It has been established that statins given to patients with, or even without verified coronary artery disease, slow progression of atherosclerosis. These effects of statins are likely due to a combination of their metabolic and pleiotropic properties and might in part explain the positive effects of these drugs on overall cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Furthermore, applied in high doses, these drugs may induce real atherosclerosis regression, especially in asymptomatic patients in the early stages of the disease.

Background. The impact of thrombolytic therapy on the incidence of complex ventricular arrhythmias is not yet clarified. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of thrombolytic therapy on the incidence of complex ventricular arrhythmias, as well as long term association between complex ventricular arrhythmias and left ventricular remodelling, and their impact on five-year lethality. Methods. Ninety seven consecutive patients with first acute myocardial infarction (streptokinase was administered in 58 patients) underwent 24-hours Holter monitoring at discharge. Ventricular arrhythmias were classified according to Lown classification, and patients were grouped into the group with simple ventricular arrhythmias (Lown class 0 to 2), and the group with complex ventricular arrhythmias (Lown class 3 to 5). Echocardiography was performed at discharge, and six and twelve months after the infarction. Left ventricular volume indexes and ejection fraction was determined using Simpson's biplane formula. Results. In patients with complex ventricular arrhythmias left ventricular volume indexes were higher and ejection fraction was lower throughout the study, whereas wall motion score index was higher one year after the infarction. On the other hand, these variables were similar throughout the follow-up within the groups of patients with and without complex ventricular arrhythmias who received thrombolytic therapy. The incidence of complex ventricular arrhythmias was similar in thrombolysed and non-thrombolysed patients (11/58 vs. 5/39). There was no difference in five year lethality between patients with and without complex ventricular arrhythmias (4/16 vs. 13/81 patients). Conclusion. Our data indicated that left ventricular remodelling in patients with complex ventricular arrhythmias was not progressive after hospital discharge. The presence of complex ventricular arrhythmias was not associated with the increased five-year lethality, despite of more pronounced left ventricular remodelling. It occured that thrombolysis per se had no influence on the incidence of complex ventricular arrhythmias in the late hospital phase after the first acute myocardial infarction

Patients with severe AS and associated AR have poorer postoperative functional capacity as compared to patients operated for pure AS.

Introduction Since clinical and electrocardiographic features of various cardiac disorders may overlap, the differential diagnosis of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction may be difficult even for the most experienced physicians. Recent advances in cardiac imaging may help clinicians to establish an accurate diagnosis and initiate adequate treatment. The aim of this case report is to raise awareness of a very short-lasting LV dysfunction during respiratory infections and to underline the importance of multimodality imaging in this clinical setting. Case outline A previously healthy 37-year-old male presented with atypical chest pain and ST-segment elevation in the inferolateral leads during severe mental stress and acute respiratory infection. Acute myocardial infarction, myocarditis, coronary vasospasm and stress cardiomyopathy were all considered as a differential diagnosis. A rapid onset of severe LV dysfunction and a complete recovery within 4 days was detected by echocardiography and further evaluated by multimodality imaging, including multislice computed tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Conclusion Severe, but very short-lasting LV dysfunction may be triggered by various causes, including upper respiratory tract infections. Since the symptoms of respiratory infections may obscure those of LV dysfunction, myocardial dysfunction in these patients may go undetected with possible serious consequences.

Introduction/Objective Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation is mostly triggered by infectious agents and seriously compromises the patient's quality of life and predicts a poor outcome of the disease as well. If the signs of the probable bacterial cause of COPD exacerbation are presented in an intubated patient, initial antimicrobial management must be launched. Depending on the results of the respiratory system sample cultures, the initial antimicrobials can be changed or continued. The objective of this study is to present in-hospital suggestions regarding the use of the initial antimicrobial management of urgently intubated COPD adults with the probable bacterial cause of exacerbations, considering the source of bacterial acquisition (i.e. facility-or community-acquired bacteria). Methods The cross-sectional study covered 51 patients urgently intubated on admission to the medical Intensive Care Unit of the Zemun Clinical Hospital Center during 2015/2016. The patients were divided into two groups: community-acquired (n = 26) and facility-acquired infection group (n = 25). The respiratory system samples were processed in the Microbiology Laboratory. Results Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas spp. were the most frequently isolated bacteria in both groups, followed by Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella spp. as the third most frequent bacteria in the community-and facility-acquired group, respectively. The parallel use of tigecycline and aminoglycosides proved to cover a sensitive microbial spectrum in 52% of examinees of the community-acquired and 32% of examinees of the facility-acquired group. Conclusion The present study suggests the initial management of intubated adults with probable bacterial infection-induced COPD exacerbation by the parallel use of tigecycline and aminoglycosides.