Darae Kim

A hypertensive response to exercise (HRE) is frequently observed in individuals without hypertension or other cardiovascular disease. However, mechanisms and clinical implication of HRE is not fully elucidated. Endothelial dysfunction and increased stiffness of large artery contribute to development of HRE. From neurohormonal aspects, excess stimulation of sympathetic nervous system and augmented rise of angiotensin II seems to be important mechanism in HRE. Increasing evidences indicates that a

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The evaluation of sources of cardioembolism with transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in patients with stroke is crucial but semi-invasive. We hypothesized that the size and mechanical function of the left atrium (LA) assessed by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) could provide useful information on high risk of cardioembolism on TEE in patients with stroke. Furthermore, we sought to define the determinants of LA mechanical dysfunction in these patients. METHODS: A to

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This second adult heart transplantation (HTx) report is based on Korean Organ Transplant Registry data submitted on 400 HTxs in recipients of all ages. METHODS: From March 2014 to December 2017, a total of 400 HTxs were performed at 4 major centers in Korea. We analyzed demographics and characteristics according to transplant years. Patterns of immunosuppression, allograft rejection, and survival after HTx were analyzed. Donor and recipient age were highlighted. RESULT

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a well-established risk factor for stroke. Interestingly, ischemic stroke increases risk of incident AF in patients without prior diagnosed AF. For better risk stratification for post-stroke AF, we studied left atrial (LA) size and mechanical function using two-dimensional (2D) speckle tracking imaging in patients with acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: A total of 227 patients (132 males, age 67 ± 12) with acute ischemic stroke without a history of AF underwe

A 12-lead ECG is a simple and less costly measure to assess cardiac amyloidosis and may reflect the infiltrative nature of cardiac amyloidosis and have prognostic value for predicting overall survival in patients with cardiac AL amyloidosis. Therefore, we investigated the associations of surface ECG parameters with left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) and prognosis in patients with cardiac AL amyloidosis. We performed a multi-center, retrospective analysis of 102 biopsy-proven

In conclusion, morphological and functional characteristics of MAC had incremental value in association with stroke over traditional risk factors. MAC score consisting of MAC mobility, typical echodense mass with central echolucencies suggesting caseous necrosis, and functional mitral stenosis was independently associated with stroke. MAC with high-risk features may act as a source of stroke or more potent composite surrogate markers for stroke-related risk factors.

As cardiac involvement is the most important prognostic marker in light-chain amyloidosis (AL), revised Mayo staging for AL incorporated N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) and troponin T (TnT). However, prognostic value of novel biomarkers, such as soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2), growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), or osteopontin (OPN) is unknown in AL amyloidosis. We aimed to investigate additive predictive effects of novel biomarkers for overall mortality

In hypertensive patients without clinically apparent target organ damage, LV GLS, especially endocardium, and LA GLS were more dominantly affected by arterial stiffness because, among the three myocardial layers, the endocardium is most susceptible to pressure overload. Two-dimensional layer-specific speckle-tracking echocardiography sensitively detects LV mechanical dysfunction and provides pathophysiologic insights into LV mechanical adaptations in hypertension.

PURPOSE: We determined factors associated with long-term outcomes of patients who underwent successful percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty (PMV). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between August 1980 and May 2013, 1187 patients underwent PMV at Severance Hospital, Seoul, Korea. A total of 742 patients who underwent regular clinic visits for more than 10 years were retrospectively analyzed. The endpoints consisted of repeated PMV, mitral valve (MV) surgery, and cardiovascular-related death. RESULTS: T

Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is a highly underdiagnosed cause of heart failure. Amyloid light-chain (AL) and amyloid transthyretin (ATTR) cardiomyopathy are two major subtypes of cardiac amyloid. Amyloid fibril deposits cause cardiac dysfunction by mechanically infiltrating the myocardium or by direct cardiotoxicity. Achieving a timely diagnosis is important to initiate disease-modifying therapies and improve the survival of patients with CA. Therefore, physicians must be aware of "red flag symptoms