Wide Complex Bigeminy:

Bigeminal Rhythm Using Atriofascicular Fiber. Ventricular bigeminy in children is regarded as a benign arrhythmia in the absence of coexisting heart disease. We present the case of a patient with an atriofascicular fiber that electrocardiographically presented as wide complex bigeminy and wide complex tachycardia. At electrophysiologic study, the mechanism for the wide complex extrasystoles was reentry within the atriofascicular fiber or at its atrial insertion. Retrograde conduction within the fiber was also demonstrated under the influence of verapamil and ventricular extrastimulus testing. We conclude that conduction through an atriofascicular fiber should be included in the differential diagnosis of wide complex bigeminy having left bundle branch block morphology.     

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy due to a novel plakophilin 2 mutation: Wide spectrum of disease in mutation carriers within a family

BACKGROUND: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a familial disease, with male preponderance, characterized by progressive fibrofatty replacement of the right ventricle and ventricular arrhythmias. Mutations in plakophilin-2 (PKP2), a desmosomal protein, have been reported to underlie familial ARVC. We report a novel ARVC PKP2 mutation and present the clinical findings in three female mutation carriers. METHODS: We sequenced PKP2 from genomic DNA isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes in a female proband who presented with cardiac arrest and in her four first-degree relatives. Clinical testing and diagnosis of ARVC was based on International Task Force criteria. RESULTS: The proband was diagnosed with ARVC due to right ventricular enlargement and regional hypokinesis, along with repolarization abnormalities and frequent ventricular ectopy. A novel 28 bp insertion in exon 11 of the PKP2 gene was found which causes a frameshift in the coding region. This results in a change in the amino acid sequence of the protein with a premature stop codon at position 740. Of the four relatives, only the mother and younger sister were identified as mutation carriers. The mother was phenotypically normal, while the younger sister has repolarization abnormalities and frequent ventricular ectopy. CONCLUSIONS: We report a novel PKP2 mutation that causes familial ARVC. All mutation carriers in this kindred group were women, and the family showed incomplete penetrance and variable expression of ARVC. Premature truncation of the plakophilin-2 protein appears to be the predominant mechanism whereby PKP2 mutations elicit the ARVC phenotype.     

Wide view and retroview during colonoscopy

Colonoscopy is the best imaging device currently available for the detection of lesions in the large bowel, but may be an imperfect tool against colon cancer. Because recent guidelines for colorectal cancer screening and surveillance depend on whether polyps are found on colonoscopy and on their size, the need to identify all the neoplasia in the colon has assumed greater importance. This article reviews and assesses the latest developments in colonoscopy including wide-angle optics, endoscope caps and hoods, retroflexion and the use of the third eye retroscope.     

Diabetes and the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web has become remarkably quickly an alternative source of information for patients and their relatives, as well as students and health-care professionals. A whole plethora of websites and Internet-based applications related to diabetes have appeared in recent years. In this column, selected issues surrounding the use of such websites are considered and the need for more evaluation of such diabetes sites, as well as the Internet medium itself, is highlighted.     

右后外侧小切口剖胸治疗冠状动脉右心室和/或右心房瘘

目的:总结经右外侧腋下小切口入胸体外循环辅助直视下治疗冠状动脉右心室右心房瘘的手术经验及效果。方法:选取本院2002年1月至2018年12月,行冠状动脉右心室和/或右心房瘘矫治术患儿31例,其中经胸骨正中开胸完成手术矫治的患儿16例(正中组),男性9例,女性7例,中位年龄11.8个月(6～32)个月,中位体质量12.7 kg(7.5～29 kg)。其中右冠状动脉右心室瘘9例,左冠状动脉右心室瘘5例,右冠状动脉右心房瘘2例;经右外侧小切口剖胸(右侧组)行手术矫治的患儿15例,男性9例,女性6例。中位年龄10.8个月(5～28个月),中位体质量11.6 kg(5.6～18)kg。右冠状动脉右心室瘘9例,左冠状动脉右心室瘘4例,右冠状动脉右心房瘘2例。均在全身麻醉体外循环辅助下完成冠状动脉右心室和/或右心房瘘矫治术。结果:右侧组术后无死亡。术后残余瘘2例。正中死亡1例,死于低心排出量综合征(低心排);术后残余瘘2例。右侧组手术时间、切口长度、ICU停留时间、术后引流量、术后输血量、术后呼吸机辅助时间以及住院时间都显著低于正中组;主动脉阻断时间差异无统计学意义。随访3～38个月,心脏功能恢复良好。结论:经右侧腋下小切口直视下行冠状动脉右心室右心房瘘矫治手术,手术安全可靠,术野清晰,创伤小,术后恢复良好。     

Isolated right ventricular aneurysm following right ventricular infarction

A 78-year-old man with atherosclerotic heart disease developed extensive right ventricular infarction fibrosis with aneurysm formation following right coronary artery occlusion. No symptoms of right-sided heart failure were present. Postmortem examination revealed that 40% of the right ventricle, 11% of the septum and 7% of the left ventricular free wall were infarcted due to right coronary artery occlusion. This is the first documented case of isolated aneurysm of the right ventricle following infarction and it demonstrates that even extensive right ventricular destruction may be present without symptoms.     

Wide pulse pressure: A clinical review

Pulse pressure naturally increases over time as individuals’ age due to arteriosclerosis and diffuse vascular stiffening. However, the differential for widened pulse pressure is broad and includes causes of hyperdynamic circulation and high‐output heart failure, such as aortic regurgitation and hyperthyroidism. In the absence of an underlying cause, wide pulse pressure is a sign of deteriorating cardiovascular health and carries increased risk for mortality, disease progression, and adverse clinical outcomes in chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease. Current emphasis of antihypertensive treatment on systolic and diastolic blood pressure does not always address pulse pressure, thus subjecting many patients to an independent risk factor for poor outcomes. Pulse pressure control is more successfully achieved with thiazide diuretics and long‐acting nitrates when compared to other antihypertensive agents, but further research is needed to quantify the additional benefits of pulse pressure control over conventional blood pressure therapy. This case review provides an overview of the pathogenesis, pathologic causes, and treatment of widened pulse pressure and evaluates current evidence for pulse pressure as a predictor of clinical outcomes.     

Wide complex tachycardia: diagnosis and treatment

A wide QRS complex tachycardia that cannot be immediately identified, and which on clinical grounds requires prompt treatment, should be converted electrically. Drug management can be time consuming, and agents that block AV transmission, that is, verapamil and propranolol, may be life-threatening.