, bu...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Proximal aortic plaques are a risk factor for vascular embolic events. However, this association in the general population is unclear. We sought to assess whether proximal aortic plaques are associated with vascular events in a community-based cohort. METHODS Stroke-free subjects from the Aortic Plaques and Risk of Ischemic Stroke (APRIS) study were evaluated. Aortic ar...

Ischemic stroke has been classified as a merely thrombotic disease, so the main goal of its treatment is the recanalization of the occluded vasculature. However, despite fast restoration of blood circulation, progressive stroke still develops in many patients, which has led to the concept of reperfusion injury.  The underlying mechanism is only partly known. Though, it is accepted now, tha...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the occurrence of nocturnal ischemic events in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and ischemic heart disease (IHD). BACKGROUND Although previous reports documented nocturnal cardiac ischemic events among OSAS patients, the exact association between obstructive apneas and ischemia is not yet clear. It is also not known what differentiates between pa...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In asymptomatic or remote symptomatic LAICOD, the risk of ischemic events is low in general, but there may be a subgroup of higher risk patients who require aggressive medical management. The purpose of this study was to determine whether chronic hemodynamic compromise is a predictor of ischemic events in asymptomatic or remote symptomatic LAICOD. MATERIALS AND METHODS ...

We evaluated 106 subjects with and 109 subjects without a history of ischemic stroke. All were attending a metabolic ward. The two groups were compared for major risk factors for ischemic events. A positive family history for ischemic complications of atherosclerosis was more common in subjects with a history of stroke than in those without; moreover, plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhi...