Objectives: We analyzed the temporal trend and regional distribution of age at all-cause death and the sex-specific and age-bracket defined coronary mortality in the 18-year follow-up of the Turkish Adult Risk Factor Study.
Study design: The participants of the Turkish Adult Risk Factor Study who have been examined in even years were last surveyed in August 2008. A total of 1,582 individuals were surveyed, which constituted half of the alive participants of the overall cohort. Information on death was obtained from first-degree relatives and/or health personnel of local heath offices. Survivors were evaluated by history, physical examination, and 12-lead electrocardiography. The cumulative follow-up was 56,700 person-years.
Results: Of 1582 participants, 868 (431 men, 437 women) were examined, in 604 subjects information was gathered, and 47 participants (26 men, 21 women) were ascertained to have died. Twenty-two deaths were classified as of coronary origin. Cumulative assessment of the entire cohort in the age bracket of 45-74 years disclosed coronary mortality to be 7.64 per 1000 person-years in men and 3.84 in women and persisted to be the highest among 30 European countries, whereas overall mortality declined at a greater proportion. Overall mean ages at death were deferred within a 12-year period by 7.4 years in men and 6 years in women, to 71.9 and 74.8 years, respectively. The extension of this mean survival was similar among urban-rural areas and geographic regions.
Conclusion: Coronary mortality declined modestly, but life expectancy of Turkish adults rose by a mean of nearly seven years in the 12 years to 2003-08, without showing major differences in sex, urban-rural dwelling, or geographic regions

Objectives: Oral anticoagulant therapy has been shown to decrease the risk for vascular complications in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We evaluated the frequency of oral anticoagulant use in patients with AF, whether oral anticoagulant use was associated with effective INR values, and the reasons for not including an anticoagulant in the treatment.
Study design: The study included 426 consecutive patients (256 women, 170 men; mean age 66±11 years) who presented with a diagnosis of AF between October 2007 and November 2008. The patients were inquired about whether they were using warfarin and/or aspirin and the reasons for not taking an oral anticoagulant. The INR levels were measured in those receiving warfarin.
Results: Permanent AF was present in 72.8%, and paroxysmal AF was present in 27.2%. Patients ≥75 years of age accounted for 32.4%. The risk for stroke was high in 69.3%, moderate in 21.8%, and low in 8.9%, hypertension being the most frequent risk factor (66.7%). Inquiry about medications showed that 107 patients (25.1%) were taking aspirin and warfarin, 21 patients (4.9%) and 237 patients (55.6%) were taking warfarin and aspirin alone, respectively, while 61 patients (14.3%) used none. The incidence of oral anticoagulant use was 30.1%, being significantly low in patients ≥75 years of age (p=0.0001), and having hypertension (p=0.023) or coronary artery disease (p=0.004). Effective INR values recommended by the guidelines were attained in 47.7% (n=61) of patients receiving warfarin. Sex, age, clinical risk factors, and socioeconomic parameters were not associated with achievement of target INR values. The most frequent reason for not starting anticoagulant treatment was the low tendency of physicians to prescribe the drug (74.3%), followed by the presence of contraindications (9.8%).
Conclusion: The most important factor for inadequate oral anticoagulant use especially in patients having a high risk for stroke is the low incidence of prescription of the drug by the physicians, suggesting low influence of the guidelines on the clinical practice.

Objectives: We evaluated the relationship between coronary blood flow and serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) activity in patients with slow coronary flow (SCF).
Study design: The study included 90 patients (47 men, 43 women; mean age 50.8±9.4 years) with SCF and 88 patients (45 men, 43 women; mean age 51.4±8.8 years) with coronary artery disease (CAD), whose diagnoses were made by coronary angiography. Patients with CAD had normal coronary flow. Coronary flow was quantified using the corrected TIMI frame count (TFC) method and serum levels of gamma-glutamyltransferase were measured. The results were compared with those of a control group consisting of 86 age- and sex-matched patients who had normal coronary arteries and normal coronary flow.
Results: The three groups were similar with respect to body mass index, presence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus, lipid profiles, and fasting glucose. The use of medications was significantly more common in the CAD group (p<0.01). Compared to the control group, serum GGT activity was significantly increased in both SCF and CAD groups (p<0.01), but these two groups did not differ significantly in this respect (p=0.71). The TFCs for all the epicardial coronary arteries and the mean TFC were significantly higher in the SCF group (p<0.01). Patients with CAD and the controls had similar TFC parameters. The mean TFC showed a positive and moderate correlation with serum GGT activity (r=0.326; p<0.001). In regression analysis, serum GGT activity was found as the only independent predictor of the mean TFC (β=0.309; p<0.001).
Conclusion: We have shown for the first time an association between increased serum GGT activity and SCF. Further clinical studies are needed to clarify the physiopathologic role of serum GGT activity in SCF.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate our experience with echocardiography-guided pericardiocentesis with the apical approach for pericardial effusions.
Study design: We evaluated 32 pericardiocenteses performed under echocardiography guidance and with the apical approach in 29 patients (15 men, 14 women; mean age 49 years; range 18 to 72 years). Indications were diagnostic purpose, pericardial tamponade, or symptomatic pericardial effusion. Procedural success, the amount of drainage, and complications were assessed.
Results: Common causes of pericardial effusion were malignancy (n=6), postpericardiotomy syndrome (n=5), idiopathic (n=5), chronic renal disease (n=4), and myocardial infarction (n=3). The amount of drainage was 120 ml to 2,200 ml and the duration of pericardial catheter placement in the pericardial space was 24 to 144 hours. Mortality did not occur. Echocardiographic control showed residual effusion in the lateral wall in one case, which required repositioning of the pericardial catheter for complete removal. The procedure failed in one patient due to insufficient drainage caused by multiple septations and fibrinous fluid in the pericardial space. The success rate of the procedures was 96.9%. Four cases developed hemopneumothorax requiring tube drainage, vasovagal reaction, nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, and frequent ventricular extrasystoles, respectively. Apical puncture was repeated in two cases due to erroneous left ventricular puncture and pleural catheter placement, respectively.
Conclusion: Echocardiography-guided pericardiocentesis with the apical approach is readily performed bedside without the need for catheterization laboratory, with a high success rate and low complication rate. It should be considered especially in cases in which anterior pericardial collection is more prominent where it will reduce unnecessary surgical interventions.

Objectives: We evaluated the clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with infective endocarditis (IE).
Study design: During a five-year period (January 2002-December 2006), 96 patients (56 men, 40 women; mean age 47±15 years; range 16 to 81 years) were treated and followed for IE. All the patients underwent transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography. Clinical and laboratory characteristics of the patients were reviewed. All cases of prosthetic valve endocarditis were late-onset IE. Blood samples were cultured in both aerobic and anaerobic media and incubated for 21 days. The diagnosis of IE was made according to the Duke criteria.
Results: Male-to-female ratio was 1.4. The most common complaint on presentation was dyspnea (n=58, 60.4%), followed by fever (n=20, 20.8%), and fatigue (n=16, 16.7%). The mean follow-up period was 21±12 days (range 2 to 52 days). While transthoracic echocardiography was sufficient to detect vegetations in 69 patients (71.9%), IE lesions could be demonstrated by transesophageal echocardiography in 27 patients (28.1%). The most common involvement was seen in the mitral valve (54.2%), and the incidence of native valve involvement (79.2%) was greater than that of prosthetic valve involvement. Forty-nine patients (51%) were submitted to surgery. In-hospital mortality occurred in 12 patients (12.5%). The prevalence of IE among all patients hospitalized in cardiology department was 0.13%. The culprit microorganism was isolated in only 36 patients (37.5%), being staphylococci (33.3%), enterococci (27.8%), brucellae (22.2%), and streptococci (11.1%).
Conclusion: The diagnosis and treatment of IE should be designed taking into consideration that epidemiologic and clinical features of IE may differ from those of individual countries.

Lipomatous hypertrophy of the interatrial septum is generally a benign disorder characterized by lipid accumulation in the interatrial septum. A 56-year-old asymptomatic woman with a history of hypertension and hyperlipidemia was referred to echocardiographic examination. Transthoracic echocardiography showed left ventricular hypertrophy, normal left ventricular systolic function, and left ventricular relaxation disturbance. The apical four-chamber view showed a hyperechogenic mass in the interatrial septum. Lipomatous hypertrophy was suspected and transesophageal echocardiography was performed. A dumbbell-shaped hypertrophy of 22 mm thickness was noted in the interatrial septum, which did not involve the fossa ovalis. There was no decrease in flow velocities of the superior and inferior vena cava nor a flow disturbance in the pulmonary veins. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging showed lipomatosis and thickening in the interatrial septum and subepicardial region.

Ruptured aneurysms of the sinus of Valsalva may cause manifestations of prompt onset. A 22-year-old man with no previous cardiac complaints presented with dyspnea, palpitation, fatigue, and shortness of breath, all of which occurred after a football match. Transthoracic echocardiography showed an aneurysmal dilatation of the right sinus of Valsalva to the direction of the right ventricle. Color Doppler imaging showed a marked left-to-right turbulent flow from the aortic root to the right ventricle. Continuous Doppler imaging also revealed a continuous left-to-right systolodiastolic shunting. The patient was submitted to cardiovascular surgery for surgical repair.

We present a 4-year-old boy with a diagnosis of Kawasaki disease of six-month history. At the time of diagnosis, no significant coronary artery aneurysm was detected by transthoracic echocardiography. On his routine follow-up echocardiography, dilatation of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery was suspected, but an exact diagnosis could not be made. He underwent magnetic resonance (MR) coronary angiography which showed a large fusiform aneurysmatic dilatation in the proximal segment of the LAD with a diameter of 9 mm. Coronary angiography performed to plan surgical repair confirmed the findings of MR angiography. The patient’s parents refused surgical repair, so antiplatelet therapy was started to prevent thrombosis. No complications occurred during seven months of follow-up after detection of the aneurysm.

Concealed conduction commonly occurs when a retrogradely conducted interpolated ectopic impulse enters the atrioventricular (AV) node; thus, the next sinus beat is not conducted to the ventricle or conducted with a prolonged PR interval because of increased refractoriness of AV conduction system. A 67-year-old man had complaints of exertional fatigue and palpitations at rest. His blood pressure was 110/70 mmHg and heart rate was 78 beats/min, Auscultation revealed a mild systolic murmur at the apex and an irregular rhythm. His electrocardiogram was normal, except for the presence of frequent premature ventricular complexes (PVC) of right bundle branch block morphology. Echocardiographic examination showed only grade-1 mitral regurgitation. Further evaluation with 24-h Holter monitoring showed frequent interpolated PVCs in bigeminal rhythm. Progressive prolongation of the PR interval was observed after each PVC, which ended with Mobitz type I AV block. The patient was treated with metoprolol which resulted in immediate and marked improvement in the symptoms. Control Holter recording showed very rare PVCs, without PR prolongation or AV block.

Stenosis in the coronary veins can cause failure of left ventricular pacemaker lead implantation, which is the cornerstone of cardiac resynchronization therapy. There are several case reports in which left ventricular pacing could be possible after successful elimination of coronary vein stenosis by stent implantation or cutting balloon angioplasty. We report two cases of left ventricular pacemaker lead implantation after successful balloon angioplasty for posterolateral and posterior vein stenoses, respectively.

Myocardial noncompaction is a rare type of congenital cardiomyopathy characterized by excessively prominent trabeculations in one or more segments of the ventricles and deep intertrabecular recesses in ventricular walls. A 25-year-old male patient presented to the neurology department with complaints of weakness in the left extremities. A mild loss of muscle strength was detected on neurological examination. With a preliminary diagnosis of acute cerebrovascular event, treatment with aspirin and enoxaparin was instituted, which improved his complaints within two hours. Electrocardiography showed sinus rhythm, left ventricular hypertrophy, and loss of R-wave progression in the precordial leads. Transthoracic echocardiography showed apical hypokinesia, marked left ventricular hypertrophy, and normal left ventricular diameters. There were numerous trabeculations in the apex, apical, lateral, and inferior walls, and deep intertrabecular recesses. Color Doppler showed blood flow into the intertrabecular recesses. He also had mild mitral regurgitation and diastolic dysfunction of restrictive type. He was scheduled for outpatient follow-up on aspirin and warfarin treatment.

Letter to the Editor

Treatment of prosthetic heart valve thrombosis in pregnancy