Objective: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in patients undergoing dialysis. Most of the available studies focus on left ventricular (LV) function in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients; data about the effect of PD on right ventricular (RV) function are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate echocardiographic parameters of the RV in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing PD.
Methods: A total of 73 individuals were grouped as follows: PD patients (n=36) and healthy controls (n=37). Echocardiography of the RV was performed in all of the patients using tissue Doppler imaging (TDI).
Results: The LV mass index (LVMI), left atrial (LA) diameter, posterior wall, and interventricular septum thicknesses were significantly greater in the PD group. The LV peak late diastolic atrial contraction (A) velocity was higher, and the peak early diastolic (E) velocity and the early diastolic velocity of the lateral mitral annulus (Em) were lower in the PD group compared with the control group. The right atrial (RA) diameter, RA area, RV fractional area change, RV myocardial performance index, and pulmonary vascular resistance values were similar in both groups, whereas the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) value was lower in the PD patients. The RV E; early diastolic (Ea), late diastolic (Aa), and systolic (Sa) velocities; deceleration time; and tricuspid regurgitation velocity were also similar in the 2 groups. Only the RV A velocity and the Ea/Aa ratio were significantly higher in the PD group, and the E/A ratio was lower in the PD group than in the control group.
Conclusion: The results of conventional and TDI echocardiography indicated that RV systolic and diastolic functions were preserved in PD patients.

Objective: The benefit of intracoronary thrombus aspiration (TA) during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is not yet fully clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical impact of visible thrombus aspiration (VTA) material.
Methods: A total of 295 patients with a Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow score of 0 or 1 after an anterior STEMI were included in the study. Manual TA devices were used before performing PCI. The patients were divided into 2 groups: (1) visible thrombus aspiration (VTA) group and (2) non-visible thrombus aspiration (non-VTA) group. No-reflow was defined as TIMI grade 0, 1, or 2 flow, or TIMI grade 3 with
a myocardial blush of grade 0 or 1. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of no-reflow.
Results: VTA was retrieved in 178 (60.3%) of the patients. A no-reflow determination was significantly less frequent in the VTA group (p<0.001). The ejection fraction and ST-segment resolution values were higher, and the in-hospital mortality, Killip class II-IV rating, and post-pPCI TIMI frame count were lower in the VTA group (p<0.05 for each).
Conclusion: VTA predicted a lower rate of in-hospital mortality and no-reflow in patients with anterior STEMI who underwent pPCI.

Objective: Right-heart catheterization using the antecubital veins has recently regained attention, and studies demonstrating the feasibility and safety of antecubital access in adults have been published. However, no changes have been observed in the preferred entrance sites in right-heart catheterizations in children with congenital heart diseases. This article is a description of the technique and features of the antecubital venous approach in pediatric patients with complex congenital heart defects and a Glenn anastomosis.
Methods: The data regarding a right cardiac catheterization through the antecubital fossa veins performed in 18 patients with various clinical indications between January 2014 and August 2017 were reviewed retrospectively and the results were assessed.
Results: Ten patients (55%) were male and 8 patients were female. All of the patients but 1 had a complex congenital heart disease with a Glenn anastomosis. One patient had been operated on for a sinus venosus atrial septal defect and an abnormal pulmonary venous return and had a total occlusion of the superior vena cava. A diagnostic catheterization was performed in all cases. Additional procedures consisted of a balloon test occlusion of the pulmonary valve in 2 patients, a superior vena cava-right pulmonary artery anastomosis dilatation in 1, and abnormal veno-venous collateral occlusion with various devices in 2 patients.
Conclusion: The antecubital venous approach technique can be performed easily and safely for diagnostic and therapeutic catheterization in patients with complex congenital heart defects. The authors advocate that the antecubital venous approach should be the first site selected for right-heart catheterization, especially in patients with a Glenn anastomosis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of left atrial appendage (LAA) mechanics assessed using 2-dimensional (2D)-strain analysis of the gray scale images obtained during transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to the conventional LAA functional parameters, CHA2DS2-VASc score, and the presence of spontaneous echo contrast (SEC) and/or LAA thrombus in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF).
Methods: The study included 126 patients with AF and 30 controls with a sinus rhythm who were referred for TEE. The global, medial, lateral and apical LAA longitudinal 2D-strain of all patients and the CHA2DS2-VASc score of AF patients were evaluated.
Results: The global, medial, lateral, and apical LAA longitudinal 2D-strain results of AF patients were significantly lower than those of the controls and revealed moderate but significant correlations with LAA flow velocity and LAA area change. Patients with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 0 or 1 had the highest LAA 2D-strain values and the results revealed that the LAAemptying velocity and LAA lateral and medial 2D-strain values were independent correlates of CHA2DS2-VASc score. SEC was detected in 84 patients, of whom, 42 had dense SEC and 27 had thrombus in the LAA. Multivariate analysis indicated that LAA emptying velocity, LAA area change, and LAA medial 2D-strain were independently associated with the presence of dense SEC/thrombus. In ROC analysis, cut-off values for global, medial, apical, and lateral 2D-strain for the presence of dense SEC/ thrombus were 6.0% p=0.011), 8.0% (p=0.032), 6.0% (p=0.033), and 5.4% (p=0.004), respectively.
Conclusion: Global and regional LAA mechanics were significantly related to conventional LAA functional parameters and to the presence of LAA-dense SEC/thrombus in patients with AF and may be useful as complementary data for estimating future thromboembolism.

Objective: A study of the T wave peak-to-end (Tp-e) interval, the Tp-e/QT ratio, and the Tp-e/QTc ratio in pediatric heart transplant recipients (HTRs), a group which has a higher risk of sudden cardiac death than the normal population, has not previously been reported. The aim of this study was to assess alterations in ventricular repolarization using the Tp–e interval, Tp–e/ QT ratio, and Tp–e/QTc ratio in clinically stable pediatric HTRs.
Methods: A total of 13 clinically stable HTRs, 13 patients who had undergone cardiac surgery (CS) under cardiopulmonary bypass, and 16 healthy controls under 18 years of age were retrospectively evaluated.
Results: No significant differences were observed between the HTR, CS, and control groups in terms of QTc, JTc interval, and T wave amplitude (p>0.05). The Tp-e interval (p=0.001), Tp-e/QT ratio (p<0.001), and Tp-e/QTc ratio (p=0.001) were significantly higher in the HTR group compared with the CS and normal control participants.
Conclusion: The Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT ratio, and Tp-e/QTc ratio were elevated in stable HTRs compared with the normal and CS groups.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess differences between urban and rural patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) with respect to secondary prevention.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included all consecutive patients diagnosed with CHD at 2 cardiology clinics between January 2016 and January 2017. The demographic characteristics and laboratory parameters were recorded at routine control visits. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to residence based on their statements: urban (n=1752) and rural (n=456).
Results: The median age of the patients was 64 years (interquartile range: 12 years). A mean of 4.1±2.1 years had passed after the first (index) coronary event. It was determined that 22.2% of the patients continued to smoke. The rate of quitting was significantly higher in the urban group (20.5% vs. 11.2%; p<0.001). The presence of hypertension (64.3% vs. 56.7%), diabetes mellitus (45.6% vs. 39.2%), cerebrovascular events (9.2% vs. 3.8%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (11.4% vs. 5.5%) was significantly greater among the rural patients (p<0.05 for each). In all, 34.2% were obese, and the number of obese patients was significantly greater among the rural patients (46.4% vs. 31.2%; p<0.001). The number of patients performing regular exercise was significantly lower in the rural patient group (34.4% vs. 23.9%; p<0.001). Overall, 88.9% of the patients were taking antiplatelet agents, 62.1% were taking statins, 73.1% were taking beta-blockers, and 34.2% were taking ACEI/ARB. The rate of medication use was significantly greater among urban patients compared with rural patients (p<0.05 in all cases).
Conclusion: Secondary prevention efforts among patients with CHD require additional improvement. Moreover, secondary prevention is currently less successful among the rural population than the urban population.

For long-term patency, a left internal mammary artery (LIMA) graft is considered the gold standard for left anterior descending artery (LAD) revascularization. Subsequent occlusion of a LIMA graft may be related to atherosclerosis, narrowing at anastomotic locations, fixed torsions within the graft, straight tubular stenosis, dissection, or vasospasm. Late thrombotic occlusion of a LIMA, however, is rare, and the cause is not known, though case reports can be found in the literature. The present case is a description of the successful revascularization via percutaneous intervention of an ostial LIMA thrombotic occlusion occurring 5 years after bypass surgery in a 71-year old patient diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome.

A pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) is a rare anomaly that may have significant clinical complications. PAVMs are commonly seen in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, while some 10% of PAVMs may be idiopathic. PAVMs can cause cyanosis, fatigue, polycythemia, and paradoxical thromboembolic complications. The diagnosis and treatment of a PAVM should be performed with great care, as the disorder may be fatal if not properly treated. Percutaneous closure (such as embolization) can be very beneficial. Presently described is the case of a 23-year-old man with an idiopathic PAVM who was treated percutaneously with 3 vascular plugs.

In-stent restenosis and occlusion are common, well-known complications of superficial femoral artery (SFA) interventions. The treatment options in such cases are re-intervention or surgery. A percutaneous antegrade approach is an effective and safe method to perform SFA stent restenosis or occlusion treatment. If an antegrade intervention fails, a retrograde transpopliteal approach may be an alternative. However, in some patients who are admitted with acute leg ischemia there is no distal vessel flow. This condition can result in the need for extremity amputation. Presently described is a case in which a direct stent puncture technique was applied to recanalize the SFA in-stent occlusion after an initially unsuccessful antegrade intervention.

The prevalence of coronary artery disease in young adults (<45 years of age) has been increasing steadily in recent decades. Although traditional cardiovascular risk factors can be identified in most cases, newly recognized associations are becoming progressively more relevant. The relationship between the factor V Leiden mutation and atherosclerosis has been a matter of debate due to conflicting data presented in previous studies. Presently described is the case of a previously asymptomatic 37-year-old woman with a significant family history of coronary artery disease who developed rapidly progressive angina within 1 month. After a positive non-invasive evaluation, coronary angiography demonstrated a significant obstruction in the proximal left anterior descending artery. Optical coherence tomography revealed a highly vulnerable lipid-rich atherosclerotic plaque. Coronary angioplasty followed by the implantation of 1 drug-eluting stent was successfully performed. A subsequent thrombophilia screening identified a heterozygous factor V R506Q mutation (factor V Leiden). Since there was no history of thromboembolic events, the patient was discharged using only aspirin, clopidogrel, atorvastatin, and atenolol. Further studies are needed to define the most appropriate management of young patients who manifest clinically significant atherosclerotic disease in association with hereditary thrombophilia.