Category: Cardiology

Heart rate variability Reduced heart rate variability carries an adverse prognosis in patients who have survived an acute myocardial infarction. This article reviews the physiology, technical problems of assessment, and clinical relevance of heart rate variability. The sympathovagal influence and the clinical assessment of heart rate variability are discussed. Methods measuring heart rate variability are classified into four groups, and the advantages and disadvantages of each group are described. Concentration is on risk stratification of postmyocardial infarction patients. The evidence … Continue reading “Latest Research on Heart Rate : Jan 2022”

Inflammatory mechanisms in ischemic stroke: therapeutic approaches Acute ischemic stroke is the third leading cause of death in industrialized countries and the most frequent cause of permanent disability in adults worldwide. Despite advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of cerebral ischemia, therapeutic options remain limited. Only recombinant tissue-plasminogen activator (rt-PA) for thrombolysis is currently approved for use in the treatment of this devastating disease. However, its use is limited by its short therapeutic window (three hours), complications derived essentially … Continue reading “Latest Research on ischemic stroke : Jan 2022”

Acute renal failure following cardiac surgery BACKGROUND: Acute renal failure requiring dialysis (ARF-D) occurs in 1.5% of patients following cardiac surgery, and remains a cause of major morbidity and mortality. While some preoperative risk factors have been characterized, the influence of preoperative and intraoperative factors on the occurrence of ARF following cardiac surgery is less well understood. METHODS: Preoperative and intraoperative data on 2843 consecutive adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) from February 1, 1995 to February … Continue reading “Latest Research on cardiac surgery : Jan 2022”

Epidemiology of heart failure Analysis of 34 years of follow-up of Framingham Study data provides clinically relevant insights into the prevalence, incidence, secular trends, prognosis, and modifiable risk factors for the occurrence of heart failure in a general population sample. Heart failure was found to be highly prevalent, affecting about 1% of persons in their 50s and rising progressively with age to afflict 10% of persons in their 80s. The annual incidence also increased with age, from about 0.2% in … Continue reading “Latest Research News on heart failure : Jan 2022”

The vascular system: An overview of structure and function It is the function of the vascular system, through a complex network of arteries, capillaries and veins, to maintain cellular homeostasis. As research scientists it is necessary to understand not only some of the basic properties of the blood vessel itself but also how these vessels differ in cellular and physiological function. This review provides an overview of the basic physiological and pharmacological tenets of blood vessels. It also briefly describes … Continue reading “Latest Research on vascular system : Jan 2022”

Endomyocardial Fibrosis: Still a Mystery after 60 Years The pathologist Jack N. P. Davies identified endomyocardial fibrosis in Uganda in 1947. Since that time, reports of this restrictive cardiomyopathy have come from other parts of tropical Africa, South Asia, and South America. In Kampala, the disease accounts for 20% of heart disease patients referred for echocardiography. We conducted a systematic review of research on the epidemiology and etiology of endomyocardial fibrosis. We relied primarily on articles in the MEDLINE database … Continue reading “Latest Research on Endomyocardial Fibrosis: Dec 2020”