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Preeclampsia (PE) is a multisystemic disorder characterized by hypertension and proteinuria that is specific to pregnancy and associated with maternal and fetal morbidity-mortality.To assess right heart structure and function in PE by echocardiography using conventional and tissue Doppler techniques.In total, 67 women with untreated PE and 46 matched healthy pregnant women were included. PE was defined according to the ACOG (2002) criteria. Right and left heart functions were evaluated using transthoracic two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography with color Doppler and tissue Doppler imaging techniques.Right ventricular basal and outflow tract diameters and free wall thickness, right atrial end-systolic maximum diameter, and area were significantly higher in the PE group than the control group (p0.05). Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, isovolumic acceleration time, tissue Doppler-derived tricuspid lateral annular systolic velocity (S'), right ventricle fractional area change, and myocardial performance index (Tei) were significantly lower in the PE group than the controls (p0.05).PE does not only affect the left side of the heart but also the right side. This finding may open new scenarios, because right ventricular dysfunction may also be responsible for PE-related morbidity.

Introduction The coronary slow flow phenomenon (CSFP) has been associated with myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, life-threatening arrhythmias, sudden cardiac death and increased cardiovascular mortality similar to coronary artery disease (CAD). Possible underlying mechanisms of CSFP are endothelial dysfunction, chronic inflammation, microvascular dysfunction and diffuse atherosclerosis. Soluble lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (sLOX-1) seems to play an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that sLOX-1 might be associated with CSFP, and aimed to research the relationship between sLOX-1 and CSFP. Material and methods Forty patients with angiographically proven CSFP and 43 patients with a normal coronary flow pattern (NCFP) were included in this study. Coronary blood flow was measured according to the Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) frame count method. sLOX-1 levels were measured in all study subjects. Results Serum levels of sLOX-1 were significantly higher in the CSFP group than the NCFP group (1061.80 ±422.20 ng/ml vs. 500.043 ±282.97 ng/ml, p < 0.001, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression analysis including sLOX-1, MPV, GGT and uric acid levels revealed a significant association between sLOX-1 levels and CSFP (Exp (B)/OR: 1.006, 95% CI: 1.002–1.010, p = 0.001). Conclusions The present study demonstrated that serum sLOX-1 levels were significantly higher in patients with CSFP and there was a strong association between high sLOX-1 levels and CSFP. High serum sLOX-1 levels may have an important role in the pathogenesis of CSFP. Future studies are needed to confirm these results.

Objective: Cardiac electrophysiology study (EPS) is an invasive procedure performed for diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. The aim of our study was to assess our 6-year EPS experience and to compare our data with the complication rate published in the literature.Methods: We included 1152 patients who were diagnosed and treated for cardiac arrhythmia in our hospital between 2000-2006. The demographic data of all patients with a presumptive diagnosis of arrhythmia, EPS indications, treatment procedures, and complications were recorded.Results: Six hundred and seventy-three of 1152 (58%) patients enrolled in the study were males with a mean age of 49.6 years, and 479 (42%) were females with a mean age of 48 years. One hundred and fifty-six (13.5%) patients had bradyarrhythmia, 596 (51.8%) patients had supraventricular tachycardia, 400 (34.7%) had ventricular tachycardia. One patient had complete AV block, one patient had hemopericardium, one patient had pericardial tamponade, one patient had pneumothorax, one patient had right thrombophlebitis one patient had sheath fracture, and one patient died after left popliteal embolization. Total mortality rate was 0.6%.Conclusion: The EPS performed in experienced centers with the same team for a long period of time results in low complication rate.