The American journal of cardiology
-
Biography Historical Article
James Thornton Willerson, MD: a conversation with the editor. Interview by William Clifford Roberts.
-
This study compared the ventilatory threshold with the double-product break point in 104 patients with cardiovascular disease during ramp treadmill testing. The high correlation (r = 0.81) between the double-product break point and the ventilatory threshold, even in patients taking beta blockers, suggests the former method is a viable noninvasive alternative for identifying the anaerobic threshold in patients with cardiovascular disease, particularly when expired gas analysis is not appropriate or available.
-
An abnormal signal-averaged electrocardiogram (SAECG) has predictive value for arrhythmic events in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and a normal conduction. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the presence of a complete bundle branch block (BBB) affects prognostic information of the SAECG. We prospectively obtained SAECGs in 128 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. ⋯ In conclusion, QRS duration was prolonged in all of the patients with a dilated cardiomyopathy compared with those without heart disease. BBB did not change the sensitivity but decreased the specificity of the SAECG to predict any VT risk in dilated cardiomyopathy. The risk of sudden death and total cardiac mortality could not be predicted by the SAECG.
-
The association between iron levels and coronary artery disease (CAD) mortality is controversial. Whereas most data show no association, some have raised the possibility of a causal role, while others have suggested a protective effect of iron on CAD. To address these possibilities, we examined the association between serum iron and CAD, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality in a large cohort of 3,936 persons aged > or =71 years who completed an interview, had a serum iron determination, and survived at least 1 year after baseline. ⋯ In this large cohort of persons aged > or =71 years, there was consistent evidence of increasing risk of mortality at lower serum iron levels. In fact, lower serum iron levels were associated with an increased risk of CAD, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality. The results are compatible with the possibility that in an older population, there is an inverse association between serum iron levels and risk of mortality.
-
In implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy with endocardial lead systems, certain clinical variables are associated with defibrillation energy requirements. Because of the weak correlation coefficients, these variables cannot predict defibrillation thresholds in individual patients.