Silent ischaemic heart disease was looked for by exercise stress testing in 418 patients with chronic obliterative arterial disease of the lower limbs with no clinical or electrocardiographic signs of myocardial ischaemia. In the initial work-up, 6.2% of patients had a positive exercise test and the results were suspect in 9.2% of patients. These patients were followed up for 5 years. There were 42 deaths (10%). The cause of death was cardiovascular in 53.7% of cases (myocardial infarction 40.4%) and malignant disease in 35.7%. During the 5 year follow-up, ischaemic heart disease present as angina pectoris or myocardial infarction in 115 cases (27.5%). Patients who had a positive exercise stress test initially had a particularly high death rate (23%) and developed clinical signs of coronary insufficiency in 57.5% of cases. On the other hand, the peripheral vascular complications were relatively rare in this series: cerebrovascular accidents: 1.4%; retinal vascular accident: 1.1%; carotid surgery: 1.6%; lower limb amputation: 1.9%; lower limb vascular surgery: 17.7%. Silent ischaemic heart disease is very prevalent in patients with obliterative arterial disease of the lower limbs and is a main vital prognostic factor in these patients. These results confirm the need for a complete cardiovascular check-up in all patients with peripheral arterial disease.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

[Carotid sinus hypersensitivity. Medium and long-term development in patients treated by ventricular pacing].

The problem of pacing patients with carotid sinus hypersensitivity (CSH) is the choice and criteria of selection of the pacing mode. The authors studied 29 patients with CSH treated by VVI pacing over a period of 10 years. The average follow-up was 34 months (range 6 to 96 months). Three of the 27 patients (11%) who were asymptomatic at the outset continued to have symptoms. The nature of the CSH was well-defined in 25 patients; 19 of the 20 cases of cardio-inhibitory CSH and 4 of the 5 cases of mixed CSH were asymptomatic. These two poor clinical results were analysed: the patient with the cardio-inhibitory CSH (one recurrence in 84 months) had a drop of 40 mmHg in systolic blood pressure which fulfilled criteria of the cardio-inhibitory form of CSH (a drop of 30 to 50 mmHg). The second case was a complete therapeutic failure with 3 recurrent syncopal episodes. The patient had a mixed form of CSH (B.P. drop of 65 mmHg) associated with a "pace maker syndrome" (drop of 50 mmHg in systolic blood pressure at the onset of VVI pacing without any sino carotid massage). The authors conclude that the cases of CSH which, during their investigation, are best corrected by dual-chamber pacing or which are associated with a significant pacemaker effect or present retrograde ventriculo-atrial conduction, should receive dual-chamber pacemakers.

Aged↗

PubMed1979

[Hemodynamic effects of hydralazine in the cardiac insufficiency of non-obstructive myocardiopathy].

The haemodynamic effects of a single dose of between 0.15 and 0.25 mg/kg hydralazine were studied during cardiac catheterisation of 9 patients with primary congestive cardiomyopathy and heart failure. The systemic arterial resistances decreased (--1 370 +/- 400 dynes/s.cm-5/m2, p less than 0.05); the reduction of pulmonary arterial resistances was less marked (--420 +/- 400 dynes/s.cm-5/m2, p less than 0.05). Intraaortic pressure was reduced (--16 +/- 12 mmHg, p less than 0.02) as was average pulmonary arterial (--4.2 +/- 4,2 mmHg, p less than 0.05) and left ventricular end diastolic pressures (--4.2 +/- 3.0 mmHg, p less than 0,02). Systolic index increased in all cases (+13 +/- 5 ml/syst/m2, p less than 0.001). Heart rate was unchanged. This was due to the improvement of left ventricular function by the reduced impedence. These results confirm the place of hydralazine in the treatment of certain forms of heart failure.

Adult↗

PubMed1978