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Biomedical subjects

Peter Kearney

Publications and source records attributed to Peter Kearney.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Primary hyperparathyroidism and the cardiovascular system.

The role of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) in heart disease is still somewhat uncertain in many respects. Patients with PHPT seem to have an increase in mortality and this seems mainly due to an overrepresentation of cardiovascular death. PHPT is reported to be associated with hypertension, disturbances in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, cardiac arrhythmias as well as structural and functional alterations in the vascular wall. There is an increased prevalence of cardiac structural abnormalities such as LVH and functional properties of the heart may be affected by the hyperparathyroid condition as well. We report the case of a 65-year-old woman with no cardiac risk factors apart from her age and type 2 diabetes who presented in cardiogenic shock. Extensive evaluation for the aetiology of the cardiomyopathy revealed solely a diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism. Cardiac manifestations of primary hyperparathyroidism have been reported before but to our knowledge this is the first description of severe left ventricular function secondary to PHPT. We believe that this atypical presentation of primary hyperparathyroidism causing left ventricular cardiomyopathy warrants further attention, and that a diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism should always be considered in patients with systolic as well as diastolic left ventricular dysfunction, and no other obvious cause.

Female↗
PubMed2006

Coronary embolism causing myocardial infarction in a patient with mechanical aortic valve prosthesis.

Coronary embolism as a cause of myocardial infarction is an uncommon but important entity both in terms of aetiology and treatment. Previous cases of coronary emboli in association with prosthetic mechanical valves have been reported previously but the mechanism of pharmacology and lack of patient awareness of medication importance is quite unique in this case. A 65-year-old male presented to the emergency room with an anterior ST elevation myocardial infarction after 14 h of symptoms. Past medical history included aortic valve replacement with a mechanical tilting-disc valve 18 months earlier for symptomatic severe calcific aortic stenosis. Pre-operative coronary angiography revealed normal coronary arteries. On this occasion, coronary angiography revealed an occluded LAD with an embolic occlusion at the midpoint of the vessel. Successful PTCA and stenting of the lesion were performed. Amazingly, the patient had decided 1 year earlier to stop taking his warfarin medication. He had begun taking a new "herbal remedy" which was helping with his joint pains but the combination with warfarin was causing excessive bleeding each day after facial shaving. He therefore decided to abruptly stop taking his warfarin without any medical advice. Embolic myocardial infarction is underdiagnosed and it is important to diagnose the source of embolism and treat the cause. Patient education is vital in our battle to prevent this entity in high-risk patients as in our case.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Improving patient access to novel medical technologies in Europe.

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) organized a one-day workshop with clinicians, health economic experts, and health technology appraisal experts to discuss the equity of patient access to novel medical technologies in Europe. Two index technologies were considered: implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and drug-eluting stents (DES). The use of ICDs range from 35 implants/million population in Portugal to 166 implants/million population in Germany, whereas for implants of DES (as percentage of total stents) it is lowest in Germany at 14% and high in Portugal at 65%. These differences can in part be explained by a lack of structured implementation of guidelines, the direct cost in relation to the overall healthcare budget, and to differences in procedures and models applied by Health Technology Assessment (HTA) agencies in Europe. The workshop participants concluded that physicians need to be involved in a more structured way in HTA and need to become better acquainted with its methods and terminology. Clinical guidelines should be systematically translated, explained, disseminated, updated, and adopted by cardiologists in Europe. Clinically appropriate, consistent and transparent health economic models need to be developed and high-quality international outcome and cost data should be used. A process for funding of a technology should be developed after a positive recommendation from HTA agencies. Both the ESC and the national cardiac societies should build-up health economic expertise and engage more actively in discussions with stakeholders involved in the provision of healthcare.

Defibrillators, Implantable↗
PubMed2004

The Cardiology Audit and Registration Data Standards (CARDS), European data standards for clinical cardiology practice.

AIMS: Systematic registration of data from clinical practice is important for clinical care, local, national and international registries, and audit. Data to be collected for these different purposes should be harmonized. Therefore, during Ireland's Presidency of the European Union (EU) (January to June 2004), the Department of Health and Children worked with the European Society of Cardiology, the Irish Cardiac Society, and the European Commission to develop data standards for clinical cardiology. The Cardiology Audit and Registration Data Standards (CARDS) Project aimed to agree standards for three modules of cardiovascular health information systems: acute coronary syndromes (ACS), percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), and clinical electrophysiology (pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, and ablation procedures). METHODS AND RESULTS: Data items from existing registries and surveys were reviewed to derive draft data standards (variables, coding, and definitions). Variables common to the three modules include demographics, risk factors, medication, and discharge and follow-up data. Modules about a procedure contain variables on the lesion, the device, and medication during the procedure. The ACS module includes presenting symptoms, reperfusion and acute treatments, and procedures in hospital and at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The data standards were discussed and adopted at a conference involving EU member states in Cork, Ireland, in May 2004. After a pilot study, the standards will be disseminated to stakeholders throughout Europe.

Cardiology↗
PubMed2003

Acute cardiac failure in neuroleptic malignant syndrome.

We present a case of rapid onset acute cardiac failure developing as part of neuroleptic malignant syndrome in a 35-year-old woman following treatment with thioridazine and lithium. Post mortem histology of cardiac and skeletal muscle showed similar changes of focal cellular necrosis and vacuolation suggesting a common disease process.

Adult↗