A heart within a heart

A 44‐year‐old man with a history of end‐stage dilated cardiomyopathy status‐post orthotopic cardiac transplant 14 years ago presented for coronary angiography in preparation for re‐operative tricuspid valve replacement. Coronary angiography revealed an anomalous origin of the left coronary artery, with a common coronary trunk arising from the right coronary cusp and bifurcating into right and left main coronary arteries. Interestingly, the right and left coronary arteries coursed to form the shape of a heart, hence, a heart within a heart! © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

冠心病和心力衰竭

冠心病心力衰竭（简称冠心病心衰）顾名思义是指由于冠心病引起的心力衰竭,据统计大约65％的心力衰竭由冠状动脉疾病引发的。冠心病心衰在临床上分急性和慢性两种,急性心衰主要由急性心肌梗死和急性冠脉缺血诱发的心肌收缩或舒张功能异常所致,慢性心衰主要是心肌梗死后心肌重塑和心肌的血供长期不足,心肌组织发生营养障碍和萎缩,以致纤维组织增生所致。由于冠心病导致心衰的成因不同,因此治疗上的侧重点就会有所不同,下面就对冠心病心衰发病机制及诊治作一浅谈。     

Congenital heart disease and heart failure

The syndrome of heart failure in adult non-congenital heart disease patients includes myocardial disease and ventricular dysfunction. In the presence of congenital abnormalities the cause of heart failure is often multi-factorial and can be a result of the underlying anomaly, surgical intervention, or ventricular dysfunction. Despite the possible clinical similarities, the two conditions are fundamentally different. In congenital heart disease the neurohormonal system is already abnormal even in the absence of clinical manifestations of heart failure and, in many cases, exercise intolerance is related to cyanosis. The approach to heart failure management in the two etiologies might be similar. Preventative attempts to preserve ventricular function in coronary or valve disease parallels early reparative therapy in congenital heart disease Pharmacological therapy is common for the two conditions, despite the limited number of evidence-based recommendations for congenital diseases. In drug-resistant patients, cardiac electrical resynchronization is an established therapy for treating ventricular asynchrony in non-congenital heart failure sufferers, but has only recently been adopted in selected congenital cases. Due to this, congenital heart disease patients are managed in highly specialized unites in close cooperation with cardiologists and surgeons. The ideal follow-up protocol for such patients remains to be determined, particularly in those individuals with subclinical signs of residual cardiac dysfunction. Heart Fail Monit 2008;6(1):2-8.     

Ischemic heart disease and heart weight

Separate weights for heart ventricle walls and interventricular septa were analyzed in 110 hearts with autopsy findings of ischemic heart disease (coronary atherosclerosis, recent or old myocardial infarcts) and with no other cardiac or systemic causes of cardiac enlargement. In hearts with coronary atherosclerosis alone (without old or recent myocardial infarcts) no weight increase was observed in the left ventricle when compared to 29 controls. Patients having infarcts associated with nonstenosing atherosclerosis (less than 50% of the luminal diameter narrowed) of the coronaries had normal heart weights as well. On the contrary, infarcts associated with stenosing coronary sclerosis (narrowing more than 50%) showed significant signs of left ventricular weight increase, which is interpreted as compensatory heart hypertrophy. The greatest degree of hypertrophy was observed in hearts with left ventricular aneurysms.     

Athletes' heart and echocardiography: athletes' heart

Sudden death of competitive athletes is rare. However, they continue to have an impact on both the lay and medical communities. These deaths challenge the perception that trained athletes represent the healthiest segment of modern society. There is an increasing frequency of such reported deaths worldwide and the visibility of this issue is underlined by the high-profile nature of each case. Differential diagnosis between pathological and the physiologic (nonpathological) responses to high levels of physical training has become clinically more important. The purpose of this review is to highlight the main echocardiograph characteristics related to different types of training/sports participation and to highlight already recognized and newer concepts in their clinical assessment.     

The right heart in congenital heart disease

The clinical presentation of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction due to congenital heart disease (CHD) is similar to that of cor pulmonale. RV volume and pressure loads, and primary RV myocardial dysfunction are mechanisms by which CHD affects right heart function. RV volume load may arise from pre-tricuspid left to right shunts (e.g., atrial septal defect) or regurgitant lesions in the right heart (e.g., Ebstein's anomaly of the tricuspid valve and pulmonary insufficiency after repair of tetralogy of Fallot). RV pressure load may be caused by anatomic obstruction to RV outflow and by pulmonary arteriolar hypertension. The latter can result from Eisenmenger syndrome secondary to congenital and postoperative left to right shunts or from defects that cause pulmonary venous hypertension (e.g., pulmonary vein stenosis, cor triatriatum, or mitral stenosis). The RV myocardium may be affected by a primary cardiomyopathy or by congenital abnormalities of the coronary vessels. Finally, CHD may be associated with airway obstruction, scoliosis, or pulmonary emboli, which, in turn, may lead to the development of cor pulmonale. Congenital heart disease, therefore, must be included in the differential diagnosis of patients who present with right ventricular dysfunction.     

心率对心力衰竭患者预后的影响

心力衰竭作为很多心血管疾病的最终恶化趋势,对于其相关的临床诊疗近年来有了很大进步.近年的临床研究也显示,快速心率对于心力衰竭患者的病情发生、发展及预后有着重要的影响,当心率控制在适当范围内可明显改善心功能不全的预后.对心率的严密监控能够有效地指导临床诊疗,并且通过指数差异预测心力衰竭的预后,从而有效地判断治疗效果.心率...     

心脏不停跳法猪供心保存模型的建立

目的研究心脏不停跳法猪供心保存模型的建立,评述其意义及价值。方法选用25～30 kg的广西巴马猪12头,6头只用于采血,6头取心脏作为供心模型。全麻下,胸部正中切口,全身肝素化(4 mg/kg),从上腔静脉放血500 ml;阻断并切断头臂干插灌注管,切断上腔静脉和右上肺静脉回收血液,灌注心脏停跳液使心脏停跳。切断降主动脉起始部和两大分支,取下的心脏经肺静脉和二尖瓣口置入左心室引流管。用自行组装的灌注装置连续灌注氧合温血液,维持心脏空跳8h。结果 6只供心都完好地保存了8h,保存期间除了1例出现短暂的心房传导阻滞(2:1)外,其余无发生心律失常。红细胞压积从灌注1h(T_1)到5h(T_5)逐渐升高,从T_7到T_8逐渐降低;游离钙离子和钾离子有逐渐升高的趋势;pH和BE有逐渐降低的趋势。心脏不停跳保存灌注压变化从T_1到T_4灌注压力呈逐渐下降,以后就处于一个相对稳定的数值。冠状静脉血氧分压(56.62±6.93)mmHg。心脏表面无干燥或水肿现象。结论 "广西巴马小型猪"是进行心血管系统疾病研究理想的实验动物,离体猪心不停跳模型的建立对移植供心保存的研究有更重要的意义和价值。     

Apoptosis in heart failure and the senescent heart

The progressive loss of cardiac myocytes by apoptotic cell death has been discussed as an important pathogenic component in the failing myocardium as well in the aging heart. The degree to which apoptosis contributes to myocyte loss in these conditions, however, is a controversial issue. This review focuses on the regulation of apoptosis, evidence implicating apoptosis as a mechanism for the progression and development of heart failure, the role of apoptotic death in senescent cardiac dysfunction, as well as on the problems of detection of apoptosis.     

心率与人类心血管疾病的相关性

心率是新陈代谢的重要标志之一，1997年，Levine等曾综述了心率与寿命的关系。一般而言，体型越小的动物心率就越快，寿命越短。研究表明哺乳动物一生的心率是一个恒定的值。Azbel则强调寿命的长短与存活细胞的基础能量有关。人类的平均心率为70次／min，而预期寿命则为80岁，若将人类的基础心率从70次／min降为60次／min可将寿命从80岁延长至93．3岁。