Desislava Somleva

• Medical University of Sofia

Background: Managing acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is complex, particularly when combined with comorbidities like sleep apnea. Effective treatment requires personalized approaches, focusing on quality of life (QoL) and mental health outcomes. Purpose: This study explored the prevalence and characteristics of sleep apnea in patients with...

Background: The prevalence of obesity and hypertension among healthcare professionals has been previously described. Both diseases are known risk factors for atrial cardiomyopathy (ACM), a new clinical entity with potential to be a determinant of heart failure, atrial fi brillation and thromboembolic complications. In this perspective, early prevent...

Background: Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is often associated with central sleep apnea (CSA), which exacerbates cardiovascular strain and impacts quality of life. In ADHF patients, CSA contributes to recurrent nocturnal oxygen desaturation, elevated apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), and frequent Cheyne-Stokes respiration episodes, increasing h...

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disorder affecting predominantly young women. Cardiac involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus is common and the typical manifestations are pericarditis, myocarditis, valvular disease, coronary artery disease, cardiac arrhythmias, and congestive heart failure. Clinical lupus myocarditis typica...

Introduction: Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is a metabolite produced by intestinal microbiota. It is well recognized as an independent risk marker for cardiovascular and renal diseases and mortality. Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of Lactobacillus plantarum GLP3 supplementation on TMAO levels in 30 patients with a h...

Introduction: Patients with diverse demographic and clinical characteristics and comorbidities are included in the category of atrial cardiomyopathy (ACM). Aim: Our study aims to evaluate the demographic, clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic parameters of patients with ACM and to assess their impact on prognosis. Materials and methods: Only...

Background: Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is synthesized by the intestinal microbiota and is an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated TMAO levels across different CVD-risk patient groups, and evaluated associations between TMAO and vascular alterations (e.g., arteri...

Background The main factor responsible for atrial cardiomyopathy (ACM) is atrial fibrillation (AF). It is known that AF causes remodeling of the left atrium but its effects on the right heart chambers and mortality are not well studied. Purpose To assess the echocardiographic characteristics of patients with atrial cardiomyopathy with long-standin...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public hospital(s). Main funding source(s): Medical University - Sofia Background Often accompanying comorbidity in patients with acute heart failure and overweight is sleep disorders. Searching and treatment of sleep apnea will be helpful in these patients. CPAP therapy may improve the prognosis....

Sleep disorders are a common concomitant comorbidity in patients with heart failure. The aims of our study are to determine the incidence and phenotypic characteristics of sleep apnea in overweight patients with exacerbated heart failure and to assess the degree of involvement of systolic and diastolic function impairment in the individual group. F...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): Medical University - Sofia University Hospital "Tsaritsa Yoanna – ISUL” Background Often accompanying comorbidity in patients with heart failure and overweight is sleep disorders. Detection and treatment of sleep apnea will be helpful in these patients...

Heart failure is often accompanied by sleep disorders. CPAP therapy has proven in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, but the benefits associated with comorbid patients and patients with heart failure is still under research. On the other hand, central sleep apnea is also with high frequency in these patients and more difficult to treat. The...

Background: Telemedicine is an alternative to the standard consultation with a specialist during COVID-19 pandemic. Though their benefits are not well studied, the phone consultations are a potential effective resource for providing medical and psycho-social help to patients with chronic diseases during social isolation. Aim: To assess the demograp...

Background Left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) is a more sensitive parameter than ejection fraction in the assessment of LV function. It has been established as a predictor of cardiac death and adverse events. In patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) LV deformation and twist mechanics are reduced in varying degrees. Purpose...

Introduction: In dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) left ventricular (LV) strain and twist are significantly decreased. However, the rate of attenuation has not been investigated well in patients with varying degrees of systolic dysfunction. Aim: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between LV deformational and rotational mechanics...

During the past 10 years, the health of people in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union has undergone changes very different from the health patterns seen in their Western counterparts. Mortality from cardiovascular disease has been decreasing continuously in the USA and many Western European countries, but it has increased or remained unchang...

Imbalance of activation and inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) lead to an increase in their activity and the occurrence of pathological changes in the vascular wall. The purpose of this paper is to determine the role of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in vascular and ventricular remodelling in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fractio...

Implementation of new biochemical markers of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) could be helpful in early diagnosis, monitoring and risk stratification in addition to standard risk models. The purpose of our study is to determine the role of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), soluble CD40 Ligand (sCD40L) and endothelial dysfunction in patients...