Global Cardiology Science and Practice - Volume 2012, Issue 2

The love story of Majnoon Lila is well known across all levels of society in the Arab world. The story is famous in Arabic literature as well as in Arab folk stories. In this paper, the poems of Quasis are analyzed and a diagnosis of organic heart failure is made from his complaints.

In the management of coronary artery disease (CAD) it is important to ensure that all patients are receiving optimal medical therapy irrespective of whether any intervention, by stents or surgery, is planned. Furthermore it is important to establish if a proposed intervention is for symptomatic and/or prognostic reasons. The latter can only be justified if there is demonstration of a significant volume of ischaemia (>10% of myocardial mass). Taking together evidence from the most definitive randomized trial and its registry component (SYNTAX), almost 79% of patients with three vessel CAD and almost two thirds of patients with LMS disease have a survival benefit and marked reduction in the need for repeat revascularisation with CABG in comparison to stents, implying that CABG is still the treatment of choice for most of these patients. This conclusion which is apparently at odds with the results of most previous trials of stenting and surgery but entirely consistent with the findings of large propensity matched registries can be explained by the fact that SYNTAX enrolled ‘real life’ patients rather than the highly select patients usually enrolled in previous trials. SYNTAX also shows that for patients with less severe coronary artery disease there is no difference in survival between CABG and stents but a lower incidence of repeat revascularisation with CABG. At three years, SYNTAX shows no difference in stroke between CABG and stents for three-vessel disease but a higher incidence of stroke with CABG in patients with left main stem disease. In contrast the PRECOMBAT trial of stents and CABG in patients with left main stem disease showed no excess of mortality or stroke with CABG in comparison to stents in relatively low risk patients. Finally the importance of guidelines and multidisciplinary/heart teams in making recommendations for interventions is emphasised.

This manuscript is focused around two key messages from the current Guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology on ST elevation myocardial infarction; the need to use primary angioplasty whenever timely and effectively applicable and the importance of organisational changes in the emergency system to implement this indication. Based on a review of the trials motivating these guidelines and the successful experience of many European countries, practical indications are provided on the methods to overcome resistances and malpractices that prevent the delivery of optimal care in these critically ill patients.

In this article, we outline the plans, protocols and strategies to set up the first nationwide primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) program for ST-elevation myocardial Infarction (STEMI) in Qatar, as well as the difficulties and the multi-disciplinary solutions that we adopted in preparation. We will also report some of the landmark literature that guided our plans. The guidelines underscore the need for adequate number of procedures to justify establishing a primary-PCI service and maintain competency. The number of both diagnostic and interventional procedures in our centre has increased substantially over the years. The number of diagnostic procedures has increased from 1470 in 2007, to 2200 in 2009 and is projected to exceed 3000 by the end of 2012. The total number of PCIs has also increased from 443 in 2007, to 646 in 2009 and 1176 in 2011 and is expected to exceed 1400 by the end of 2012. These figures qualify our centre to be classified as ‘high volume’, both for the institution and for the individual interventional operators. The initial number of expected primary PCI procedures will be in excess of 600 procedures per year. Guidelines also emphasize the door to balloon time (DBT), which should not exceed 90 minutes. This interval mainly represents in-hospital delay and reflects the efficiency of the hospital system in the rapid recognition and transfer of the STEMI patient to the catheterization laboratory for primary-PCI. Although DBT is clearly important and is in the forefront of planning for the wide primary PCI program, it is not the only important time interval. Myocardial necrosis begins before the patient arrives to the hospital and even before first medical contact, so time is of the essence. Therefore, our primary PCI program includes a nationwide awareness program for both the population and health care professionals to reduce the pre-hospital delay. We have also taken steps to improve the pre-hospital diagnosis of STEMI. In addition to equipping all ambulances to perform 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) we will establish advanced wireless transmission of the ECG to our Heart Centre and to the smart phone of the consultant on-call for the primary-PCI service. This will ensure that the patient is transferred directly to the cath lab without unnecessary delay in the emergency rooms. A single phone-call system will allow the first medic making the diagnosis to activate the primary PCI team. The emergency medical system is acquiring capability to track the exact position of each ambulance using GPS technology to give an accurate estimate of the time needed to arrive to the patient and/or to the hospital. We also plan for medical helicopter evacuation from remote or inaccessible areas. A comprehensive research database is being established to enable specific pioneering research projects and clinical trials, either as a single centre or in collaboration with other regional or international centers. The primary-PCI program is a collaborative effort between the Heart Hospital, Hamada Medical Corporation and the Qatar Cardiovascular Research Centre, a member of Qatar Foundation. Qatar will be first country to have a unified nationwide primary-PCI program. This clinical and research program could be a model that may be adopted in other countries to improve outcomes of patients with STEMI.

In Qatar, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death. Studies show that depression is associated with an increased morbidity and mortality among cardiovascular patients. Thus, early detection of, and intervention for, depression among cardiovascular patients can reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and save health care costs. To date there is no study in the Gulf region exploring depression among cardiovascular patients. The goals of our three-phase research program are to (1) understand the mental health issues, specifically depression, as experienced by cardiovascular patients living in the State of Qatar; (2) identify and implement strategies that would prevent depression and assist patients to deal with depression; and (3) evaluate, facilitate, and sustain strategies that are effective at reducing depression and foster its treatment among cardiovascular patients. This paper describe phase I of the research program. Using both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, we will investigate (1) the prevalence and severity of depression among patients who have confirmed diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases (2) how contextual factors such as social, cultural, and economic factors contribute to the risk of depression and its management among cardiovascular patients, and (3) formulate effective intervention strategies that are expected to increase awareness, prevention of and treatment for depression among cardiovascular patients, thus reducing cardiovascular diseases morbidity and mortality in Qatar.

Objectives: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) represents a generalized myopathic process affecting both ventricular and atrial myocardium. We assessed the global and regional left atrial (LA) function and its relation to left ventricular (LV) mechanics and clinical status in patients with HCM using Vector Velocity Imaging (VVI).

Methods: VVI of the LA and LV was acquired from apical four- and two-chamber views of 108 HCM patients (age 40 ± 19years, 56.5% men) and 33 healthy subjects, all had normal LV systolic function. The LA subendocardium was traced to obtain atrial volumes, ejection fraction, velocities, and strain (ϵ)/strain rate (SR) measurements.

Results: Left atrial reservoir (ϵsys,SRsys) and conduit (early diastolic SRe) function were significantly reduced in HCM compared to controls (P < .0001). Left atrial deformation directly correlated to LVϵsys, SRsys and negatively correlated to age, NYHA class, left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) gradient, left ventricular mass index (LVMI), LA volume index and severity of mitral regurge (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characterist was constructed to explore the cutoff value of LA deformation in differentiation of LA dysfunction; ϵsys < 40% was 75% sensitive, 50% specific, SRsys < 1.7s^− 1 was 70% sensitive, 61% specific, SRe> − 1.8s^− 1 was 81% sensitive and 30% specific, SRa> − 1.5s^− 1 was 73% sensitive and 40% specific. By multivariate analysis global LVϵsys and LV septal thickness are independent predictors for LAϵsys, while end systolic diameter is the only independent predictor for SRsys, P < .001.

Conclusion: Left atrial reservoir and conduit function as measured by VVI were significantly impaired while contractile function was preserved among HCM patients. Left atrial deformation was greatly influenced by LV mechanics and correlated to severity of phenotype.

Abstract: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a progressive inherited heart disease characterized by ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death especially in the young. ARVC has been traditionally associated with the Mediterranean basin, as many seminal studies on the disease have originated from research groups of this region. Today, however, numerous ARVC registries from all over the world emphasize that the disease does not have a specific racial or geographical predilection. This work provides a review on the global perspective of ARVC.

Cardiothoracic surgeons have utilized the surgical robot to provide a minimally invasive approach to a number of intracardiac operations, including tumor resection, valve repair, and ablation of atrial arrhythmia. We report the case of a 58 year-old woman who was found to have a mobile mass on her aortic valve during evaluation of atrial fibrillation. Both of these conditions were addressed when she underwent a combined robotic biatrial Maze procedure and excision of the mass, which proved to be a papillary fibroelastoma of the aortic valve.