Currently, there is still a lack of an optimal treatment for no reflow phenomenon (NRP). We analyzed the efficacy and safety of using nondihydropyridine calcium channel antagonists (NDHP, verapamil/diltiazem) in patients suffering from NRP. Eight RCTs with 494 participants were eligible for analysis. The pooling analysis showed that intracoronary verapamil/diltiazem injection significantly decr...

BACKGROUND There is a paucity of information regarding the impact of the coronary collaterals on prognosis in type 2 diabetic (T2DM) patients. We developed a novel index, which considers not only the degree of collateral circulation but also the stimulus of collateral development, and investigated its prognostic value in T2DM patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS AND RESULTS On...

OBJECTIVE The coronary slow flow phenomenon (CSFP), which is characterized by delayed distal vessel opacification in the absence of significant epicardial coronary disease, is an angiographic finding. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and coronary blood flow rate. METHODS This is a retrospective observational study. It was based...

Background Ghrelin has recently been reported to have beneficial effects on cardiac contractile functions and coronary blood flow. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the role of ghrelin in the pathogenesis of coronary slow flow (CSF) together with endothelial functions. Methods Twenty-five patients having normal coronary arteries with CSF and 25 controls with normal coronary fl...

BACKGROUND TIMI frame count (TFC) predicts outcomes in patients with obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD); it remains unclear whether TFC predicts outcomes in patients without obstructive CAD. METHODS TFC was determined in a sample of women with no obstructive CAD enrolled in the Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) study. Because TFC is known to be higher in the left anterior des...

INTRODUCTION Several studies have attempted to demonstrate that the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk score has the ability to risk stratify emergency department (ED) patients with potential acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Most of the studies we reviewed relied on trained research investigators to determine TIMI risk scores rather than ED providers functioning in their normal wo...

BACKGROUND Nicorandil is a nicotinamide ester commonly prescribed for treatment of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). In the present study, we aimed to explore the cardioprotective effects of nicorandil on CHD patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). MATERIAL AND METHODS One hundred patients with CHD undergoing PCI were randomly divided into a control grou...

BACKGROUND Effective myocardial reperfusion after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may be limited by distal embolization. We tested the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of the FilterWire-Ex (FW), a distal embolic protection device, as an adjunct to primary PCI. METHODS AND RESULTS Fifty-three consecutive patients undergoing primary PCI with FW protection were compared with a ...

Flow mediated brachial dilatation (FMD) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) have been a surrogate for early atherosclerosis. Slow coronary flow in a normal coronary angiogram is not a rare condition, but its pathogenesis remains unclear. A total of 85 patients with angina were evaluated of their brachial artery FMD, carotid IMT and conventional coronary angiography. Coronary flow was quant...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The coronary slow flow phenomenon (CSFP) is a coronary artery disease with a benign course, but its pathological mechanisms are not yet fully understood.The purpose of this controlled study was to investigate the cellular content of blood in patients diagnosed with CSFP and the relationship of this with coronary flow rates. METHODS Selective coronary angiographies of ...