1/952. Hereditary dysrhythmic congestive cardiomyopathy.A patient with hereditary congestive cardiomyopathy, who presented with recurrent episodes of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias most often precipitated by exercise, is described. The condition is marked by either a progressive course, in which case congestive cardiac failure may set in towards the end, or by unexpected sudden death. The family tree could be traced for 10 generations. The information about the tenth generation firmly established that 4 members, 2 of whom had died, were affected. Other evidence suggests that the condition was the cause of death in 3 members of the eighth generation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cardiac (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/952. Tc-99m HDP uptake in cardiac amyloidosis.amyloidosis is characterized by the soft-tissue deposition of amyloid protein. It may occur as a primary disorder but more often is seen as a manifestation of chronic illness. Scattered reports of the affinity of amyloid for bone scanning agents have appeared over many years. Isolated cardiac uptake of Tc-99m HDP is described in a patient with biopsy-proved cardiac amyloidosis on a background of tuberculosis, prostate cancer, and coronary artery disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 6keywords = cardiac (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/952. Cardiac involvement in proximal myotonic myopathy.Proximal myotonic myopathy (PROMM) is a recently described autosomal dominantly inherited disorder resulting in proximal muscles weakness, myotonia, and cataracts. A few patients with cardiac involvement (sinus bradycardia, supraventricular bigeminy, conduction abnormalities) have been reported. The cases of three relatives with PROMM (weakness of neck flexors and proximal extremity muscles, calf hypertrophy, myotonia, cataracts) are reported: a 54 year old man, his 73 year old mother, and 66 year old aunt. All three presented with conduction abnormalities and one had repeated, life threatening, sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia. This illustrates that severe cardiac involvement may occur in PROMM.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2.5386632872731keywords = cardiac, hypertrophy (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/952. Evidence of cell-mediated cardiac myocyte injury involved in the heart failure of a patient with progressive systemic sclerosis.A 54-year-old woman with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) was admitted to hospital because of dyspnea and chest pain. Echocardiogram revealed diffuse hypokinesis of the left ventricle (ejection fraction 24%). methylprednisolone, heparin, and diuretics were administered, without benefit. anemia, thrombocytopenia, and renal dysfunction rapidly progressed, and she died of heart failure on the 14th hospital day. Immunohistochemical study of the myocardial tissue showed mild to moderate cell infiltration, mainly consisting of natural killer (NK) cells, macrophages, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), and T helper cells. perforin, a cytolytic factor, was expressed in the infiltrating CTLs and NK cells, indicating that these cells were activated killer cells. Furthermore, human leukocyte antigen classes I and II, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, as well as costimulatory molecules B7-1, B7-2, and CD40, all of which are known not to be expressed in cardiac myocytes under normal conditions, were moderately to strongly expressed in cardiac myocytes. There was no detectable level of enterovirus genomes in the polymerase chain reaction products from the myocardial tissue of this patient. These findings strongly suggest that the infiltrating killer cells recognized cardiac myocytes as target cells and directly damaged them by releasing perforin. Enhanced expression of these antigens may have played an important role in the activation and cytotoxicity of the infiltrating killer cells. Absence of enterovirus genomes in the myocardial tissue may suggest that this autoimmune process is primarily induced by PSS.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 12.24928124287keywords = heart, cardiac (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/952. Thrombolysis with resolution of pulmonary hypertension in a heart transplant candidate.We report a patient with idiopathic cardiomyopathy and high pulmonary resistance due to pulmonary emboli of unknown age. Successful thrombolytic therapy returned his pulmonary resistance to normal, allowing orthotopic cardiac transplantation. This case underscores the need to aggressively diagnose and treat pulmonary emboli in potential transplant candidates.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5.1994249942962keywords = heart, cardiac (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/952. Severe cardiac dysrhythmia in patients using bromocriptine postpartum.Used worldwide since 1980 for the prevention of breast engorgement in the puerperium, in 1994 bromocriptine mesylate was withdrawn from the American market as an agent suitable for ablactation. The relevant recommendation of the food and Drug Administration rested on case reports that described severe vasospastic reactions among users of the drug. Some patients so affected suffered stroke, intracranial bleeding, cerebral edema, convulsions, myocardial infarction, and puerperal psychosis. More recently, it has been suggested that the side effects of the drug may also include circulatory collapse secondary to cardiac dysrhythmia. This report describes two additional cases in this category. The antepartum clinical evaluation of these women suggested that they were predisposed to arrhythmias.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5keywords = cardiac (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/952. Progression of cardiomyopathy and neuropathy after liver transplantation in a patient with familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy caused by tyrosine-77 transthyretin variant.Familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy is an inherited form of amyloidosis associated with a mutant form of a protein called transthyretin. The methionine-30 variant is the most frequent mutation observed. This disorder is caused by deposition of this protein as amyloid in several organs, such as the heart, kidneys, and peripheral nervous system. The disease is always progressive and fatal, and patients die 7 to 10 years after the onset of symptoms. liver transplantation is at present the only choice for these patients because it provides improvement of symptoms and/or stops progression of the disease in most patients. We report the case of a patient who showed clear progression of cardiomyopathy and neuropathy after liver transplantation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.0498562485741keywords = heart (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/952. Hereditary cardiac amyloidosis associated with the transthyretin Ile122 mutation in a white man.An 83 year old white man with atrial fibrillation was admitted to hospital after a cerebral infarct. echocardiography was characteristic of cardiac amyloid deposition and subsequent tests confirmed amyloidosis of transthyretin (TTR) type, in association with the Ile122 mutation of the TTR gene; this has only been reported previously in african americans in whom it occurs with an allele frequency of 2%. Haplotype analysis did not suggest a different founder than for the African Ile122 mutation. Cardiac amyloidosis should be considered among elderly patients presenting with cardiac failure and/or arrhythmia, particularly if they are resistant to conventional treatment; if confirmed, it should be followed by precise characterisation of amyloid fibril type. The prevalence of autosomal dominant cardiac TTR amyloidosis in elderly white people is unknown but early diagnosis and supportive treatment may prevent complications among affected family members.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 7keywords = cardiac (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/952. biopsy-proven cardiomyopathy in heterozygous Fabry's disease.A 23-year-old woman with heterozygous Fabry's disease who had acroparesthesia was admitted to hospital for precise examination of the disease before childbearing. She had no cardiac-related symptoms and no abnormality on physical examination. The alpha-galactosidase A activity in her leukocytes was present, but lower than normal. However, the endomyocardial biopsy showed specific changes for Fabry's disease. As Fabry's disease is a rare X-linked recessive inborn error of glycosphingolipid metabolism, heterozygous females are usually asymptomatic, but rarely can be affected as severely as hemizygous males. This is an isolated case of heterozygous Fabry's disease in a female in whom cardiac involvement was detected by endomyocardial biopsy, although she had no cardiac abnormality on physiological examinations. In conclusion, endomyocardial biopsy is useful for evaluation of the cardiac involvement of Fabry's disease even in an asymptomatic case.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 4keywords = cardiac (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/952. kerosene-induced severe acute respiratory failure in near drowning: reports on four cases and review of the literature.OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to present an unusual respiratory and cardiovascular course after intoxication and near drowning in a river contaminated with kerosene. DESIGN: case reports and review of the literature. SETTING: intensive care unit of a university-affiliated hospital. patients: Four patients after near drowning. INTERVENTION: Supportive only. RESULTS: The four patients developed acute respiratory failure. Cardiomyopathy was present in three patients and a persistent hypokalemia in two patients. The onset of the symptoms was delayed, which led to underestimation of the severity of their illness. Two of the four patients died. The diagnosis of hydrocarbon intoxication was based on bronchoalveolar lavage results, neutrophilic alveolitis with the presence of lipid-laden macrophages, and evidence of lipoid pneumonia from the autopsy performed on one victim. One patient who clinically deteriorated and another who developed a severe restrictive pulmonary disorder were treated with corticosteroids, which were effective only in the latter patient. CONCLUSIONS: Acute kerosene intoxication in a near-drowning event often results in severe respiratory and cardiac failure, with a high fatality rate. Treatment with corticosteroids may lead to a rapid improvement in lung function.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = cardiac (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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