Aim: to analyze the quality of completion medical certificates of death (MCD) of residents of the Tula region, in which in 2017 acute and subsequent myocardial infarction (MI) was listed as the underlying cause of death (UCD) or as multiple causes of death (MC).

Materials and methods. From the electronic database (DB) of MCD of residents of Tula region for 2017 we selected all MSD in which MI was written down irrespective of a section of MCD. A total of 689 MSD (43.8% men and 56.2% women) were analyzed.

Results. Mean age of the deceased was 72.6±11.3 years (men 67.25±0.62; women 76.7±9.8; p<0.001). Multimorbid pathology was registered in 31.5% of the deceased. In 77.9% of cases myocardial infarction was selected as the UCD and in 22.1% – as a complication of other diseases. Among registered MI complications were hemotamponade (24.5%), cardiogenic shock (3.6%), ventricular fibrillation (0.3%), heart failure (50.2%). Complications of MI were not listed in 3.9% of MCD. Analysis of MCD showed that their completion did not comply with established ICD-10 rules and recommendations of Ministry of Health of RF; all lines were filled out only in 1% of completed MCD. Also, problems of determining the initial cause of death when myocardial infarction occurred in the presence of multimorbid pathology were revealed.

Conclusion. Mortality analysis using solely UCD leads to decreasing mortality rates from MI, and unsatisfactory quality of filling the MCD decreases the ability to identify MC, that prevents the correction of priorities in the organization of medical care. The revealed problems of coding causes of death require urgent solutions from the professional community of cardiologists, pathologists, and the Ministry of Health.

Aim: to elucidate predictors of high level of basal triglycerides (TG) in blood of children of persons with early (onset: men ≤55, women ≤60 years) ischemic heart disease (EIHD).

Materials and methods. We examined 316 families: patients (probands) (n=295; 77.9 % after MI) with EIHD, their spouses (n=219; 83.1 % women) and native children of probands (n=413; 55.7 % men) aged 5–38 years. In children aged 5–17 and 18–38 years proband’s spouse was mother in 88 and 77 % of cases, respectively. Hypertriglyceridemia in children (HTG) was defined in persons aged 5–17 years as ≥90 percentile (Lipid Research Clinics), ≥18 years – ≥1.7 mmol / l or HTG drug treatment. Predictors of HTG were selected by binary logistical regression with adjustment for age, sex and drugs.

Results. HTG was found in 31 / 158 children aged 5–17 years. Its independent predictors were systolic arterial pressure (odds ratio [OR] of top [>108] vs. two bottom [≤108 mm Hg] tertiles 3.85, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.38–10.7, р=0.010), heart rate (HR, OR of top [>78] vs. two bottom [≤78 bpm] tertiles 2.94, 95 % CI 1.20–7.23, р=0.019), and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL–C, OR 0.35, 95 % CI 0.13–0.94; р=0.038) of their children; HR (OR of top [>72] vs. two bottom [≤72 bpm] tertiles 3.56, 95 % CI 1.38–9.11, р=0.008), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR 2.49, 95 % CI 1.12–5.52, p=0.025]), and type 2 diabetes (OR 25.9, 95 % CI 1.01–665.3; p=0.049) of the parent – proband’s consort. HTG was found in 35 / 255 children aged 18–38 years and was associated with own age (OR 1.10, 95 % CI 1.02–1.19, р=0.012) and male sex (OR 6.21, 95 % CI 2.45–15.8; р=0.000). HTG was independently associated with body mass index (OR top [>25.4] vs. two bottom [≤25.4 kg / m²] tertiles 4.94, 95 % CI 2.13–11.4, р=0.000); basal glycemia (OR top [5.1] vs. two bottom [≤5.1 mmol / l] tertiles 2.52, 95 % CI 1.17–5.43, р=0.019); HDL–C (OR 0.17, CI 0.04–0.81, 0.027); alcohol consumption (OR consuming more than once vs. once a week and less 2.27, 95 % CI 1.02–5.02, p=0.044) of these children; HDL–C (OR 0.19, 95 CI 0.04–0.94; p=0.041) of the proband-parent.

Conclusions. HTG in children aged 5–38 years with parental early IHD was independently associated mainly with own characteristics, forming components of metabolic syndrome. Attention should be paid to the dominance of maternal transmission in children and adolescents (age group 5–17 years).

Aim: to elucidate risk factors of development of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and to assess of patient’s adherence to oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT) during 12 months after ACS episode according to the data of the Total ACS Registry for the Krasnodar Territory.

Materials and methods. In this retrospective analysis we used Registry data on patients with ACS and concomitant AF, consecutively admitted to cardiological departments of the S.V. Ochapovsky Territorial Clinical Hospital from 20/11/2015 to 20/02/18. Number of patients in the analyzed group was 201 (52 with AF which first appeared in connection with the index ACS). Survivors after hospital discharge were contacted by telephone and at planned visits. The analysis included assessment of rates of the following outcomes: inhospital death, hemorrhagic and thromboembolic complications, prognostic efficacy of the CRISADE and HAS BLED scores, and expediency of prescription to patients with ACS and concomitant first AF episode of prolonged OAT after hospital discharge.

Results. Demographic and anamnestic data of patients with the first AF attack at the background of ACS were like those of patients with other types of AF. This group of patients was characterized by more severe course of the disease, but this produced no impact on inhospital mortality and rate of complications, as well as on mortality for 12 months after hospital discharge.

Conclusion. The results of this analysis are important for understanding distinctive characteristics of patients with AF first developed during ACS.

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is often accompanied by cardiac rhythm disturbances particularly ventricular arrhythmias (VA) and their appearance in both chronic and acute forms of IHD is usually regarded as dangerous signal requiring the use of antiarrhythmic drugs. An important addition to hemodynamic therapy can be considered the use of cytoprotective drugs that improve the energy potential of cardiomyocytes. The purpose of this work is to study the comparative evaluation of the Mildronate effectiveness in patients with IHD and VA.

Methods. Under dynamic observation were 147 patients with IHD and VA (Lown II–IV functional class). The diagnosis of angina pectoris was confirmed by clinical, exercise bicycle ergometry, Holter ECG monitoring, and echocardiography data. Holter ECG monitoring was used for recording VA, heart rate, episodes of ST-segment depression. The levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were determined. All patients were randomly divided into 2 groups. The first group (81 patients) received standard antianginal and antiarrhythmic therapy plus meldonium for 2 months. The second (control) group (66 patients) received standard antianginal and antiarrhythmic therapy only. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out using the statistical package SPSS 13.0.

Results. A comparative analysis of the results showed that the use of meldonium in combination with basic therapy significantly improved clinical condition and quality of life indicators, increased exercise tolerance and improved systolic and diastolic dysfunction in patients with IHD and VA. The positive effect of meldonium on LDLC levels was observed. Moreover, the combination of basic antianginal and antiarrhythmic therapy and meldonium in patients with ischemic genesis VA promoted significant reduction of ischemic episodes and decrease of VA, in particular allorhythmia.

Conclusion. Results of this study suggest that the use of meldonium in patients with IHD and VA helps to optimize myocardial energy metabolism in conditions of ischemia and reperfusion.

Objective: to study clinical and cluster features of cardiovascular burdening taking into account the comorbid polymorbid background in patients of middle age (45–60 years) with the presence of multifocal atherosclerosis (MFA).

Materials and methods. Patients were examined in the Regional Vascular Center of Ufa (RVCU). Depending on the predominant localization of lesions in the vascular bed patients were divided into 3 clusters by the method of hierarchical analysis of categorical variables according to the clinical manifestation of atherosclerotic lesions of the heart, brain and lower limb arteries confirmed by coronary angiography, ultrasound Doppleroscopy of main arteries of the head and lower extremities. Ninety-six patients had predominant lesions in the heart (1^st cluster), 96 – in carotid arteries (2^nd cluster), and 96 patients had ischemia of lower extremities (3^rd cluster). Examination during hospitalization in RVCU included when indicated echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging of the chest and abdomen, ultrasound studies of abdomen, kidney, and pelvis.

Results. According to data obtained the following conditions were most often observed in different combinations and with varying degrees of severity of clinical manifestation.

Claster 1. Clinical manifestation of atherosclerotic heart disease mainly due to stage III hypertension, history of myocardial infarction were combined with pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with the outcome in pneumosclerosis and emphysema, as well as the presence of cholecysto-cardial syndrome, chronic gastritis, chronic cholecysto-pancreatitis, abdominal ischemic syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, and chronic pyelonephritis.

Claster 2. Hemodynamically significant lesions of brachiocephalic arteries mainly with acute ischemic disturbance of cerebral circulation were combined with bronchial asthma, (the development of which was associated with prolonged persistent eosinophilic inflammation), worsening of chronic kidney disease with urolithiasis, angionephropathy and iron deficiency anemia, as well as the presence of dorsopathy associated with stenotic atherosclerosis of brain vessels.

Claster 3.Hemodynamic ischemia with clinical manifestation of vascular lesions of lower extremities was accompanied by type 2 diabetes, chronic cholecysto-pancreatitis, erosive and ulcerative lesions in the stomach and duodenum, polyosteoarthrosis, abdominal-ischemic syndrome. Type 2 diabetes prevailed in patients with occlusion of right posterior tibial artery and trophic ulcer of the right foot.

Conclusion. Interdependence of comorbid and polymorbid background and cardiovascular burdening changes their clinical picture and course, increases number of complications and their severity.

Aim. To assess the frequency of detection of cardiotropic virus antigens in coronary artery atherosclerotic plaques in patients with fatal myocardial infarction (MI).

Materials and methods. We examined fragments of coronary plaques of 12 patients with fatal type 1 MI. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) of plaques was performed with the paraffin blocks using antibodies to Herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1, HSV-2, HSV-6, cytomegalovirus (CMV), parvovirus B19, adenovirus, Epstein-Barr virus and enteroviruses.

Results. According to the IHC all patients had virus antigens. The most common virus agents in fragments of coronary plaques were HSV-6 (10 patients) and enteroviruses (5 patients). Antigens of CMV, parvovirus B19, adenovirus, Epstein-Barr virus were not detected in any case.

Conclusions. In this study viral antigens in coronary artery atherosclerotic plaques were found in all victims of fatal MI. There was no difference in the frequency of detection and type of viral agents between plaques in culprit arteries and uncomplicated atherosclerotic plaques.

Epidemiological studies in cardiology often are confronted with the need of modeling the population dependence of the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) on a complex of influencing risk factors (RF). A method for assessment the CVD population risk is proposed, the calculation of which assumes the population group as the unit of analysis, and the prevalence of risk factors in this group as the input data. Calculation of the population risk is build taking into account predictive value of risk factors basing on their contribution to CVD prevalence. The method of calculation of population risk, examples of its application (arterial hypertension in working population, ethnic groups, ischemic heart disease in open and working population), as well as discussion of its strong and weak sides are presented in this review.

All cases of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) can be divided into outpatient-onset AMI and in-hospital-onset AMI depending on the place and circumstances of their development. In this review we consider the problem of in-hospital AMI. Special attention is paid to specific features of its clinical manifestations and the scale of the clinical problem. Possible causes of difficulties in the diagnosis and treatment of this condition are presented in comparison with those in patients with outpatient-onset AMI.

Exhaled breath analysis is a novel tool for diagnostics of different diseases. Taking into account the secretory function of the lungs, the composition of exhaled breath is different in physiological and pathological conditions. In this review we consider of some substances which content vary in cardiovascular diseases – pentane, isoprene, carbon monoxide and trimethylamine. Modern technologies allow to move the analysis of exhaled breath from research laboratories into clinical practice. Thus, a new tool for real time of screening various cardiovascular diseases has appeared in the arsenal of physicians.

Transthoracic echocardiography is the most frequently used method for detection of impaired contractility of the left ventricle. In most cases, assessment of contractility is carried out visually “by eye”, what increases its subjectivity, is operator-dependent in nature and requires a high level of clinical training and experience of the researcher. Currently in the arsenal of a specialist in echocardiography for quantification of left ventricular contractility sometimes is used tissue Doppler echocardiography, however, this method requires special settings of the image (high frame rate, the allocation of zones of interest), depends on the scanning angle and on operator qualification, has high intra – and inter-operator variability, and significantly increases the duration of the study. Therefore, this method has not received wide clinical application. In the 2000s years an innovative technique of speckle tracking emerged, which, unlike tissue Doppler echocardiography is efficient, does not burden a researcher with time costs, has a low intra – and inter- operator variability, does not depend on scan angle. In recent years, this technology is actively implemented in clinical practice for detection of subclinical impairment of the functional state of the myocardium in different diseases and syndromes: arterial hypertension, ischemic heart disease, valvular defects, and congenital heart disease, heart failure, cardiomyopathy of different etiology.

In 2008 the Food and Drug Administration has revised approval process for new antidiabetic agents and introduced a requirement to demonstrate the cardiovascular safety in an international multicenter trial. Currently cardiovascular outcome trials of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors (SAVOR-TIMI53, EXAMINE and TECOS), sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (EMPAREG, CANVAS), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (ELIXA, EXSCEL LEADER and SUSTAIN-6), ultralong-acting and insulin (DEVOTE) have been completed. The trials confirmed cardiovascular safety of these glucose-lowering medications, and in addition, EMPA-REG OUTCOME (empagliflozin), CANVAS (canagliflozin) and LEADER (liraglutide) have also demonstrated cardioprotective effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists. These data led to the changes of clinical guidelines for the management of type 2 diabetes.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a clinical syndrome characterized by a progressive increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), which leads to remodeling of the right ventricle (RV), right heart failure and premature death of patients. Early diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression are crucial for making decisions about the necessary therapy. The gold standard for the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension is the right heart catheterization. The estimation of systolic pressure in pulmonary artery by means of transthoracic echocardiography is also used for monitoring the course of the disease. At present, there is still a need for non-invasive biomarkers that reflect pathological changes in pulmonary arterial vessels and allow diagnosing of PH. Our review outlines the new data about some biomarkers potentially useful for diagnosis and prognostication of PH. These biomarkers (mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin, carboxyterminal pro-endothelin-1, copeptin, asymmetric dimethylarginine, growth differentiation factor 15, and others) are classified based on their relationship to endothelial cell dysfunction, inflammation, epigenetics, cardiac function, oxidative stress, extracellular matrix. The determination of biomarkers that are of diagnostic value for predicting the severity, progression of PH and response to therapy, in a simple blood test or condensate of exhaled air, can significantly reduce treatment costs and improve PH management.

In this article we present a clinical case of a 46-year-old man, who developed ventricular fibrillation at the background of implanted left ventricular assist device (LVAD) Heart Mate II because of dilated cardiomyopathy with biventricular chronic heart failure. Ventricular fibrillation required electrical and medical defibrillation with further treatment in the intensive care unit.