Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to D J Kosinski.
The disorders of autonomic control associated with orthostatic intolerance are a diverse group that can result in syncope and near-syncope. A basic understanding of these disorders is essential to diagnosis and proper treatment. Ongoing studies should help to define better the spectrum of these disorders and to elaborate better diagnostic and treatment modalities.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Carotid sinus syndrome (CSS) is a well-recognized cause of unexplained syncope in older patients, and may lead to significant morbidity related to trauma suffered during falls. Dual chamber pacing has been demonstrated to be efficacious in relieving symptoms due to bradycardia, but not the accompanying vasodepressor response. We report three patients with recurrent syncope due to a mixed type of CSS, who were treated with serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) alone, and were symptom-free after 4-5 weeks of therapy. The patients have remained symptom-free after more than 13 months of treatment. We conclude that SSRIs may be potentially useful in the treatment of CSS, and that the central mechanisms involved in CSS may be similar to those that result in neurocardiogenic syncope.
Head upright tilt table testing has emerged as an accepted modality for identifying an individual's predisposition to episodes of autonomically mediated hypotension and bradycardia that are sufficiently profound so that transient loss of consciousness ensues (neurocardiogenic syncope). However it has also become apparent that less dramatic falls in blood pressure, while not sufficient to cause full syncope, may produce symptoms such as near syncope, vertigo, dizziness, and TIA-like episodes. We have identified a subgroup of individuals with a mild form of autonomic dysfunction with symptoms of postural tachycardia and lightheadedness, disabling fatigue, exercise intolerance, dizziness, and near syncope. During baseline tilt table testing these patients demonstrated a heart rate increase of > or = 30 beats/min (or a maximum heart rate of 120 beats/min) within the first 10 minutes upright (unassociated with profound hypotension), which reproduced their symptom complex. In addition these patients exhibit an exaggerated response to isoproterenol infusions. Similar observations have been made by others who have dubbed this entity the Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). We conclude that POTS represents a mild (and potentially treatable) from of autonomic dysfunction that can be readily diagnosed during head upright tilt table testing.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The current nonsurgical therapeutic options for patients with peripheral vascular disease are rapidly expanding. No longer is conservative management the only alternative for patients with significantly symptomatic but noncritical limb ischemia. Certainly for vascular disease above the inguinal ligament interventional procedures especially with adjunctive stent placement have excellent success and long term patency. Femoropopliteal vascular disease of relatively limited nature also is well-treated with interventional procedures. Infrapopliteal vascular disease treated with a surgical venous bypass appears to have superior results than intervention. However, for poor surgical risk patients or in patients without the necessary venous conduit, limb salvage is still good with a percutaneous approach. Renal artery stenosis appears now to be well treated with interventional techniques. Early data with up to one year follow-up shows that even ostial stenoses respond well when vascular stents are utilized. Extending the life of failing hemodialysis grafts is another area where interventional techniques are of benefit. In the future, more extensive vascular disease and other vascular disease entities such as cerebrovascular disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm may be successfully treated by a percutaneous approach.
A high cardiac output state, with or without congestive heart failure, has recently been recognized in patients with multiple myeloma. This case report deals with a 62-year-old man with multiple myeloma refractory to treatment, a high cardiac output state, and life-threatening pulmonary edema. In addition, a brief review of the literature is presented.
Neurally mediated episodes of hypotension and bradycardia (neurocardiogenic syncope) are a common cause of recurrent syncope. Clinically, these episodes may present as an isolated event with an identifiable stimulus, or manifest as a syndrome of recurrent idiopathic syncopal events. The technique of head-upright tilt table testing has emerged as a safe and effective modality to identify individuals with this disorder. The use of isoproterenol as an adjunct to tilt table testing is widely employed although controversial. Whereas the mechanism of neurally mediated syncope is incompletely understood, effective therapies are available. Multiple pharmacologic agents, either alone or in combination, have proven effective in preventing recurrent episodes. The role of cardiac pacing as therapy for a subgroup of patients who manifest severe bradycardia or asystole remains controversial as well. Additional study is necessary to further define the mechanism of neurally mediated syncope, provide new therapeutic strategies, and perhaps provide alternative diagnostic techniques.
The authors report a case of early peripartum myocardial infarction resulting from spontaneous dissection of the left anterior descending coronary artery and right coronary artery in a twenty-four-year-old woman. This is the first report of double-vessel coronary dissection involving both the left and right coronary arteries diagnosed antemortem and successfully treated.
Recurrent syncope in the young patient can be an anxiety-provoking experience that is often difficult to diagnose. Head-upright tilt table testing has emerged as a method for provoking episodes of vasodepressor syncope in predisposed individuals and thereby establishing a diagnosis. Currently indicated in the evaluation of young patients with recurrent unexplained syncope, it has also proven useful in differentiating convulsive syncope from epilepsy. Further studies will be needed to better define its role in the evaluation and management of recurrent syncope in children and adolescents.