Biomedical subjects

Ali Saşmaz

Publications and source records attributed to Ali Saşmaz.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Evaluation of atrial refractoriness immediately after percutaneous mitral balloon commissurotomy in patients with mitral stenosis and sinus rhythm.

BACKGROUND: Chronic atrial stretch and rheumatic inflammatory activity leads to atrial dilatation and conduction slowing, and this increases the susceptibility to atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of this study was to examine the effects of changes in the chronic atrial stretch on atrial refractoriness in the early period after percutaneous mitral balloon commissurotomy (PMBC) in patients with mitral stenosis and sinus rhythm. METHODS: Twenty-five patients undergoing PMBC were enrolled in this study. We evaluated the changes in pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP), left atrial (LA) pressure, mean mitral diastolic gradient, and mitral valve area in addition to the changes in atrial effective refractory periods (AERPs), AERP dispersion, and intra-atrial and interatrial conduction times after PMBC. RESULTS: There were significant decreases in mean diastolic gradient, PAP, mean LA pressure, and LA size after PMBC. Accompanying these acute hemodynamic changes after PMBC, AERPs in high right atrium (HRA), distal coronary sinus (DCS), and right posterolateral (RPL) were found to be increased (P <.001), and AERP dispersion, PA(HIS) (an interval between P wave on the surface electrocardiogram and atrial electrogram at the His bundle site), and HRA-DCS intervals were significantly reduced after PMBC (P <.001). It was revealed with linear regression and correlation analysis that only the changes in AERP dispersion were correlated with changes in LA pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Relief of chronic atrial stretch results in an increase in AERPs and decrease in AERP dispersion, suggesting the potential reversibility of the electrophysiological features of chronic atrial dilatation. Our study emphasizes that an acute reduction of chronic atrial stretch in mitral stenosis resulted in favorable effects on atrial electrophysiological characteristics, and our results provide the first detailed insights into the electrophysiological changes after PMBC in patients with sinus rhythm.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Increased P wave dispersion after the radiofrequency catheter ablation in overt pre-excitation patients: the role of atrial vulnerability.

The pathogenesis of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) in patients with overt pre-excitation and effect of elimination of accessory pathways on the appearance of AF are still controversial. We demonstrated the increased P max and P wave dispersion (PWD) reflecting more inhomogeneous and prolonged atrial conduction in patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome and PAF attacks. One-hundred and fifty-one patients who underwent radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation due to paroxysmal tachycardia medicated by accessory pathway were enrolled in this study. The patients were classified into two groups according to the presence of previous PAF attacks. We compared the clinical characteristics, echocardiograhic findings, P max and PWD values measured after normalization of PR intervals and disappearance of pre-excitation after ablation in overt pre-excitation patients. Although the differences in age, left atrial diameter and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were not significant in both groups, P maximum (130.0+/-8.4 vs. 122.3+/-8.7 ms, p=0.002) and P wave dispersion values measured after ablation (50.3+/-7.2 vs. 35.7+/-6.1 ms, p=0.001) were significantly higher in patients with previous PAF attacks. Accessory pathway (AP) antegrade and retrograde effective refractory period (ERP) values were shorter (276+/-27.3 vs. 321.0+/-48.7, p=0.001; 263.4+/-41.3 vs. 299.7+/-38.2, p=0.002, respectively) in patients with PAF attack when compared to those without PAF attacks. Higher P wave dispersion values in patients with previous PAF attacks suggest the important role of inhomogenous and discontinuous propagation of sinus impulses. Therefore, we concluded that not only the accessory pathway but also inhomogenous propagation of sinus impulses may play an important role in occurrence of AF in patients with pre-excitation.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Determinants of persistent atrial fibrillation in patients with DDD pacemaker implantation.

Occurrence of AF in a pacemaker implanted patient is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate the clinical, echocardiographic, and electrocardiographic determinants of persistent AF in patients with DDD pacemakers. A 101 consecutive patients were followed for an average of 19.8 +/- 11.8 months. Persistent AF was documented in 21 (20.8%) patients and 80 (79.2%) patients were in sinus or physiologically paced rhythm. In patients with persistent AF, previous AF attacks were observed more frequently (P < 0.03) and left atrial dimension was higher (3.5 +/- 0.6 vs 3.0 +/- 0.5 cm, P < 0.001). Average P maximum and P wave dispersion (PWD) values calculated in a 12-lead surface electrocardiogram were also found to be significantly higher in patients with persistent AF (P < 0.001). Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the presence of previous AF attacks (RR 8.95, P < 0.001), increased left atrial dimension (RR 2.1, P < 0.02), P maximum duration 120 ms (RR 6.1, P < 0.001), and PWD 40 ms (RR 12.2, P < 0.001) were associated with an increased risk of persistent AF. Cut-off points were 120 ms for P maximum and 40 ms for PWD. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated as 76.2, 82.5, 53.3, and 92.9 for P maximum and as 85.7, 87.5, 64.3, and 95.9 for PWD, respectively. In patients with DDD pacemakers, previous AF attacks, increased left atrial dimension, P maximum value of 120 ms, and a PWD value of 40 ms were associated with a significantly increased risk of persistent AF. These patients must further be managed with other treatment modalities to prevent the development of persistent AF.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

[Classification of patients with complete atrioventricular block according to etiological, demographic and clinical features and pacemaker needs].

OBJECTIVE: Complete atrioventricular (AV) block is a rhythm disorder that can result from various causes. The aim of this study was to define etiological factors, clinical features, pacemaker needs, in-hospital mortality rates and factors affecting these parameters in the patients with complete AV block. METHODS: For this aim, 191 consecutive patients admitted to the hospital with complete AV block or who developed AV block during their hospital course between January 1999-September 2002 were included into the study. RESULTS: The most common underlying cause of AV block was found to be the ischemia, which was followed by unknown etiology and iatrogenic complete AV block. The most common cause of in-hospital mortality was ischemic (especially acute) heart disease. No etiological factor for complete AV block was found in most of symptomatic patients presented with syncope. In patients with ischemic complete AV block, mortality and syncope rates were found to be high, especially in patients with multivessel disease. Permanent pacemaker was implanted in 76 of 191 patients with complete AV block and the significant portion of these patients were those without an etiological cause. CONCLUSION: Thus, it is revealed that factors affecting mortality in patients with complete AV block are acute myocardial infarction and age while other clinical parameters and pacemaker implantation had no effects on mortality.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

[Do mobile telephones have adverse effects on the functions of implantable cardioverter defibrillators?].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of widely used mobile telephones on the functions of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD). METHODS: The study included 9 patients (2 women, 7 men, mean age 65.5 +/- 6) with coronary artery disease who had underwent transvenous ICD implantation due to sustained ventricular tachycardia and/or fibrillation. First the test was performed on the basal conditions of ICD. Then, spontaneous heart rate of the patient was programmed to 10 beats/minute on VVI mode and the test was repeated. Two mobile telephones were located symmetrically 50 cm, 30 cm, 20 cm and 10 cm away from the ICD pocket in the pectoralis muscle and finally the mobile telephones antennas were touched to the pockets. On these different distances, the test was repeated during opening, standby, calling, talking and closing of the telephones. Possible ICD dysfunctions such as improper antitachycardic shock, inhibition of pacemaker functions, conversion to ventricular asynchronous mode (VOO) and development of ventricular trigger in devices with two chamber pacemaker functions were tested. The changes were observed on intracardiac and surface ECG's. RESULTS: There were no changes in the basal and pacemaker functions of ICD's and no symptoms in any patients. CONCLUSION: We have concluded that mobile telephones have no adverse effects on the functions of types of ICD assessed in the study.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

Distribution of coronary artery lesions in patients with permanent pacemakers.

OBJECTIVE: In the present study we examined retrospectively the coronary anatomy pathology of 78 consecutive patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who underwent permanent pacemaker implantation in order to find a common pathological anatomic basis for conduction disturbances and to compare them with a group of matched patients with angiographically proven CAD. METHODS: Study group consists of seventy-eight patients with angiographically documented CAD and permanent pacemaker implantation. Control group included comparable patients with CAD and without a pacemaker implantation. Coronary angiography was performed using standard Judkins approach in all patients within 2 months before pacemaker implantation. The locations of narrowings in the left anterior descending (LAD) and right (RCA) coronary arteries, as the arteries supplying the conduction system, were documented accurately and further classified as follows. Type I: Anatomy not compromising blood supply to the conduction system, namely, either the absence of significant narrowing in the LAD, RCA, left circumflex, posterolateral, or posterior descending arteries or the presence of mid-distal LAD lesions beyond the septal branches. Type II: Pathological coronary anatomy involving septal branches emerging from the LAD (and without significant lesions in the RCA). Type III: Pathological coronary anatomy compromising blood supply to the sinoatrial (SAN) or atrioventricular (AVN) nodes but not compromising blood flow to the septal branches. This subset included patients with distal LAD lesions after the septal branches. Type IV: Combination of types II and III pathological coronary anatomy that compromises blood supply both to the septal branches and SAN and AVN arteries. RESULTS: Occurrence of the type IV coronary anatomy (45%) was significantly higher than type I (19%), type II(24%) and type III (11%) in the study group (p<0.02). Statistically significant differences were found between the two groups (p<0.05): more patients in the study group had type II (24%) and IV(45%) coronary anatomy (p<0.02) while type I (35%) and III (37%) anatomy were more frequently observed in control group (p<0.05). Analysis of flow quality of septal perforators, SAN and AVN arteries, in the study group demonstrated a significant tendency for reduced blood flow in the conduction system. CONCLUSION: Presence of first perforator lesions with poor quality of flow and right coronary artery lesions shown angiographically should be considered as the risk factors requiring permanent pacemaker implantation in patients with coronary artery disease.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Do different atrial flutter types carry the same thromboembolic risk?

Thromboembolic risk of atrial flutter (AFl) types has not been elucidated sufficiently in previous reports. The authors classified the patients according to surface electrocardiogram and electrophysiologic characteristics as those with typical AFl (37 patients, 78.4% male, mean age 59.8 +/-9.5 years) and atypical AFl (13 patients, 69.2% male, mean age 60.9 +/-6.9 years) and compared them regarding some clinical, echocardiographic, and hematologic parameters. An age- and gender-matched control group composed of 20 individuals without any organic heart disease in sinus rhythm was chosen (80% male, mean age 60.3 +/-7.9 years). Clinical features such as age, gender, organic heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, AFl duration, and the prevalence of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation were similar in both AFl groups. Echocardiographic parameters such as left ventricular ejection fraction, left atrial (LA) diameter, LA spontaneous echo contrast, and LA appendage emptying velocities were similar in both AFl groups. Fibrinogen, fibrin D-dimer, and thrombin-antithrombin III levels reflecting coagulation system activity were found to be increased in the patients with atypical AFl when compared with those with typical AFl and the control group (p < 0.001). In Pearson's correlation analysis, significant correlation between these hematologic markers and clinical and echocardiographic parameters were not found (p > 0.05). The coagulation system activity was found to be increased in patients with atypical AFl. Thus, anticoagulation due to the increased thromboembolic risk should be considered in patients with atypical AFl.

Age Factors↗