Summary Optical coherence tomography is a new endocoronary imaging modality employing near infrared light, with very high axial resolution. We will review the physical principles, including the old time domain…
A 54-year-old man was admitted for persistent fever (38 °C) after 15 days of appropriate antibiotic therapy for aortic endocarditis due to Streptococcus bovis . Clinical examination showed blood pressure…
A 41-year-old man visited our institution due to mild atypical chest discomfort. Results of a 12-lead surface ECG showed a normal sinus rhythm with a heart rate of 51 beats/min….
Summary Valvular pathology in infants and children poses numerous challenges to the paediatric cardiac surgeon. Without question, valvular repair is the goal of intervention because restoration of valvular anatomy and…
Summary Background Digoxin is highly potent and efficacious for treatment of heart failure (HF) and/or atrial fibrillation (AF) yet compliance is often poor. Aims To examine prevalence rates of non-compliance…
Summary Background Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a common complication after cardiac surgery, with increased risk of embolic events, haemodynamic instability, haemorrhagic complications and prolonged hospital stay. Aims We sought…
Summary Background Ranking of hospitals by lay media has attracted widespread attention but may not accurately reflect quality. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) mortality is a straightforward measure of clinical outcome…
Summary Background While the death rate from acute coronary syndromes (ACS) has been in decline for more than 50 years, out-of-hospital mortality remains high despite improvements in care. Aim To…
Summary Background Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) provides a non-invasive anatomic description of the coronary veins that may be useful in patients candidates to cardiac resynchronization. Prospective gating reduces radiation exposure…
An update of the existing European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines, published in 2007 , was felt necessary for two main reasons. Firstly, new evidence has accumulated, particularly on risk…
