The American journal of cardiology
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Comparative Study
Comparison of outcome of paramedic-witnessed cardiac arrest in patients younger and older than 70 years.
To obtain further information concerning differences in the mechanism of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest between elderly and younger patients, 381 consecutive patients who experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and whose arrest was witnessed by paramedics, were studied. In 91% of cases the arrest occurred at the time the patient's cardiac rhythm was monitored. Patients were divided into 2 age groups: elderly patients were greater than 70 years (187) and younger patients were less than 70 years (194). ⋯ Besides patient age, initial cardiac rhythm varied according to the patient's complaint preceding the arrest. Sixty-eight percent of patients with chest pain demonstrated ventricular fibrillation, whereas only 21% of patients with dyspnea demonstrated ventricular fibrillation. Elderly patients could be as successfully resuscitated as younger patients; however, 24% of younger patients survived, compared to only 10% of elderly patients (p less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Review Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Low-dose warfarin and low-dose aspirin in the primary prevention of ischemic heart disease.
The thrombotic component in ischemic heart disease (IHD) is now universally recognized. It is therefore logical to consider modifying both fibrin formation and platelet function in primary (as well as secondary) prevention. The scientific case for evaluating lower-dose warfarin in primary prevention rests on the implications of the secondary prevention trials, increasing evidence of an association between the level of factor VII coagulant activity, VIIc, and the incidence of IHD, and the results of short-term lower-dose trials for the prevention of venous thrombosis and thromboembolism. ⋯ The objective of the factorial Thrombosis Prevention Trial is to demonstrate a reduction in the incidence of IHD in men at high risk attributable to low-dose warfarin or low-dose aspirin, or both, with 1 group receiving both active treatments. The feasibility of this trial has been demonstrated. An International Normalized Ratio of about 1.5, achieved with an average daily dose of 4.6 mg warfarin, has resulted in no increase in the number of men ever reporting minor bleeding episodes, although rectal bleeding occurs more frequently in those men who do report this symptom.
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To assess the serial phonocardiographic and echocardiographic change in patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP), phonocardiograms and echocardiograms were reviewed retrospectively in 116 patients (48 men and 68 women, mean age 27 years) who had been determined to have MVP and were reexamined 4.3 years (range 1 to 14) later by phonocardiography and echocardiography between 1971 and 1988. Follow-up phonocardiograms showed periods when 5 of 18 patients with silent MVP developed mid- or late systolic clicks. Of 57 patients with mid- or late systolic clicks, 15 had silent MVP, 6 developed a late systolic murmur with or without systolic clicks and 1 developed a pansystolic murmur. ⋯ The degree of MVP evaluated by the anteroposterior mitral leaflet angle on the 2-dimensional echocardiogram was more severe in patients with a systolic murmur than in patients without systolic murmur (157 +/- 12 vs 131 +/- 16 degrees, p less than 0.001). The degree of prolapse did not change during the follow-up periods. The number of patients with mitral regurgitation detected by pulsed Doppler echocardiography increased from 21 of 72 (29%) to 31 of 72 (43%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)