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Biomedical subjects

A Oram

Publications and source records attributed to A Oram.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty for severe mitral stenosis in pregnancy. Four case reports.

Four pregnant women with mitral stenosis who did not respond to medical therapy underwent successful percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty with complete resolution of their symptoms. Their clinical features and echocardial and hemodynamic data are presented. The procedures and the remainder of their pregnancy were uncomplicated. Percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty of the mitral valve is a safe and effective alternative to surgical therapy if medical management is unsuccessful.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Echocardiography in patients with constrictive pericarditis before and after pericardiectomy: Are there predictors of surgical outcome?

Fifteen patients with constrictive pericarditis were prospectively evaluated with echocardiography and Doppler recordings during respiratory monitoring. Eleven who agreed to surgery also underwent right heart catheterization and a repeat echocardiography with Doppler 10 days after pericardiectomy. Preoperatively, there was a significant inspiratory decrease in the mitral E wave (P < 0.05) and increase in the tricuspid E wave velocities (P < 0.05), which both normalized after pericardiectomy. The mitral deceleration times increased from 110 +/- 40 to 149 +/- 46 msec (P < 0.05) postoperatively. The preoperative hepatic vein velocities showed an accentuated systolic flow pattern. The systolic to diastolic ratio of the hepatic vein velocities was higher in patients who improved with surgery (1.42 +/- 0.31 vs 0.65 +/- 0.13) (P < 0.05). Postoperatively the diastolic flow became more pronounced. There was a 100% expiratory diastolic flow reversal in eight patients preoperatively, which normalized after pericardiectomy. Clinically these patients improved significantly postoperatively. Left atrial size, ejection fraction, and mitral and tricuspid filling velocities during respiratory monitoring could not predict surgical outcome. Pericardiectomy improved Doppler filling dynamics in all patients although this was not parallel to clinical improvement.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Late percutaneous extraction of an intracardiac catheter fragment.

A patient was found to have a mobile catheter fragment in the right atrium incidentally during echocardiography. On further investigation, it was learned that the catheter had been inserted 9 years earlier during surgery and had probably been broken during removal. The patient did not experience any symptoms during this period. The catheter was removed percutaneously without any complications using a system similar to the loopsnare catheter.

Catheterization, Central Venous↗
PubMed1992

Right ventricular hydatid cyst causing recurrent pulmonary emboli.

A hydatid cyst of the heart is rare. Surgical treatment is the preferable method in the treatment of cardiac echinococcosis. A 27-year-old patient with right ventricular hydatid cyst causing recurrent pulmonary emboli and diagnosed by 2-dimensional echocardiography and treated surgically is presented.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Levels of IgE in the serum of patients with coronary arterial disease.

Because previous studies have shown that mast cells can be activated by IgE-mediated mechanisms to release potent mediators which affect coronary blood flow, we measured serum IgE levels in 156 patients with coronary arterial disease and in 53 healthy controls (27 men, 26 women, mean 54 years). Patients were classified into 3 groups according to well established criteria as having stable angina pectoris (28 men, 15 women, mean 58 years), unstable angina pectoris (37 men, 15 women, mean 57 years), and acute myocardial infarction (52 men, 9 women, mean 58 years). In every subject, serum IgE measurement, eosinophil count, and stool examination for parasites were performed. Every subject was interviewed concerning history of allergy, smoking habits and the other risk factors for coronary arterial disease. In a model including the factors that may affect the serum levels of IgE (namely, age, sex, cigarette smoking, parasites, and family and personal history of allergy), IgE levels were found to be significantly higher in the patients with unstable angina and acute myocardial infarction compared to the patients with stable angina pectoris and controls. These data indicate that IgE may play a role in the pathogenesis of unstable angina pectoris and acute myocardial infarction.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Familial atrial myxoma.

Familial and biatrial myxomas of the heart have rarely been described. We describe a familial atrial myxoma involving a parent with biatrial and a child with a left atrial myxoma. Atrial myxomas were diagnosed preoperatively by echocardiography and successfully removed at operation. Echocardiography can be used in the diagnosis of cardiac myxoma, detection of its possible recurrence and for screening other members of the family.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Quality of life in patients with rate responsive pacemakers: a randomized, cross-over study.

Eleven patients with rate responsive pacemakers (7 men, 4 women, mean age 41 years with a range of 23-60) were randomly assigned to a cross-over study in order to assess their overall exercise capacity and quality-of-life (QOL) scores. All of the pacemakers were implanted for complete AV block or sick sinus syndrome. The pacemakers were randomly programmed into VVI or rate responsive (VVIR) pacing modes for 3-week study periods in each mode. At the end of each period, an exercise test was performed and the QOL was evaluated by the "Hacettepe Quality-of-Life Questionnaire". All patients exercised longer in the VVIR mode (mean 10.54 +/- 0.73 min) than in the VVI mode (mean 7.81 +/- 0.62 min) (P less than 0.05). QOL scores were also found to be significantly higher in the VVIR mode (mean 173.81 +/- 16.22 points) compared to the VVI mode (mean 156.27 +/- 21.22 points) (P less than 0.01). In conclusion, our results suggest that VVIR pacing offers a better QOL in addition to an improved exercise capacity, compared to the single chamber nonrate modulated pacing (VVI).

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Left ventricular dysfunction and blood glycohemoglobin levels in young diabetics.

Left ventricular function including regional wall motion (RWM) was evaluated by 99mTc first-pass and equilibrium gated blood pool ventriculography and glycohemoglobin (HbA1c) blood levels determined by a quantitative column technique in 25 young patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus without clinical evidence of heart disease, and in healthy controls matched for age and sex. Phase analysis revealed abnormal RWM in 19 of 21 diabetic patients. The mean left ventricular global ejection fraction, the mean regional ejection fraction and the mean 1/3 filling fraction were lower and the time to peak ejection, the time to peak filling and the time to peak ejection/cardiac cycle were longer in diabetics than in controls. We found high HbA1c levels in all diabetics. There was no significant difference between patients with and without retinopathy and with and without peripheral neuropathy in terms of left ventricular function and HbA1c levels.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Comparison of sublingual captopril and sublingual nifedipine in hypertensive emergencies.

Hypertensive crises require immediate therapy, usually by parenteral drug administration. Sublingual nifedipine has been shown to be highly effective. However, the blood pressure fall following nifedipine is frequently associated with side-effects. The use of sublingual captopril has recently been indicated in hypertensive crisis, assuming that by this route, there would be a faster absorption and thus a more rapid effect on blood pressure than with the oral route. To verify this hypothesis, we have compared the hypotensive effects of sublingual nifedipine and sublingual captopril in 52 patients with hypertensive emergencies: 25-mg captopril and 10-mg nifedipine were administered sublingually to 28 and 24 patients, respectively. Blood pressures and heart rates were continuously measured up to 240 min postdose. A significant (P less than 0.001) hypotensive effect of both sublingual captopril and nifedipine therapy occurred at 5 min and persisted for 240 min. Heart rates increased with nifedipine, but decreased with captopril. We observed no side-effects in the captopril group, but flushing, tachycardia and headache were observed in 6 patients in the nifedipine group. We conclude that sublingual captopril is effective in patients with hypertensive emergencies and that captopril may be an excellent alternative to sublingual nifedipine in the urgent treatment of hypertensive crisis.

Administration, Sublingual↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Non-invasive assessment of left ventricular function in diabetics without clinical heart disease.

Left ventrical performance was assessed by systolic and diastolic time intervals measured echocardiographically in 24 diabetic patients without clinical heart disease and in 18 healthy subjects. It was found that diabetics had longer PEP, higher PEP/LVET ratio and longer IVRT (p less than 0.01). The possible pathogenetic explanations of these abnormalities are discussed and it is concluded that the measurement of time intervals is a useful method for detecting this myocardial dysfunction on the preclinical stage.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Intrapericardial aneurysm of the left atrial appendix.

Aneurysms of the left atrium or its appendage are uncommon. Some occur with an intact pericardium and others are associated with a pericardial defect. The majority of patients are asymptomatic, but dysrhythmias and systemic embolism may occur. The condition should be suspected after chest radiography but can only be confirmed by angiocardiography. Resection is advised with cardiopulmonary bypass standing by. A patient with an intrapericardial aneurysm of the appendage correctly diagnosed by angiocardiography and successfully treated by simple excision is described.

Adult↗