The Journal of Tehran University Heart Center
Volume:13 Issue: 4, Oct 2018

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is probably a consequence of inflammation. Vitamin D is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of vitamin D levels on the incidence of POAF. In a prospective cohort study, patients were monitored for the occurrence of POAF during the first 5 days after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery in Tehran Heart Center. Those with concomitant valvular surgeries were excluded. Thereafter, they were divided into 2 groups: with or without POAF. Vitamin D levels were assessed in all the patients. The relationship between the vitamin D level and the incidence of POAF was evaluated and compared between the groups using the Mann–Whitney U test. The study population comprised of 156 patients. The mean age was 62.8±8.6 years, and 105 (67.3%) patients were male. Of the 156 patients, 29 (19%) developed POAF. The median preoperative vitamin D level was 15.3 in the group with POAF and 25.3 in the group without POAF (P=0.07). Our results demonstrated no significant relationship between vitamin D levels and the occurrence of POAF.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) provides hemodynamic and oxygenation support in critical conditions. The commencement of this modality in Iran coincided with severe economic constraints across Iran. This retrospective study was performed in Masih Daneshvari Medical Center from 2010 to 2015, during which period, sanction-related limitations in the import of equipment prompted us to integrate a Medtronic or Stöckert head pump console into a Maquet ECMO Oxygenator so as to sustain the ECMO program. Comparisons were performed between successful and unsuccessful ECMO procedures and survivors. Factors associated with unsuccessful ECMO were evaluated with a multivariate logistic regression. Thirty-three (68.8%) patients were male and 15 (31.2%) were female. The mean age of the patients was 35±16.6 years. Thirty-seven (77.1%) patients were weaned off ECMO successfully; the rate was higher than that in previous studies. Totally, 35.4% of the study population survived to hospital discharge. The most common cause of death in all the ECMO patients who were successfully weaned was sepsis. The most common cause of death in the patients who underwent unsuccessful ECMO was multisystem organ failure. The mean ECMO support time was 53.37±46.26 hours. The patients who were alive at discharge were significantly younger (25.5±14.5 vs. 40.2±15.5 y; P=0.002) and had a significantly lower ECMO duration (24 [25–75% interquartile: 18.5–36] vs. 48 [25–75% interquartile: 24–72] h; P=0.044) than the non-survivors. An assembly of ECMO components from different companies could be done safely, at least for a short period of time.

The presence of different risk groups among patients with the non–ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome indicates the need for new tools to establish early diagnoses and prognostic stratifications. The role of prolonged corrected QT (QTc) intervals in myocardial ischemia has yet to be thoroughly assessed. The purpose of our study was to assess the significance of QTc prolongations during acute non–ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) or unstable angina. The QTc interval was measured in 205 patients admitted with NSTEMI or unstable angina to the Coronary Care Unit of Fatemeh Zahra Hospital between 2014 and 2015. On that basis, the patients were divided into those with normal (<440 ms) and the ones with prolonged (≥440 ms) QTc intervals. Echocardiography and coronary angiography were performed within 48 to 72 hours after hospitalization. A logistic regression model was applied to assess the predictors of left ventricular systolic dysfunction. The mean age of the patients was 58.21±10.72 years, and men comprised 51% of the participants. Overall, a QTc interval prolongation of ≥440 ms was present in 45 subjects (21.95% of the patients), which was significantly associated with a previous myocardial infarction (MI) (P=0.024), a minimum ST depression of 1 mm in the inferior leads (P=0.006), and a maximum left ventricular ejection fraction of 35% (P=0.018). Furthermore, among the different electrocardiographic variables, only a prolonged QTc interval (OR=0.275, 95% CI=0.078–0.976; and P=0.046) was inversely associated with the left ventricular systolic function. Our study showed that prolonged QTc intervals can be used as a useful risk marker for identifying high-risk patients with the acute coronary syndrome.

Behçet's Disease (BD) is a multisystemic vasculitis which usually affects optical, genital, and oral mucosae and often reoccurs intermittently. Chylothorax is a very rare complication of BD which usually causes thrombosis in the major venous system. A 27-year-old man with a 10-year history of BD referred to our cardiovascular surgery department with symptoms of serious aches in the left arm, edema, and apparent veins on the left anterior chest wall. A total thrombosis of the left internal and external jugular veins and the left subclavian vein was observed. One month after a successful treatment and discharge, the patient returned to our clinic with symptoms of dyspnea and coughs. A chest radiograph showed a consolidated region. A milky liquid was aspirated through thoracocentesis from the left thorax, and its biochemical analysis helped us arrive at a diagnosis of chylothorax. The patient was hospitalized and administered corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapy with a high-carbohydrate and low-fat dietary regimen for BD. Thereafter, a left thoracic drainage system was established. On the seventh day of hospitalization, due to a progressing cheilosis flow, a pleurodesis process was applied with talcum powder. However, the chylous drainage was continued and 60 mL of venous autologous blood was injected into the left thorax through a drainage tube. The treatment was successful, and the patient was discharged from the hospital uneventfully. At 1 month’s follow-up, the chest radiograph was normal.

The concertina phenomenon is the occurrence of new and transient angiographic series of pseudolesions in a tortuous vessel induced mainly by a stiff guide wire. Here, we describe a 53-year-old man who experienced a concertina effect in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) during an elective percutaneous coronary intervention. After the diagnosis of the concertina phenomenon in the LAD, a percutaneous coronary intervention was performed following the withdrawal of the soft guide wire to the mid level of the LAD. After the intervention, the patient remained in very good clinical status and was discharged on the third postprocedural day.

Iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis (IFDVT) is a potentially devastating condition comprising a quarter of all cases of lower extremity DVT. It can lead to serious consequences such as pulmonary embolism, limb malperfusion, and post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS), which is a chronic sequela of IFDVT. We herewith present 18 IFDVT cases managed with catheter-directed thrombolysis at our hospital. Nine of these patients underwent stenting of the involved iliac veins. The remaining 9, who did not receive stenting, had a residual stenosis of more than 50% in the common femoral or iliac veins following the procedure. Based on a final residual stenosis of less than 50% in the iliac veins, we had 9 successful (patients with stenting) and 9 unsuccessful procedures (patients without stenting). In subsequent follow-ups at a median follow-up of 39.5 months, using the Villalta score, while only 2 out of the 9 patients who underwent stenting suffered PTS, 4 patients among the other 9 patients comprising the non-stenting group developed PTS. Our results support the notion that stenting might have a role in decreasing the PTS risk in patients undergoing catheter-directed thrombolysis.