Browsing by Author "Radovanovic, Nikola N. (56543116700)"

Heart rate (HR) asymmetry is a dynamic phenomenon related to the interplay of dominant regulatory mechanisms of cardiovascular system which operate over different scales of observation. The aim of this work is to examine asymmetry phenomenon in heart failure (HF) patients with sinus rhythm. We computed Guzik's index of heart rate asymmetry related to HR deceleration (C-{d}) from the Poincaré plot (Pp) analysis extended up to 20th order. In the control group asymmetry is maintained over all orders of the Pp. In HF patients with asymmetric properties, C-{d} is reduced in the range between 2ndand 5th order of the Pp analysis, compared the control subjects. More, this method revealed two clusters of HF patients. In conclusion, proposed new approach can be applied to reveal alterations in the behavior of the cardiovascular control mechanisms in pathological conditions. © 2020 IEEE.

Heart rate (HR) asymmetry is a dynamic phenomenon related to the interplay of dominant regulatory mechanisms of cardiovascular system which operate over different scales of observation. The aim of this work is to examine asymmetry phenomenon in heart failure (HF) patients with sinus rhythm. We computed Guzik's index of heart rate asymmetry related to HR deceleration (C-{d}) from the Poincaré plot (Pp) analysis extended up to 20th order. In the control group asymmetry is maintained over all orders of the Pp. In HF patients with asymmetric properties, C-{d} is reduced in the range between 2ndand 5th order of the Pp analysis, compared the control subjects. More, this method revealed two clusters of HF patients. In conclusion, proposed new approach can be applied to reveal alterations in the behavior of the cardiovascular control mechanisms in pathological conditions. © 2020 IEEE.

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a rare disease with a high mortality rate and rising incidence, requiring timely and precise diagnosis in order to choose appropriate therapy. Imaging of morphologic lesions is an integrative part of diagnosis. Artifacts and the patient’s habitus make echocardiography difficult to visualize advanced-form IE. Cardiac computed tomography (CCT) constantly shows an additive diagnostic value due to high resolution of cardiac anatomy. Conjecturally, joint application of both diagnostic tests improves overall sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing IE. Methods: Patients with definite IE underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), and CCT. We analyzed valvular and paravalvular IE lesions in all three imaging methods and compared them to surgical or autopsy findings. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic accuracy, and positive and negative predictive value of both imaging tests individually and jointly used. Results: We examined 78 patients, male to female ratio 2:1, mean age 52.29 ± 16.62. We analyzed 85 valves, 70 native valves, 13 prosthetic valves, and 2 corrected valves due to Ozaki procedure, along with a central shunt and 4 pacemaker leads. As a single test, the sensitivity and specificity of CCT, TTE, and TEE for valvular lesions were 91.6/20%, 65.5/57.9%, and 60/84%, and paravalvular lesions were 100/0%, 46/10.5%, and 14.7/100%. When combined together, sensitivity and specificity for valvular lesions rose to 96.6/0% and paravalvular lesions to 100/0%. We also analyzed the diagnostic performance for each test in single and mutual application, per specific IE lesion. Conclusion: In the individual application, CCT in comparison to TTE and TEE shows better diagnostic performance in detection of valvular and paravalvular lesions. In joint application, there is a statistically significant difference in performance compared to their single use, especially in prosthetic valves and invasive forms of IE native valves. © 2023 by the authors.