The American journal of cardiology
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Asian patients frequently have heightened responses to therapeutic drugs. As a consequence, the recommended drug doses are often lower in Asian countries than in Western countries. This practice extends to the use of cardiovascular drugs, including statins for the treatment of dyslipidemia. ⋯ The potential mechanisms of heightened response to statins in Asians are related to genetically based differences in the metabolism of statins at the level of hepatic enzymes and drug transporters. Studies indicate that lower statin doses achieve lipid improvements in Asian patients comparable with those observed with higher doses in Caucasians. In conclusion, prescribing lower starting doses of statins in Asians appears warranted while research on this subject continues.
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Peak oxygen consumption (VO2) is a powerful prognostic predictor of survival in patients with heart failure (HF) because it provides an indirect assessment of a patient's ability to increase cardiac output (CO). However, many peripheral factors affect VO2. Inert gas rebreathing using low-concentration soluble and insoluble inert gases can derive CO by the Fick principle. ⋯ Mean peak VO2 was 12.6 +/- 4.7 ml/kg/min. A significant linear correlation was observed between peak VO2 and peak CO (r = 0.64, p <0.0001). In conclusion, combined metabolic stress testing with inert gas rebreathing can be easily performed in patients with HF.
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In view of the importance of pulmonary embolectomy as a possible treatment option in highly compromised patients with acute pulmonary embolism, a systematic review of immediate surgical outcomes was performed. Pooled data from 46 reported case series of patients operated from 1961 to 2006 showed an average mortality of 389 of 1,300 patients (30%). ⋯ In patients who experienced cardiac arrest before pulmonary embolectomy, the operative mortality was 59% compared with 29% in patients who did not have preoperative cardiac arrest. In conclusion, despite generally high mortality in patients who undergo pulmonary embolectomy, it may have life-saving potential in some instances.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Hemodynamic significance of periprocedural myocardial injury assessed with N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with stable and unstable coronary artery disease (from the JUMBO-TIMI 26 trial).
The clinical relevance of periprocedural myocardial injury related to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains controversial. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) is a sensitive indicator of hemodynamic stress and when increased is associated with higher mortality in patients with acute and chronic ischemic heart disease. We measured the serum level of NT-pro-BNP using the Elecsys 2010 proBNP assay at baseline, 4 to 6 hours, and 12 to 24 hours in 747 patients undergoing elective or urgent PCI and enrolled in the JUMBO-TIMI 26 trial. ⋯ In addition, the magnitude of increase in NT-pro-BNP correlated strongly with extent of myocardial injury, including in patients with evidence of injury (creatine kinase-MB 1 to 3 times upper limit of normal) not meeting criteria for MI (p = 0.001) or low-level increase in troponin T (p = 0.001). In conclusion, periprocedural myocardial injury, even at low levels, during PCI is associated with increased hemodynamic stress as measured by increasing NT-pro-BNP. This finding supports the physiologic relevance of procedural MI and the continued effort to define therapies that decrease the risk of this complication.