PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C N Bairey

Publications and source records attributed to C N Bairey.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Effective risk stratification using exercise myocardial perfusion SPECT in women: gender-related differences in prognostic nuclear testing.

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to evaluate the incremental prognostic value over clinical and exercise variables of rest thallium-201/exercise technetium-99m sestamibi single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in women compared with men and to determine whether this test can be used to effectively risk stratify patients of both genders. BACKGROUND: To minimize the previously described gender-related bias in the evaluation of coronary artery disease in women, there is a need to identify a noninvasive testing strategy that is able to accurately and effectively risk stratify women. METHODS: We identified 4,136 consecutive patients (2,742 men, 1,394 women) who underwent dual-isotope SPECT. The incremental value of nuclear testing was determined using both a stepwise Cox proportional hazards model and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine test discrimination for high risk patients in men and women. RESULTS: The patient population was followed up for 20 +/- 5 months for events (cardiac death or nonfatal myocardial infarction). During this time, 63 myocardial infarctions and 32 cardiac deaths occurred in the men, and 31 myocardial infarctions and 14 cardiac deaths occurred in the women. Nuclear testing significantly stratified both men and women irrespective of their rest electrocardiogram. Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed that nuclear testing added incremental prognostic value in both men and women after inclusion of the most predictive clinical exercise variables (overall chi-square 89 in men vs. 120 in women, p < 0.005). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that nuclear testing further stratified men and women with both intermediate to high and low prescan likelihoods of coronary artery disease (p < 0.005 for all). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated superior discrimination for the nuclear scan results in identifying high risk women than men (area under the curve: 0.84 +/- 0.03 vs 0.71 +/- 0.03 in men, p < 0005). The odds ratio comparing event rates in patients with women than in men, suggesting superior stratification using nuclear testing in women. CONCLUSIONS: Dual-isotope myocardial perfusion imaging yields incremental prognostic value in both men and women. This modality identifies low risk women and men equally well but relatively high risk women more accurately than relatively high risk men and, thus, is able to stratify women more effectively than men.

Bias↗

Internal mammary artery to lung parenchyma fistula after aortocoronary bypass grafting.

Two unusual cases of internal mammary artery fistulization to lung parenchyma after coronary revascularization are reported. They were incidentally discovered during coronary angiography, and one of them was successfully closed with a percutaneous transvenous coil-spring occluder. The cause is thought to be the direct contact between the dissected mammary artery pedicle and the lung parenchyma.

Coronary Artery Bypass↗

Effect of beta-blockade on low heart rate-related ischemia during mental stress.

To explore the effect of beta-adrenergic blockade on low heart rate-related (mental stress) ischemia, 19 patients with coronary artery disease were randomized into a double-blind crossover trial of metoprolol, 100 mg twice daily, and underwent serial mental stress/bicycle exercise studies. Mental stress-induced wall motion abnormalities occurred at a lower heart rate than exercise-induced wall motion abnormalities during placebo administration (81 +/- 16 vs. 123 +/- 20 beats/min, p less than 0.05). Metoprolol reduced the mean magnitude of exercise-induced wall motion abnormalities (2.8 +/- 2.0 vs. 1.6 +/- 2.4, p = 0.003); improvement was related to the magnitude of hemodynamic beta-blockade effect. Metoprolol did not significantly reduce the mean magnitude of mental stress-induced wall motion abnormalities (3.0 +/- 2.2 vs. 2.6 +/- 2.2), although individual responses predominantly either improved (50%) or worsened (29%). Unlike exercise, the magnitude of hemodynamic beta-blockade did not predict mental stress response and metoprolol did not block mental stress-induced blood pressure elevations. Patients with abolition of exercise-induced ischemia were more likely to have reduction of mental stress-induced ischemia. Patients whose ischemia worsened with metoprolol during mental stress had more easily inducible ischemia, as assessed by exercise-induced placebo wall motion abnormality, chest pain and prior myocardial infarction. Beta-blockade was associated with a lowering of ischemia-related hemodynamic thresholds compared with placebo. These results suggest that beta-blockade has a variable effect on low heart rate-related ischemia that may be due to a lack of effect on mental stress-induced blood pressure elevation in patients with easily induced ischemia or to effects on coronary vasomotor tone, or both.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

Ventricular responses to mental stress testing in patients with coronary artery disease. Pathophysiological implications.

Recent research examining the effects of mental stress on left ventricular wall motion and/or ejection fraction has used four techniques to measure contractile function: radionuclide ventriculography, a stationary nuclear probe, two-dimensional echocardiography, and an ambulatory radionuclide left ventricular function monitor. This research has consistently revealed that mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia occurs frequently during laboratory stress testing, particularly among patients with exercise-induced ischemia. This ischemia is usually silent, occurs at low heart rate elevations but with significant blood pressure increases compared with exercise-induced ischemia, and is frequently not detected when electrocardiographic markers are used alone. Exploration of factors underlying differences between mental stress- and exercise-induced ischemia has provided a means for studying the complex pathophysiology of myocardial ischemia.

Coronary Disease↗

Accuracy and reproducibility of left ventricular ejection fraction measurements using an ambulatory radionuclide left ventricular function monitor.

The accuracy and reproducibility of a new ambulatory radionuclide detector system (the VEST) for ejection fraction measurement has not been fully validated. Thirty-six subjects, (19 volunteers and 17 patients) underwent repetitive bicycle exercise using sequences of both VEST monitoring and gamma camera imaging. A high intraclass correlation was noted for both absolute ejection fraction [0.84 (0.56, 0.95)] and delta ejection fraction [0.87 (0.63, 0.96)] during repeat VEST monitoring. The intraclass correlation for ejection fraction was comparable for data averaged over 30 sec versus 2 min. These correlations compared favorably to those obtained for assessment of absolute and delta ejection fraction as derived by gamma camera determination by the same computer operator (intraobserver variability), two different computer operators (interobserver variability), and during repeat exercise using gamma camera imaging. In concordance, correlations between VEST and gamma camera measurements were relatively high for both absolute ejection fraction (0.78 [0.61, 0.88]) and delta ejection fraction (0.63 [0.39, 0.79]). Thus, the VEST represents a reproducible means of measuring ejection fraction change during dynamic physical activity. Its accuracy in ejection fraction measurements is similar to gamma camera imaging during exercise testing.

Adult↗

Mental stress as an acute trigger of ischemic left ventricular dysfunction and blood pressure elevation in coronary artery disease.

Acute mental stress may be a frequent trigger of transient myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death. In an experimental setting, the effect of mental stress on hemodynamics and left ventricular wall motion abnormalities (as detected by radionuclide ventriculography) was measured in 29 patients with exercise-induced myocardial ischemia. Seventy-five percent of the patients demonstrated mental stress-induced wall motion abnormalities. Patients frequently exhibited greater increases in peak systolic arterial pressure during mental stress than during exercise. Personally relevant mental stress is the most potent type of mental stress, both in terms of frequency and magnitude of ischemia. Most mental stress-induced ischemic episodes are clinically and electrocardiographically silent and occur at heart rates significantly lower than those seen during exercise. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased during mental stress-induced ischemia, suggesting that increased myocardial oxygen demand plays a role in the pathophysiology of mental stress-induced transient ischemia. The significant magnitude and acute onset of this mental stress-induced blood pressure elevation may in some manner contribute to atherosclerotic plaque rupture. These findings may provide a pathophysiologic link to the epidemiologic association between mental stress and acute ischemic coronary events. A new ambulatory radionuclide detector that can concurrently monitor left ventricular ejection fraction and electrocardiographic ST-segment change may enhance the detection and evaluation of transient myocardial ischemia in ambulatory coronary patients.

Angina Pectoris↗

Comparison of physiologic ejection fraction responses to activities of daily living: implications for clinical testing.

The recent development of the VEST, an ambulatory radionuclide detector, to measure left ventricular ejection fraction may enhance the detection of ischemia during daily activities in patients with coronary artery disease. The normal range and determinants of ejection fraction responses to stimuli other than physical exercise, however, are not adequately characterized. Therefore, ejection fraction responses to various activities were measured in 18 normal subjects utilizing the VEST. Uniform increases (greater than 5%) in ejection fraction were seen during physical exercise, uniform decreases were seen during cold pressor testing and modest changes (including decreases greater than 5%) were seen in ejection fraction during mental stress, micturition and hyperventilation. Different forms of stress produced significantly different changes in ejection fraction, even when values were controlled for changes in heart rate. Ventricular loading conditions in the form of enhanced blood pressure responses during mental stress may have contributed to the relatively smaller changes in ejection fraction compared with those during exercise. Subjects demonstrating a decrease in ejection fraction during mental stress did not differ from other subjects in hemodynamic reactivity during mental testing but did have evidence of increased parasympathetic tone during cold pressor and bicycle exercise testing. The results reveal that normal ejection fraction response differs among varying physiologic stimuli. These changes are in part related to changes in heart rate and blood pressure; however, other factors, such as neurohumoral regulation, may also play a role. These findings indicate that the patient's activity and the setting in which it occurs must be considered when interpreting ambulatory ejection fraction responses.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Exercise thallium-201 scintigraphy and prognosis in typical angina pectoris and negative exercise electrocardiography.

Patients with a history of typical angina but negative exercise electrocardiography represent a subgroup with an intermediate likelihood of having coronary artery disease and future cardiac events. A retrospective study of the prognostic utility of stress-redistribution thallium-201 scintigraphy was performed in 190 such patients. A second group of 203 patients with typical angina and a positive exercise electrocardiogram were analyzed for comparative scintigraphic purposes. The cardiac event rate for the 144 negative exercise electrocardiogram patients with normal thallium results was 5 vs 15% in the 46 patients with abnormal thallium results (p = 0.01). These patients were further stratified into high (14 to 18%), intermediate (9%) and low (less than 2%) risk groups for future cardiac events based on combining the thallium results with the percentage of maximal predicted heart rate achieved. A multivariate analysis revealed that an abnormal thallium result was the only significant correlate of future cardiac events. Mechanisms responsible for the discordant finding of a negative exercise electrocardiogram in patients with typical angina include (1) false-positive angina symptomatology in low prevalence coronary artery disease groups in whom the thallium test is negative, and (2) "electrocardiographically silent" ischemia in patients in whom the thallium test is positive. These findings reveal that thallium stress-redistribution scintigraphy can be used to stratify 1-year prognosis in this subgroup of patients with typical angina and negative exercise electrocardiograms.

Angina Pectoris↗

Mental stress and the induction of silent myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease.

To assess the causal relation between acute mental stress and myocardial ischemia, we evaluated cardiac function in selected patients during a series of mental tasks (arithmetic, the Stroop color--word task, simulated public speaking, and reading) and compared the responses with those induced by exercise. Thirty-nine patients with coronary artery disease and 12 controls were studied by radionuclide ventriculography. Of the patients with coronary artery disease, 23 (59 percent) had wall-motion abnormalities during periods of mental stress and 14 (36 percent) had a fall in ejection fraction of more than 5 percentage points. Ischemia induced by mental stress was symptomatically "silent" in 19 of the 23 patients with wall-motion abnormalities (83 percent) and occurred at lower heart rates than exercise-induced ischemia (P less than 0.05). In contrast, we observed comparable elevations in arterial pressure during ischemia induced by mental stress and ischemia induced by exercise. A personally relevant, emotionally arousing speaking task induced more frequent and greater regional wall-motion abnormalities than did less specific cognitive tasks causing mental stress (P less than 0.05). The magnitude of cardiac dysfunction induced by the speaking task was similar to that induced by exercise. Personally relevant mental stress may be an important precipitant of myocardial ischemia--often silent--in patients with coronary artery disease. Further examination of the pathophysiologic mechanisms responsible for myocardial ischemia induced by mental stress could have important implications for the treatment of transient myocardial ischemia.

Adult↗

Electrocardiographic differentiation of occlusion of the left circumflex versus the right coronary artery as a cause of inferior acute myocardial infarction.

To determine whether the admission electrocardiogram can identify left circumflex or right coronary artery occlusion as the cause of an inferior acute myocardial infarction (AMI), findings from electrocardiography and coronary angiography performed within 12 hours of each other were retrospectively assessed in 41 consecutive patients with inferior AMI. All patients had ST-segment elevation in 1 or more inferior leads (II, III or aVF). Of the 12 patients with circumflex coronary artery occlusion, 10 (83%) had ST-segment elevation in 1 or more lateral leads (aVL, V5 or V6) without ST-segment depression in lead I. Similar electrocardiographic findings were noted in only 1 of 29 patients (4%) with right coronary occlusion (p less than 0.001). ST-segment depression in precordial leads V1-V3 was equally prevalent in both groups. Thus, the presence of both ST-segment elevation in 2 or more inferior leads and ST-segment elevation in 1 or more lateral leads with an isoelectric or elevated ST segment in lead I identified circumflex coronary occlusion with a sensitivity of 83%, specificity of 96%, positive predictive accuracy of 91% and negative predictive accuracy of 93%. When these criteria were prospectively applied to an additional cohort of 19 consecutive patients with inferior AMI (5 with left circumflex and 14 with right coronary artery occlusion), presence of left circumflex coronary artery occlusion was predicted with a sensitivity of 80%, specificity of 93%, positive predictive accuracy of 100% and negative predictive accuracy of 93%. Thus, the admission 12-lead electrocardiogram can assist in differentiating left circumflex from right coronary artery occlusion in patients with inferior AMI.

Arterial Occlusive Diseases↗

Differences in the frequency of ST segment depression during upright and supine exercise: assessment in normals and in patients with coronary artery disease.

Increased utilization of ambulatory ST segment monitoring mandates an appreciation of nonischemic variables that may influence the ST segment. While a greater frequency of ST segment depression has been reported with supine vs upright exercise, the relative false positive rate in both positions is not known. Thus, we compared the frequency of exercise ECG abnormalities during upright and supine bicycle exercise in two groups--17 normals and 46 patients with coronary artery disease. Exercise was performed in combination with radionuclide ventriculographic imaging. Peak exercise heart rate, peak systolic blood pressure, and exercise duration time were all slightly higher in the upright vs supine position (p less than 0.05). Nevertheless, the frequency of positive ST segment responses was more common in the supine position, both in the patients with coronary artery disease (54% vs 30%, p less than 0.05) and in the normal subjects (29% vs 6%, p = NS). The corresponding radionuclide ventriculographic responses, however, were normal during upright and supine exercise in 6 of the 11 CAD patients and in all five of the normal subjects with an abnormal ST segment response during supine exercise only. The frequency of exercise-induced chest pain was also similar in the two positions. Thus, we theorize that nonischemic factors may govern some positive ST segment responses in the supine position. This finding is of relevance for understanding the potential sources of physiologic false positive ST segment responses for ambulatory ST segment monitoring.

Adult↗

Cardiovascular reactivity and mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease.

This report evaluates the relationships of hemodynamic reactivity and determinants of myocardial oxygen demand to myocardial ischemia during mental stress in coronary artery disease patients. Thirty-nine patients and 12 controls were studied by radionuclide ventriculography during three mental tasks (arithmetic, Stroop task, and simulated public speaking). Patients were subdivided into three groups based on the severity of ischemic wall motion responses to the mental stressors. Results revealed that systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels during the mental tasks and SBP reactivity (increases) to stress were highest for the severely ischemic group, lowest for controls, with the mild-moderate ischemic and nonischemic patients in between. Severely ischemic patients started out with lower double product (heart rate x SBP) levels, and reached higher levels during the Stroop and speech tasks. There were no reliable group effects for diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, or left ventricular end-diastolic volumes. Among severely ischemic patients, the most potent task in eliciting ischemia (the speech) was associated with higher cardiovascular levels and elicited greater heart rate, double product, and ventricular volume responses. The present data indicate a relationship between cardiovascular levels and reactivity and the magnitude of ischemia induced by mental stress.

Aged↗

Hostility and myocardial ischemia in coronary artery disease patients: evaluation by gender and ischemic index.

Two studies assess relationships of hostility to extent and severity of exercise-induced cardiac ischemia and daily life ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD patients (N = 80) who underwent exercise tomographic thallium testing to assess myocardial perfusion completed the Cook-Medley Hostility Inventory (Ho). A Composite Hostility (Chost) score obtained from the Ho scale was also used. Statistically controlling for the effects of gender in the full sample (N = 80), Chost was positively correlated with severity of perfusion defects (r = 0.22, p < 0.05). This relationship was nonsignificant in the 63 male patients, but was significant among women (N = 17, r = 0.42, p < 0.05) and among middle-aged men (less than 60 years, N = 17, r = 0.55, p < 0.05). In an overlapping sample of 42 CAD patients with ischemia (ST-segment depression > or = 1 mm) during 24 to 48 hours of ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring, after controlling for gender, both Ho and Chost were positively correlated with total minutes of ischemia (r = 0.28 and r = 0.29, respectively, p < 0.05). In addition, there was a significant gender x hostility interaction, with stronger relationships with hostility evident for women. Results from these two studies indicate that in patients with coronary artery disease, hostility traits are significantly correlated with extent of daily life ischemia and with severity of exercise-induced myocardial ischemia. These relationships appear to be significant among female and middle aged male patients, but may be less evident among older male patients.

Aged↗