ecocardiography – ABC CARDIOL

ABCIC

Review Article

My Approach to Agitated Saline Contrast Echocardiography in Pediatric Patients

Karen Saori Shiraishi Sawamura et al. Márcio Miranda Brito

Abstract

Agitated saline contrast is a simple, safe, widely available echocardiography technique. It is particularly useful for evaluating right-to-left shunts and pulmonary vascular abnormalities in the pediatric population. This article presents a practical approach to using this technique in pediatric echocardiography. It reviews the underlying physiological principles, the technical aspects of preparation and image acquisition, and the main clinical applications.

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ABCIC

Review Article

My Approach to “Athlete's Heart”: Evaluation of the Different Types of Adaptation to Exercise

Frederico José Neves Mancuso

Abstract

Exercise-induced adaptation may occur in amateur and professional athletes. This condition is commonly named “athlete’s heart”. The alterations observed include dilation of the heart chambers, increased myocardial thickness, improved ventricular filling, increased left ventricular trabeculation, dilation of the inferior vena cava, among others. These changes can also be observed in some heart diseases, such as dilated, hypertrophic and other cardiomyopathies (CMP). Thus, cardiac imaging tests are fundamental in identifying these alterations and in differentiating between “athlete’s heart” and possible heart disease.

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ABC

Case Report

Painful Left Bundle Branch Block Syndrome in a Patient Referred to Electrophysiologic Study: A Case Report

José Nunes de Alencar Neto et al. Marcel Henrique Sakai Saulo Rodrigo Ramalho de Moraes Elano Sousa da Frota … Claudio Cirenza Angelo Amato Vincenzo de Paola

Introduction

The development of chest pain associated with intermittent left bundle branch block (LBBB) in the absence of coronary artery disease has been described in the literature as painful left bundle branch block syndrome. The mechanism responsible for the chest pain is unknown, but the main current hypothesis is related to acute cardiac dyssynchrony.

In this syndrome, the LBBB occurs when the cycle length is equal to or less than the refractory period of the left bundle, mainly during physical effort. The chest pain in the case of the painful LBBB syndrome may range from a mild discomfort to a disabling condition.

[…]

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ABC

Review Article

Heart Failure with Mid-Range Ejection Fraction – State of the Art

Evandro Tinoco Mesquita et al. Letícia Mara dos Santos Barbetta Eduardo Thadeu de Oliveira Correia

Abstract

In 2016, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) recognized heart failure (HF) with ejection fraction between 40 and 49% as a new HF phenotype, HF with mid-range ejection fraction (HFmrEF), with the main purpose of encouraging studies on this new category. In 2018, the Brazilian Society of Cardiology adhered to this classification and introduced HFmrEF in Brazil. This paper presents a narrative review of what the literature has described about HFmrEF. The prevalence of patients with HFmrEF ranged from 13 to 24% of patients with HF. Analyzing the clinical characteristics, HFmrEF shows intermediate characteristics or is either similar to HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) or to HF with reduced fraction (HFrEF). Regarding the prognosis, HFmrEF’s all-cause mortality is similar to HFpEF’s and lower than HFrEF’s. Studies that analyzed cardiac mortality concluded that there was no significant difference between HFmrEF and HFrEF, both of which were lower than HFpEF. Despite the significant increase of publications on HFmrEF, there is a great scarcity of prospective studies and clinical trials that allow delineating specific therapies for this new phenotype. To better treat HFmrEF patients, it is fundamental that cardiologists and internists understand the differences and similarities of this new phenotype.

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Artigo Original

Assessment of the correlation between hemoglobin concentration and the echographic measurement of biventricular outer diameter in anemic fetuses of isoimmunized women

Rosangela Lopes Miranda Rodrigues et al. Alamanda Kfoury Pereira Marcos Roberto Taveira Isabela Gomes de Melo … Gabriel Costa Osanan Antônio Carlos Vieira Cabral

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether a significant correlation exists between the echographic measurement of biventricular outer diameter and the pretransfusional serum concentration of fetal hemoglobin and whether that echographic measurement can be used as a noninvasive marker of fetal anemia. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional study was carried out comprising 65 cordocenteses performed in 36 anemic fetuses of mothers with isoimmunization to the Rh antigen. The biventricular outer diameter (BOD) was obtained by M-mode evaluation. Previous to the transfusion, a 0.5-mL fetal blood sample was obtained for hemoglobin measurement with spectrophotometry in the Hemocue device. The minimum square regression was used with p < 0.05 and multivariate analysis were used as statistical analysis. RESULTS: An inverse correlation was observed between the fetal hemoglobin concentration before transfusion and the BOD measurement, and a direct correlation was observed between the BOD measurement and gestational age. In addition, multivariate analysis showed that fetal hemoglobin concentration decreases as BOD increases, independently of the influence of gestational age on that parameter. CONCLUSION: An inverse correlation exists between fetal hemoglobin concentration and BOD measurement, regardless of gestational age. The findings suggest that BOD may become an echographic predictor of the hemoglobin level of fetuses of isoimmunized pregnant women.

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My Approach to Agitated Saline Contrast Echocardiography in Pediatric Patients

Abstract

My Approach to “Athlete's Heart”: Evaluation of the Different Types of Adaptation to Exercise

Abstract

Painful Left Bundle Branch Block Syndrome in a Patient Referred to Electrophysiologic Study: A Case Report

Introduction

Heart Failure with Mid-Range Ejection Fraction – State of the Art

Abstract

Assessment of the correlation between hemoglobin concentration and the echographic measurement of biventricular outer diameter in anemic fetuses of isoimmunized women

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Electronic Document Format (ISO)