Percutaneous transcatheter closure of persistent ductus arteriosus (PDA) has been well established in the pediatric field. For moderate- to large-sized PDA, the newly developed Amplatzer duct occluder had offered a good solution, but it depends on stiff wire and delivery sheath. We reported two elderly patients of PDA with vascular anatomy too difficult to be antegradely approached and were closed by a retrograde technique by an assisting wire from the descending aorta. The wire served as a guide and tracked the delivery system to cross the ductus from the venous side smoothly. This retrograde wire-assisted technique could be utilized to overcome the PDA of difficult vascular anatomy, which could not be easily fulfilled by conventional antegrade venous approach.

BackgroundThe optimal revascularization strategy for patients with impaired glomerular filtration rate (IGFR) has not been established in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We investigated the prognosis and impact of IGFR and invasive strategy on the cardiovascular outcomes in the ACS population.MethodsIn a Taiwan national-wide registry, 3093 ACS patients were enrolled. The invasive strategy was defined as patients with ST-elevation ACS (STE-ACS) undergoing primary angioplasty or fibrinolysis or coronary angiography with intent to revascularization performed within 72 hours of symptom onset in non-ST-elevation ACS (NSTE-ACS). IGFR was defined as an estimated GFR of less than 60 ml/min per 1.73 m2. Primary endpoint was a composite of death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or stroke at one year.ResultsPatients with IGFR (n = 1226) had more comorbidities but received less evidence-based medications during admission than those without IGFR (n = 1867). The primary endpoint-free survival rate is lower in the IGFR patients, in the whole, STE-ACS and NSTE-ACS population (all log-rank tests p < 0.01). Cox regression analysis revealed IGFR subjects had higher primary endpoint after adjusting by age, sex, medication at discharge and traditional risk factors (all p < 0.01). Kaplan–Meier curves showed IGFR patients without invasive strategy had the worst outcome in the STE-ACS and NSTE-ACS population (both p < 0.01). The invasive strategies, either with early angiography only or angioplasty, were associated with reduced primary endpoints among IGFR patients in the NSTE-ACS population (both p ≦ 0.024).ConclusionsIGFR patients suffering from ACS had poor prognosis and an invasive strategy could improve cardiovascular outcome in the NSTE-ACS population.

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Hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide are involved in the pathogenesis of systolic dysfunction in diabetic rats, but the precise mechanisms and the effect of antioxidant therapy in diabetic subjects have not been elucidated. We aimed to evaluate the effects of dimethylthiourea (DMTU), a potent hydroxyl radical scavenger, on both force-dependent and velocity-dependent indexes of cardiac contractility in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced early and chronic diabetic rats. Seventy-two hours and 8 wk after STZ (55 mg/kg) injection, diabetic rats were randomized to either DMTU (50 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1) ip) or vehicle treatment for 6 and 12 wk, respectively. All rats were then subjected to invasive hemodynamic studies. Maximal systolic elastance (E(max)) and maximum theoretical flow (Q(max)) were assessed by curve-fitting techniques in terms of the elastance-resistance model. Both normalized E(max) (E(maxn)) and afterload-adjusted Q(max) (Q(maxad)) were depressed in diabetic rats, concomitant with altered myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform composition and its upstream regulators, such as myocyte enhancer factor-2 (MEF-2) and heart autonomic nervous system and neural crest derivatives (HAND). In chronic diabetic rats, DMTU markedly attenuated the impairment in Q(maxad) and normalized the expression of MEF-2 and eHAND and MHC isoform composition but exerted an insignificant benefit on E(maxn). Regarding preventive treatment, DMTU significantly ameliorated both E(maxn) and Q(maxad) in early diabetic rats. In conclusion, our study shows that DMTU has disparate effects on Q(maxad) and E(maxn) in chronic diabetic rats. The advantage of DMTU in chronic diabetic rats might involve normalization of MEF-2 and eHAND, as well as reversal of MHC isoform switch.

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This study evaluates cardiovascular and cerebral hemodynamics systems by only using non-invasive electrocardiography (ECG) signals. The Massachusetts General Hospital/Marquette Foundation (MGH/MF) and Cerebral Hemodynamic Autoregulatory Information System Database (CHARIS DB) from the PhysioNet database are used for cardiovascular and cerebral hemodynamics, respectively. For cardiovascular hemodynamics, the ECG is used for generating the arterial blood pressure (ABP), central venous pressure (CVP), and pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP). Meanwhile, for cerebral hemodynamics, the ECG is utilized for the intracranial pressure (ICP) generator. A deep convolutional autoencoder system is applied for this study. The cross-validation method with Pearson’s linear correlation (R), root mean squared error (RMSE), and mean absolute error (MAE) are measured for the evaluations. Initially, the ECG is used to generate the cardiovascular waveform. For the ABP system—the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressures (DBP)—the R evaluations are 0.894 ± 0.004 and 0.881 ± 0.005, respectively. The MAE evaluations for SBP and DBP are, respectively, 6.645 ± 0.353 mmHg and 3.210 ± 0.104 mmHg. Furthermore, for the PAP system—the systolic and diastolic pressures—the R evaluations are 0.864 ± 0.003 mmHg and 0.817 ± 0.006 mmHg, respectively. The MAE evaluations for systolic and diastolic pressures are, respectively, 3.847 ± 0.136 mmHg and 2.964 ± 0.181 mmHg. Meanwhile, the mean CVP evaluations are 0.916 ± 0.001, 2.220 ± 0.039 mmHg, and 1.329 ± 0.036 mmHg, respectively, for R, RMSE, and MAE. For the mean ICP evaluation in cerebral hemodynamics, the R and MAE evaluations are 0.914 ± 0.003 and 2.404 ± 0.043 mmHg, respectively. This study, as a proof of concept, concludes that the non-invasive cardiovascular and cerebral hemodynamics systems can be potentially investigated by only using the ECG signal.