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Biomedical subjects

K S Pieper

Publications and source records attributed to K S Pieper.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Determinants of one-year outcome from balloon aortic valvuloplasty.

Balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) has been a therapeutic alternative treatment for severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. Previous studies have been unable to predict 1-year outcome because of limited acute and follow-up clinical, invasive and echocardiographic data. The purpose of this study was to predict long-term outcome based on comprehensive data obtained at the time of valvuloplasty and at 3 and 6 months after the procedure. Of 170 consecutive patients undergoing BAV, 108 (mean age 78 years) were at least 1 year from their procedure. Prospective clinical, micromanometer hemodynamic, digital ventriculographic and echocardiographic/Doppler data were collected at baseline and immediately after the procedure. Echocardiographic data were also obtained at 3 and 6 months. With use of Cox model analysis, major events (defined as cardiac death [n = 30], aortic valve replacement [n = 21] or repeat BAV [n = 13]) were predicted by advanced age, baseline heart failure class, and baseline echocardiographic-determined diastolic left ventricular diameter. Only baseline left ventricular ejection fraction proved to be a significant predictor of cardiac death (p = 0.002) in a multivariate model. Absolute values after BAV (stroke work, first derivative of left ventricular pressure, valve area, end-systolic volume, Fick cardiac output, transvalvular gradient) and acute changes measured by catheterization or echocardiography did not provide additional predictive information over that of post procedure ejection fraction. Similarly, echocardiographic valve area and transvalvular gradient at 3 months added no further prognostic data. With an ejection fraction greater than or equal to 45% (n = 63), cardiac survival at 1 year was 80%, irrespective of age, sex, congestive heart failure class or severity of coronary artery disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗
PubMed1991

The effect of metabolic milieu on cardiac PET imaging using fluorine-18-deoxyglucose and nitrogen-13-ammonia in normal volunteers.

Cardiac PET imaging using 13N-ammonia and 18FDG was performed on 17 normal volunteers in the glucose-loaded and fasted states. PET images (glucose-loaded and fasted) were subjected to qualitative visual analysis using the descriptors: image quality, FDG blood-pool activity, ammonia lung field activity, and clinical interpretability. Glucose-loaded studies had better image quality, diminished FDG blood-pool activity, and were more often clinically interpretable compared to fasted studies. Dietary state did not affect 13N-ammonia study parameters. Using a semi-quantitative region of interest method, 18FDG myocardial activity was homogeneous and significantly affected by dietary state (2.48 +/- 1.0 fold increase in myocardial-to-blood pool ratio in glucose-loaded versus fasted states). Serum glucose, insulin, and free-fatty acid concentrations responded physiologically to glucose loading and fasting but showed no correlation with myocardial 18FDG uptake. PET imaging using 13N-ammonia and 18FDG appears optimal in the glucose-loaded state.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Vascular complications of cardiac catheterization.

Femoral artery injury after diagnostic and therapeutic cardiac catheterization is a frequently encountered clinical problem. This study reviews 150 femoral artery injuries that occurred in 16,350 patients over a 5-year period. A prospective computerized cardiac catheterization data bank was used to determine significant risk factors associated with the occurrence of vascular injury. Logistic regression analysis revealed that congestive heart failure, female gender, and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty or valvuloplasty procedure were significantly associated with occurrence of vascular injury. Greater age, smaller body surface area, and smaller weight were also associated with injury. Recommendations for management include an aggressive approach to obstruction even if local vascular reconstruction is required. False aneurysms are studied by ultrasonography, and small ones may be observed expectantly. Larger aneurysms and aneurysms that persist beyond a few days are managed by use of general or regional anesthesia and by gaining proximal control of the iliac artery. Arteriovenous fistulas resulting from catheterization are rarely hemodynamically significant and often close spontaneously. Thus repair should be delayed.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1991

Exercise radionuclide angiocardiography predicts cardiac death in patients with coronary artery disease.

The purpose of this investigation was to document the relative importance of three clinical and three radionuclide variables for prediction of cardiac death in a consecutive group of patients evaluated for coronary artery disease. During a 6 1/2-year period, beginning in January 1978, 2,042 consecutive patients underwent radionuclide angiocardiography, with a clinical diagnosis of coronary artery disease, at Duke University Medical Center. A subgroup of 318 patients who underwent surgical myocardial revascularization near the time of initial study were excluded from later analysis. Clinical follow-up information was complete in a group of 1,663 patients who did not undergo interventional therapy. The 141 cardiac deaths in these 1,663 patients were the study end point. Cox proportional hazards models analyzed the prognostic information contained in three clinical variables (pain type, age, and sex) and three radionuclide angiocardiogram variables (exercise ejection fraction, resting end-diastolic volume, and change in heart rate with exercise). One-variable models confirmed the prognostic importance of each of these six variables. A multivariable model in which all six variables were used showed clinical variables to contain only 5% and the radionuclide variables 95% of the prognostic information. The exercise ejection fraction was the single most important variable, which alone contained 85% of the total information in the model. Curves relating probability of no cardiac death to the exercise ejection fraction identified a value of 0.50 as an inflection point. Patients with exercise ejection fractions below 0.50 demonstrate a probability of cardiac death that increases as the ejection fraction decreases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMed1990

Thrombotic and cardiovascular complications related to nonionic contrast media during cardiac catheterization: analysis of 8,517 patients.

The incidence of major complications associated with nonionic contrast media has not been defined in a large study. Accordingly, cardiovascular complications, especially thrombotic events, were prospectively evaluated in 8,517 consecutive patients undergoing diagnostic cardiac catheterization with either iopamidol (n = 6,293) or iohexol (n = 2,224). Thrombotic events were defined as coronary embolus, coronary occlusion, transient ischemic attack or stroke occurring at the time of catheterization. Thrombotic events occurred in 15 patients (0.18%). Coronary thrombus or embolus occurred in 7 patients, a thromboembolus from the ventricular catheter occurred in 1 patients and transient ischemic attack or stroke occurred in 7 patients. Six of 15 patients with thrombotic events were premedicated with heparin. Thrombotic events were unusual in that they tended to occur in clusters within short time intervals. On 1 occasion, a thrombus was observed in the catheter tip before embolization. Other cardiovascular complications were similarly low with an incidence of ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation of 0.1%, profound bradycardia of 0.2% and prolonged angina of 0.3%. There were 2 deaths unrelated to thrombotic events. Although the clinical thrombotic events associated with nonionic contrast have an unusual temporal clustering and may result in major complications, the overall incidence (0.18%) of these thrombotic complications with nonionic contrast agents is quite similar to that reported with ionic contrast media.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Randomized comparison of the cost and effectiveness of iopamidol and diatrizoate as contrast agents for cardiac angiography.

To evaluate the effectiveness and cost of low osmolarity, nonionic contrast agents for cardiac angiography, 443 patients were randomized to receive either iopamidol or diatrizoate. All adverse events that occurred within 24 h of the procedure were recorded prospectively by study personnel and classified according to previously determined criteria. Major events were defined as life threatening or requiring a procedure to treat, or both. Costs of the catheterization procedure, pharmacy, hospital laboratory and treatment of adverse events were determined on the basis of actual resource use. A total of 20 patients (8.5%) had major and 143 (61%) had minor adverse events with diatrizoate use; 10 patients (4.8%) had major and 53 (25%) had minor adverse events with iopamidol (p = 0.12 for major events; p less than 0.001 for total events). Most adverse events were treated fairly easily and inexpensively. The median overall cost was $186 higher for patients after iopamidol use compared with diatrizoate (p less than 0.0001), but all costs except the cost of the contrast agent were not significantly different between the two groups. Thus, patients who received iopamidol for cardiac angiography had a significantly lower rate of adverse events than those who received diatrizoate, but this difference was achieved at a considerably high overall cost.

Angiocardiography↗
PubMed1990

Prognostic value of radionuclide angiography in medically treated patients with coronary artery disease. A comparison with clinical and catheterization variables.

To evaluate the usefulness of multiple measures from rest and exercise radionuclide angiography (RNA) in predicting cardiovascular death and cardiovascular events (death or nonfatal myocardial infarction) and to assess the prognostic usefulness of the RNA relative to clinical and catheterization data, we studied 571 stable patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease who had upright rest/exercise first-pass RNA within 3 months of catheterization and were medically treated. With a median follow-up of 5.4 years, 90 patients have died from cardiovascular causes, and 147 patients have either died or suffered a nonfatal myocardial infarction. Using the Cox regression model and a preselected group of RNA variables, the most important RNA predictor of mortality was exercise ejection fraction (chi 2 = 81, p less than 0.00001). Neither rest ejection fraction nor the change in ejection fraction from rest to exercise contributed additional predictive information. Two other RNA study variables, the change in heart rate from rest to exercise and rest end-diastolic volume index, did contribute additional prognostic information to the exercise ejection fraction (chi 2 = 23, p less than 0.0001). Compared with noninvasive clinical data (history, physical examination, electrocardiogram, and chest radiograph), RNA variables were considerably more predictive of mortality (chi 2 = 71 [clinical variables] versus chi 2 = 104 [RNA]). Remarkably, the strength of the relation of RNA variables with mortality was equivalent to that of the set of catheterization variables previously demonstrated in our large angiographic population to be prognostically important (chi 2 = 104 [RNA] versus chi 2 = 102 [catheterization variables]). The RNA contained 84% of the information provided by clinical and catheterization descriptors combined. Furthermore, the RNA contributed significant additional prognostic information to the clinical and catheterization data (chi 2 = 13.6, p = 0.0035). For cardiovascular events, the relative prognostic usefulness of the RNA was similar, although relations with this outcome were generally weaker. Descriptors from the rest/exercise RNA exhibit a powerful relation with long-term outcomes and can be useful in defining risk, even when clinical and catheterization data are available.

Cardiac Catheterization↗
PubMed1989

Transient alterations of the QRS complex and ST segment during percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty of the right and left circumflex coronary arteries.

The dynamic QRS amplitude changes that appear during 1-vessel percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty of the right and left circumflex coronary arteries were studied in 20 patients using continuous 3-lead electrocardiographic recordings representing leads aVF, V2 and V5. The balloon inflations that produced the greatest extent of ST-segment deviation were identified for each lead ("maximally ischemic periods"). QRS amplitude measurements were performed manually at both the PR and shifted J-ST baselines at 10-second intervals during these periods to determine that baseline from which the R and S waves most nearly maintained their control amplitudes. There was no significant baseline relation for either the R or the S waves in leads V2 and V5 during ischemia. However, the R-wave changes in lead aVF were significantly associated with the PR- versus the J-ST-segment baseline (p = 0.007); the S wave, when it occurred, had no tendency for either baseline. The electrocardiographic records were also examined visually for characteristics of left posterior (inferior) "periischemic block" likely to occur uniquely in patients with a dominant right or left circumflex occlusion. There were 2 patients with obstruction of the right circumflex artery who exhibited the characteristics of periischemic block during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, as evidenced by an increase in R-wave duration, amplitude or both in lead aVF.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Contrast nephrotoxicity: a randomized controlled trial of a nonionic and an ionic radiographic contrast agent.

Experimental studies have suggested that nonionic contrast agents are less nephrotoxic than ionic contrast agents. To examine the relative nephrotoxicity of the two types of agents, we randomly assigned 443 patients to receive either iopamidol (nonionic) or diatrizoate (ionic) for cardiac catheterization. The patients were stratified into low-risk (n = 283) or high-risk (n = 160) groups, on the basis of the presence of diabetes mellitus, heart failure, or preexisting renal insufficiency (base-line serum creatinine level, greater than 133 mumol per liter). Serum and urine analyses were performed at base line and 24 and 48 hours after the infusion of contrast material. Nephrotoxicity was defined as an increase in the serum creatinine level within 48 hours of at least 44 mumol per liter. The median maximal rise in the serum creatinine level was 18 mumol per liter in both the diatrizoate group (n = 235) and the iopamidol group (n = 208) (P not significant; power to detect a difference greater than 9 mumol per liter, greater than 90 percent). Creatinine levels increased by at least 44 mumol per liter (0.5 mg per deciliter) in 10.2 percent of the patients receiving diatrizoate and 8.2 percent of the patients receiving iopamidol (P not significant). Among the high-risk patients, creatinine levels increased by at least 44 mumol per liter in 17 percent of the patients in the diatrizoate group, as compared with 15 percent of the patients in the iopamidol group (P not significant). We were unable to demonstrate a difference in the incidence of nephrotoxicity between patients receiving a non-ionic contrast agent and those receiving an ionic contrast agent.

Cardiac Catheterization↗
PubMed1989

The influence of mechanical loading on the knee-joint. Animal-experimental examinations.

A physiological maximal loading of the knee-joint of sheep is simulated by a 4-hour peak overloading of 24.5 N and a frequency of 42 impulses per minute. The reactions of articular cartilage, synovia and periarticular muscular tissue to the load were examined histologically, histochemically and biochemically. 20 hours after the loading we could observe a leucocytic influx into the joint and a metabolic hyperactivity in the examined tissue. The changes found during this acute phase are reversible as 180 days after peak overloading the parameters detected to be changed had returned to normal again.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Transient alterations of the QRS complex and ST segment during percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty of the left anterior descending coronary artery.

Using continuous 3-lead electrocardiographic (ECG) recordings in 19 patients undergoing elective percutaneous transluminal coronary artery angioplasty (PTCA) of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery, this study described the dynamic changes of the ST segment and the R- and S-wave amplitudes that occur during transient myocardial ischemia. The waveforms from lead V2 were quantified at 10-second intervals during the length of the balloon inflation that produced the greatest extent of ST-segment deviation. The simultaneous changes that occurred in leads aVF and V5 were also observed, but not quantified. Measurements of R- and S-wave amplitudes were performed during maximal ischemia from both the PR- and the J-ST-segment baselines to determine which of these most nearly maintained its control position during ischemia. The results indicate that the R-wave amplitude is best determined from the PR-segment baseline (p = 0.0007), while the S wave is best determined from the J-ST-segment baseline (p = 0.03). However, only a portion of the QRS changes observed during PTCA could be accounted for by the baseline shift. There were additional QRS changes during ischemia in 11 of the patients (58%) suggestive of conduction disturbances in 3 endocardial sites: left septal, right septal and left anterosuperior. It is hypothesized that these changes may represent ischemia-induced delay in conduction ("periischemic block") previously thought to occur only with myocardial infarction.

Angioplasty, Balloon↗
PubMed1986

[Morphological and biochemical changes in the pars obliqua of the vastus medialis muscle in degenerative disorders of the knee joint].

Using 34 muscle specimens from the pars obliqua of the vastus medialis muscle of patients with a clinically manifest patellar chondropathy and of those suffering from a gonarthrosis in various positions (cut biopsies under operation), we depicted the slow-twitch (ST) and the fast-twitch (FT) fibres histochemically and ascertained morphometrically the fibre distribution, the areas of the FT- and the ST-fibres as well as the relative fibre volume of the FT-fibres. Furthermore, we determined biochemically the total activity of the enzymes PGK and of the MDH, according to Bergmeyer (1970). By means of the electrophoresis, we determined the isoenzyme pattern of the LDH from simultaneously cut material (Agar-Agarose technique). The mathematical date processing was made by means of the cluster- und discriminance analysis. The results show that the "rule member" (pars obliqua m. vast. med.)--in order to maintain the orthograde gliding motion of the patella in the course of the development of degenerative joint illness--experiences extreme structural and biochemical changes caused by modifications within the neuromuscular motor control pattern. This becomes evident by a FT-hypertrophy at the beginning of the intraarticular disorders and by the increasing development of the "neurogeneous tissue syndrome" with partly fascicular FT-atrophy in cases of progressive degenerative joint processes.

Histocytochemistry↗
PubMed1986

[Effect of intensive, strength-building exercise training on the fine structure of human skeletal muscle capillaries].

The effects of a five-weeks training programme and of long-term strenuous exercise on capillary endothelial cells (E), basement membranes (B), and pericytes (P) of m. vastus lateralis were studied morphometrically in 2 groups of healthy young men. The five-weeks training programme was performed by 7 sports students, whereas the long-term effect of strength type exercise was investigated on 6 top level athletes. As a result of the five-weeks training period we found a swelling of the E (23%, p less than 0.05), an increase in number and cross-sectional areas of P (33%, p less than 0.05) as well as signs of endomysial connective tissue stimulation. With the exception of connective tissue reaction this post-training data corresponds to the structural features of the top level athletes. The mean B-thickness (132 +/- 32 nm) was almost the same in both groups and was not affected by the five-weeks training period.

Adult↗