Emerging pathologies in cardiology : proceedings of the Mediterranean Cardiology Meeting (Taormina, April 7-9, 2005)

The book aims to give the most up-to-date information about the epidemiology, the pathophysiology, the diagnosis and the new treatments of the Emerging Pathologies in Cardiology. It presents the state of the art on Acute Coronary Syndromes, Sudden Cardiac Death, Heart Failure, Atrial Fibrillation, Syncope and Prevention of Global Cardiovascular Risk which are some of the emerging pathologies urging investigators to develop many and more sophisticated pharmacological, electrical or mechanical therapies. The volume chapters are written by world-renowned leading experts in these fields, and present a detailed analysis of the most recent developments in the treatment of the above mentioned cardiac pathologies. Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Pathogenetic and Immunological Paradigm of Atherosclerotic Plaque....Pages 3-9 Are a Single Measurement of Troponin-I and C-Reactive Protein of Clinical Significance in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes?....Pages 11-16 New Strategies for Treating Myocardial Infarctions....Pages 17-21 Tirofiban and NSTE-ACS: The Current Perspective....Pages 23-30 Acute Coronary Syndromes and Diabetes: How Much Can We Intervene?....Pages 31-40 Spinal Cord Stimulation in Refractory Coronary Artery Disease: The Last Resort?....Pages 41-52 Guidelines for Antihypertensive Treatment: The Debate on the Choice of Antihypertensive Drugs....Pages 53-61 Aspirin and Cardiovascular Prevention in the Guidelines and in the Real World....Pages 63-74 Serial Changes in Left Ventricular Mass in Hypertension: Prognostic Impact....Pages 75-81 Front Matter....Pages 83-83 New Approach in the Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation: Role of Angiotensin II Antagonists....Pages 85-90 Role of Echocardiography in the Management of Atrial Fibrillation Patients....Pages 91-97 Pharmacological Prevention of Arrhythmic Recurrences....Pages 99-106 Timing and Typology of Cardio-Embolic Prevention in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation....Pages 107-114 Non-Electric Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation: When Not to Treat?....Pages 115-118 The Role of Imaging in Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation....Pages 119-128 Atypical Atrial Flutter....Pages 129-134 Advances in Surgical Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation....Pages 135-151 Front Matter....Pages 153-153 Guidelines for the Management of Patients with Heart Failure....Pages 155-163 How to Detect Dyssynchrony and How to Correct It....Pages 165-173 Advancements in ‘Over-the-Wire” Versus Stylet-Guided Left Ventricular Leads....Pages 175-180 Front Matter....Pages 153-153 Assessment of Diastolic Function in Heart Failure and Atrial Fibrillation....Pages 181-187 Is CRT Useful in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation?....Pages 189-197 Future New Indications for CRT: Which Patients Might Benefit?....Pages 199-204 Economic Benefits of Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy....Pages 205-213 Cost-Effectiveness of Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy in Heart Failure Patients....Pages 215-219 Front Matter....Pages 221-221 Guidelines for the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death: Filling the Gap....Pages 223-230 Management of Cardiac Arrhythmias in Post-PCI Patients....Pages 231-239 Anti-tachycardia Pacing for Termination of Rapid Ventricular Tachycardia in Patients with Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators. The PITAGORA ICD Trial....Pages 241-246 MADIT II/SCD-HeFT Results: Have They Already Achieved an Impact in Europe?....Pages 247-250 Short QT: The Novel Gaita Syndrome?....Pages 251-254 Remote Patient Management of ICD: Of What Value Is It in Clinical Practice?....Pages 255-260 BLSD Prevention of Sudden Death: What Is the Difference Between Lay People and Medical Professionals?....Pages 261-266 ACC/ESC Recommendations for the Clinical Management of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: A Practical Perspective....Pages 267-277 Risk Identification in Arrhythmic Athletes with Fatal or Resuscitated Cardiac Arrest....Pages 279-285 Front Matter....Pages 287-287 Physiological Pacing: Perspective....Pages 289-296 Optimal Pacing Site in the Atrium and the Ventricle for Patients with Sino-Atrial Disease....Pages 297-304 Role of His-Bundle Pacing: Reliability and Potential to Avoid Ventricular Dyssynchrony....Pages 305-307 Pacemaker for Vasovagal Syncope: Good for the Few....Pages 308-311 Quality of Life of Patients with an Atrial Defibrillator: Does Optimal Programming Achieve the Goal of Maintaining Sinus Rhythm as Well as Improve Quality of Life?....Pages 313-319 Front Matter....Pages 321-321 Haemodynamic Assessment by Transvalvular Impedance Recording....Pages 323-330 Front Matter....Pages 321-321 Rate-Responsive Pacing Controlled by Transvalvular Impedance: Preliminary Clinical Experience....Pages 331-337 Initial Experience of Implanted Pacemakers with Intracardiac Haemodynamic Sensor: Evaluation of Sensor Safety....Pages 339-345 Transvalvular Impedance in the Autoregulation of a Cardiac Pacemaker....Pages 347-354 Front Matter....Pages 355-355 Guidelines for the Management of Syncope....Pages 357-360 Role of Anamnesis: Is It a Complete Tool?....Pages 361-365 Is There Still a Role for Drug Therapy in Vasovagal Syncope?....Pages 367-371 When Do We Need a Permanent Pacemaker in Neuromediated Syncope?....Pages 373-377 Front Matter....Pages 379-379 CT Coronary Angiography with 16-Row Multi-slice Scanner: Do We Still Need Conventional Coronary Angiography?....Pages 381-388 Multislice CT for the Study of Aortic Aneurysms....Pages 389-396 MRI in the Diagnosis of Right Ventricular Dysplasia....Pages 397-404 Clinical practice is evolving at a rapid pace,nowhere more so than in the field of cardiology.Acute Coronary Syndromes, Sudden Cardiac Death, Heart Failure, Atrial Fibrillation,Syncope,and Prevention of Global Cardiovascular Risk are the main Emerging Pathologies to which many investigators are addressing their researches. Less than 10 years ago, some of them were considered of relevance only to internists, and some others as a common benign arrhythmia or an ineluctable illness. Today, their prevalence amongst the population represents one of the major public health problems at the beginning of the third millen- um. The need to have a state of the art overview of the epidemiology,physiopat- logical and electrogenetic mechanisms, diagnosis, pharmacological or electrical treatment,prognosis,patient management in and out of hospital,organisational and economical implications of these emerging pathologies and the success of the previous edition inspired us to organise the second edition of this biannual International Meeting. This book contains the Proceedings of the Mediterranean Cardiology Meeting held in Taormina, Italy, 7–9 April 2005. Like the previous volume, it boasts the participation of many nationally and internationally renowned spe- ers in the field of clinical and interventional cardiology who will interact actively with the delegates. Atherosclerosis is the 'mother' of ischaemic cardiopathy, of cerebrovascular disease, and of peripheral vasculopathy, and consequently is the indirect cause of the majority of deaths and disability in the world. M.m. Gulizia, Editor. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.