Regular exercise rates were lower in outpatients with previous coronary revascularization. Education level and regular follow-up visits were associated with adherence to physical activity in these patients.

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ObjectiveTo evaluate the predictive value of mean perfusion pressure (mPP) in the development of acute kidney injury (AKIN) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).MethodsOne hundred and forty seven consecutive patients with aortic stenosis (AS) were evaluated for this study and 133 of them were included. Mean arterial pressure (mAP) and central venous pressure (CVP) were used to calculate mPP before TAVI procedure (mPP = mAP-CVP). The occurrence of AKIN was evaluated with AKIN classification according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 recommendations. The patients were divided into two groups according to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of their mPP levels (high-risk group and low-risk group).ResultsThe AKIN prevalence was 22.6% in this study population. Baseline serum creatinine level, glomerular filtration rate, amount of contrast medium, and the level of mPP were determined as predictive factors for the development of AKIN.ConclusionThe occurrence of AKIN is associated with increased morbidity and mortality rates in patients with TAVI. In addition to the amount of contrast medium and basal kidney functions, our study showed that lower mPP was strongly associated with development of AKIN after TAVI.

ObjectivesOur previous retrospecive study evaluating the appropriateness of serum digoxin concentration (SDC) measurements revealed errors in the timing of blood specimen collection in 98% of the tests. The aim of this study is to evaluate the appropriateness of the SDC measurements and the factors involved in inappropriate test-ordering, after training health personnel in digoxin therapeutic drug monitoring.MethodsThis is a training-based quasi-experimental study. The residents and nurses of the Cardiology Clinic were trained first in December 2017, and refresher training courses were carried out every month throughout the study. The medical data of the inpatients receiving digoxin therapy were recorded prospectively, between January and December 2018. The appropriateness of the physicians’ orders for SDC measurement was evaluated according to the criteria of the right indication and right timing of blood collection. The results are presented by descriptive statistics, Student’s t-test and χ2 analysis.ResultsA total of 232 SDC tests were ordered for 121 patients (age: 71.0±12.6 years, 56.2% women). Of these orders,129 (55.6%) were considered appropriate: 205 (88.4%) for indication and 129 (62.9%) for blood collection timing. There was a significant correlation between inappropriate order for SDC test and the age of the patient, female gender, impairment of renal function tests, high levels of serum BNP and the number of medications used (P<0.005).ConclusionsApproximately a one-half decrease in inappropriate tests compared with our previous study results imply that education has a positive effect on physician behaviour. However, physicians’ concerns due to increased risk factors for the patient still play a role in inappropriate test-ordering.

Kounis syndrome refers to the concurrence of acute coronary events and allergic or hypersensitivity reactions. In this report, we describe the case of a male patient, in whom acute ST-segment elevation and myocardial infarction developed immediately after injection of depot penicillin, and we discuss the Kounis syndrome. A 52-year-old male patient had chest pain, hypotension and ST-elevation on leads DI and aVL of electrocardiography 30 minutes after intramuscular penicillin injection due to cryptic tonsillitis. Kounis syndrome was considered as a possible diagnosis according to the presentation. Histamine and tryptase levels were not studied due to the delay on arrival to the emergency department. The patient promptly underwent coronary angiography, which revealed only diffuse plaques in all main coronary arteries without any obstructive lesion. We found only increased immunoglobulin (Ig) E, which is associated with the syndrome. With this report, we remind clinicians to consider Kounis syndrome in patients who are subjected to allergenic substances and demonstrate acute chest pain.