BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to compare the long-term results of tricuspid valve (TV) repair with or without an annuloplasty ring. METHODS AND RESULTS 702 patients underwent TV repair at our institution (1978 to 2003), of which 493 had, predominantly, a De Vega procedure (no ring) and 209 had an annuloplasty ring (ring). TV pathology was functional (secondary) in 74% of patients. ...

Previous epidemiologic data demonstrate that cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality may occur decades after ionizing radiation exposure. With increased use of proton and carbon ion radiotherapy and concerns about space radiation exposures to astronauts on future long-duration exploration-type missions, the long-term effects and risks of low-dose charged particle irradiation on the CV syste...

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to assess the long-term clinical outcome and valvular changes (area and regurgitation) after percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty (PMV). METHODS AND RESULTS After PMV, 561 patients were followed up for 39 (+/-23) months and clinical/echocardiographic data obtained yearly. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were performed to estimate event-free sur...

INTRODUCTION With long-term follow-up, whether biodegradable polymer drug-eluting stents (DES) is efficient and safe in primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains a controversial issue. This study aims to assess the long-term efficacy and safety of DES in PCI for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). MATERIAL AND METHODS A prospective, randomized single-blind study...

OBJECTIVES We examined long-term outcomes and predictors of major adverse cardiac events after the full metal jacket (FMJ) stent implantation. BACKGROUND The FMJ procedure has been used to treat diffuse coronary artery disease (CAD), but long-term outcomes remain unknown. METHODS The study population consisted of 347 consecutive patients (352 lesions) who had been treated for de novo diffus...

BACKGROUND Malnutrition is common in hospital inpatients and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Insufficient assistance at mealtimes can contribute to this and therefore trained volunteer mealtime assistants may be of benefit. OBJECTIVES To identify and review the current evidence for the impact of trained volunteer mealtime assistants on dietary intake and satisfaction wit...

Recently, there have been more reports of cardiac valve infections due to the increasing number of intravenous (IV) drug abusers and chronic renal failure patients. Among cardiac valves, tricuspid valve is most commonly affected in the course of endocarditis. Appropriate management of these patients is a challenging and controversial issue in the field of cardiac surgery. Treatment options in s...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Acute cerebral ischemia is frequently associated with headache. It is unknown whether concomitant headache reflects a partly different pathogenesis, and thus, may influence long-term prognosis after stroke. Here, we compared the long-term risk of recurrent vascular events in patients in whom a transient ischemic attack or minor ischemic stroke of noncardioembolic origin w...

Objectives The environment of long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) is critical to the management of the quality of their services and to patient safety, as highlighted by international studies. However, there is a lack of evidence on this topic in South Korea. This study aimed to examine the factors affecting healthcare quality in LTCHs and to explore the effectiveness of their quality management. ...

This overview covers several topics related to the management of frequent problems in elderly persons. Several studies have shown that treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia with psychotropic medication is modestly effective and could increase the risk of adverse events, including death. Influenza vaccination in long term care residents was shown to be effective in a systematic revi...