PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

J Dyckmans

Publications and source records attributed to J Dyckmans.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

[Excimer laser coronary angioplasty after primary unsuccessful PTCA].

Excimer laser coronary angioplasty is a new technique for ablation of coronary stenosis, however, the indications for its application are still controversial. We describe two male patients, 60 and 65 years old, who underwent unsuccessful balloon PTCA with a short, concentric and calcified coronary stenosis, although balloon inflation pressure was increased to a maximum in both cases. Excimer laser angioplasty following the failed procedures showed no evidence for tissue ablation angiographically, but a repeat attempt with balloon angioplasty was successful in both cases. Thus, laser angioplasty may be considered as an adjunct technique to balloon angioplasty after a failed PTCA in resistant, non-inflatable lesions.

Aged

Treatment of unstable angina pectoris (European experience).

Unstable angina pectoris is used to describe accelerated angina, new onset of angina, or prolonged angina. The natural history of the angina varies according to clinical presentation. The 1-year mortality rate ranges from 2% to nearly 40%. Specific therapy includes nitrates, beta-adrenergic blockers, and/or calcium antagonists as well as antithrombotic therapy in the form of aspirin. Patients with severe angina at rest and ST- and T-wave changes should be admitted to a coronary care unit where full-dose heparin is administered. Coronary angiography should be performed in individuals who fail to respond to the conventional therapy in order to evaluate other therapeutic options, including percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and coronary bypass surgery. In some cases, especially in patients with intracoronary thrombus, thrombolytic therapy may be beneficial.

Angina, Unstable

Progression and regression of minor coronary arterial narrowings by quantitative angiography after fenofibrate therapy.

To study the effects of fenofibrate, a lipid-lowering medication, on patients with coronary artery disease, 191 minor coronary narrowings in 42 patients with coronary artery disease were analyzed by quantitative coronary angiography using computer-assisted contour detection. Computed parameters were percent diameter reduction and percent plaque area. A prospectively formed intervention group of 21 patients treated with special diet and fenofibrate (200 to 400 mg/day) was checked every 6 weeks with regard to risk factors. After a mean interval of 21 months, coronary angiography was repeated, using the same x-ray system and nearly identical projections. The intervention group was angiographically compared at follow-up with an untreated comparison group, also comprising 21 patients. Both groups had high initial serum cholesterol (mean 311 mg/dl) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels (mean 235 mg/dl). Only among the treated patients did lipid levels change significantly: cholesterol, -19%; LDL cholesterol, -20%; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, +19%; and triglycerides, -30%. At angiographic follow-up, the changes in percent diameter reduction and percent plaque area correlated positively with the mean serum and LDL cholesterol levels of the intervention group. Significant differences were found in the change in percent plaque area between both groups. The intervention subgroup with angiographic regressions (11 patients) had significantly lower serum and LDL cholesterol levels than the intervention subgroup with angiographic progressions (10 patients). These results indicate the beneficial effect of fenofibrate on minor coronary narrowings. Because of its high reproducibility in measuring minor narrowings, quantitative coronary angiography proved to be a suitable method for angiographic follow-up.

Cholesterol

[Quantitative coronary angiography: progression and regression of coronary stenoses--an intervention study with fenofibrate].

In order to examine the effect of fenofibrate on coronary narrowings, within the framework of a prospective intervention study, we treated a total of 44 hypercholesterolemic patients (who were in our clinic to undergo PTCA) with diet and fenofibrate (200-400 mg/day) over a period of 3 years. After a mean interval of 21 months, control angiographies were performed in nearly identical projections for 21 patients on clinical grounds. The minor and medium-grade narrowings of the reangiographed patients at the beginning and at the end of the intervention interval were measured by means of digital image processing and automatic contour detection. The measuring parameters were percent diameter reduction (% DR) and percent plaque area (%PA). With regard to their angiographic progression, the 21 reangiographed patients of the intervention group were compared to a comparison group consisting likewise of 21 patients of similar age and sex distribution and persistently high lipid and lipoprotein levels. During the intervention period, the reangiographed patients of the intervention group showed the following changes of the lipid and lipoprotein levels in contrast to the outset values: cholesterol -19 +/- 8%, LDL -20 +/- 14%, HDL +19 +/- 44%, triglycerides -30 +/- 31%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary

Late pericardial tamponade after aortic and mitral valve replacement.

A report is presented on a patient who developed a pericardial tamponade on the 11th postoperative day after double valve replacement. Instead of classical signs of tamponade, however, the signs of posterior wall infarction were most prominent. The administration of nitrate resulted in deterioration of the circulatory situation, but the ST elevation in supraventricular tachycardia occurring from time to time regressed. As before the operation, coronary angiography showed normal conditions, and valve function was normal. The contrast-medium imaging of the right ventricle suggested a compression from ventral, and the right ventricular and right atrial pressures corresponded to a tamponade situation: in rethoracotomy, a blood coagulum roughly the size of a fist was found ventral to the right ventricle. After clearing the hematoma, there was an immediate improvement of the circulatory situation, and the ECG alterations regressed. Enzyme alterations in terms of myocardial infarction did not occur. We explained the symptoms as follows: The coagulum compressed the outflow tract of the right ventricle and thus caused on the one hand the hemodynamic situation of tamponade and on the other hand an extreme vagotonia with consecutive bradycardia and ST elevation.

Aortic Valve

[Isovolemic hemodilution in patients with coronary heart disease].

In the age of cellsavers patients suffering from coronary heart disease are diluted to a hematocrit of 20% or even less during a surgical intervention in the coronaries and they leave the operating room with a hematocrit of 30%. On the other hand, a hemodilution to a level of 30% in patients with coronary heart disease represents a contraindication due to the limited coronary reserve. On the occasion of the collection of autologue blood, before vascular surgery or for therapeutical hemodilution, the hematocrit was reduced from 45 to 35% by means of an isovolemic hemodilution with 500 ml of Haes 200/0.5 10% in 50 patients. In the load-ECG the pressure X frequency-product and the dyspnoe decreased significantly. The microcirculation in the nailfold and the systemical blood fluidity increased significantly. As in 22% of the patients a deterioration was stated, we propose to dilute all the patients who have to undergo a coronary vessel operation without exclusion criteria once isovolemically and to stress them before and afterwards. The patients having a clinical defict should be diluted intraoperatively only to 30% and postoperatively not under 35%.

Angina Pectoris

Noise reversion of a dual chamber pacemaker without noise.

Three patients are reported whose DDD pacemakers reverted to the asynchronous mode in the absence of skeletal muscle or electromagnetic (EMI) interference. In all three cases, the basic cardiac rhythm was atrial fibrillation with fast ventricular response due to intrinsic AV conduction. Noise reversion was triggered by the patients' own ventricular activity at cycle lengths shorter than the ventricular refractory period of the pulse generator. In one patient, asynchronous AV sequential pacing during atrial fibrillation was noted shortly after resuscitation from ventricular fibrillation; however, the initiation of the malignant ventricular arrhythmia by the pacemaker remains unproven. The mechanism of noise reversion by rapid cardiac activity and possible solutions to the problem by adequate pacemaker design are discussed.

Aged