No abstract

Patients with substantial viability on DSE demonstrated improvement in LVEF and NYHA functional class after revascularization; viability was also associated with a favorable prognosis after revascularization.

No abstract

Background-Recovery of function is possible in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy when left ventricular dysfunction is caused by stunning or hibernation. It is plausible that recovery of function after revascularization may take a longer time in hibernating myocardium compared with stunned myocardium. Accordingly, the time courses of functional recovery in hibernating and stunned myocardium were compared. Methods and Results-Patients (nϭ26) with ischemic cardiomyopathy undergoing surgical revascularization were studied; regional perfusion (resting 201 Tl single-photon emission CT), glucose utilization ( 18 F-2-deoxyglucose single-photon emission CT), and contractile function (2D echocardiography) were assessed before revascularization. Dysfunctional segments with normal perfusion/glucose utilization were considered to be stunned, and dysfunctional segments with reduced perfusion/preserved glucose utilization were considered to be hibernating. Contractile function was reevaluated 3 months (early) and 14 months (late) after revascularization. Of the 266 dysfunctional segments, 57 (22%) were stunned, 62 (23%) were hibernating, and 147 (55%) were scar tissue. In stunned myocardium, contractile function improved significantly at 3 months, without further improvement at 14 months; 61% of the stunned segments improved at 3 months, and 9% improved at 14 months. In hibernating myocardium, contractile function improved at 3 months, with a further improvement at 14 months; 31% of the hibernating segments improved at 3 months, and 61% showed (additional) recovery at 14 months. Conclusions-Stunned myocardium is likely to demonstrate early recovery of function, whereas hibernating myocardium may take a longer time to (fully) recover in function after revascularization.

Background: Peripheral arterial disease is associated with a high incidence of cardiovascular mortality. Peripheral arterial disease can be detected by using the anklebrachial index (ABI). This study assessed the prognostic value of the postexercise ABI in addition to the resting ABI on long-term mortality in patients with suspected peripheral arterial disease. Methods:In this prospective cohort study of 3209 patients (mean±SD age, 63 ± 12 years; 71.1% male), resting and postexercise ABI values were measured and a reduction of postexercise ABI over baseline resting readings was calculated. The mean follow-up was 8 years (interquartile range, 4-11 years).Results: During follow-up, 1321 patients (41.2%) died. After adjusting for clinical risk factors, lower resting ABI values (hazard ratio per 0.10 lower ABI, 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-1.10), lower postexercise ABI