Heart failure guidelines including both chronic and acute heart failure has recently been updated. Herein, novelties were reviewed.

Objectives: In clinical practice, autonomic functions are indirectly investigated with heart rate recovery (HRR) index measurements. Our aim was to evaluate the HRR index in patients with psoriasis, which is a systemic inflammatory disease.
Study design: The study population included 39 psoriasis patients (18 female, mean age 48±15 years) and 40 control group (18 female, mean age 44±9 years) healthy individuals. The severity of psoriasis was calculated using the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI). None of the study patients had a PASI score >50. All of the participants underwent treadmill exercise testing using the Bruce protocol.
Results: According to basic clinical and demographic characteristics, both groups were similar with regard to age, body mass index, and fasting glucose and cholesterol levels. No significant differences were observed in the systolic or diastolic blood pressures or resting heart rates between the two groups. All patients and control-group participants had sinus rhythm and normal 12-lead ECG results at rest. All subjects completed the exercise tests to exhaustion without rhythm abnormalities, ischemic changes, or other complications. The maximal heart rate and metabolic equivalents achieved during the exercise stress test (EST) were similar in the psoriasis and control group (163±16 vs. 170±16, p=0.07; 9.8±0.9 vs. 10.1±1.0, p=0.24, respectively). The 1st, 3rd, and 5th minute HRR indices of patients with psoriasis were similar to those of the control group (HRR1: 30±12, 32±18, p=0.71; HRR3: 57±13, 64±17, p=0.10; HRR5: 64±15, 68±16, p=0.46, respectively).
Conclusion: The HRR index, which is calculated by an EST and associated with autonomic nervous system function, is not effected in mild to moderate psoriasis patients.

Objectives: Rheumatic heart disease is still common in developing countries. Mitral stenosis impedes left atrial emptying, increases left atrial and pulmonary venous pressure, and thus causes pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension results in right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH), implying that the disease is long lasting and needs interventional treatment. The aim of our study was to predict the severity of pulmonary hypertension in patients with mitral stenosis by evaluating electrocardiographic RVH.
Study design: Patients admitted to our hospital with mitral stenosis were evaluated. Their clinical, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic parameters were recorded. Electrocardiographic RVH was diagnosed when at least 2 of the following criteria were present at the same time: V1R+V5S or V6S >10.5 mm, V1R >6 mm, R >S in V1, V1 S <2 mm, V6 R/S <0.4, V5.6 R <3 mm, aVR R >4 mm, and right axis deviation.
Results: Sixty-seven patients (13 males, 54 females; mean age: 44.9±14.5 years; range 18 to 80 years) were included in the study. One male patient and 14 female patients were diagnosed as having electrocardiographic RVH. Pulmonary arterial pressure, right atrial and ventricular dimensions, peak and mean transmitral gradients were higher, and mitral valve area was lower in patients with RVH. The presence of RVH predicted pulmonary arterial pressure as 60 mmHg or higher with the sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 92%.
Conclusion: Electrocardiographic RVH was found to be related to more severe mitral stenosis, higher pulmonary arterial pressure, and larger right heart chambers. RVH can be a simple and useful parameter to predict the severity of pulmonary hypertension.

Objectives:
Early repolarization variant (ERV) has traditionally been considered to be a benign finding, but the presence of this pattern has recently been associated with vulnerability to ventricular fibrillation in many case reports and case–control studies. There is no information regarding the prevalence of ERV in Turkish population. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of ERV in a sample of healthy Turkish male population.
Study Design:
We assessed the prevalence of ERV on 12-lead electrocardiography in a community-based general population of 504 healthy male subjects (37.3±10.7 year of age). ERV was stratified by two independent cardiologists according to the J-point elevation (>=0.1 mV) in either inferior, lateral or both leads with a slurring or notching in QRS.
Results:
The ERV pattern was present in 34 subjects (6.7%): 19 subjects (3.8%) displayed ERV on lateral leads, 7 (1.4%) on inferior leads and 8 (1.6%) on both lateral and inferior leads.
Conclusion:
The prevalence of ERV in healthy Turkish male population seems to be similar to the findings of previous population based studies

Objectives: The Stent for Life (SFL) project’s main mission is to increase the use of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in more than 70% of all acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. Previous to the SFL project, thrombolysis was the dominant reperfusion strategy since a low percentage of acute STEMI patients had access to primary PCI in our country. In this study, we present the main barriers of access to primary PCI in the centers that were involved with the SFL project.
Study design: Patients with acute STEMI admitted to the centers that were involved in the SFL project between 2009 and 2011 were included in the analysis.
Results: Since the inception of the SFL project, the primary PCI rate has reached over 90% in SFL pilot cities. In the last 5 years, the number of ambulances and emergency stations has increased. Since the collaboration with 112 Emergency Service, a great majority of cases were reached via the emergency medical system. The mean door-to-balloon time for the pilot cities was 54.72±43.66 minutes.
Conclusion: After three years of the SFL project, primary PCI has emerged as the preferred reperfusion strategy for patients with STEMI in pilot cities.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate congestive heart failure (HF) patients with real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) to investigate why some of them present with acute decompensation despite having two-dimensional echocardiographic (2DE) parameters with compensated HF patients.
Study design: The study population consisted of 36 patients with decompensated HF (24 males, 12 females; mean age 65.8±10.4 years) and 30 patients with compensated HF (21 males, 9 females; mean age 63.2±11.5 years).The levels of pro-brain natriuretic peptide (pro-BNP), serum electrolytes, renal function tests and complete blood counts were determined. All patients underwent 2DE and 3DE evaluations.
Results: Heart rate and blood urea nitrogen levels were higher in patients with decompensated HF than those with compensated HF (95.8±21.4 vs. 81.2±14.9, p=0.002; 28.3±15.7 mg/dl vs. 18±6.8 mg/dl, p=0.001, respectively). Pro-BNP levels and NYHA class were significantly higher in patients with decompensated heart failure [4925 pg/ml (2199-8711) vs. 330 pg/ml (197-756), p<0.0001 and 2.3±0.6 vs. 1.2±0.4, p<0.0001, respectively]. Although 2DE parameters were similar between groups, left ventricular ejection fraction was lower in patients with decompensated HF while end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes by 3DE were significantly higher in the same group (26.3±3.8% vs. 30.3±4.0%; 205.6±55.5 ml vs. 145.0±33.7 ml; 178.4±55.6 ml vs. 115.7±32.5 ml, all p<0.0001, respectively). However, systolic volume was higher in patients with compensated HF (52.0±15.5 ml vs. 62±12 ml, p=0.005).
Conclusion: We think that 3DE provides more reliable information about left ventricular volume and functions in the evaluation of patients with HF.

Objectives: We aimed to retrospectively investigate the patients with acute rheumatic fever (ARF) by evaluating their clinic and laboratory properties, echocardiographic findings as well as the reactivation and the compliance to penicillin prophylaxis.
Study design: The study involved 255 patients (143 boys, 112 girls; mean age 10.1±2.7 years) with ARF. Their sex, age, clinic and laboratory properties, echocardiographic findings, the reactivation and the compliance to penicillin prophylaxis were recorded.
Results: Patients spent 13.3±4.3 days in the hospital, and 94 had a history of ARF. Arthritis was found in 233 patients, carditis in 166, Sydenham’s chorea in 14, subcutaneous nodule in 2, and arthritis-carditis in 151 patients. Erythema marjinatum was not found in any patient. Arthralgia (n=15) and fever (n=246) were found in patients. Throat culture was positive in 94 patients and anti-streptolysin-O titers were high in 124 patients. Mitral involvement was found in 205 patients while the combination of mitral and aortic valve involvement were observed in 118 patients.
Conclusion: ARF still continues to be a major public health problem in our country. A bad prognosis may be prevented by early diagnosis and treatment. The importance of appropriate prophylaxis should also be emphasized.

Idiopathic ventricular tachycardias (VT) originate mostly from the right ventricular outflow tract and rarely from the mitral annulus. Herein, we present a 20-year-old male patient in whom we performed a successful radiofrequency catheter ablation of mitral annular VT. He admitted to our department with the complaints of palpitations and shortness of breath attacks for 5 years. Detailed assessment disclosed idiopathic VT which subsequently was found to be derived from the mitral annulus in electrophysiologic study. The patient’s symptoms disappeared after successful RF ablation and the follow-up Holter ECG was totally normal.

Drug eluting stents are being used frequently because of their less restenotic properties. However, their effect on preventing neo-intimal hyperplasia may cause many adverse effects such as coronary artery aneurysm (CAA). We report a case that presented with a CAA which was the latest developed CAA after the implantation of drug eluting stents in literature so far. A 57-year-old male presented with dyspnea and typical angina on effort. Coronary angiography was performed. A large CAA was detected at the site of a drug eluting stent which was implanted in the LAD artery 5.5 years ago. It was treated with a coronary stent graft successfully.

Cor triatriatum sinister is a rare congenital heart anomaly. We present an elderly patient with cor polyatriatum, which is a variant of cor triatriatum. The patient was admitted to our hospital with symptoms of congestive heart failure. Echocardiographic evaluation revealed that the left atrium was divided into three spaces of the fibromuscular membrane, resembling a railway. Diagnosis was confirmed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. The patient did not accept surgical treatment and was followed medically.

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (SVA) is a rare disease that is mostly congenital in origin. The rupture of a SVA may occur and can eventually lead to death unless definite surgical treatment occurs. In this article, a ruptured and percutaneously treated SVA in a subject who underwent two consecutive corrective open cardiac surgeries due to a congenital heart disease was examined. An 18-year-old male was referred because of the complaint of dyspnea and fatigue. He underwent a complete repair of tetrology of Fallot before and a redo-repair of residual VSD three years before. A ruptured SVA was detected by transthoracic echocardiography and aortography. Percutaneous closure was successful by an Amplatzer muscular VSD occluder. Percutaneous treatment of a ruptured SVA may be an alternative technique to surgery in selected cases.

A 45-year-old woman presented to our outpatient clinic with reddish eruptions in both palms. We have learned that she was prescribed metoprolol at another medical center to treat new onset hypertension. On her physical examination there were no associated lesions on the body. All other physical findings, as well as blood chemistry, urine analysis, and complete blood count, were found to be normal. After her consultation with the dermatology department, palmar psoriasis due to metoprolol therapy was diagnosed. The personal and family history of the patient yielded no history for psoriasis. Metoprolol therapy was withdrawn and topical treatment with corticosteroid was recommended. The patient has returned to the clinic subsequently, with no recurrence of the lesions. Psoriazis is one of the rare side effects of beta-blocker therapy.

Pericardial effusion in hypothyroidism is a common finding, but an effusion which causes cardiac tamponade is a rarity. A 39-year-old man without previous medical history presented with progressive shortness of breath. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed massive pericardial effusion with tamponade findings. Thyroid function analysis showed raised thyroid-stimulating hormone associated with a severe decrease of free thyroxine and triiodothyronine. Antithyroglobulin and antithyroperoxidase antibodies were significantly high. The echocardiography-guided pericardiocentesis was followed by thyroid replacement therapy with the diagnosis of Hashimoto’s disease. We report a case of pericardial tamponade as the first and only manifestation of Hashimoto’s disease.

Prediabetes refers to a state where blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to meet the diagnostic criteria for diabetes mellitus. Similar to the worldwide trend, data derived from large studies has shown an increasing trend in the prevalence of prediabetes in Turkey. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, 79 million individuals in the United States have prediabetes. This implies a large population worldwide is at risk of developing diabetes in the near future. In addition to its strong association with the development of diabetes, prediabetes itself represents an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and its complications. This review will focus on definition, detection, association with cardiovascular disease and treatment of prediabetes.

Patients who had history of coronary artery disease, searched alternative treatment in addition to medical treatment. Recently, we recieved questions about usage of Clavis Panax. In this letter to editor, we discussed about acute coronary syndrome after intake of Clavix Panax.

Apical thrombus can be seen in patients with post-partum cardiomyopathy (PPCMP). However it is very rare to have clot in both ventricles as reported by Dr.Koc et al. In those cases there was also dysfunction of the right ventricle (RV).We also had a patient with PPCMP with symptomatic right ventricular dysfunction who developed large left ventricular and left atrial thrombus complicated by stroke 18 months after diagnosis of PPCMP. Although there are no recommendations for prophylacic anticoagulation, it should be considered in patients with RV failure, especially if they are symptomatic.