Objective: Discontinuation of metformin treatment in patients scheduled for elective coronary angiography (CAG) is controversial because of post-procedural risks including acute contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) and lactic acidosis (LA). This study aims to discuss the safety of continuing metformin treatment in patients undergoing elective CAG with normal or mildly impaired renal functions. Methods: Our study was designed as a single-centered, randomized, and observational study including 268 patients undergoing elective CAG with an estimated glomerular filtration rate of >60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . Of these patients, 134 continued metformin treatment during angiography, whereas 134 discontinued it 24 h before the procedure. CIN was defined as either a 25% relative increase in serum creatinine levels from the baseline or a 0.5 mg/dL increase in the absolute value that measured 48 h after CAG. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of CIN and LA after CAG. Results: Both groups were comparable in terms of demographics and laboratory values. CIN at 48 h was 8% (11/134) in the metformin continued group and 6% (8/134) in the metformin discontinued group (p=0.265). Patients in neither of the groups developed metformin-induced LA. Based on multiple regression analysis, the ejection fraction [p=0.029, OR: 0.760; 95% CI (0.590–0.970)] and contrast volume [p=0.016, OR: 0.022 95% CI (0.010–0.490)] were independent predictors of CIN. Conclusion: Patients scheduled for elective CAG with normal or mildly impaired renal functions and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (>40%) may safely continue metformin treatment.

Objective:The aim of this study was to investigate the scientific publication performance of the abstracts presented at the annual Turkish National Cardiology Congress (TNCC) between 2011 and 2015 and to analyze the variables associated with publication.Methods:The accepted abstracts of five congresses (2011-2015) were screened using the title and names of all authors in English via PubMed and Google Scholar databases. The parameters recorded included presentation type, publication rate, time to publication, affiliated institution, journal name and average impact factor, and average citation number per year for each publication.Results:A total of 2897 abstracts (966 oral presentations and 1931 poster presentations) were accepted in five meetings and 23.4% (n=680) of these were published in national or international peer-reviewed journals. Of the published articles, 32.6% (n=222) were oral presentations and 67.4% (n=458) were poster presentations. The mean time to publication of oral and poster presentations were similar [9 (0-58) vs. 8 (0-62) months, p = 0.150]. According to the type of institution, university hospitals had the highest ratio of publication (58.6%) (p<0.001). All publications were published in 148 journals from 37 different countries. The average citation number of publications was significantly higher than the average impact factor of the journals [1.4 (0-30.1) vs. 1.29 (0.11-19.8), p<0.001].Conclusion:Compared with other national-based literature in other medical fields, the overall publication rate was found to be similar while the time to publication was shorter. The significant difference between citation number and impact factor may be interpreted as positive indicator in terms of high level scientific value for cardiology publications presented in the TNCC.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the theoretical knowledge and clinical experience of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) among Turkish cardiologists according to the recommendations of the 2015 European Resuscitation Council (ERC) guidelines. Methods: A total of 120 cardiologists from 14 different medical centers (six university and eight research-education hospitals) in İstanbul were included in the study. The questionnaire consisting of 29 open-ended and multiple choice questions on CPR was used and validated based on the ERC guidelines published in 2015. The percentage of correct answers was calculated for each participant. Results: Of the 120 cardiologists included in this study, 108 (90%) accepted the participation, and the median percentage of correct answers for theoretical questions was 53% (38-72). The percentage of correct answers for interventional cardiologists (48%, n=52) was significantly higher [60% (50–66) vs. 46% (38-52), p<0.001]. Regarding the type of medical centers, no statictical difference was found in terms of theoretical knowledge on CPR [57% (50-72) university hospitals vs. 49% (41-57) research-education hospitals, p=0.160). Peri-arrest transthoracic echocardiography was used in 71% of cases. The ratio of participants who had received an advanced cardiac life support course in the preceding year was only 19% (n=20), and those participants had a significantly higher score regarding the CPR theoretical knowledge questions [68% (54-70) vs. 46% (38-51), p<0.001]. Conclusion: The theoretical knowledge of cardiologists on CPR is not satisfactory according to the 2015 ERC guidelines. An increased frequency of CPR training courses may improve this result.

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