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In acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients there are mostly studies evaluating prognostic value of admission heart rate. We tried to understand the prognostic value of discharge heart rate in a spectrum of ACS patients.A total of 473 consecutive ACS patients were included in the study. Forty-three (9.1%) of them were unstable angina pectoris, 268 (56.7%) were non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and 162 (34.2%) of them were ST elevation myocardial infarction patients. Discharge heart rates of the patients were recorded and the patients were followed-up for 1 year. The primary end-point was all-cause mortality.The mean age of the patients was 64 ± 12. The patients were divided into three subgroups according to discharge heart rates (78, 78-89, ≥90 beats per minute). Patients with a higher discharge heart rate had higher serum troponin, glucose levels and higher admission heart rates, had lower ejection fraction values and had acute heart failure complication more frequently than the patients with a lower discharge heart rate. A total of 72(16%) patients died during 1 year follow-up. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, an increased discharge heart rate was independently associated with 1-month mortality after ACS, but it was not independently associated with 6-month or 1-year mortality after ACS. Every 1 bpm increase in discharge heart rate resulted in a significant increased risk of 8.2% in 1-month all-cause mortality.Increased heart rate at discharge is an independent predictor of 1-month mortality in ACS patients. This relationship disappears after 1-month through 1-year follow-up.

Purpose: Arrhythmias are reproached for most of the sudden cardiac deaths in professional athletes. Also, performance-enhancing dietary supplements have been blamed in recent years. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of protein supplements (PS) on regular training athletes. Materials and Methods: 70 male sportsmen (30.0 ± 7.3 year) who regularly train in the gym, were included in the study; 35 used approximately 40 grams of PS daily, while the other half regularly trained without additional PS. All participants underwent ECG, exercise test and results were evaluated by two independent cardiologists. Results: There were no differences between two groups in terms of age, smoking and alcohol use, body mass index, baseline ECG results, effort capacity, heart rate, and blood pressure values. Correlation analyses showed a negative correlation between the age and maximum HR in an effort test. Conclusion: This study showed that using PS in certain does not have any effect on ECG findings, heart rate at both rest and during exercise, effort capacity evaluated by a treadmill test, and blood pressure values of sportsmen.

Amaç: Kalp hızı değişkenliği (KHD), kalbin otonomik fonksiyonlarını yansıtan noninvaziv bir değerlendirmedir ve sistemik hastalıklarda bozulduğu bilinmektedir. Çalışmamızda, KHD ile akut iskemik inme (Aİİ) arasındaki ilişkiyi araştırmayı amaçladık.Materyal ve metod: Toplam 102 Aİİ hastası ve 66 sağlıklı birey (kontrol grubu) çalışmaya dahil edildi. Aİİ hastaları, iskemik inme (İİ) (n=65) ve geçici iskemik atak (GİA) (n=37) olarak iki gruba ayrıldı. Hasta ve kontrol gruplarına 24 saatlik ritim Holter kaydı yapıldı. Bulgular: Aİİ grubunda hipertansiyon (%60.8’e karşın %33.3, p=0.005) ve diyabetes mellitus (DM) (%39.2’e karşın %15.2, p=0.002) sıklığı ile, serum glukoz (142.4±60.0’a karşı 106.8±20.9, p=0.034) ve kreatinin düzeyleri (0.9±0.3’e karşın 0.8±0.5, p=0.010) anlamlı olarak daha yüksekti, fakat serum yüksek dansiteli lipoprotein düzeyi (44.7±9.7’e karşın 54.6±12.9, p=0.022) ve sol ventrikül ejeksiyon fraksiyonu (SVEF) (53.0 [25-60]’a karşın 58.0 [30-60], p=0.012) daha düşüktü. Ek olarak, KHD parametrelerinden olan SDNN (112.2 [37-1473]’e karşın 134.8 [37-405], p0.05, hepsi için). Çoklu regresyon analizlerinde, yaş (OR: 1.096, %95 GA: 1.056 – 1.136, p

A 27-year-old man applied for routine control due to aortic coarctation stent. During routine control, a late in-stent thrombus was detected. The patient was asymptomatic. Thrombus resolution was achieved with anticoagulant therapy. Anticoagulant therapy is one of the options in the treatment of aortic stent graft-associated asymptomatic thrombus. Surgical intervention might be required in case of thromboembolism, haemodynamic deterioration, and intra-aortic gradient with high blood pressure in the upper extremity.

Background This study aimed to investigate serum 25[OH]D levels between patients with vasovagal syncope (VVS) diagnosed with head‐up tilt table test (HUTT) and age‐matched healthy people. Methods The study included 75 consecutive patients (32.3 ± 10.7 years), who presented with syncope and underwent HUTT and 52 healthy controls (32.9 ± 14.1 years). HUTT patients were divided into two groups according to whether there was syncope response to the test. Patients underwent cardiac, psychiatric, and neurological investigation. Serum 25[OH]D levels were measured by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay method. Results There was no difference between the two groups in terms of age, gender, body mass index (BMI), echocardiographic findings (P > .05). Mean serum 25[OH]D (24.5 ± 6.3 vs 20.1 ± 8.8 ng/mL, P = .003) and vitamin B12 levels (436.4 ± 199.2 vs 363.1 ± 107.6 pg/mL, P = .009) was lower in syncope patients when compared to the control group. In correlation analyses, syncope was shown as correlated with the vitamin D (r = −264, P = .003) and vitamin B12 levels (r = −233, P = .009). But, multivariate regression analyses showed that only vitamin D increased risk of syncope [OR: 0.946, 95% CI (0.901‐0.994)]. There was no difference in terms of age, gender, BMI, echocardiographic findings between the in HUTT positive (n = 45) and negative groups (n = 29). Only vitamin D level was significantly lower in HUTT positive group (17.5 ± 7.7 vs 24.4 ± 9.1 ng/mL, P = .002). There was no difference among in the vasovagal subgroups in terms of vitamin D level and other features. Conclusion Vitamin D and B12 levels were reasonably low in syncope patients, but especially low Vitamin D levels were associated with VVS diagnosed in HUTT., Various diseases play a role in the etiology of syncope. In our study, we investigated whether there is a relationship between vitamin D and syncope. We found that the frequency of vasovagal syncope was increased especially in female gender and vitamin D levels below 20 mg/dL.

Iodine-related submandibular sialadenitis is a rare complication among the causes of sialadenitis. To date, the pathogenesis of iodide mumps has not yet been ascertained. This situation is a late reaction to iodinecontaining contrast agents and can manifest in any patient receiving iodinated contrast agents and repeated exposure. Fortunately, this condition does not require specific treatment and resolution can be expected within one or two weeks. We report an 82-year-old man suffering from iodide-induced sialadenitis following coronary angiography with the use of non-ionic low osmolar contrast media.

Introduction Growing evidence has demonstrated that diastolic heart failure occurs in about half of heart failure (HF) patients. We investigated the effects of perindopril on echocardiographic parameters, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class and serum N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels in patients with diastolic heart failure. Methods In total, 108 diastolic heart failure patients aged ≥ 50 years, who had diastolic dysfunction with an ejection fraction ≥ 50%, were enrolled and randomised to one of the two study groups. Perindopril was initiated in the study group and the control group was given standard therapy. Echocardiographic parameters, NT-proBNP levels and NYHA classes were recorded. The patients were followed for 11 (three to 16) months. Eighty-eight patients completed the study. Results Although diastolic parameters were not changed, A' (septal) velocity (10.8 vs 9.9 cm/s) and Sm (septal) velocity (8.5 vs 7.6 cm/s) were significantly increased in the perindopril compared to the control group. A significant increase in A' (septal) velocity (+0.61 vs -0.28 cm/s, p = 0.04) and a slight increase in Sm (septal) velocity (+0.99 vs 0.36 cm/s, p = 0.054) were noted in the perindopril group. Conclusions Tissue Doppler septal late diastolic velocities and septal systolic myocardial velocities increased in the perindopril group but NT-proBNP levels, and NYHA class was not changed in this study population.

IQOS is a novel tobacco product claimed to be safer than conventional cigarette smoking due to the heat-not-burn system. This study aimed to evaluate the acute effects of IQOS smoking on myocardial systolic and diastolic functions and also compare the acute impacts of IQOS with cigarette smoking.In this prospective study, twenty-seven healthy participants who were using IQOS were included. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed three times for each participant; before smoking any tobacco product (group1), after IQOS smoking (group 2), after cigarette smoking (group3). In addition to conventional echocardiographic measurements, left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV) strain analyses were performed by speckle tracking echocardiography.In comparison with non-smoking status, LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) decreased after IQOS and cigarette smoking (-18.9 ± 2.4% in baseline vs. -17.9 ± 2.4% in IQOS vs. -17.9 ± 2.8% in cigarette smoking; p = 0.003, p = 0.001; respectively). LV global circumferential strain (GCS) reduced after IQOS and cigarette smoking (-19.8 ± 4.4% in baseline vs. -18.3 ± 3.9% in IQOS vs. -17.5 ± 3.9% in cigarette smoking; p = 0.005, p 0.001; respectively). RV GLS was significantly lower in groups smoking IQOS and cigarette (-23.2 ± 4.6% in baseline vs. -21.4 ± 4.1% in IQOS vs. -19.4 ± 4.1% in cigarette smoking; p 0.001, p = 0.001; respectively).IQOS (heat-not-burn) tobacco smoking impairs myocardial systolic and diastolic functions in the acute phase like conventional cigarette smoking. The use of IQOS is rising among young adults in recent years, so further studies should be designed to evaluate the chronic effects of IQOS on myocardial function.

Background This study aimed to investigate serum 25[OH]D levels between patients with vasovagal syncope(VVS) diagnosed by head-up tilt table test (HUTT) and patients who do not develop syncope during the test. Methods Sixty-eight consecutive patients [mean age 33.2 ± 14.5 years, 49 females (72.1%)] were categorized based on their HUTT results (positive vs. negative, n = 40 vs. 28).25[OH]D levels were measured by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay method in all patients. Results There was no difference between the two groups in terms of blood tests, Body Mass Index, gender, echocardiographic findings(p > 0.05).Mean 25[OH]D level was lower in HUTT positive patients when compared to the HUTT negative group(p Conclusion We found that patients diagnosed VVS by HUTT test had lower 25[OH]D levels.Measurement of vitamin D level may be an important factor in VVS patients. Table 1 Head-up Tilt Testing positive (n = 40) negative (n = 28) p value Age (years) 33.2 ± 13.7 33.3 ± 15.9 0.973 Female gender (%) 31 (77.5) 18(64.3) 0.232 BMI (kg/m2) 23.4 ± 3.1 23.0 ± 2.6 0,596 EF (%) 59.2 ± 1.6 59.1 ± 1.3 0.357 LA (mm) 34 ± 2.4 33 ± 2.7 0.715 RA (mm) 32 ± 2.5 31 ± 2.7 0.141 Vitamin D (ng/mL) 16.5 ± 6.6 23.9 ± 9.5 0.001 Vitamin B12 (pg/mL) 355.1 ± 124.6 378 ± 87.0 0.367 TSH (mIU/L) 1.8 ± 0.8 1.7 ± 0.9 0.367 Glucose (mg/dL) 87.0 ± 7.4 90.5 ± 8.1 0.076 Creatinine (mg/dL) 0.6 ± 0.1 0.7 ± 0.1 0..55 Sodium (mmol/L) 139.8 ± 2.0 139.7 ± 2.5 0.931 Potassium (mmol/L) 4.1 ± 0.3 4.1 ± 0.2 0.674 Calcium (mg/dL) 8.9 ± 0.9 8.9 ± 1.1 0.476 Wbc (x103/uL) 7.3 ± 1.6 6.9 ± 1.6 0.339 Hb (g/dL) 13.3 ± 1.3 13.5 ± 1.8 0.664 Age (years) Vitamin D level Vitamin D level 0.132 ≤ 25 (n = 31) 14.8 ± 5.5 21.2 ± 10.2 0.057 > 25 (n = 37) 17.9 ± 7.3 26.3 ± 8.5 0.005 Patients characteristics of Head-up Tilt Testing positive and negative group

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the frontal QRS-T angle was different between the athletes and normal healthy people.The study included 122 healthy athletes (the mean age was 29.7±7.7 years, of them, were 73.8% male) and a control group consisted of 60 healthy people (the mean age was 29.8±7.8 years, 26% of them were male). Then, the athletes were divided into two groups as who used protein supplements (PS) and those who did not. In the 12-lead ECG, heart rate (HR), P, QRS, QT, corrected QT (QTc) duration, QT and corrected QT dispersion (QTD, QTcD), the sum of V1 or V2S amplitude and V5 or V6R amplitude (V1/2S+V5/6R), frontal QRS-T angle were calculated.There was no significant difference between the athletes and control groups regarding age, gender, smoking, body mass index, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), echocardiographic features, P, PR duration, P, QRS, T axis, QTD and QTcD (P0.05).HR and QTc were significantly lower (P0.05) and QRS, QT duration was longer in athletes group (P0.001). The V1/2S+V5/6R and frontal QRS-T angle values were higher in the athlete's group (P0.001). There was no significant difference between PS users and non PS users regarding demographic characteristics, duration of sports years, SBP and DBP (P0.05). However, male gender was dominant in the PS users group (P=0.018). The P axis, PR and QRS duration were longer in the PS users group (P0.05).It was found that the T axis was negatively correlated (r=-0.431,P0.001) but the QRS axis was positively correlated (r=0.395,P0.001) with frontal QRS-T angle.The frontal QRS-T angle, was found to be wider in athletes compared to normal healthy participants. However, there was no significant difference between who used PS and those who did not.

Background Regular physical activity is associated with cardiovascular health; however, intensive exercise can have harmful effects on the heart. Two-dimensional (2D) speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) is a well-established diagnostic tool to evaluate subclinical myocardial dysfunction and has been widely used in athletes in recent years. This study is designed to evaluate whether low-intensity exercise has beneficial effects on myocardial performance. We aimed to evaluate systolic and diastolic functions of myocardium derived from STE in sports practitioners in a low-intensity exercise training program. Method Eighty-four sports practitioners and eighty-two sedentary healthy controls were prospectively included in our study. In addition to standard 2D echocardiographic measurements, left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS), right ventricular (RV) GLS, RV-free wall strain (FWS), left atrium (LA) strain, and strain rate were analyzed. Results Mean LV GLS was significantly higher in sports practitioners compared with sedentary population (-19.21 +/- 2.61% vs -18.37 +/- 2.75%,P = .044). RV GLS was significantly higher in sports practitioners than sedentary population (-21.82 +/- 4.86% vs -20.04 +/- 4.62%,P = .016). Longitudinal strain and strain rate of LA conduit phase were significantly higher in sports practitioners than sedentary participants (-23.60 +/- 6.83% vs -20.20 +/- 6.64%,P = .001; -2.45 +/- 0.81 L/s vs -2.10 +/- 0.89 L/s,P = .010; respectively). Also, LA conduit phase strain/contraction phase strain and conduit phase strain rate/contraction phase strain rate ratios were higher in sports practitioners (1.88 +/- 0.93 vs 1.48 +/- 0.63,P = .001; 1.42 +/- 0.65 vs 1.16 +/- 0.53,P = .005; respectively). Conclusion The findings in the current study suggest that regular low-intensity exercise may have a beneficial effect on both systolic and diastolic functions of the myocardium.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common chronic arrhythmia in the elderly population. In symptomatic patients, restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm improve quality of life. Unfortunately, AF recurrence still occurs in a considerable number of patients after cardioversion (CV). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the association between vitamin D (VitD) and AF recurrence after electrical or medical CV. Method: A total of 51 patients who underwent CV for symptomatic AF were included in the study. AF recurrence was defined as an AF pattern in 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) recording after CV within 6 months or ECG Holter recording of AF lasting more than 30 seconds at 6-month follow-up. Results: Mean vitD level was 21.4 ng/ml in our study population. VitD level was lower in the AF recurrence group than in the non-recurrence group (18 ng/ml vs. 26.3 ng/ml, respectively; P=0.001). Additionally, left atrial diameter was larger in the AF recurrence group compared to the non-recurrence group (4.4 vs. 4.1, P=0.025). Patients with AF recurrence were older than patients without AF recurrence, and, although the prevalence of hypertension is higher in the AF recurrence group, there was no statistically significant difference (P=0.107, P=0.867). Conclusion: In our study, there is a strong association between vitD level and AF recurrence after CV. VitD deficiency might be a predictor of high risk of AF recurrence after CV and vitD supplementation during the follow-up might help the maintenance of sinus rhythm.

Funding Acknowledgements none Background Exercise induced left ventricular remodelling is known for many years. Left ventricular enlargement, hypertrophy, left atrial dilatation are adaptive responsive mechanisms of myocardial tissue to increased physiological demand by exercise. In recent years, strain and strain rate have been used for the assessment of myocardial adaptation in athletes’. In literature, left ventricular and right ventricular deformation is decreased in athletes’, compared to normal healthy individuals. Also left atrial reservoir and contractile functions, which can be measured by speckle tracking echocardiography, decrease in endurance athletes with atrial fibrillation. Athletes have been using protein supplementation frequently in recent years however cardiac effects are largely unknown. There is limited data in the literature about cardiac effects of protein supplementation. Purpose In our study, we aim to evaluate the effects of protein supplementation on cardiac functions in athletes with 2D speckle tracking echocardiography. This is the first study in the literature evaluating the effects of protein supplements on echocardiographic parameters. Methods Eighty-three athletes (mean age = 29.7 ± 7.9) without history of cardiac disease or other chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, kidney failure were prospectively included in our study. 73.5% (n = 61) of them were male. Participants were divided into two groups; participants who use protein supplementation regularly was defined as group 1 (n = 33); did not use protein supplementation was defined as group 2 (n = 50). In addition to Standard 2D echocardiographic measurements, left ventricle global longitidunal strain (LvGLS), right ventricle global longitidunal strain (RvGLS), right ventricle free wall strain (RvFWS), left atrium strain and strain rate were analyzed with Vivid E9, offline using a customized software package (Echo Pac for PC, GE Vingmed) (Figure 1). Results Diameter of interventricular wall was higher in group 1 (10.1 ± 1.0 vs 9.5 ± 1.2, p = 0.022). Systolic peak ejection velocity of the mitral valve medial annulus is higher in group 1 than group 2 (0.09 ± 0.1 vs 0.08 ± 0.1, p Conclusion In recent years protein supplementation usage increases in young adults and athletes. In our study, although there was no statistically significant difference with left ventricular ejection fraction, LvGLS which is the early indicator of LV systolic functions better in the athletes who used protein supplementation. Further studies are needed to evaluate the long term effects of protein supplements on the heart.

Funding Acknowledgements None Background Cigarette smoking effects myocardium with several mechanisms such as sympathetic nervous system activation, oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction. Chronic smokers have an increased risk of morbidity and mortality associated with adverse cardiac events. Echocardiography is the well-established non-invasive diagnostic tool for the assessment of cardiac systolic and diastolic functions. 2D speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) has been widely used for this purpose in recent years. Purpose The aim of this study is to compare the left ventricle, left atrium and right ventricle systolic functions with 2D speckle tracking echocardiography in chronic smokers and non-smoker healthy population. Method 40 healthy participant (mean age 33.4 ± 10.0) without smoking history, 42 healthy participant (mean age 33.9 ± 9.2) who had smoking history at least 3 years without history of cardiac disease or any other chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, kidney failure were prospectively included. In addition to Standard 2D echocardiographic measurements, left ventricular global longitidunal strain (LvGLS), right ventricular global longitidunal strain (RvGLS), left atrial strain and strain rate were analyzed with Vivid E9, offline using a customized software package. Results Smokers had lower peak early diastolic velocity (E) and E/A (late diastolic velocity) ratio in mitral inflow (0.70 ± 0.13 vs 0.77 ± 0.13, p = 0.023; 1.47 ± 0.44 vs 1.73 ± 0.44, p = 0.011; respectively). Peak early diastolic velocity of mitral valve medial annulus and E’/A’ ratio (0.11 ± 0.02 vs 0.12 ± 0.02, p = 0.023; 1.20 ± 0.37 vs 1.40 ± 0.46, p = 0.039; respectively) was lower in smokers. LvGLS and RvGLS were significantly impaired in smokers (-17.65 ± 3.01 vs -19.21 ± 2.52, p = 0.013; -18.96 ± 4.47 vs -21.06 ± 4.58, p = 0.039; respectively). Although εs, reservoir phase strain of left atrium; εe, conduit phase strain of left atrium; εa, contractile phase strain of left atrium were similar between two groups, εe/εa was significantly lower in smokers than non-smokers (1.32 ± 0.59, 1.63 ± 0.63, p = 0.026). Conclusion Impaired RV deformation was found in chronic cigarette smokers. Besides standardized diastolic dysfunction parameters εe/εa might be used for the early indicator of diastolic dysfunction. Although there was no statistically significant difference with left ventricular ejection fraction between smokers and non-smokers, LvGLS which is the early indicator of LV systolic dysfunction in chronic smokers might be used for the early assesment of LV systolic impairment. Abstract P777 figure 1

Objective: To report the results of four mock femoral venous cannulas and the hydrodynamical superiority of one of them, which is the completely punched (CP) model, upon the other three. Methods: Four simulated femoral venous cannulas (single-stage, two-stage, multi-stage, and CP model) were designed from a 1/4” x 1/16” x 68 cm polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubing line for testing. Holes on the PVC tubes were opened by a 5 mm aortic punch. In order to evaluate the cannulas' drainage performance, gelofusine was used as fluid. The fluid was drained for 60 seconds by gravitation and then measured for each model separately. Results: Mean drained volumes of single-stage, two-stage, and multi-stage cannulas were 2.483, 2.561, and 2.603 mL, respectively. However, the CP cannula provided us a mean drained volume of 2.988 mL. There were significant differences among the variables of the CP cannula and the other three mock cannulas concerning the drained fluid flow (P

Summary Background Coronary tortuosity (CorT) is a common angiographic finding and may be associated with myocardial ischaemia, even without coronary artery disease. Platelets play a crucial role in inflammatory and thrombotic processes and the physiopathology of cardiovascular disease. Larger platelets are more active enzymatically and have higher thrombotic ability compared to smaller platelets. Plateletcrit (PCT) provides complete information on total platelet mass. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between CorT and PCT in patients with chronic stable angina. Methods The medical records of consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography from January 2013 to January 2016 were retrospectively reviewed for CorT. CorT and clinical, echocardiographic, haematological and biochemical parameters were evaluated. Taking into consideration the inclusion criteria, 106 patients with CorT and 108 with normal coronary angiographies (control group) were included in the study. CorT was defined as three fixed bends during both systole and diastole, with each bend ≥ 45°. Results The median PCT, mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet:large-cell ratio (P-LCR), neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet:lymphocyte ratio (PLR) of the CorT group were significantly higher than those of the control group (0.26 ± 0.02 vs 0.2 ± 0.03%, p < 0.001; 10.6 ± 0.14 vs 9.6 ± 0.65 fl, p < 0.001; 29.3 ± 6.7 vs 23.4 ± 5.1, p < 0.001; 2.3 ± 1 vs 1.47 ± 0.48, p < 0.001; 1.28 ± 0.5 vs 0.82 ± 0.23, p < 0.001, respectively). The incidence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and female gender were significantly higher in the CorT group (18.9 vs 1.9%, p < 0.001, 90.6 vs 50%, p < 0.001, 70.8 vs 44.4%, p < 0.001, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and plateletcrit were independently associated with CorT. Conclusion CorT was associated with increased PCT, MPV, P-LCR, NLR and PLR, even in the absence of coronary artery disease. Age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and plateletcrit were independently associated with CorT.

Summary Background: ST-segment elevation in lead aVR (STEaVR) anticipates left main and/or three-vessel disease (LM/3VD) in patients with acute coronary syndromes. STEaVR is generally reciprocal to and accompanied by ST-segment depression (STD) in the precordial leads. SYNTAX score (SS) is an angiographic scoring system and is widely used to evaluate the severity and complexity of coronary artery disease. The purpose of our study was to assess the relationship between STEaVR and SS. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 117 patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS). Electrocardiograms at presentation were reviewed, especially for ST-segment elevation of ≥ 0.05 mV in lead aVR and STD of ≥ 0.05 mV in more than two contiguous leads. All lesions causing ≥ 50% stenosis in a coronary artery with a diameter of ≥ 1.5 mm were included in the SS calculation. SS was divided into two groups: ≥ 23: high, < 23: low. Results: Among the 117 patients, 80 (68.4%) had STEaVR and 37 (31.6%) did not. Patients with STEaVR had a higher SS and higher rate of LM/3VD (85 vs 67.6%, p < 0.001; 86.2 vs 72.9%, p = 0.03, respectively) than those without STEaVR. On multivariate analysis, STEaVR [odds ratio (OR) 1.85; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20–3.97, p = 0.03] and STD in leads V1–V4 (OR 2.14; 95% CI: 1.46–4.23, p = 0.002) were independent predictors of a high SS. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that STEaVR was an independent predictor of a high SS.

Background: Vitamin B12 is required in the metabolism of homocysteine. Vitamin B12 deficiency has been implicated in endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease via hyperhomocysteinaemia. However, the association of vitamin B12 and the severity of coronary artery disease has not been studied to date. Aim: This study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the relationship between vitamin B12 and SYNTAX score. Methods: Medical records of consecutive patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting surgery were retrospectively reviewed. The study group consisted of 127 patients. Vitamin B12, other biochemical parameters, clinical and echocardiographic parameters, and SYNTAX score were evaluated for all patients. Results: Patients with vitamin B12 deficiency had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, and history of transient ischaemic attack/stroke and heart failure. The SYNTAX score was significantly higher in patients with vitamin B12 deficiency (29.2 ± 4.9 vs. 22.5 ± 4.5, p < 0.05). Conclusions: In our study, we found a significant relationship between vitamin B12 deficiency and SYNTAX score, demon­strating the severity and complexity of coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND Cigarette smoking causes myocardial damage with several mechanisms such as sympathetic nervous system activation, oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction. Chronic smokers have an increased risk of morbidity and mortality associated with cardiac events. We aimed to compare the myocardial deformation parameters between chronic smokers and nonsmoker healthy population. METHOD Forty-two healthy participants (mean age 33.48 ± 10.00 years) without smoking history, 40 participants (mean age 33.98 ± 9.27 years) who had been smoking were prospectively included. In addition to conventional echocardiographic measurements, global longitudinal strain (GLS) of left ventricle (LV), GLS of right ventricle (RV), left atrial strain, and strain rate were analyzed. RESULTS Smokers had lower peak early diastolic velocity (E) and E/a (early diastolic velocity/late diastolic velocity) ratio in mitral inflow (70.0 ± 13.9 cm/sec vs 77.1 ± 13.3 cm/sec, P = .023; 1.4 ± 0.4 vs 1.7 ± 0.4, P = .011; respectively). Peak early diastolic velocity of mitral valve septal annulus (Em) and Em/Am ratio (peak early diastolic velocity of mitral valve/late diastolic velocity of mitral valve) (11.0 ± 2.1 cm/sec vs 12.1 ± 2.4 cm/sec, P = .023; 1.2 ± 0.3 vs 1.4 ± 0.4, P = .039; respectively) were lower in smokers. LV GLS and RV GLS were significantly lower in smokers (-17.6% ± 3.01 vs -19.2% ± 2.5; P = .013, -18.9% ± 4.4 vs -21.0% ± 4.5; P = .039; respectively). CONCLUSION Impaired LV and RV deformation were found in chronic smokers in our study. Although there was no statistically significant difference with left ventricular ejection fraction, LV GLS which is the early indicator of LV systolic dysfunction was lower in chronic smokers. The assessment of early harmful effects of smoking on left and right ventricle might be evaluated with speckle tracking echocardiography.

BACKGROUND There is no consensus in the literature regarding what is the responsible mechanism of left ventricular dyssynchrony; septal dyskinesia or late movement of left ventricle (LV) lateral wall. We aim to evaluate the abnormal systolic motion in each myocardial segment and the improvement of LV systolic function with pulsed tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) with left bundle branch block (LBBB). METHODS A total of 26 patients undergoing CRT implantation with LBBB, wide QRS duration (≥120 ms), and low ejection fraction (EF) (

Amaç: Miyokardiyalköprüleşme, bir epikardiyal koroner arterin bir bölümünün intramüsküler birseyir içine girdiği bir koroner arterin konjenital varyantıdır. İyi huyluolarak görülmesine rağmen, miyokard iskemisi, akut koroner sendromlar, koronerspazm, egzersize bağlı aritmiler ve hatta ani ölüm gibi komplikasyonlara yolaçabilir. SYNTAX skoru anjiyografik skorlama sistemidir ve genellikle koronerarter hastalığının yaygınlık ve ciddiyetini değerlendirmek için kullanılır. Buçalışma, myokard köprüleşmesi ve SYNTAX skoru arasındaki ilişkiyideğerlendirmek amacıyla yapıldı.Gereç ve Yöntemler: Koroner arterbypass greft ameliyatı yapılan ardışık hastaların tıbbi kayıtları retrospektifolarak incelendi. Çalışma grubu 267 hastadan oluşuyordu. Myokardial köprüleşmeprevalansı %13.4 saptandı. Tüm hastalarda biyokimyasal, klinik,ekokardiyografik parametreler ve SYNTAX skoru değerlendirildi. Hastalar SYNTAXskoruna göre iki gruba ayrıldı (≥23: yüksek, Objective: Myocardial bridging is a congenital variant of a coronaryartery in which a portion of an epicardial coronary artery takes anintramuscular course. Although it is consideredas benign, it may lead to complications such as myocardial ischemia, acutecoronary syndromes, coronary spasm, exercise-induceddysrhythmias or even sudden death. SYNTAX score is the angiographic scoringsystem and is commonly used to evaluate the severity and complexity of coronaryartery disease. This study was conductedwith the aim to evaluate the association between myocardial bridging and SYNTAXscore.Material and Methods: The medical records of consecutivepatients, who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery, wereretrospectively reviewed. The study group consisted of 267 patients. Theprevalence of myocardial bridging was found tobe 13.4%. Biochemical, clinical, echocardiographic parameters and SYNTAX score were evaluated in all patients. The patients were divided into two groups according to the SYNTAX score (≥23: high

Anxiety-depressive disorders are more common in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and are strongly associated with higher morbidity and mortality rates. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a wellvalidated diagnostic tool for screening of anxiety-depression disorders. The SYNTAX score (SS) is the angiographic scoring system and is commonly used to evaluate the severity and complexity of CAD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the HADS and SS.The HADS questionnaire was filled in by subjects before the coronary angiography procedure. Biochemical, clinical and echocardiographic parameters, and SS were evaluated in all patients. Patients were assessed using the HADS. The patients were divided into two groups according to the SS [≥ 23: high SYNTAX score group (HSSG),23 low].The HADS scale was significantly higher in HSSG (24.8 ± 10.7 vs 11.3 ± 6.4In our study, we found that diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidaemia and the HADS were independent predictors of a higher SS.