Cardiovascular therapeutics
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
ARIES-3: ambrisentan therapy in a diverse population of patients with pulmonary hypertension.
Ambrisentan is an oral, once daily, endothelin receptor antagonist approved for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Previous studies of ambrisentan were limited to patients with Group 1 PAH and often excluded patients receiving other pulmonary hypertension (PH) therapies. ⋯ This study reconfirms the results of previous placebo-controlled studies, which demonstrate that ambrisentan is well tolerated and provides benefit in patients with PAH. Definitive conclusions regarding the safety and efficacy of ambrisentan in specific non-Group 1 PH etiologies cannot be determined and larger, controlled studies will be necessary to determine the efficacy and safety of ambrisentan in these populations.
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Coronary artery disease is the single leading cause of death in the United States. Occlusion of the coronary artery was identified to be the cause of myocardial infarction almost a century ago. ⋯ In the present era, thrombolytic therapy and primary percutaneous coronary intervention has revolutionized the way patients with acute myocardial infarction are managed resulting in significant reduction in cardiovascular death. This article provides an overview of the various thrombolytic agents utilized in the management of patients with acute myocardial infarction.
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Cardiopulmonary bypass is associated with significant morbidities, and the ideal temperature management during cardiopulmonary bypass remains uncertain. This review assessed the benefits and risks of maintaining normothermia during cardiopulmonary bypass in adult cardiac surgery. A total of 6,731 patients from 44 randomized controlled trials in 14 countries, comparing normothermic (> 34°C) and hypothermic (≤34°C) cardiopulmonary bypass in cardiac surgery (>18 years of age), were identified from MEDLINE (1966 to August 10, 2009), EMBASE (1988 to August 10, 2009), and Cochrane controlled trials register and subject to meta-analysis. ⋯ The risk of stroke, cognitive decline, atrial fibrillation, use of inotropic support or intra-aortic balloon pump, myocardial infarction, all-cause infections, and acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery was not significantly different between the two groups. The differences in the bypass time and targeted perfusion temperature were not significantly related to the risk of mortality and stroke. The current evidence suggests that maintaining normothermia during cardiopulmonary bypass in adult cardiac surgery is as safe as that of hypothermic surgery, and associated with a reduced risk of allogeneic blood transfusion.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Fenoldopam in critically ill patients with early renal dysfunction. A crossover study.
Acute kidney injury is a frequent problem among many critically ill patients, commonly in the context of multiple organ failure and decreased renal perfusion. Its presence conveys a poor prognosis. Currently, effective therapeutic interventions are limited and dopaminergic agonists have been suggested as an option to prevent further damage. ⋯ Our study showed that low-dose Fenoldopam increases creatinine clearance in the critically ill with renal insufficiency. Fenoldopam may be a useful drug in ICU patients with early renal dysfunction.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A novel approach to transplanting bone marrow stem cells to repair human myocardial infarction: delivery via a noninfarct-relative artery.
Bone marrow stem cells are able to repair infarcted human myocardium following intracoronary transplantation via the infarct-relative artery. However, traditional reperfusion strategies fail to open the artery in some patients, making effective delivery impossible. Our previous study demonstrated a safe and efficient approach to delivering bone marrow stem cells via a noninfarcted artery in an animal myocardial infarction model. ⋯ Cardiac function and myocardial perfusion had improved 6 months after PCI/bone marrow stem cells transplantation. Viable cardiomyocytes metabolism was detected in the infarcted areas in both groups after the cell infusion, as demonstrated by 18F-deoxyglucose. Intracoronary infusion of autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells via a noninfarct-relative artery appears safe and feasible in the treatment of patients with AMI.