• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.37-40
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• 2015

The presence of a single coronary artery is a rare congenital anomaly; such patients often present with severe myocardial ischemia. We experienced the case of a 13-year-old girl with the right coronary artery originating from the left circumflex artery. She visited our Emergency Department owing to severe chest pain; her cardiac enzyme levels were elevated, but her initial electrocardiogram (ECG) was normal. Echocardiography showed normal anatomy and normal regional wall motion. When she presented with recurrent chest pain on admission, the ECG showed significant ST-segment elevation in the left precordial leads and inferior leads with ST-segment depression in aVR lead, suggesting myocardial ischemia, and her cardiac enzyme levels were also elevated. We performed coronary angiography that showed a single right coronary artery originating from the left circumflex artery without stenosis. We confirmed the presence of a single coronary artery using coronary computed tomography. In addition, the treadmill test that was performed showed normal results. She was discharged from the hospital without any medications but with a recommendation of a regular followup.

• Clinical and Experimental Emergency Medicine
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.264-271
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• 2018

Objective For patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), symptoms assessed by emergency medical services (EMS) providers have a critical role in prehospital treatment decisions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of EMS provider-assessed cardiac symptoms of AMI. Methods Patients transported by EMS to 4 study hospitals from 2008 to 2012 were included. Using EMS and administrative emergency department databases, patients were stratified according to the presence of EMS-assessed cardiac symptoms and emergency department diagnosis of AMI. Cardiac symptoms were defined as chest pain, dyspnea, palpitations, and syncope. Disproportionate stratified sampling was used, and medical records of sampled patients were reviewed to identify an actual diagnosis of AMI. Using inverse probability weighting, verification bias-corrected diagnostic performance was estimated. Results Overall, 92,353 patients were enrolled in the study. Of these, 13,971 (15.1%) complained of cardiac symptoms to EMS providers. A total of 775 patients were sampled for hospital record review. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of EMS provider-assessed cardiac symptoms for the final diagnosis of AMI was 73.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 70.8 to 75.7), 85.3% (95% CI, 85.3 to 85.4), 3.9% (95% CI, 3.6 to 4.2), and 99.7% (95% CI, 99.7 to 99.8), respectively. Conclusion We found that EMS provider-assessed cardiac symptoms had moderate sensitivity and high specificity for diagnosis of AMI. EMS policymakers can use these data to evaluate the pertinence of specific prehospital treatment of AMI.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.46-53
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• 2006

Magnetocardiography(MCG) has been proposed as a novel and non-invasive diagnostic tool for the detection of cardiac electrical abnormality associated with myocardial ischemia. In our previous study, we have proposed a new classification method of MCG parameters, based on the different populations of the parameters between coronary artery disease(CAD) patients, symptomatic patients and healthy volunteers. We used four parameters, representing the directional changes of the electrical activity in the period of an R-ST-T interval. In patients with chest pain and without ST-segment elevation, who were selected consecutively from all patients admitted to the hospital in 2004, the patients with CAD could be classified with a higher sensitivity than conventional methods, showing that the proposed method can be useful for the diagnosis of CAD with MCG. In this study, we examined the validity of the algorithm with the prior probability distribution in diagnosis of new patients admitted to the hospital in 2005. In the results, presence of CAD could be found with sensitivity and specificity of 81.3% and 71.4%, respectively, in patients with chest pain and non-diagnostic ECG findings.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.53 no.9
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• pp.635-644
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: The History, Electrocardiography, Age, Risk factors, and Troponin (HEART) pathway was developed to identify patients at low risk of a major adverse cardiac event (MACE) among patients presenting with chest pain to the emergency department. Methods: We modified the HEART pathway by replacing the Korean cut-off of 25 kg/m² with the conventional threshold of 30 kg/m² in the definition of obesity among risk factors. The primary outcome was a MACE within 30 days, which included acute myocardial infarction, primary coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting, and all-cause death. Results: Of the 1,304 patients prospectively enrolled, MACE occurred in 320 (24.5%). The modified HEART pathway identified 37.3% of patients as low-risk compared with 38.3% using the HEART pathway. Of the 500 patients classified as low-risk with HEART pathway, 8 (1.6%) experienced MACE, and of the 486 low-risk patients with modified HEART pathway, 4 (0.8%) experienced MACE. The modified HEART pathway had a sensitivity of 98.8%, a negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.2%, a specificity of 49.0%, and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 38.6%, compared with the original HEART pathway, with a sensitivity of 97.5%, a NPV of 98.4%, a specificity of 50.0%, and a PPV of 38.8%. Conclusions: When applied to Korean population, modified HEART pathway could identify patients safe for early discharge more accurately by using body mass index cut-off levels suggested for Koreans.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 1970

This is a report of three cases of successful embolectomy in peripheral arteries. First case was the patient who received a mitral commissurotomy 8 months ago. In that time, there was no evidence of left atrial thrombosis. He showed an embolism in the middle portion of left brachial artery without complaining of any ischemic pain. Embolectomy was performed 15 days after disappearance of radial pulse and resulted in no return of radial pulse postoperatively. Second case was a case of an embolism in lower portion of right brachial artery. She complained severe ischemic pain and cyanosis in the right forearm and fingers. She was also in the beginning state of cardiac failure, which was suspected from her hypertension associated with cardiomegaly and arrythmia Embolectomy was performed 17 hours after onset of acute pain. Immediate full pulsation of radial artery was obtained after embolectomy and the acute ischemic symptoms subsided gradually. Third case was an embolism in superior mesenteric artery which occured 24 hours after pneumonectomy for right bronchogenic carcinoma and the patient suddenly complained diffuse abdominal colicky pain. 7 hours after attack of abdominal pain. embolectomy with extensive reset ion of the small intestine was performed with uneventful recovery and without complication, such as short bowel syndrome, postoperatively. Histopathologically, the embolus was consisted of a tissue of anaplastic cell carcinoma, which was identical to the tumor of the resected right lung. Histological findings of other emboli of first and second case were old thrombus.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.60-65
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• 1995

Congenital diverticula of the cardiac ventricle have been reported as arising either from the left ventricle or, rarely from both ventricles. A diverticulum arising from the right ventricle alone is very rare. Furthermore the diverticulum associated with double chambered right ventricle was extremely rare. We experienced a 62 years old female of double chambered right ventricle combined with congenital right ventricular true diverticulum. She had complained intermittent chest pain and mild dyspnea on exertion during 8 months. The chest X-ray and chest CT showed protruded abnormal density at anterolateral side of right ventricular outflow tract. Preoperative angiography demonstrated a double chambered right ventricle and a right ventricular diverticulum. In operative finding, there was found a anomalous muscle band, dividing the right ventricle into an inflow and outflow portion, and a 5x6cm sized right ventricular diverticulum arised from conus region with a stenotic orifice of 1.5cm in diameter. The diverticulum was open toward the infundibulum, and its orifice was approximately 1cm in diameter. On treatment, the diverticulum orifice was closed directly and the abnormal muscle band was resected in order to widen the right ventricular outflow tract. The postoperative result was satisfactory and good without specific complications.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.800-802
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• 2009

A 43-year-old male patient visited our hospital because of intermittent chest pain and exertional dyspnea. This patient was diagnosed as suffering with pulmonary stenosis that was caused by muscle hypertrophy of the subpulmonic area, and the diagnosis was made by performing echocardiography and cardiac catheterization. A sternal foramen of the chest wall was found on the operation field. We report here on this case and we also review the relevant literature.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.7
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• pp.514-517
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• 2003

Anomalous aortic origin of left coronary artery is a rare congenital coronary anomaly that can cause clinical manifestations such as ischemic chest pain, arrhythmic syncope or even sudden cardiac death. We describe a case of anomalous aortic origin of left main coronary artery presented as a cardiogenic shock which was successfully treated by coronary artery transfer.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.11
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• pp.925-928
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• 2004

Bilateral coronary artery to pulmonary artery fistulas are very rare anomaly. Echocardiography, cardiac catheterization and coronary angiography of two patients having chest pain and dyspnea showed bilateral coronary to pulmonary artery fistulas. One patient had left anterior descending coronary artery stenosis and the other patient had cystic tumor. We report the good results of the surgical treatment of two patients with bilateral coronary to pulmonary artery fistulas.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.143-147
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• 1988

Congenital coronary arteriovenous fistula is a communication of a coronary artery with one of the atria, ventricles, the coronary sinus, the superior vena cava, or the pulmonary artery. We had a successful surgical experience with 63 year-old-female patient who complained substernal chest pain on exertion for 8 years. On auscultation, a continuous murmur was heard at the left second to third intercostal space along the left sternal border. The right cardiac catheterization was revealed to 4% oxygen step up between right ventricle to main pulmonary artery, and Qp/Qs was 1.3:1. The selective coronary arteriography showed markedly tortuous dilated vessel which originated from left coronary artery draining into the main pulmonary artery. The operation performed to mid portion of tortuous and dilated fistula by multiple ligation with 3-0 Mersilene and suture ligation with pledgetted 3-0 Prolene on distal draining site, Postoperative course were uneventful without any symptoms and complications.