AIMS Differentiation between necrotic and viable myocardium is difficult in the setting of acute myocardial infarction (MI). Post-systolic shortening (PSS) has been proposed as a marker of recovery after revascularization, but has not previously been assessed in patients with NSTEMI prior to revascularization. In this study, we aimed to examine the relation between PSS and improvement of contra...

Introduction: Post-dilatation is associated with a simultaneous expansion of the stents that enhances the angioplasty outcomes. However, increased risk of mortality and morbidity has been reported in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) which has provoked considerable controversies concerning its efficiency. Materials and Methods: During a two-...

AIMS Atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in older people. It associates with reduced exercise capacity, increased risk of stroke, and mortality. We aimed to determine retrospectively whether pravastatin reduces the incidence of AF and whether any electrocardiographic measures or clinical conditions might be risk factors for its development. METHODS AND RESULTS The P...

In the United States each year, >5.3 million patients present to emergency departments with chest discomfort and related symptoms. Ultimately, >1.4 million individuals are hospitalized for unstable angina and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. For emergency physicians and cardiologists alike, these patients represent an enormous challenge to accurately diagnose and appropriately tr...

The 2011 Update to the Unstable Angina/Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (UA/NSTEMI) Guideline is based in evolving data or expert opinion and incorporates information from late-breaking clinical trials presented at the 2008-2009 Scientific Sessions of the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, and the European Society of Cardiology, among others, as well as select...

OBJECTIVES The red blood cell distribution width has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. In the present study, we assessed the relationship between red cell distribution width values and cardiac troponin I levels in patients admitted with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome. METHODS We analyzed blood parameters in 251 adult patients who were consecutively adm...

A rare case of a patient with unusual symptoms of earache and sore throat for cardiac ischemia is presented. A diagnosis of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) was made based on initial elevation of troponin and an abnormal electrocardiograph (ECG). Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) performed with stent placement in the occluded coronary vessel was followed by a decre...

OBJECTIVES The use of value of information methods to inform trial design has been widely advocated but there have been few empirical applications of these methods and there is little evidence they are widely used in decision making. This study considers the usefulness of value of information models in the context of a real clinical decision problem relating to alternative diagnostic strategies...

A cute coronary syndromes (ACS) include unstable angina (UA), non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and ST-elevation MI (STEMI). Each year in the US, approximately 1,360,000 patients are admitted for ACS, of which 810,000 have an MI and the remainder UA. Approximately two thirds of patients with MI have NSTEMI and the rest have STEMI. Worldwide, more than 3 million people each year a...