Cardiology Letters, 2024 (vol. 33), issue 3

Comment on 2023 ESC Guidelines for the management of cardiovascular diseases in patients with diabetes from the view of a diabetologist

Emil Martinka

Cardiology Letters 2024, 33(3):149-156  

Peri-implantation and early post-implantation complications of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) requiring revision. Unicentric study

Petra Ďurčíková, Gabriela Kaliská, Peter Bačík, Simona Siváková, Ján Šípka, Martin Škamla, Jakub Marko, Oskár Hurta, Adrian Bystriansky

Cardiology Letters 2024, 33(3):157-167  

Introduction: In connection with the growing spectrum of indications for the implantation of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), the number of peri-implantation and post-implantation complications is also increasing. Many of the complications are solvable with a conservative procedure, but more and more complications require an invasive procedure depending on the complication. The aim of the work is to evaluate peri-implantation and early post-implantation complications of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), detected at the latest during the first outpatient check-up at our workplace, and which required revision or other early...

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a tertiary care centre - a descriptive analysis

Marcela Danková, Veronika Šimovičová, Stanislav Mizera, Miriam Vojvodová, Eva Gonçalvesová

Cardiology Letters 2024, 33(3):168-174  

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a heterogeneous disease with variable phenotypic expression. There has been a significant advancement in the diagnosis, treatment and influencing of the prognosis of patients in recent years. Aim: To describe the characteristics of the patients with sarcomeric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy hospitalized in a tertiary care centre and to evaluate diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in this group of patients. Patients and methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from the Hospital Information System from January 1, 2013 to April 27, 2023. The study included 213 patients who met the criteria for the definition...

Postprandial hypotension - a possible cardiovascular risk factor?

Peter Mitro

Cardiology Letters 2024, 33(3):175-182  

Postprandial hypotension (PPH) is an excessive drop in blood pressure after eating, which can lead to clinical symptoms such as weakness, dizziness, falls, transient ischemic attacks of the central nervous system, angina pectoris or syncope. PPH is defined as a drop in systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 20 mmHg or more within two hours after a meal. PPH is more often observed in older patients, especially with an associated autonomic disorder (patients with diabetes mellitus, renal insufficiency, Parkinson's disease) but also long-lasting hypertension. Pathogenetic mechanisms of PPH include increased splanchnic pooling, impaired sympathetic nervous system,...

A nearly misdiagnosed wide complex tachycardia: all algorithms have flaws

Joana Silva Ferreira, Dinis Mesquita, Marta Fonseca, Leonor Parreira

Cardiology Letters 2024, 33(3):183-188  

Wide complex tachycardia is a common presentation in the Emergency Department. Although differentiating between supraventricular and ventricular tachycardia is critical for an appropriate treatment, it can still prove quite challenging. Clinicians usually make this distinction based on clinical context and several electrocardiographic criteria and algorithms. We report a case of wide complex tachycardia where these criteria were conflicting and where the correct diagnosis was only established through the careful analysis of serial electrocardiograms during the treatment of the arrhythmia. It therefore highlights the importance of performing electrocardiograms...

Surprising coronarography finding in heart transplant patient

Lukáš Kučera, Martin Gočár, Anton Dlesk, Jana Poláková Mištinová, Eva Goncalvesová

Cardiology Letters 2024, 33(3):187-190  

Coronary-ventricular fistulas are considered to be an uncommon anomaly of the coronary arteries in the general population. In heart transplant patients, the incidence is higher due to repeated endomyocardial biopsies. We present a case of a patient 9 years after heart transplantation who underwent coronary angiography for suspected acute coronary syndrome. Coronary angiography revealed a coronary-ventricular fistula. The management of these anomalies depends on the severity of the fistula.

Pulmonary artery dilatation due to pressure or volume overload in congenital heart diseas

Monika Kaldararova, Katarina Bobocka, Andrea Kantorova, Erika Drangova, Jana Polakova Mistinova, Filip Klauco, Tereza Hlavata, Adriana Reptova, Tatiana Valkovicova, Iveta Simkova

Cardiology Letters 2024, 33(3):191-195