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BACKGROUND We investigated whether patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and sustained ventricular fibrillation/pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VF/pVT) or conversion to pulseless electrical activity/asystole (PEA/asystole) benefit more from extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR). Methods and Results: We analyzed data from the Study of Advanced Life Support for Ventricular Fibrillation with Extracorporeal Circulation in Japan, which was a prospective, multicenter, observational study with 22 institutions in the ECPR group and 17 institutions in the conventional CPR (CCPR) group. Patients were divided into 4 groups by cardiac rhythm and CPR group. The primary endpoint was favorable neurological outcome, defined as Cerebral Performance Category 1 or 2 at 6 months. A total of 407 patients had refractory OHCA with VF/pVT on initial electrocardiogram. The proportion of ECPR patients with favorable neurological outcome was significantly higher in the sustained VF/pVT group than in the conversion to PEA/asystole group (20%, 25/126 vs. 3%, 4/122, P

Whether different patterns of ventricular ballooning in takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) reflect differences in trigger mechanisms or clinical outcomes is unclear. Here we examined differences in the clinical characteristics of typical and atypical forms of TCM. TCM patients (n = 251) in the BOREAS Registry were enrolled for comparison of TCM with apical ballooning (type A, n = 217) and TCM with non-apical ballooning (type non-A, n = 34). The percentage of females was significantly lower in the type non-A group (58.8 vs. 75.6 %), while other demographic parameters and triggers of TCM were similar in the two groups. Rate of mid-ventricular obstruction (MVO) was lower (2.9 vs. 14.3 %) in the type non-A group than in the type A group, though left ventricular ejection fractions in the two groups were comparable. During a follow-up period of 2.6 ± 2.8 years, TCM recurred in 2.9 % of the patients and cardiac death occurred in 4.0 %. Cox proportional hazard analysis indicated that body mass index (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.75, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.54-0.99) and MVO (HR: 14.71, CI 1.87-304.66) were determinants of TCM recurrence and that advanced age (HR: 1.09, CI 1.02-1.17) and cardiogenic shock (HR: 4.27, CI 1.07-18.93) were significantly associated with cardiac death. In conclusion, approximately 20 % of TCM patients show non-apical left ventricular ballooning, and female sex and MVO are less frequent in this type than in apical ballooning type TCM. Low body mass index and MVO are risk factors of recurrence, and advanced age and cardiogenic shock are risk factors of cardiac death in TCM.

We examined prognostic interactions among cardiac autonomic function assessed by (123)I-labeled metaiodobenzylguanidine ((123)I-MIBG) activity, hemoglobin, and kidney function in chronic heart failure patients. Anemia, chronic kidney disease, and impairment of cardiac sympathetic function have been shown as determinants of prognosis in heart failure patients, but there has been little information on their synergistic correlations with cardiac mortality.After evaluations of hemoglobin and estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR), 468 heart failure patients with left ventricular ejection fraction less than 50% underwent cardiac (123)I-MIBG imaging before discharge and were then followed up for a mean interval of 60.5 mo with a primary endpoint of cardiac death. Cardiac (123)I-MIBG activity was quantified using heart-to-mediastinum ratio (HMR) and washout rate.For 89 fatal cardiac events documented (19.0%), besides New York Heart Association class, multivariate Cox analysis revealed HMR, hemoglobin, and estimated GFR as significant independent determinants, with hazard ratios of 0.215 (P = 0.0129; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.064-0.718), 0.821 (P = 0.0062; 95% CI, 0.708-0.946), and 0.984 (P = 0.0243; 95% CI, 0.970-0.998), respectively. Receiver-operating-characteristic analysis determined the thresholds for identifying patients at increased risk for cardiac death to be 1.57 for HMR, 11.9 g/dL for hemoglobin, and 46.4 mL/min/1.73 m(2) for estimated GFR. Combining the 4 independent predictors incrementally (P0.05) improved prognostic powers maximally up to a global χ(2) value of 97.3 compared with sole or other combinations.Hemoglobin, kidney function, and alterations of cardiac sympathetic nerve activity are independently and synergistically associated with increased cardiac mortality in chronic heart failure patients, together with New York Heart Association functional class.

Systolic reserve is an important compensatory mechanism against increasing afterload. Although longitudinal systolic dysfunction with preserved ejection fraction has been reported in hypertensive hearts, radial and circumferential function has not been fully examined. The aim of this study was to investigate three-directional systolic function and its relationships with left ventricular geometry in asymptomatic hypertensive patients using two-dimensional speckle-tracking imaging.Echocardiographic evaluations were performed in 74 hypertensive patients and 55 age-matched control subjects.Longitudinal strain was significantly reduced in the hypertrophy groups compared with that in control subjects (concentric, -15.1 ± 4.0%; eccentric, -15.9 ± 4.4%; control, -18.9 ± 3.3%; P.05). Conversely, radial strain was significantly higher in the normal geometry group than in control subjects (53.8 ± 19.4% vs 40.3 ± 15.1%, P.05). However, this augmentation was attenuated in the other geometries.Hypertrophic remodeling attenuates compensatory augmentation of radial systolic function and is associated with latent longitudinal systolic dysfunction.

Insulin resistance (IR) is now considered to be a risk factor for coronary arterial atherosclerosis and is likely to be involved in a limited endothelium-dependent vasodilatory function in peripheral circulation. We investigated whether IR impairs endothelial vasodilator function in the noninfarcted coronary artery. In 14 nondiabetic patients (10 males, 66 +/- 6 years) who were selected from 214 patients underwent IR evaluation by glucose clamp, a Doppler flow wire was used to measure coronary flow changes (percent volume flow index, %VFI) during intracoronary administration of papaverin (10 mg) and stepwise administration of acetylcholine (Ach; 1, 3, 10 microg/ml per minute) into the non-infarcted left circumflex coronary artery. Insulin resistance was comparatively evaluated by an euglycemic hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp (M value, mg/m(2) per minute) or by a 75g-oral glucose tolerance test (120-min immunoreactive insulin; 120' IRI, pmol/l). Eight patients (57%) were defined as having IR on the basis of results obtained by both the glucose clamp method (M values167 mg/m(2) per minute) and 120' IRI (384 pmol/l). There was no difference between papaverin-induced %VFI increases in IR and non-IR subjects (328% +/- 43% vs. 361% +/- 87%). However, IR subjects showed significantly lower Ach-induced %VFI increases in a dose-dependent manner (P0.05), especially when low (1 microg/ml per minute) and moderate (3 microg/ml per minute) doses of Ach were used (165% +/- 18% or 248% +/- 29% in non-IR subjects vs. 130% +/- 20% or 183% +/- 41% in IR subjects, P0.001, respectively). Moreover, %VFI increase at a low dose of Ach infusion significantly correlated with M values or 120' IRI ([%VFI Ach 1 microg] = 85.9 + 0.35 [M values], r = 0.58, P = 0.038; [%VFI Ach 1 microg] = 176.8 - 0.47.[120' IRI], r = -0.57, P = 0.035). Insulin resistance limits endothelium-dependent coronary vasodilation in association with the severity of IR in non-diabetic patients.

Background Measurement of circulating biomarkers has enabled early diagnosis and risk assessment of acute coronary syndrome. This study sought diagnostic values of the first single-point data of biomarkers obtained soon after patient arrival by comparing with scintigraphically quantified myocardial injury in patients presenting with acute chest pain at an emergency room. Methods and Results Serial blood samples were taken soon after arrival in an emergency department in 74 patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome to quantify blood levels of troponin-T (TnT), heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP), myocardial-bound creatine kinase (CK-MB), and myoglobin. Myocardial perfusion and metabolic defects were scintigraphically quantified. The first single-point data had high positive predictive values for detecting the defects (80-100%) but low negative predictive values (15-41%). CK-MB and TnT had higher specificities (73-100%) but significantly lower positive rates (22-27%) than the others (61-68%), resulting in greater sensitivities of H-FABP and myoglobin (75-80%) than those of CK-MB and TnT (29-35%). Among biomarkers, TnT peak concentrations most closely correlated with scintigraphic abnormalities. Conclusion H-FABP can contribute to early detection of myocardial injury and TnT is most likely to correlate with injured myocardial mass. The differential features of biomarkers are complementary in patients with acute chest pain presenting at an emergency room. (Circ J 2006; 70: 419 - 425)

BACKGROUND: There is considerable interest in the pleiotropic pharmacological action of sarpogrelate hydrochloride, a novel selective serotonin 2A receptor antagonist. In the present study the persistent insulin-sensitizing effects of sarpogrelate were investigated in non-diabetic and non-medicated diabetic patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). METHODS AND RESULTS: Indices of insulin resistance (IR) (fasting immunoreactive insulin (IRI) and calculated homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-R)) and adiponectin were measured before and after 2 weeks of sarpogrelate administration (300 mg/day) in 24 patients (19 men, 76+/-9 years) with PAD. Sixteen of the 24 patients were examined after 3 months of treatment for assessment of the chronic effect of sarpogrelate on IR. After 2 weeks of treatment, significant decreases in fasting IRI (p=0.03) and HOMA-R (p=0.024), but not in adiponectin, were observed. After 3 months of treatment, significant decreases in fasting IRI (16.0+/-10.3 vs 9.2+/-2.0 microU/ml, p=0.03) and HOMA-R (4.30+/-2.83 vs 2.40+/-0.74, p=0.025) were maintained. Furthermore, adiponectin was significantly increased (8.11+/-4.13 vs 9.64+/-4.37 microg/ml, p=0.027). All of the examined HOMA-R had a significant correlation with all of the examined adiponectin (p

Background Little is known about the long-term outcome of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy in survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Methods and Results The frequency of lethal ventricular arrhythmias and whether ICD implantation can prevent recurrence of cardiac arrest were examined. Long-term (24.4±11.9 months) outcome was examined in 23 patients with OHCA who were treated with an ICD (OHCA group) and 35 patients without OHCA (non-OHCA group) who were treated with an ICD. Patients in both groups had same clinical backgrounds; however, those in the OHCA group showed a significantly lower incidence of induced ventricular arrhythmias (71%) than the non-OHCA group (96%). In the follow-up period, patients in the OHCA group had almost the same incidence of ICD discharge (30%) as patients in the non-OHCA group (40%). The rate of recurrence of ventricular fibrillation in the OHCA patients was 13%, and it was difficult to estimate the rate by induced ventricular arrhythmia. Conclusion The results suggest that ICD implantation for survivors of OHCA with favorable neurological recovery might be effective for preventing recurrence of cardiac arrest. (Circ J 2006; 70: 1128 - 1132)

Background Early defibrillation and cardiopulmonary bypass have been postulated to be a promising intervention against out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA); however, little is known about the long-term prognosis. The effects of early recovery of circulation (ROC) on neurological recovery and the long-term outcome in patients with OHCA were examined. Methods and Results Functional recovery and long-term (22.0±15.3 months) outcome were examined in 100 patients with definite diagnosis of OHCA. Spontaneous circulation recovered in 79% of the patients (using on-site counter shock in 20% of the patients). Cardiopulmonary bypass was performed in 38 of the OHCA patients. The total survival and favorable neurological recovery rates were 40% and 25%, respectively. The patients with favorable recovery obtained early ROC (28.2±16.0 min). Receiver-operating characteristic analysis showed that a period of less than 35 min for ROC was the optimal period for achieving a favorable recovery, with sensitivity of 68% and specificity of 73%. The patients with a prior history of heart failure or reduced left ventricular ejection fraction exhibited more frequent, exacerbated heart failure and ventricular arrhythmias. Conclusions Early ROC using on-site counter shock or cardiopulmonary bypass might result in better long-term outcome in patients with OHCA of cardiac origin. (Circ J 2005; 69: 1302 - 1307)

Although heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) can be a marker of sarcolemmal injury due to acute myocardial ischemia, the diagnostic or prognostic value is not established in patients with acute chest pain. This multicenter prospective study aimed to determine the diagnostic and prognostic values of H-FABP in 133 patients presenting to an emergency room with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) by comparing with those of conventional biomarkers. H-FABP and myoglobin had greater positive results than did creatine kinase-MB or troponin T. Receiver operating characteristics analysis revealed that H-FABP was the most reliable for detection of ACS and that H-FABP had the greatest sensitivities for identification of patients requiring emergency hospitalization, coronary angiography, and interventional therapy within 7 days among the biomarkers. Thus, H-FABP can be an early diagnostic and prognostic biochemical marker, particularly within the first 6 h from the onset of chest symptoms, in patients with chest pain at an emergency department.

背景:本邦における院外心原性心肺停止の生命機能予後に及ぼす経皮的心肺補助(PCPS)を用いた積極的治療の意義は必ずしも明確でない。目的:当施設での治療成績を検討し,PCPSを用いた治療の効果を明らかにすることを目的とした。対象と方法:1999年4月から3年間に当救命救急センター搬入となった心原性心肺停止連続187例(男性128例,女性59例;年齢65.5±16.3, 3-94歳)を調査対象とし,急性期生命転帰および機能障害の程度と,これに影響を及ぼす諸因子について検討した。結果:(1)搬入後の治療はPCPS 20例(11%),大動脈バルーンパンピング(IABP) 19例(10%),緊急冠状動脈造影18例中10例に経皮的冠状動脈インターベンション(PCI)を施行,脳低温療法は20例(11%)に施行した。心原性全体で心拍再開率32%,生存率14%,機能良好9%であった。(2)心拍再開もしくはPCPS装着による臓器血流再開時間は機能良好例では平均30.9分で,死亡例,高度障害残存例に比し有意に短かった。(3)治療にPCPSを必要とした20例と,PCPSを用いずに心拍再開した21例(搬入時pulseless electrical activityと心静止は除外)の入院30日後の“機能良好:高度障害残存:死亡”の割合は,PCPS群35%:15%:50%,非PCPS群38%:19%:43%で両群間に有意差を認めなかった。結語:臓器血流再開までの時間が短い症例では,機能回復は比較的良好であり,発症早期にPCPSを用いる積極的な蘇生治療は有効と考えられた。

Background: Few studies have examined if two score systems of coronary stenosis, SYNTAX score and Gensini score, are different as predictors of prognosis in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Here we examined this issue in patients with stable CAD after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 795 consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography for suspected stable CAD from January 2007 to August 2012. One hundred fifty-nine patients received PCI according to consensus of the Heart Team in our institute and patients’ consents. Overall severity of coronary stenosis and complexity in each patient was quantified by both the SYNTAX score and Gensini score, and patients were divided into high score group and low score group by the mean of the score in overall patients. Follow-up period was 15.9 ± 14.4 months, and MACE was defined as a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization and/or congestive heart failure. Results: The mean SYNTAX score and Gensini score were 19.0 ± 12.4 and 47.8 ± 26.9, respectively. Long-term MACE in a group with high SYNTAX score (≧19, n=71) tended to be higher than a group with low SYNTAX score ( Conclusion: Gensini score is not inferior to SYNTAX in prediction of the clinical outcome after PCI in patients with stable CAD. Prognosis after PCI is favorable in patients with low Gensini score (especially those with GS

Background Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) is an uncommon immune-endocrinologic cause of acute reversible heart failure, generally caused by some form of stress. Case Report We report a case of TC after hanging for attempted suicide. Upon admission, the patient demonstrated an almost entirely normal electrocardiogram (ECG) and mild hypotension. However, on the third day after hanging, she developed chest and back pain with inverted T waves and QTc prolongation on ECG. Her coronary arteries were normal on angiogram, but the left ventricle showed apical ballooning, consistent with TC. She was treated with an intra-aortic balloon pump and fully recovered. We observed that the QTc interval seemed to be a good guide for clinical course in this case. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? TC should be considered in any acute stressful presentation, and to assist in the diagnosis as TC, we suggest following the QTc on ECG. TC should be taken into consideration in patients after suicide attempt with low blood pressure or an abnormal ECG, including ST segment elevation, T wave inversion, and QTc prolongation.

A favorable neurological outcome is likely to be achieved in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients with ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VF/VT) on the initial electrocardiogram (ECG). However, in patients without pre-hospital restoration of spontaneous circulation despite the initial VF/VT, the outcome is extremely low by conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Extracorporeal CPR (ECPR) may enhance cerebral blood flow and recovery of neurological function. We prospectively examined how ECPR for OHCA with VF/VT would affect neurological outcomes.The design of this trial was a prospective, observational study. We compared differences of outcome at 1 and 6 months after OHCA between ECPR group (26 hospitals) and non-ECPR group (20 hospitals). Primary endpoints were the rate of favorable outcomes defined by the Glasgow-Pittsburgh Cerebral Performance and Overall Performance Categories (CPC) 1 or 2 at 1 and 6 months after OHCA. Based on intention-to-treat analysis, CPC 1 or 2 were 12.3% (32/260) in the ECPR group and 1.5% (3/194) in the non-ECPR group at 1 month (P0.0001), and 11.2% (29/260) and 2.6% (5/194) at 6 months (P=0.001), respectively. By per protocol analysis, CPC 1 or 2 were 13.7% (32/234) in the ECPR group and 1.9% (3/159) in the non-ECPR group at 1 month (P0.0001), and 12.4% (29/234) and 3.1% (5/159) at 6 months (P=0.002), respectively.In OHCA patients with VF/VT on the initial ECG, a treatment bundle including ECPR, therapeutic hypothermia and IABP was associated with improved neurological outcome at 1 and 6 months after OHCA.

Objectives This study tested whether cardiac sympathetic innervation assessed by metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) activity has long-term prognostic value in combination with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and left atrial size in heart failure (HF) patients without reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Design A single-centre prospective cohort study. Setting/participants With primary endpoints of cardiac death and rehospitalisation due to HF progression, 178 consecutive symptomatic HF patients with 74% men, mean age of 56 years and mean LVEF of 64.5% were followed up for 80 months. The entry criteria consisted of LVEF more than 50%, completion of predischarge clinical evaluations including cardiac MIBG and echocardiographic studies and at least more than 1-year follow-up when survived. Results Thirty-four patients with cardiac evens had larger left atrial dimension (LAD), increased LV mass index, reduced MIBG activity quantified as heart-to-mediastinum ratio (HMR) than did the others. Multivariable Cox analysis showed that LAD and HMR were significant predictors (HR of 1.080 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.16, p=0.044) and 0.107 (95% CI 0.01 to 0.61, p=0.012, respectively). Thresholds of HMR (1.65) and LAD (37 mm) were closely related to identification of high-risk patients. In particular, HMR was a significant determinant of cardiac events in both patients with and without LV hypertrophy. Reduced HMR with enlarged LAD or LV hypertrophy identified patients at most increased risk; overall log-rank value, 11.5, p=0.0032 for LAD and 17.5, p=0.0002, respectively. Conclusions In HF patients without reduced LV ejection fraction, impairment of cardiac sympathetic innervation is related to cardiac outcomes independently and synergistically with LA size and LV hypertrophy. Cardiac sympathetic innervation assessment can contribute to better risk-stratification in combination with evaluation of LA size and LV mass but is needed to be evaluated for establishing aetiology-based risk assessment in HF patients at increased risk.

Background: Mild hypothermia is an effective therapy for patients with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, evidence of the effectiveness of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) remains unclear. Methods and Results: A multicenter registry in Japan (J-PULSE-HYPO study registry) was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of TH for post-resuscitation neurological dysfunction developing after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest from 14 institutions, between January 2005 and December 2009. The committee entrusted each hospital with the timing of cooling, cooling methods, target temperature, duration, and rewarming. There were 452 patients (375 men) enrolled into the registry. The mean age was 58.6±13.5 years. Initial electrocardiogram rhythm at the time of occurrence of the cardiac arrest showed 68.9% had ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia, 13.7% had pulseless electrical activity, and 9.1% had asystole. The median interval from the occurrence of cardiac arrest to ROSC was 26min. The target core temperature during TH was 33.9±0.4°C and the mean duration of cooling was 31.5±13.9h. Intra-aortic balloon pumping was used in 40.1% and percutaneous cardiopulmonary support in 22.6% of patients. At 30 days after cardiac arrest, the proportion of survival was 80.1% and the proportion of patients with favorable neurological functions, with a cerebral performance category score of 1 or 2, was 55.3%. Conclusions: The J-PULSE-HYPO study registry showed a clinical aspect of TH. (Circ J 2011; 75: 1063-1070)

Background Persistent hypotension with dynamic midventricular obstruction (MVO) in patients with transient left ventricular (LV) apical ballooning (Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy) is an important complication that needs to be treated. Purpose The objective of this study is to determine the effects of intravenous propranolol challenge on MVO in transient LV apical ballooning. Subjects and Methods Thirty-four patients (12 males, 22 females, mean age 64 ± 17 years, age range 22-84 years) with LV apical ballooning were enrolled. The hemodynamic and echocardiographic effects of propranolol (0.05 mg/kg, maximum 4 mg) were analyzed in 13 patients. Results (1) Midventricular obstruction was present in 8 (24%) of 34 patients, and the pressure gradient (PG) ranged from 28 to 140 mm Hg. (2) Patients with MVO had similar demographic and clinical characteristics (symptoms, peak creatine kinase, plasma catecholamine levels) as those without MVO; however, in patients with MVO, abnormal Q waves on electrocardiogram and hypotension were more prevalent. (3) In the MVO group, intravenous propranolol changed the PG from 90 ± 42 to 22 ± 9 mm Hg, the systolic blood pressure (SBP) from 85 ± 11 to 116 ± 20 mm Hg, and the LV ejection fraction (LVEF) from 30% ± 7% to 43% ± 4%. (4) In all subjects, the changes in the PG after propranolol injection had a significant linear correlation with the SBP and LVEF changes: ΔSBP = 4.738 + 0.315 × ΔPG ( r = 0.689 ( P r = 0.715, P Conclusion Intravenous propranolol is useful for treating dynamic MVO in patients with transient LV apical ballooning.

Cardiac arrest patients who do not respond to advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS) have a poor neurological outcome. However, some patients obtain good neurological recovery with a cardiac support device. We sought to determine the usefulness of brain hypothermic therapy (BHT) following cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in intractable cardiac arrest patients. We performed a retrospective cohort review of cardiac arrest patients with CPB who could not respond to ACLS between 1999 and 2003 in the emergency department. We have carried out BHT (34°C, 2 or 3 days) following CPB in patients who conformed to the following inclusion criteria: (1) their cardiac arrest was witnessed; (2) there was a failure to respond to ACLS; (3) successful intervention for original cause of cardiac arrest was performed; (4) circulation was stabilized following intervention. We evaluated their ECG on admission [ventricular fibrillation (VF) or non-VF] and neurological outcome [dead, vegetative state, severe disability (SD), moderate disability (MD), good recovery (GR)] as measured by the 1-month Glasgow outcome scale (GOS). Resuscitation with CPB was attempted in 30 patients (average age 52 years; 26 men, 4 women), and successfully achieved in 17 of them (57%). Eight of 15 patients who received BHT following CPB (53%) obtained a good neurological outcome (MD and GR), and 3 (20%) died during BHT. Nine of 24 patients who were VF on admission obtained a good neurological outcome (MD and GR: 38%). Six patients were non-VF, and none of them could be resuscitated. We concluded that BHT following CPB is useful for cardiac arrest patients with VF who do not respond to ACLS.

The precise etiological basis of transient left ventricular apical ballooning without coronary artery stenosis (ampulla or so-called `takotsubo' cardiomyopathy) remains unknown, so the present study examined the acute effects of intravenous propranolol (2-4 mg) in 3 female patients (age range, 61-76 years) with the condition. Although one patient who did not have any intraventricular pressure gradients showed no improvement in the electrocardiographic and left ventricular wall motion abnormalities, the other 2 patients, who had significant intraventricular pressure gradients, did show improvement. Dynamic intraventricular obstruction might play a role in maintaining apical ballooning, at least, in patients exhibiting an intraventricular pressure gradient. (Circ J 2002; 66: 1181 - 1184)

Objective To evaluate the role of insulin resistance on coronary atherosclerosis, angiographic semiquantitative scores of coronary stenosis and calcification were evaluated. Subjects and Methods Ninety-five non-diabetic subjects with coronary arterial disease were selected from our angiographic data base. Hyperinsulinemia was defined as a serum insulin level of ≥60.4 IU/l at 120 minutes after 75 g oral glucose challenge. Results Twenty-three (24%) of the patients exhibited hyperinsulinemia. There was no difference in age or gender between the two subgroups. The incidence of hypertension, smoking habits, hypercholesterolemia, and hyperuricemia were also the same among the insulin resistance subgroups. Subjects with hyperinsulinemia had higher coronary artery scores of stenosis (11.9±5.6 vs 8.3±5.0, p

It remains unclear whether implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) improves prognosis of vasospastic angina (VSA) patients who survived cardiac arrest. In this study, we examined the effects of medical treatment and ICD on prognosis of resuscitated-VSA patients. Between 1985 and 2011, 31

Background: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D) are established efficient therapies, but negative effects of their shocks have been reported. Purpose: We assessed if ICD shock or anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP) is associated with poor prognosis, and which factor predicts shocks in ICD and CRT-D patients. Subjects and Methods: A total of 161 consecutive patients who received ICD (n=132) or CRT-D (n=29) (age 57.2±14.3 years, 78% male, 76% non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM)) were retrospectively analyzed. Results: During the follow-up period of 27.0±20.2 months, cardiac events occurred in 14 patients (1 sudden death, 2 death or 11 hospitalization for heart failure). Patients who experienced at least 1 ICD shock had significantly higher incidence of cardiac events and hazard risk was 1.92 (p

A 54-year-old male patient, who had received implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) for Brugada syndrome in 2002, visited our clinic for alert sound in March 2011. The stored electrocardiogram revealed short and high-frequent noises. Since lead dysfunction was diagnosed, we replaced the ICD system. When we tested ICD shock delivery to evaluate defibrillation threshold (DFT) after the replacement, high-frequent noises were observed intermittently for 10 seconds just after 26 J shock. We repeated shock test one week later and again observed the high-frequent noises intermittently for 110 seconds after 26 J shock. Some of the noises were recognized by ICD inappropriately as ventricular fibrillation. Strangely enough, the amplitude of the noises spontaneously diminished and disappeared. We suspected a kind of ICD system dysfunction and decided to replace the system again. In operation, we found a small amount of blood in the connector of ICD, which might be a result of blood leak through the hole for wrench. Since then, no noise occurred. To our knowledge, this is the first report such strange noises associated with blood contamination in lead-ICD connection.

OBJECTIVES To determine the clinical features of a novel heart syndrome with transient left ventricular (LV) apical ballooning, but without coronary artery stenosis, that mimics acute myocardial infarction, we performed a multicenter retrospective enrollment study. BACKGROUND Only several case presentations have been reported with regard to this syndrome. METHODS We analyzed 88 patients (12 men and 76 women), aged 67 ± 13 years, who fulfilled the following criteria: 1) transient LV apical ballooning, 2) no significant angiographic stenosis, and 3) no known cardiomyopathies. RESULTS Thirty-eight (43%) patients had preceding aggravation of underlying disorders (cerebrovascular accident [n = 3], epilepsy [n = 3], exacerbated bronchial asthma [n = 3], acute abdomen [n = 7]) and noncardiac surgery or medical procedure (n = 11) at the onset. Twenty-four (27%) patients had emotional and physical problems (sudden accident [n = 2], death/funeral of a family member [n = 7], inexperience with exercise [n = 6], quarreling or excessive alcohol consumption [n = 5] and vigorous excitation [n = 4]). Chest symptoms (67%), electrocardiographic changes (ST elevation [90%], Q-wave formation [27%] and T-wave inversion [97%]) and elevated creatine kinase (56%) were found. After treatment of pulmonary edema (22%), cardiogenic shock (15%) and ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (9%), 85 patients had class I New York Heart Association function on discharge. The LV ejection fraction improved from 41 ± 11% to 64 ± 10%. Transient intraventricular pressure gradient and provocative vasospasm were documented in 13/72 (18%) and 10/48 (21%) of the patients, respectively. During follow-up for 13 ± 14 months, two patients showed recurrence, and one died suddenly. CONCLUSIONS A novel cardiomyopathy with transient apical ballooning was reported. Emotional or physical stress might play a key role in this cardiomyopathy, but the precise etiologic basis still remains unclear.

The aim of this investigation was to examine whether overall severity of coronary stenosis has impact on the effects of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) on clinical outcomes in patients with stable angina pectoris. We retrospectively analyzed 795