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Biomedical subjects

A Hastillo

Publications and source records attributed to A Hastillo.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

The heart as a target organ of immune injury.

Over the last 10 years, our knowledge of immunologically mediated processes involving the myocardium appears to have made quantum leaps. New and important disease entities such as AIDS have appeared and the cardiologist now becomes an important member of the "AIDS team." Our understanding of "older diseases" such as sarcoidosis, Lyme disease, systemic lupus and other connective tissue syndromes has significantly increased. The concept of high-dose steroid therapy for these processes may, in fact, turn out to be futile and more selective, as less dangerous immunosuppression is being introduced. This concept has significantly advanced in the field of cardiac transplantation where immunosuppression has now been usurped by specific immunotherapy aimed at selective aspects of the immune sequence. New and exciting concepts will emerge from the molecular biology laboratory that will have direct bearing on the management of patients with cardiovascular disorders. This information explosion will force the cardiovascular physician to become more in tune with the world of immunology and molecular biology. Many obvious, significant problems remain, such as accelerated atherosclerosis in the transplant patient and the role of myocarditis in the patient with heart failure. However, it will truly be an exciting decade in which to work and watch the unraveling of these mysteries and hopefully, the study of today's problems will give way to solutions and a clearer understanding of the heart as a target of immune injury.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1990

Comparison of atrial contribution to cardiac hemodynamics in patients with normal and severely compromised cardiac function.

The importance of atrial contribution to cardiac function in patients with congestive heart failure is controversial. Ten patients with severe congestive failure (Group A) and 10 patients with normal ventricular function (Group B) were studied during atrial and ventricular pacing. Left ventricular ejection fraction, baseline pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, and baseline cardiac index were different between Group A and Group B patients: 22 +/- 10 vs. 65 +/- 11 (p less than 0.01); 21 +/- 5 vs. 8 +/- 4, (p less than 0.01); and 2.8 +/- 0.5 vs. 3.5 +/- 1.0 (p = 0.05). Compared with atrial pacing, cardiac index decreased from 2.8 +/- 0.6 to 2.2 +/- 0.5 (p less than 0.01) in Group A and from 3.6 +/- 0.7 to 2.9 +/- 0.5 (p less than 0.01) in Group B, during ventricular pacing. Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure increased by similar amounts in both groups during ventricular pacing. The change in cardiac index, % change in cardiac index, and change in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure from atrial to ventricular pacing, were not different between Group A and Group B patients. By logistic regression analysis, no association was found between the % change in cardiac index and the following variables: left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular end-diastolic volume, baseline pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, change in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, and baseline cardiac index. The atrial contribution to resting steady-state cardiac function is similar between patients with severe congestive failure and those with preserved ventricular function.

Atrial Function↗
PubMed1990

Management and long-term followup of outpatient care in the cardiac transplant recipient.

Successful long-term management of the cardiac transplant patient requires the concerted effort of the patient, the cardiac transplant team, and the primary care physician. The long-term management of these patients will continue to evolve as new immunosuppressive agents are used and new methods of surveillance for rejection are found. The long-term management is indeed one of the most exciting parts of the care of the transplant patient, especially when all those involved can watch the patient enter into a normal lifestyle.

Aftercare↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hypercholesterolemia in long-term survivors of heart transplantation: an early marker of accelerated coronary artery disease.

Coronary artery disease remains a significant long-term problem for survival after heart transplantation. Hyperlipidemia is a known risk factor for coronary artery disease in the general population, but the role of hyperlipidemia in cardiac allograft recipients has not been elucidated. To study this problem, we retrospectively reviewed 38 heart transplant recipients who survived more than 3 years after surgery and looked at age, development of diabetes, drug protocol, and development of hypercholesterolemia for a possible correlative or predictive value to the development of early coronary artery disease after heart transplantation. Eleven patients were identified as having coronary disease by the third year after transplantation. High-risk cholesterol values (in milligrams per deciliter) at 6 months after heart transplantation were defined as follows: for ages 10 to 20, 190; 20 to 30, 220; 30 to 40, 240; 40+, 260. We found a strong predictive value with high-risk lipid profiles (p less than 0.01) for the development of coronary artery disease by the third year. No significance was found for a low-risk value, the development of diabetes, or hypertension. All patients below the age of 20 years had coronary artery disease by the third year after transplantation. We conclude that a high-risk cholesterol value at 6 months after transplantation is a strong predictor for development of accelerated coronary artery disease and early graft failure. This has major implications for management of hyperlipidemia in the cardiac allograft recipient.

Adult↗