International Cardiovascular Research Journal
Volume:7 Issue: 2, Jun 2013

This study was conducted to determine whether Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a predictor of short term mortality; morbidity, or early readmission to hospital after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG).. We analyzed a large cohort of 952 patients who had undergone isolated CABG. The preoperative, intera operative and postoperative risk factors as well as the complications and 30-day mortality rates were compared between the diabetics and non-diabetics. Among the 952 patients; 734 ones (77.1%(were in non-diabetic group and 218 (22.9%) were diabetics.. Having DM did not increase the risk of 30-day mortality. In addition, DM did not affect the major complications; arrhythmia, Myocardial Infarction(MI), infective complications, neurological complications, Pulmonary Embolism (PE) except renal complications that was higher in the diabetics (5.5% vs 1.4%; P<0.001, OR=4.2) However reoperation for bleeding was higher in non-diabetic patients (7.9% vs 4.6%; P=0.009, OR=1.7). Nevertheless, no significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding mechanical ventilation time (hour), reintubation, length of ICU stay (day), length of hospital stay (day), and readmitting as postoperative variables.. Except for renal complications, DM was not associated with adverse outcomes in the patients undergoing isolated CABG..

Traditional cardiovascular risk factors are strong predictors of an increased likelihood for premature CHD. Considering the benefits of risk factors᾿ management, it is imperative to find and treat them before looking for more unknown and weak risk factors.. Limited information is available about the demographic and historical characteristics of the patients with premature Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) in IR Iran. The main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of the traditional risk factors in these patients. Also, the researchers hypothesized that there are insufficient risk assessment and preventive intervention methods for the asymptomatic adult population.. This study was conducted on 125 patients with premature CHD (age<50 years) who were admitted in two academic hospitals with acute coronary syndromes. The patients were accepted since they had a definite CHD on the basis of acute myocardial infarction (elevated cardiac enzymes) or documented CAD in coronary angiography.. The mean age of the study population was 42.50±5.65 (26 to 49 years). Among the patients,92 (73.6%) were male, 113 (90.4%) were married, 58 (46.4%) were smokers,19 (15.2%) were opium users, 97 (77.6%) had dyslipidemia, 44 (35.2%) had hypertension, and 33 (26.4%) had diabetes mellitus. In addition, family history was presented in 54 patients (43.2%). Among the study population, 120 patients (96%) had at least one of the traditional risk factors, including dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, and family history of CHD. However, none of the dyslipidemic patients had controlled total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglyceride. Also, none of the diabetic patients had hemoglobin A1C<7%. Among the 44 hypertensive patients, blood pressure of 15 ones (34%) was within the normal range. Besides, only 3 patients (2.4%) had regular physical activity (at least 30 minutes, three times a week).. Premature Coronary Heart Disease is a public health problem. However, there is lack of effective and intensive treatments of well-defined traditional risk factors and prevention methods for the majority of the patients experiencing premature CHD. In sum, there is still plenty of room for improvement of risk management in IR Iran..

Thalassemia is a hereditary hemoglobinopathy whose most common complication is cardiac involvement which ends up in these patients’ death. Since troponin is a sensitive and specific marker for the detection of microinfarct, we studied the relationship between troponin and ferritin serum levels for early diagnosis of cardiac involvement in these patients.. This case-control study was performed on 80 patients, including 40 patients with major thalassemia and normal echocardiography and 40 healthy volunteers ranging from 6 months to 16 years old. All the children were examined and the eligible children who were not infected with known heart disease, iron deficiency anemia, kidney disease, diabetes, fever, and systemic diseases were enrolled into the study after obtaining written informed consents from their parents. At 8:00 A.M. before breakfast, 5cc blood was drawn from these children. After collecting the samples, ferritin and troponin serum levels were evaluated using ELISA and electro- kymonolonsense methods, respectively. The gathered data were analyzed through the SPSS statistical software (v. 20) and T-test. Besides, P value<0.05 was considered as statistically significant.. The study results revealed a significant difference between the two groups regarding the mean of the serum levels of troponin (P=0.045) and ferritin (P=0.001). In this study, no significant correlation was observed between serum troponin and ferritin levels and age and BMI in the two groups. Also, no significant relationship was found between serum troponin level and sex (P=0.264).. In microinfarct, troponin increases independent of ferritin; therefore, it can be used for early detection of cardiac involvement in thalassemia patients to determine the sub-clinical effects..

The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences of obesity rate among three ethnic groups in northern adults in IR Iran in 2010.. The present cross-sectional, analytical study was conducted on 2994 cases of the same age and sex in three ethnic proportions (Fars-native=1625, Turkman=977, and Sisstani=392). The subjects aged between 15 and 65 years old and were selected by multistage cluster sampling techniques including 150 clusters each containing 20 subjects in urban and rural areas in 11 districts in Golestan province (northern IR Iran). Obesity was defined after WHO classification by BMI (Body Mass Index) equal or over 30 kg/m2. SPSS 16.0 software was used for statistical analysis and P value<0.05 was considered as statistically significant.. Mean±SD of BMI in Fars-native, Turkman, and Sisstanish ethnic groups was 26.72±5.56, 26.18±5.34, and 24.59±6.72 kg/m2, respectively. Averagely, obesity was common in 22.8% of the subjects and was significantly higher among the females compared to males (32.3% vs13.3%) (P=0.001). Also, its prevalence was estimated as 25%, 22.6%, and 14% in Fars-native, Turkman, and Sisstanish ethnic groups, respectively. Statistical differences were significant among the three ethnic groups (P=0.001). The risk of obesity was 2.041 [95% CI, 1.502-2.722] in Fars-native and 1.781 [95% CI, 1.298-2.472] in Turkman groups compared to Sisstanish ethnic group.. Over one out of five adults in northern IR Iran suffer from obesity and an alarming rate was shown among the women. Among the three ethnic groups, the highest and the lowest rates were seen in Fars-native and Sisstanish ethnic groups, respectively. Variation of obesity among the three ethnic groups should be studied in future studies..

This study aimed to evaluate the renal tubular function in the patients with congenital heart disease using β2-microglobulin.. In this case-control study, based on oxymetry, the patients with congenital heart disease were divided into two groups of cyanotic (n=20) and acyanotic (n=20). Congenital heart disease was diagnosed by echocardiography. Healthy individuals within the same age and sex groups were used as controls. Na+, β2-micro globulin, creatinine (Cr), and β2-microglobulin/Cr ratio were measured in random urine samples and the results were compared to the same parameters in the control group using Tukey, One-Way ANOVA, and X2 tests.. Based on the study results, urine sodium in the patients with cyanotic heart disease was significantly different from that of the controls (P=0.023). The results also revealed a significant difference between the two groups with congenital heart disease regarding urine β2-microglobulin (P=0.045). In addition, the patients with cyanotic heart disease were significantly different from those with acyanotic heart disease and the controls regarding urine β2-micro globulin/Cr ratio (P=0.012 and P=0.026, respectively).. The results of this study demonstrated that renal tubular dysfunction began in the patients with congenital heart disease, especially in those with cyanotic congenital heart disease. Besides, early diagnosis before cardiac surgery leads to better control of renal tubular disease..

The aim of the study was: Is primary Arterio-venous fistula the vascular access of choice for adequate dialysis and better patient outcome in end stage renal disease.. The present study was done in the department of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Sher-i-Kashmir institute of medical sciences, Soura, Srinagar Kashmir. Native Arterio-Venous (AV) fistulas were made in the patients with end stage renal disease for performing hemodialysis. They were followed for patency and adequacy of blood flow during hemodialysis. All the patients were operated under local anesthesia.. The results showed that 77% of the AV fistulas based on radial artery with side-to-side anastomosis and 80% of those with end-to-side anastomosis were functionally patent after one year. After two years, the patency rate in side-to-side and end-to-side anastomosis was 50% and 55%, respectively. In addition, the patency rate was 90% in brachial artery based AV fistula with end-to-side anastomosis, whether done primarily or secondarily, at the end of one year. However, a rapid decline was observed in the patency rate during the third year in both radial artery based and brachial artery based AV fistulas.. We concluded that Arterialised arm superficial veins after primary AV fistula was the optimal and rational vascular access for hemodialysis providing adequate blood flow during this process. Besides, failure of primary AV fistula should be replaced by secondary AV fistula preferably based on brachial artery..

The initial trial in tricuspid surgery is repair; however, replacement is done whenever the valve is badly diseased. Tricuspid valve replacement comprises 1.7% of all tricuspid valve surgeries.. The present retrospective study was performed using the medical records of 21 cases who underwent tricuspid valve replacement from January 2002 until the end of December 2010. The mean age of the participants was 52.3±8.8 years and 66.7% were females. In addition, tricuspid valve replacement was associated with mitral valve surgery, aortic valve surgery, and both in 14.3%, 4.8%, and 33.3% of the cases, respectively. Yet, isolated tricuspid valve replacement and redo surgery were performed in 10 cases (47.6%) and 8 cases (38.1%), respectively. Besides, trial of repair was done in 14 cases (66.7%). Moreover, biological and mechanical valves were used in 76.2% and 23.8% of the patients, respectively.. According to the results, early mortality was 23.8% and one year survival was 66.7%. Moreover, early mortality was caused by right ventricular failure, multiorgan failure, medistinitis, and intracerbral bleeding in 42%, 28.6%, 14.3%, and 14.3% of the cases, respectively. In addition, 57.1% of the deaths had occurred in the cases where the biological valve was used, while 42.9% of the deaths had taken place where the mechanical one was utilized.. The patients who require tricuspid valve replacement are usually high risk surgical candidates with early and long term mortality. The findings of the current study showed no significant hemodynamic difference between mechanical and biological valves..

Balloon valvulotomy is the procedure of choice for relief of mitral stenosis. Inoue technique is the most widely accepted technique which uses the right femoral vein to access the interatial septum. Due to technical issues, left femoral vein approach is less recommended. We report an unusual case in which the right femoral vein was not accessible and mitral balloon valvulotomy was done via left femoral approach. Left femoral vein may be used in special cases where the right femoral vein is not accessible..