Serum intact PTH levels obtained in outpatients with HF were shown to be an independent predictor of hospitalisation for HF.

Quantitative echocardiography revealed that the measurement of RV Tei-index is of great clinical utility for predicting disease severity of PAH and determining the changes in the patient's hemodynamics in the clinical course.

No abstract

Background: This study aimed to determine the incidence, characteristics and management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in Japan during 2011. Methods and Results:A retrospective study assessed responses to a questionnaire regarding treating newly diagnosed VTE at all admitting hospitals throughout Japan during 2011. More individuals were diagnosed with VTE than ever before, with 16,096 cases of diagnosed pulmonary embolism (PE) and 24,538 cases of diagnosed deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Almost half (47.2%) of the PE patients had a relatively mild condition with no right ventricular overload. Similarly, almost half (43.8%) of the DVT patients had a relatively mild condition with isolated calf thrombus. Most of PE patients were treated by anticoagulation, and fewer were treated using thrombolytic agent or inferior vena cava (IVC) filter. Conclusions:The present study showed a remarkable increase in the incidence of VTE in Japan during 2011. Relatively mild conditions such as non-massive PE and isolated calf DVT were frequently diagnosed. Among PE patients, thrombolytic therapy or IVC filter implantation decreased compared with previous surveys. The appropriate management of isolated calf DVT requires further investigation.

Congenital thrombophilia which is characterized by deficiencies in proteins such as antithrombin (AT), protein C (PC) and protein S (PS), is a major cause of venous thromboembolism (VTE). A total of 130 patients with VTE were evaluated for congenital thrombophilia based on the activity of AT, PC, or PS. Fifteen VTE patients with congenital AT deficiency (11.5 %), 16 with congenital PC deficiency (12.3 %) and eight with congenital PS deficiency (6.2 %) were diagnosed using DNA analysis. The frequency of congenital AT deficiency was significantly higher in subjects with pregnancy-related and idiopathic VTE than in those with VTE due to other causes, and congenital PC and PS deficiency were frequently associated with idiopathic VTE. Among the groups examined, the plasma levels of AT were the lowest in subjects with pregnancy-related VTE. Although our findings may have been influenced by some unintentional bias, congenital thrombophilia is nevertheless a major cause of VTE in pregnant patients as well as in young or middle-aged patients without any underlying diseases.