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A Lukin

Publications and source records attributed to A Lukin.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Early cardiac rupture following streptokinase in patients with acute myocardial infarction: retrospective cohort study.

AIM: To assess the incidence and timing of cardiac rupture following streptokinase (SK) administration in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: We analyzed retrospectively the clinical sheets of AMI patients treated at the Coronary Care Unit in University Hospital Split, Croatia, between January 1, 1996, and December 31, 1998. We selected the patients who died after SK administration (1.5 million U in a 30 min iv. infusion), with a discharge diagnosis of "AMI" and "cardiac tamponade - ventricular rupture". AMI was defined by typical chest pain, ECG, and/or enzymatic changes. Echo or autopsy verified diagnosis of cardiac tamponade and/or rupture, as well as pericardial effusion and/or free-wall rupture. RESULTS: Out of 726 AMI patients, 136 (18.7%) were treated with SK, and 6 had cardiac rupture (4 men and 2 women; 4.4%). Autopsy revealed that 1 patient had ischemic and 2 had transmural hemorrhagic AMI. Three out of 6 patients died 2-4, and 3 died 5-7 hours after SK administration. Six patients who died from cardiac rupture (mean age 72.3+/-9.0) were significantly older than AMI survivors treated with SK (121 patients, mean age 60.5+/-12.0 years, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: In case of unexplained clinical deterioration in AMI patients over 70 during the first hours after SK administration, cardiac tamponade due to a free-wall rupture should be suspected. SK administration in patients with AMI over 70 years should be a selective and not a routine treatment.

Aged↗

Q-switched CTE:YAG (2.69 microns) laser ablation: basic investigations on soft (corneal) and hard (dental) tissues.

Ablative infrared lasers either show poor transmission in optical fibers (Er:YAG: 2.94 microns; ErCr:YSGG: 2.79 microns or are characterized by potential relevant thermal side effects (Ho:YAG: 2.1 microns). The CTE:YAG laser (Cr,Tm, Er doted YAG) emits radiation at a wavelength of 2.69 microns. Efficiently high optical fiber transmission is accomplished (attenuation: < 8db/m for Low-Hydroxy-Fused-Silica (LHFS): 0.3 ppm). Since the laser can easily be run in the Q-switch mode (pulse duration: 0.5-2.5 microseconds) thermal side effects of tissue interaction were expected to be low. Laser tissue interaction was studied on soft (porcine and human cornea), as well as on hard (human dental) tissue. Histological and micromorphological examinations were performed by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that ablation rates in corneal tissue increased from 5 to 90 microns/pulse with increasing laser fluences (5.5-20 J/cm2). Collateral thermal damage reached as far as 20 +/- 5 microns, and was higher (up to 50 microns) when craters where processed in the contact mode using LHFS-optical fibers. In comparison to soft tissue ablation, hard dental tissue ablation showed very little increase of ablation rate (1-3 microns/pulse) when higher fluences were applied. In dental tissue processing, the ablative effect was accompanied by a luminescence, indicating the presence of plasma. We conclude that the presented CTE:YAG laser can be considered as an effective tool for a variety of laser surgical applications where high power optical fiber delivery is required and where strong thermal side effects are not desired.

Animals↗

[Comparison of auscultation findings using a classic stethoscope (Litmann 2120) and electronically amplified stethoscope (Medmax2)].

Heart auscultation has one of the key roles in beside diagnosis, especially in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Sometimes, because of the human cars' low sensitivity, a problem emerges in the proper evaluation of heart sounds and murmurs of lower frequencies. Our study compared two stethoscopes, the classic acoustic stethoscope (Littmann 2120) and an electronic one with the sound amplifier and the noise filtering system (Medmax2) in 10 patients examined by 10 physicians. Significantly better detection of low frequency sounds was found in favour of electronic stethoscope (chi 2 = 17.9; p < 0.0001). It is concluded that the selective amplificator improves the stethoscope performance and has its place in everyday bedside practice, especially in departments of cardiology.

Aged↗

[Occurrence of thromboembolic complications in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Retrospective-prospective study].

The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of thromboembolic events in patients with primary and secondary (ischemic) dilated cardiomyopathy (DC), with regard to basic rhythm, sinus or atrial fibrillation. Retrospectively, over three years, from January 1, 1989 to December 31, 1991, the case histories of 75 inpatients with DC, mean age 56.2 +/- 14.1 years, 41 in sinus rhythm and 34 in atrial fibrillation from Clinic Hospital Split were analyzed and compared to those of 75 controls (heart failure with no DC). The incidence of thrombi, embolisms and mortality in both subgroups was similar, while the prevalence of thromboembolic events was significantly higher in the analyzed than in the control group (decompensated patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and without cardiomegaly) (9/75:1/75, p < 0.05). Prospectively, between 9 and 22 months, from December 1, 1991 to September 30, 1993 51 consecutive decompensated outpatients with DC, in NYHA class II and III, mean age 54.2 +/- 15 years, were followed-up. Bilirubin, lactic dehydrogenase, prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time were determined. 1-D and 2-D transthoracic echocardiographic exam was performed and clinical status was assessed. There were 24 patients in sinus rhythm and 27 patients in atrial fibrillation. The prevalence of thromboembolic events, thrombi and mortality in both subgroups was similar. The laboratory findings, indicators of possible thrombogenesis or thrombolysis, did not show any significant difference in both subgroups. The incidence of thrombi in both parts of this study was low, amounted to only 9.5% (12/126) with no clear signs of thromboembolism (these patients were anticoagulated!). Altogether 12.6% (16/126) patients suffered thromboembolic events, 9 in retrospective and 7 in prospective part of the trial (more patients were anticoagulated in prospective then in retrospective study, 5 versus 19; p < 0.05). We conclude that thromboembolism in patients with decompensated DC are rare, but appear at significantly higher rate than in decompensated patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and no cardiomegaly. The beneficial effects of anticoagulant therapy are to be expected in these patients regardless of the basal rhythm. This hypothesis must, however, be assessed in a prospective, multicentric trial.

Anticoagulants↗

[Significance of right ventricular dimensions in the differential diagnosis of primary and secondary dilated cardiomyopathy].

Numerous analyses are used in the differential diagnosis between primary and secondary dilated cardiomyopathy (PDC, SDC). The aim of this study was to assess the dimensions of heart cavities in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DC) by 1-D and 2-D echocardiography. Thirty-six consecutive patients who satisfied the PDC criteria, and 103 patients with criteria of SDC, were followed-up clinically, radiographically, electrocardiographically and by 1-D and 2-D echocardiography, in the period from December 1991 to April 1994, at the Department of Internal Medicine of the Clinical Hospital Split. The patients with PDC were significantly younger than those with SDC (44.4 +/- 10.4: 64.4 +/- 8.4 year). There were significantly more males than females in both DC subgroups. NYHA classification, sinus rhythm and atrial fibrillation did not differ considerably in both DC subcategories. The etiologic factor was ischaemic DC in 85.4% (88/103), systemic arterial hypertension in 11.6% (12/103), and thyrotoxicosis in 2.9% (3/103) of patients with SDC. Alcoholic DC in one patient, peripartal DC in two female patients and viral myocarditis in six patients with PDC were suspected. In the total of 75% (27/36) patients with PDC, a clear etiological factor in case histories was not defined. Left ventricular ejection fraction, diameter and myocardial thickness, as well as left atrium diameter, did not differ significantly in patients with PDC, at variance with SDC patients. Right ventricular enddiastolic diameter (31.55 +/- 4.8 mm: 26.62 +/- 8.6 mm, p < 0.05) and the ratio between enddiastolic diameters of the right and left ventricle were significantly larger in patients with PDC than in those with SDC (0.45 +/- 0.03: 0.37 +/- 0.05, p < 0.05). We conclude that right ventricle is significantly wider in PDC than in SDC patients. Compared with other noninvasive methods, 1-D and 2-D echocardiography is probably the method of choice (particularly in our environment) in the differentiation of primary and secondary DC.

Adult↗