OBJECTIVE Noninvasive cardiac assessment of newborns and infants of women with systemic lupus erythematosus. The children had no congenital total atrioventricular block and were compared with the children of healthy women. METHODS We prospectively assessed 13 newborns and infants aged 1 to 60 days, children of women with systemic lupus erythematosus and without congenital total atrioventricul...

Cardiovascular disease is increased in HIV-infected patients. Cytokines such as osteoprotegerin are implicated in atherosclerosis. The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of osteoprotegerin in the development and progression of atherosclerosis in HIV infected subjects on suppressive antiretroviral treatment. We enrolled 76 patients; 35 HIV infected men on suppressive Highly Active Antiret...

BACKGROUND The fetal-to-neonatal transition is a complex process that includes changes in cardiac and respiratory systems. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to review the different methods of cardiocirculatory monitoring during the immediate neonatal transition period. METHODS A systematic search of PubMed and Ovid Embase was performed using the following terms: infant, newborn, newborn in...

The long-term mortality and morbidity of cardiac transplant recipients is related to their subsequent development of accelerated coronary atheroma and its complications. Coronary angiography was compared with non-invasive clinical assessment to see which was better in predicting clinical outcome. Ninety-one consecutive transplant recipients (mean age 53 years), in whom investigations had been p...

OBJECTIVES We sought to assess whether structural heart disease underlies the syndrome of right bundle branch block, persistent ST segment elevation and sudden death. BACKGROUND Ventricular fibrillation and sudden death may occur in patients with a distinctive electrocardiographic (ECG) pattern of right bundle branch block and persistent ST segment elevation in the right precordial leads. M...

Because acute segmental wall motion abnormalities (SWMAs) of the left ventricle are highly sensitive and specific indicators of myocardial ischemia, this study compared the incidence and significance of ischemia, as detected by two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography and surface electrocardiography, during anesthesia and surgery in patients at high risk of myocardial ischemia. During s...