Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) is the main treatment strategy to restore myocardial perfusion. However, the no-reflow phenomenon (NRP) may block coronary flow. The present study focused on assessing and contrasting predictive parameters for NRP in ACS patients. Our research is a retrospective analysis. We assessed the parameters significantly associated with NRP using Cox regression and Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) Curve analysis. The study included 5122 patients who met the criteria. The average age of the patients was 63.9 + 13.2, and 74.4% were male. It was observed that NRP developed in 1.8% of all patients. Age, hemoglobin (Hb), white blood cell (WBC), glucose and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were determined to be independent predictors of NRP. The power of these parameters to predict NRP was similar, and WBC was the most predictive (Area Under Curve (AUC): 0.605 95% CI: 0.539–0.671, P = .001). We believe that the use of these simple, practical, and routinely used hematological and biochemical parameters will help us predict the risk of developing NRP before pPCI. This information should improve management.
A 90-year-old woman with hypertension and a history of a dual-chamber, rate-modulated (DDDR) pacemaker implantation 9 years previously presented to the hospital with complaints of syncope, moderate shortness of breath, and a headache. She denied any other symptoms. Her vital signs were as follows: blood pressure, 110/80 mmHg; pulse, 35 beats/min (bpm); and respiratory rate, 18 breaths/min. One month before presentation, she had undergone pacemaker replacement due to battery depletion at another hospital. The electrocardiogram (ECG) on admission is shown in Fig. 1. Pacemaker interrogation showed the following parameters: programmed mode, DDDR with a base rate of 60 bpm; atrial impedance, 410 Ω; ventricular impedance, 540 Ω; atrial sensing threshold, 0.5 mV; ventricular sensing threshold, 2.0 mV; and battery voltage, 2.6 V. The paced and sensed atrioventricular intervals (AVIs) were 150 and 120 ms, respectively. The pacemaker was switched to AAI mode, and the corresponding ECG is shown in Fig. 2. Twelve-lead electrocardiogram on admission. Twelve-lead electrocardiogram in AAI mode. Atrial lead dislodgement The atrial and ventricular leads are switched Ventricular noncapture Crosstalk Pacemaker undersensing The correct answer is B. In patients with a previously implanted device, pacemaker malfunction is a very rare cause of syncope. On initial evaluation, the pacing spike in our patient only appeared after QRS complexes on the ECG at admission, which is suggestive of undersensing; however, pacemaker interrogation showed normal sensing thresholds and impedances. Undersensing can be due to various factors such as low sensitivity settings, lead insulation defects, event falls within a refractory period (i.e., functional undersensing), too slow of a slew rate, and malfunction of the pacemaker circuitry [1]. The most common causes of noncapture include lead displacement, an insulation defect, wire fracture, electrolyte disturbance, and exit block (a high capture threshold). Atrial noncapture can be detected by the absence of a P-wave and the sudden appearance of a wide complex QRS, whereas during ventricular noncapture, paced output occurs without depolarization of the ventricle, which results in an asystolic pause [1]. Crosstalk is characterized by the inhibition of ventricular output due to the ventricular channel sensing of an atrial pulse. It is seen on the ECG strip as paced atrial P-waves without ventricular output. Crosstalk is rarely seen with current dual-chamber pacemakers because of the ventricular blanking period [2]. In the present case, the pacing spikes were evidently synchronized with the QRS complexes, with a 150-ms interval between two spikes. This pattern only occurs when the leads are switched (Fig. 1). Moreover, the period without pacing only contains F-waves, which strongly suggests that atrial events inhibit output from the ventricular channel of the pacemaker. When the atrial and ventricular leads are switched, the designated sensed event in the ventricular channel is actually an atrial event. Ventricular pacing through the atrial lead can cause atrial fibrillation, hypotension, and clinical heart failure due to 1:1 retrograde atrial activation. Atrial lead dislodgement to the ventricle should be briefly considered; however, since ventricular pacing in such a situation would be inhibited or within the atrioventricular safety window, this diagnosis is incorrect. The diagnosis of switched leads in a permanent pacemaker is usually made within a few hours or days after implantation, but this complication is rarely overlooked in the long-term, as in the present case [2]-[4]. In conclusion, the possibility that the atrial and ventricular leads of a pacemaker generator are switched should be considered, especially in patients who present early after battery replacement. None.
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a non-invasive microorganism causing intense gastric mucosal inflammatory and immune reaction. H. pylori-induced gastric mucosal cytokine overproduction has been clearly documented previously. The stomach has a large surface area and continuous spill-over of locally produced cytokines into the blood stream is a possibility. There are few and conflicting data on circulatory proinflammatory cytokine levels in patients with H. pylori infection.Forty-two dyspeptic patients were enrolled into the study. The presence of H. pylori infection was diagnosed with antral histopathologic examination. After overnight fasting; serum samples were obtained from each patient to determine circulating interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels.H. pylori was shown in 30 cases using Giemsa stain in antral histopathologic evaluation. Twelve cases were negative for H. pylori staining. Both the age and sex distribution had an insignificant difference in both H pylori-positive and H. pylori-negative groups. The mean circulatory levels of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-a in both groups were not different. The situation was same in respect to the serum levels of these cytokines and the degree of inflammation, H. pylori density and activation scores according to Sydney classification.We could not show elevated circulatory levels of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-alpha in H. pylori-infected cases. We believe that H. pylori-related cytokine activation become concentrated on gastric mucosa and this pathogen-induced local inflammatory cascade does not cause changes in circulatory levels of these cytokines. Moreover, there is no correlation between the levels of serum cytokines and Sydney parameters.
•RHT in transit is a rare medical emergency with a high mortality rate.•Optimal therapy is not defined, and treatment selection remains a subject of debate.•Thrombolysis has been suggested as a better treatment modality.