Background: Plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic peptides are correlated with atrial pressures, as are left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular filling abnormalities. Aims: This study investigated the relation of atrial natriuretic peptides to both left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in heart failure. Methods: Plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic peptid...

Factor IX Chicago-2 and prothrombin Madrid were purified from patients with hemophilia B and congenital dysprothrombinemia. respectively. Each protein displays defects in zymogen activation secondary to the failure to cleave one of the sessile bonds whose cleavage is necessary for full coagulant activity. These proteins were isolated by immunoaffinity chromatography using conformation-specific ...

We investigated the utility of a noninvasive respiratory inductive plethysmograph (RIP) to continuously monitor and record the breathing pattern of 44 patients who had been mechanically ventilated. Seven patients deteriorated on intermittent mandatory ventilatory rate of zero; seven deteriorated within 48 h following extubation; 30 were successfully extubated. Respiratory alternans was document...

There is now substantial evidence supporting the use of non-invasive ventilation in acute hypercpanic exacerbations of chronic respiratory failure, and early trials show nocturnal ventilatory support may benefit chronic heart failure patients with sleep disordered breathing. Attention is now being focused on innovative modes which adapt respiratory support to the user's ventilatory pattern, eg ...

Women with heart failure differ from their male counterparts in a number of ways, including etiology, pattern of cardiac remodeling, and prognosis. They may even respond differently to medical therapy. But until prospective, sex-specific studies show that we should do otherwise, we recommend that women with heart failure be treated the same as men, according to established guidelines.

Biventricular pacing has been used to treat patients with symptomatic heart failure, systolic left ventricular dysfunction and intraventricular conduction delays. This modality is usually reserved for the treatment of patients with a left bundle branch block pattern on electrocardiogram. We report the successful use of biventricular pacing in a patient with heart failure and a right bundle bran...

Poor R-wave progression is a common ECG pattern, which is often inconclusively interpreted by medical directors. Although this ECG pattern is commonly attributed to anterior myocardial infarction, it may also be caused by left bundle branch block, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, right and left ventricular hypertrophy as well as by faulty ECG recording technique. Failure to make a definitive int...

We studied the natural history of Perthes' disease in 62 children in whom the onset of symptoms was in adolescence. Three patterns of disease were noted, namely, late-onset pattern, segmental collapse, or destructive with failure of revascularisation. In the late-onset pattern, the disease followed the sequence of healing seen in younger children, but adequate epiphyseal remodelling did not occ...