Circulation. Cardiovascular imaging
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Circ Cardiovasc Imaging · Mar 2012
Comparative StudyComparison of exercise treadmill testing with cardiac computed tomography angiography among patients presenting to the emergency room with chest pain: the Rule Out Myocardial Infarction Using Computer-Assisted Tomography (ROMICAT) study.
The aims of our study were to (1) examine how data from exercise treadmill testing (ETT) can identify patients who have coronary plaque or stenosis, using CT angiography (CTA) as the reference standard, and (2) identify patient characteristics that may be used in selecting ETT versus CTA. ⋯ Among low- to intermediate-risk patients with acute chest pain, a positive ETT has a limited sensitivity but high specificity for the detection of >50% stenosis by CTA. Although patients with a high number of clinical risk factors are more likely to have obstructive coronary artery disease, those who are young or who would be expected to have a very high exercise capacity are unlikely to have coronary stenosis and therefore may benefit from initial ETT testing instead of CTA.
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Circ Cardiovasc Imaging · Mar 2012
CommentDoes imaging-guided selection of patients with ischemic heart failure for high risk revascularization improve identification of those with the highest clinical benefit?: Myocardial imaging should not exclude patients with ischemic heart failure from coronary revascularization.
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Circ Cardiovasc Imaging · Jan 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialProvider-directed imaging stress testing reduces health care expenditures in lower-risk chest pain patients presenting to the emergency department.
Among intermediate- to high-risk patients with chest pain, we have shown that a cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) stress test strategy implemented in an observation unit (OU) reduces 1-year health care costs compared with inpatient care. In this study, we compare 2 OU strategies to determine among lower-risk patients if a mandatory CMR stress test strategy was more effective than a physicians' ability to select a stress test modality. ⋯ URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00869245.
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Circ Cardiovasc Imaging · Nov 2011
Comparative StudyQuantitative assessment of artifacts on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging of patients with pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.
The safety and clinical utility of MRI at 1.5 T in patients with cardiac implantable devices such as pacemakers (PM) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) have been reported. This study aims to evaluate the extent of artifacts on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in patients with PM and ICD (PM/ICD). ⋯ In contrast to patients with right-sided PM/ICD and left-sided PM, the anterior and apical left ventricle can be affected by susceptibility artifacts in patients with left-sided ICD. Artifact reduction methodologies will be necessary to improve the performance of CMR in patients with left sided ICD systems.
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Circ Cardiovasc Imaging · Nov 2011
Comparative StudyEchocardiographic variables after left ventricular assist device implantation associated with adverse outcome.
Operative mortality after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation is heavily influenced by patient selection and the technical difficulty of surgery. However, how we treat our patients and LVAD setting may affect the patient outcome beyond this period. We postulated that the presence of echocardiographic variables 1 month after surgery suggesting appropriate degree of LV unloading and an adequate forward flow would be important in determining clinical outcomes after the initial successful LVAD implantation. ⋯ Mortality and heart failure after LVAD surgery appear to be predominantly determined by echocardiographic evidence of inefficient unloading of the left ventricle and persistence of right ventricular dysfunction. Increased estimated LA pressure and short MDI are associated with worse mid term outcome. Leftward deviation of the septum is associated with worse outcome as well.