Individualized anti-thrombotic therapy for acute myocardial infarction complicated with left ventricular thrombus: A case report

BACKGROUND Presently,there is no established standard anti-blood clot therapy for patients facing acute myocardial infarction(AMI)complicated by left ventricular thrombus(LVT).While vitamin K antagonists are the preferred choice for oral blood thinning,determining the best course of blood-thinning medication remains challenging.It is unclear if non-vitamin K antagonist oral blood thinners have different effectiveness in treating LVT.This study significantly contributes to the medical community.CASE SUMMARY The blood-thinning treatment of a patient with AMI and LVT was analyzed.Triple blood-thinning therapy included daily enteric-coated aspirin tablets at 0.1 g,daily clopidogrel hydrogen sulfate at 75 mg,and dabigatran etexilate at 110 mg twice daily.After 15 d,the patient’s LVT did not decrease but instead increased.Clinical pharmacists comprehensively analyzed the cases from the perspective of the patient’s disease status and drug interaction.The drug regimen was reformulated for the patient,replacing dabigatran etexilate with warfarin,and was administered for six months.The clinical pharmacist provided the patient with professional and standardized pharmaceutical services.The patient’s condition was discharged after meeting the international normalized ratio value(2-3)criteria.The patient fully complied with the follow-up,and the time in the therapeutic range was 78.57%,with no serious adverse effects during pharmaceutical monitoring.CONCLUSION Warfarin proves to be an effective drug for patients with AMI complicated by LVT,and its blood-thinning course lasts for six months.

Intramyocardial dissection with concomitant left ventricular aneurysm as a rare complication of myocardial infarction： a case report

We describe a rare case of a 60-year-old woman suffering from intramyocardial dissection and left ventricular aneurysm secondary to acute myocardial infarction. A rare form of ventricular septal rupture resulted from intramyocardial dissection deterioration, which was iden- tified during echocardiographic follow-up. Surgical repair under beating-heart cardiopulmonary bypass was successful.

Does heart rate variability correlate with long-term prognosis in myocardial infarction patients treated by early revascularization?

AIMTo assess the prevalence of depressed heart rate variability (HRV) after an acute myocardial infarction (MI), and to evaluate its prognostic significance in the present era of immediate reperfusion.METHODSTime-domain HRV (obtained from 24-h Holter recordings) was assessed in 326 patients (63.5 ± 12.1 years old; 80% males), two weeks after a complicated MI treated by early reperfusion: 208 ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients (in which reperfusion was successfully obtained within 6 h of symptoms in 94% of cases) and 118 non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) patients (percutaneous coronary intervention was performed within 24 h and successful in 73% of cases). Follow-up of the patients was performed via telephone interviews a median of 25 mo after the index event (95%CI of the mean 23.3-28.0). Primary end-point was occurrence of all-cause or cardiac death; secondary end-point was occurrence of major clinical events (MCE, defined as mortality or readmission for new MI, new revascularization, episodes of heart failure or stroke). Possible correlations between HRV parameters (mainly the standard deviation of all normal RR intervals, SDNN), clinical features (age, sex, type of MI, history of diabetes, left ventricle ejection fraction), angiographic characteristics (number of coronary arteries with critical stenoses, success and completeness of revascularization) and long-term outcomes were analysed.RESULTSMarkedly depressed HRV parameters were present in a relatively small percentage of patients: SDNN < 70 ms was found in 16% and SDNN < 50 ms in 4% of cases. No significant differences were present between STEMI and NSTEMI cases as regards to their distribution among quartiles of SDNN (χ2 =1.536, P = 0.674). Female sex and history of diabetes maintained a significant correlation with lower values of SDNN at multivariate Cox regression analysis (respectively: P = 0.008 and P = 0.008), while no correlation was found between depressed SDNN and history of previous MI (P = 0.999) or number of diseased coronary arteries (P = 0.428) or unsuccessful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (P = 0.691). Patients with left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) < 40% presented more often SDNN values in the lowest quartile (P < 0.001). After > 2 years from infarction, a total of 10 patients (3.1%) were lost to follow-up. Overall incidence of MCE at follow-up was similar between STEMI and NSTEMI (P = 0.141), although all-cause and cardiac mortality were higher among NSTEMI cases (respectively: 14% vs 2%, P = 0.001; and 10% vs 1.5%, P = 0.001). The Kaplan-Meier survival curves for all-cause mortality and for cardiac deaths did not reveal significant differences between patients with SDNN in the lowest quartile and other quartiles of SDNN (respectively: P = 0.137 and P = 0.527). Also the MCE-free survival curves were similar between the group of patients with SDNN in the lowest quartile vs the patients of the other SDNN quartiles (P = 0.540), with no difference for STEMI (P = 0.180) or NSTEMI patients (P = 0.541). By the contrary, events-free survival was worse if patients presented with LVEF < 40% (P = 0.001).CONCLUSIONIn our group of patients with a recent complicated MI, abnormal autonomic parameters have been found with a prevalence that was similar for STEMI and NSTEMI cases, and substantially unchanged in comparison to what reported in the pre-primary-PCI era. Long-term outcomes did not correlate with level of depression of HRV parameters recorded in the subacute phase of the disease, both in STEMI and in NSTEMI patients. These results support lack of prognostic significance of traditional HRV parameters when immediate coronary reperfusion is utilised.

COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF LOSARTAN,ENALAPRIL AND THEIR COMBINATION IN THE PREVENTION OF LEFT VENTRICULAR REMODELING AFTER ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN THE RAT

Objectives. To compare the effects of losartan, enalapril and their combination in the prevention ofleft ventricular remodeling (LVRM) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the rat. Methods. AMI model was induced in female SD rats by ligating left coronary artery. Forty-eight hours after the procedure, 83 surviving rats were randomized into one of the following 4 groups: 1 ) AMI control group (n =19), 2) losartan group (n= 22, 3 mg @ kg - 1 @ d - 1 ), 3 ) enalapril group (n = 20, 1 mg @ kg - 1 @ d - 1 ), 4) losartan - enalapril combinative group (n = 22, 3 and 1 mg @ kg- 1 @ d - 1 respectively). 5 ) sham-operated group ( n =10) and 6) normal rats group (n = 10) were selected randomly to serve as non-infarction controls. Losartan and enalapril were delivered by direct gastric gavage. After 4 weeks of medical therapy, hemodynamic studies were performed in each group, then the rat hearts were fixed with 10% formalin and pathologic analysis on them was performed. Complete experimental data was obtained in 56 rats, comprising 1 ) AMI controls (n = 11 ), 2) losartan group (n = 10), 3 ) enalapril group (n = 10), 4) the combination of losartan and enalapril group (n = 11 ),5) sham - operated group (n = 6) and 6) normal controls (n=8). Results. There were no significant differences among the 4 AMI groups in MI size (41.7% ～ 43.4%, all P＞ 0.05). Compared with sham group, the left ventricular (LV) end diastolic pressure (LVEDP), volume (LVV), long and short axis length (L and D), as well as LV absolute and relative weight (LVAW and LVRW)in AMI group were all significantly increased ( P ＜0.05 ～ 0. 001 ); whereas the maximum left ventricular pressure rising and droping rates ( + dp/dt) and their corrected values by LV systolic pressure ( + dp/dt/LVSP)were significantly reduced (all P ＜0.001 ), indicating LVRM occurred and LV systolic and diastolic function impaired after AMI. Compared with AMI group , LVEDP, LVV, LVAW and LVRW were all significantly decreased (P ＜0.05～0.001 ); while + dp/dt/LVSP were significantly enhanced in all 3 treatment groups (P ＜0.05～0.001 ) except -dp/dt/LVSP in losartan group (P＞ 0. 05 ). There were no significant differences in the above indices among the 3 treatment groups (all P＞ 0.05). Conclusion. Both losartan and enalapril can prevent from LVRM after AMI in the rat and improve LV function with equivalent effects. There seems no additive effect when the 2 drugs are used in combination.

Effect of Astragalus Injection on Left Ventricular Remodeling in Aged Patients with Acute Early-stage Myocardial Infarction

Objective: To observe the effect of Astragalus Injection (AI) on left ventricular remodeling in aged patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: Patients with AMI were randomly divided into the AI group (46 cases) treated with AI and the control group (46 cases) treated conventionally. Left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), left ventricular end-systolic volume index (LVESVI), anterior endocardial segmental length (ASL) and posterior endocardial segmental length (PSL) were all assessed by echocardiogram after 1 week and 4 weeks treatment. The cardiac systolic and diastolic functions were detected by nuclide gating cardiac blood pool imaging at the 4th week. Results: After four weeks' treatment, no obvious change of LVEDVI, LVESVI and ASL in the AI group was found, but these indexes increased significantly in the control group, with significant difference shown between the two groups (P<0. 05). As compared with the control group, the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular peak ejecting rate (LVPER) and left ventricular peak filling rate (LVPFR) were heightened, the time for peak filling rate (LVTPFR) in the left ventricle was shortened in the AI group. Conclusion: AI is one of the effective drugs in reversing left ventricular remodeling in aged patients with AMI.

Comparative Proteomic Analysis in Left Ventricular Remodeling following Myocardial Infarction in Rats

Objective Left ventricular remodeling （LVR） following myocardial infarction （MI） is a key pathophysiological process in which MI develops into heart failure. The exact mechanism of LVR remains unclear. We performed differential proteomic analysis on the myocardia of rats with LVR after MI, to explore the mechanism of ventricular remodeling after MI. Methods In the LVR group （n=12）, after the anterior descending coronary artery was ligated, the rats were fed for four weeks before the LVR models were established. Rats in the sham-operated group （n=11） underwent thread-drawing without ligation. The hemodynamic parameters, pathological findings, and proteomics were compared between the two groups. Results In the LVR group, the left ventricular end-diastolic pressure increased, the maximal left ventricular pressure increase/decrease ratio decreased significantly, and the left ventricular systolic pressure decreased. H-E staining and Masson staining of cardiac muscle tissues of the LVR group showed myocytolysis, disarray, and collagen proliferation. Twenty-one differentially expressed proteins were detected by proteomic analysis. We validated two proteins using western blot analysis. The differentially expressed proteins could be divided into six categories： energy metabolism-related proteins, cytoskeletal proteins, protein synthesis-related proteins, channel proteins, anti-oxidation- related proteins, and immune-related proteins. Conclusion These differentially expressed proteins might play key roles in LVR following M

Evaluation of the Left Ventricular Remodeling in Patients with Myocardial Infarction after Revascularization with Intravenous Real-time Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography

In order to evaluate the left ventricular remodeling in patients with myocardial infarction after revascularization with intravenous real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography （RT-MCE）, intravenous RT-MCE was performed on 20 patients with myocardial infarction before coronary revascularization. Follow-up echocardiography was performed 3 months after coronary revascularization. Segmental wall motion was assessed using 18-segment LV model and classified as normal, hypokinesis, akinesis and dyskinesis. Myocardial perfusion was assessed by visual interpretation and divided into 3 conditions： homogeneous opacification=l; partial or reduced opaciflcation or subendocardial contrast defect=2; constrast defect=3. Myocardial perfusion score index （MPSI） was calculated by dividing the total sum of contrast score by the total number of segments with abnormal wall motion. Twenty patients were classified into 2 groups according to the MPSI： MPSI≤I.5 as good myocardial perfusion, MPSI〉1.5 as poor myocardial perfusion. To assess the left ventricular remodeling, the following comparisons were carried out： （1） Comparisons of left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF）, left ventricular end-systolic volume （LVESV） and left ventricular end-diastolic volume （LVEDV） before and 3 months after revascularization in two groups;（2） Comparisons of LVEF, LVESV and LVEDV pre-revascularization between two groups and comparisons of these 3 months post-revascularization between two groups; （3） Comparisons of the differences in LVEF, LVESV and LVEDV between 3 months post-and pre-revascularization （ALVEF, ALVESV and ALVEDV） between two groups; （4） The linear regression analysis between ALVEF, ALVESV, ALVEDV and MPSI. The results showed that the LVEF obtained 3 months after revascularization in patients with MPSI〉1.5 was obviously lower than that in those with MPSI〈1.5. The LVEDV obtained 3 months post-revascularization in patients with MPSI〉1.5 was obviously larger than that in those with MPSI≤1.5 （P=0.002 and 0.04）. The differences in ALVEF and ALVEDV between patients with MPSI〉I.5 and those with MPSI≤1.5 were significant （P=0.002 and 0.001, respectively）. Linear regression analysis revealed that MPSI had a negative correlation with ALVEF and a positive correlation with ALVESV, ALVEDV （P=0.004, 0.008, and 0.016, respectively）. It was concluded that RT-MCE could accurately evaluate the left ventricular remodeling in patients with myocardial infarction after revascularization.

Hypoxia training attenuates left ventricular remodeling in rabbit with myocardial infarction

Objective Previous studies showed that hypoxia preconditioning could protect cardiac function against subsequent myo-cardial infarction injury. However, the effect of hypoxia on left ventricular after myocardial infarction is still unclear. This study therefore aims to investigate the effects of hypoxia training on left ventricular remodeling in rabbits post myocardial infarction. Methods Adult male rabbits were randomly divided into three groups： group SO （sham operated）, group MI （myocardial infarc-tion only） and group MI-HT （myocardial infarction plus hypoxia training）. Myocardial infarction was induced by left ventricular branch ligation. Hypoxia training was performed in a hypobaric chamber （having equivalent condition at an altitude of 4000 m, FiO214.9%） for 1 h/day, 5 days/week for four weeks. At the endpoints, vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） in the plasma was measured. Infarct size and capillary density were detected by histology. Left ventricular remodeling and function were as-sessed by echocardiography.Results After the 4-week experiment, compared with the group SO, plasma VEGF levels in groups MI （130.27 ± 18.58 pg/mL,P〈 0.01） and MI-HT （181.93 ± 20.29 pg/mL,P〈 0.01） were significantly increased. Infarct size in Group MI-HT （29.67% ± 7.73%） was deceased remarkably, while its capillary density （816.0 ± 122.2/mm2） was significantly increased. For both groups MI and MI-HT, left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic dimensions were increased whereas left ventricular ejection fraction was decreased. However, compared with group MI, group MI-HT diminished left ventricular end-diastolic （15.86 ± 1.09 mm,P〈 0.05） and end-systolic dimensions （12.10 ± 1.20 mm,P〈 0.01） significantly and im-proved left ventricular ejection fraction （54.39 ± 12.74 mm,P〈 0.05）.ConclusionHypoxia training may improve left ven-tricular function and reduce remodeling via angiogenesis in rabbits with MI.

The influence of pressure injury risk on the association between left ventricular ejection fraction and all-cause mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction 80 years or older

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate whether the pressure injury risk mediates the association of left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF) with all-cause death in patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI) aged 80 years or older.METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 677 patients with AMI aged 80 years or older from a tertiary-level hospital. Pressure injury risk was assessed using the Braden scale at admission, and three risk groups(low/minimal, intermediate, high) were defined according to the overall score of six different variables. LVEF was measured during the index hospitalization for AMI. All-cause death after hospital discharge was the primary outcome.RESULTS: Over a median follow-up period of 1,176 d(interquartile range [IQR], 722–1,900 d), 226(33.4%) patients died. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that reduced LVEF was associated with an increased risk of all-cause death only in the high-risk group of pressure injury(adjusted hazard ratios [HR]=1.81, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03–3.20;P=0.040), but not in the low/minimal-(adjusted HR=1.29, 95%CI: 0.80–2.11;P=0.299) or intermediate-risk groups(adjusted HR=1.14, 95%CI: 0.65–2.02;P=0.651). Significant interactions were detected between pressure injury risk and LVEF(adjusted P=0.003). The cubic spline with hazard ratio plot revealed a distinct shaped curve relation between LVEF and all-cause death among different pressure injury risk groups.CONCLUSIONS: In older patients with AMI, the risk of pressure injury mediated the association between LVEF and all-cause death. The classification of older patients for both therapy and prognosis assessment appears to be improved by the incorporation of pressure injury risk assessment into AMI care management.

Effects of Perindopril on Left Ventricular Remodeling and Osteopontin Expression in Rats With Myocardial Infarction

Objectives To observe the effects of perindopril on left ventricular remodeling and myocardial osteopontin expression in rats with myocardial infarction. Methods In this study male adult SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham-operation group, MI-saline group and MI-perindopril group. Left anterior descending artery was ligated to generate myocardial infarction. Perindopril (2 mg/kg body weight/day) was administered from the next day of MI. Four weeks later, left ventricular diameter (LVEDD and LVESD) and left ventricular ejection fraction was estimated with echocardiography, LVSP, LVEDP and±dp/dtmax was detected with hemodynamic measurement, cardiomyocyte diameter and interstitial fibrosis infiltration were evaluated with histological methods, and myocardium osteopontin protein expression level was detected with western blot. Results ①Compared with the sham-operation group, all rats with MI developed significant systolic and diastolic dysfunction, as was indicated by decreased LVEF, LVSP and±dp/dtmax, as well as increased LVEDP. ②Rats with MI showed significantly dilated left ventricles and higher ventricular weight / body weight ratio, significantly increased cardiomyocyte diameter and marked interstitial fibrosis in the non-infarction area. ③Perindopril treatment partly prevented cardiac dysfunction and left ventricular remodeling as indicated by the parameters mentioned above. ④No osteopontin protein was detected in myocardium of sham-operation rats. In rats with MI, high level osteopontin protein expression was significantly inhibited by perindopril treatment. Conclusions In rats with MI, perindopril treatment significantly prevented left ventricular remodeling and myocardium osteopontin protein expression.

Effect of carvedilol on cardiac function and left ventricular remodeling in rats after acute myocardial infarction

Objective: To observe the effect of carvedilol injection on left ventricular function and collagen remodeling in rat with myocardial infarction. Methods: Sixty rats with a model of myocardial infarction were randomly divided into nine groups. The rats of therapeutical group were treated with carvedilol injection (2 mg/d intraperitoneal injection) and/or captopil (2 g/L drinking water) . Acute myocardial infarction ( AMI) group did not receive drug treatment. The animals were sacrificed at 4 weeks and 8 weeks after coronary artery ligation. The levels of plasma angiotensin II and plasma aldosterone and left ventricle function were determined at different time. The collagen content and the ratio of type I and III collagen of noninfarcted area were also assessed. Results: Compared with AMI group, the levels of plasma and myocardium angiotensin II and plasma aldosterone in both carvedilol and captopil group decreased at the eighth week (P<0.05). In addition, carvedilol improved systolic and diastolic function (P<0. 05). Compared with sham group, both collagen content and the ratio of type I / III collagen of noninfarcted area increased in AMI4 and AMI8 group (P<0. 05). The hydroxyproline levels and the ratio of type I/III collagen significantly decreased after carvedilol and/or captopil treatment , compared with AMI group at 4 or 8 week (P <0. 05). Conclusion: Carvedilol can improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction and has beneficial effect on left ventricular remodeling.

Rescue treatment and follow-up intervention of a left main acute myocardial infarction with typical carina shift under 3D optical coherence tomography: A case report

BACKGROUND Coronary intervention for bifurcation lesions is still challenging for interventional cardiologists.Left main(LM)bifurcation lesions have a higher risk due to the vast blood supply in this area and treatment choice is difficult.Ostial compromise of the side branch decreases patient prognosis,and its management is still an issue despite the different strategies and devices available.CASE SUMMARY A 42-year-old male patient was admitted to hospital due to chest pain and syncope.Coronary angiography showed acute LM occlusion.Following thrombus aspiration,a LM bifurcation lesion remained.Coronary angiography was repeated one week later,and at the same time,3D optical coherence tomography(OCT)was carried out to better show the geometry of the bifurcation,which confirmed that the stenosis in the ostial left circumflex artery was caused by a long carina.After assessment of the plaque characteristics and the minimum lumen area,the cross-over strategy,kissing balloon inflation and proximal optimization technique were chosen to treat the bifurcation lesion.A“moving”carina was found twice during the intervention.Good stent apposition and expansion were confirmed by OCT after proximal optimization technique.The three-month follow-up showed good recovery and normal cardiac function.CONCLUSION 3D-OCT can facilitate decision-making for coronary interventions in patients with critical bifurcation lesions.

Effects of omacor^®on left ventricular remodelling consecutive to post myocardial infarction special issue-myocardial infarction

Ventricular remodelling is the main trigger of the development of heart failure. Therefore, the reduction of structural remodelling is known to prevent the development of heart failure. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of OMACOR?, a well known mixture of EPA and DHA in an experimental model of heart failure induced by occlusion of left descending coronary artery and the reperfusion within 2 months. After a long term treatment of 2 months;OMACOR? (100 mg/kg) statistically significantly reduced the expansion of infarcted zone (35% ± 4%, P ± 3% in the vehicle group). The phosphorylation of Cx43 as biomarker of the cardiac remodelling was visualised by immunofluorescence in rat’s heart at the end of the study. In the vehicle-infarcted group, a significant de-phosphorylation of Cx43 was observed (8.2 ± 1.0 u.a, n = 8 compared to 11.8 ± 1.3 u.a in the sham group, n = 9) confirming a remodelling process in the infarcted group. In the group treated with OMACOR?,the de-phosphorylation of Cx43 was no longer observed compared to the sham group (16.4 ± 2.9 u.a, n = 9, NS). The present results demonstrate that a long term treatment with OMA-COR? reduced the infarcted size in experimental models of heart failure and that these anti-remodelling effects are due at least in part by resynchronizing the gap junction activity.

Infuences of Previous Angina Pectoris on Coronary Collateral Circulation and Left Ventricular Function in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Objective To investigate the influences of previous angina pectoris on coronary collateral circulation and left ventricular function in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Methods 307 patients with a first episode acute myocardial infarction underwent selective coronary angiography and left ventriculography. The relation of previous angina pectoris to coronary collateral circulation, peak creatine kinase and left ventricular function were analyzed. Results ①In the 307 patients, there were 192 (62. 5 % ) with previous angina [PA ( + ) group] and 115 (37. 5 % ) without [PA (-) group]. ②The peak creatine kinase (CK) and CK -MB were significantly higher in PA (-) group than in PA (+) group ( P < 0. 05 for both comparisons) . ③ Collateral circulation to infarct - related artery was more likely to be present in PA ( + ) group than in PA (-) group ( P < 0. 05) . (4) The left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly increased, and the left ventricular wall motion Cortina score decreased, in PA (+) group than in PA (-) group ( P < 0. 01 for both comparisons) . Conclusion In patients with acute myocardial infarction, previous angina pectoris may have beneficial effects on coronary collateral circulation and left ventricular function.

Beneficial Effects of Delayed Opening the Infarct - related Artery on Late Phase Left Ventricular Function in Acute Anterior Myocardial Infarction

Objectives To assess the effect of delayed opening the infarct - related artery (IRA) by percutanous coronary intervention (PCI) on the late phase left ventricular function after acute ante- rior myocardial infarction. Methods 64 patients with initial Q - wave anterior myocardial infarction and the infarct - related arteries were total occluded conformed by angiogram at 2 to 14 days after onset were divided into successful PCI group and control group ( not re- ceiving PCI or the IRA not re - opened). 2 - DE was performed at early phase ( about 3 weeks) , 2 and 6 months after onset of AMI respectively to detect the left ventricular function and left ventricular wall motion ab- normality (VWMA). The total congestive heart failure events were recorded during 6 months follow-up. Re- sults VWMA scores, left ventricular ejection frac- tion (LVEF) , left ventricular end - diastolic and end - systolic volume indices ( LVEDVI and LVDSVI) were similar in 2 groups at early phase and 2 months. There were no differences between early phase and 2 months in each group too. VWMA scores and LVEF did not changed at 6 months in each group compared with the early phase and 2 months ( P > 0. 05 ). But LVEDVI and LVESVI were significantly smaller in the successful PCI group than in the control group (P < 0.01, P < 0. 05). The congestive heart failure events were taken place in 19% of patients in control group com- pared with 2% in successful PCI group ( P > 0. 05 ). Conclusions Although the infarct size does not changed, delayed opening the IRA has beneficial effect to the late phase left ventricular dilatation after acuteanterior myocardial infarction.

Viable Myocardium Impact on Left Ventricular Function after Late Revascularization of Infarct-related Artery in Acute Myocardial Infarction

Objectives The long-term benefit of late reperfusion of infarct-related artery （IRA） after acute myocardial infarction （AMI） is controversial, and the benefit mechanisms remain uncertain. Low dose dobutamine stress echocardiography （LDSE） can identify viable myocardium and predict improvement of wall motion after revascularization. Methods Sixtynine patients with first AMI who did not received early reperfusion therapy were studied by LDSE at 5 to 10 days after AMI. Wall motion abnormality and left ventricular size were measured at the same time. Successful PCI were done in all patients at 10 to 21 days after AMI onset. Patients were divided in two groups based on the presence or absence of viable myocardium. Echocardiography was repeated six months later. Results There were 157 motion abnormality segments. 89 segments （57%） were viable during LDSE. 26 patients （38%） with viability and 43 （62%） without. In viable group, left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） was increased （P 〈 0.05）, and left ventricular end systolic volume index （LVESVI） and wall motion score （WMS） were decreased （P 〈 0.05 and P 〈 0.01） significantly at 6 months compared with baseline. But in patients without viability, LVEF was decreased （P 〈 0.01）, and LVESVI and left ventricular end diastolic volume index （LVEDVI） were increased （P 〈 0.05） significantly after 6 months, and the WMS did not changed （P 〉 0.05 ）. LVEF increased （P 〈 0.05 ） and WMS decreased （P 〈 0.05） on LDSE during acute phase in patients with viability, but they were not changed in the nonviable group. Conclusions Late revascularization of IRA in patients with presence of viable myocardium after AMI is associated with long-term preservation left ventricular function and less ventricular remodeling. Improvement of left ventricular systolic function on LDSE indicates late phase recovery of left ventricular function after late revascularization.

Stem cell mechanisms during left ventricular remodeling post-myocardial infarction:Repair and regeneration

Post-myocardial infarction(MI),the left ventricle(LV)undergoes a series of events collectively referred to as remodeling.As a result,damaged myocardium is replaced with fibrotic tissue consequently leading to contractile dysfunction and ultimately heart failure.LV remodeling post-MI includes inflammatory,fibrotic,and neovascularization responses that involve regulated cell recruitment and function.Stem cells(SCs)have been transplanted post-MI for treatment of LV remodeling and shown to improve LV function by reduction in scar tissue formation in humans and animal models of MI.The promising results obtained from the application of SCs post-MI have sparked a massive effort to identify the optimal SC for regeneration of cardiomyocytes and the paradigm for clinical applications.Although SC transplantations are generally associated with new tissue formation,SCs also secrete cytokines,chemokines and growth factors that robustly regulate cell behavior in a paracrine fashion during the remodeling process.In this review,the different types of SCs used for cardiomyogenesis,markers of differentiation,paracrine factor secretion,and strategies for cell recruitment and delivery are addressed.

Post-myocardial infarction giant left ventricular pseudoaneurysm presenting with severe heart failure

Left ventricle(LV) pseudoaneurysm is a late mechanical complication of myocardial infarction.A giant LV pseudoaneurysm is a rare presentation.We report a case of giant LV pseudoaneurysm in a post-MI patient who presented with gross congestive heart failure.The patient had a successful surgical repair of the aneurysm and had a favorable 3-mo outcome.The imaging modality and surgical treatment of the pseudoaneurysm are discussed.

An Extraordinary Case of Silent Extensive Anterior Wall Myocardial Infarction Complicated with Giant Left Ventricular Aneurysm and Dressler Syndrome

Early post-acute myocardial infarction (AMI) pericarditis, pericardial effusion with or without cardiac tamponade, and late post-MI pericarditis (Dressler syndrome), are the major pericardial complications after AMI. It is quite rare and estimated to be only about 0.1% in AMI patients according to a recent report, so it is easily neglected or misdiagnosed and may have tragic result to patient. Clinical features of this post-AMI complication include fever, chest pain, pericarditis and pleurisy occurring 2 to 3 weeks after AMI. Dressler syndrome is rarely associated with left ventricular aneurysm. Contrast enhanced magnetic resonance and echocardiography play important roles in diagnosis of left ventricle aneurysm. We report a 54-year-old male heavy labor worker who had asymptomatic, severe coronary artery disease, complicated with silent myocardial infarction, which resulted in large left ventricular aneurysm, and also systolic heart failure was noted. Patient was diagnosed to have Dressler syndrome after his second cardiology clinic follow-up. He received coronary angiography which revealed triple vessel disease with total occlusion of left anterior descending artery, and a giant left ventricular aneurysm was found. He received surgical intervention with Batista method and followed-up uneventfully at the cardiology clinic.

The effect of Rhodiolae treating chronic myocardial infarction with heart failure on left ventricular remodeling and serum inflammatory factors

Objective:To explore the effect of rhodiolae treating chronic myocardial infarction with heart failure on left ventricular remodeling and serum inflammatory factors.Methods:A total of 100 cases of chronic myocardial infarction with heart failure were selected and randomly divided into treatment group and control group with 50 cases in each group, the control group was treated with strong heart, dehydration, nutrition myocardium, infection prevention and western comprehensive treatment, the treatment group was given rhodiola treatment based on the western medicine treatment, compared the changes of left ventricular remodeling indexes and serum inflammatory factors of two group patients before treatment (T0), 1 months of treatment (T1), 3 months of treatment (T2).Results: (1) There was statistical significance difference at different time points LVEF, LVEDD, LVESD, LVSTD, LVPWTD. LVEF, LVSTD, LVPWTD: T2 > T1 > T0, LVEDD, LVESD: T2 < T1 < T0;In treatment group LVEF, LVSTD and LVPWTD increased, and the decline rate of LVEDD and LVESD was higher than that of control group;(2) There was statistically significant difference in different time points of IL-6, hs-CRP, and NT-proBNP, serum IL-6, hsCRP and NT-proBNP levels: T2 < T1 < T0;The serum IL-6, hs-CRP and NT-proBNP levels of treatment group decreased more than control group.Conclusion: Rhodiolae is helpful to improve the left ventricular remodeling and serum inflammatory factors in patients with chronic myocardial infarction and heart failure.