Journal of the American College of Cardiology
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Nov 1995
Balloon aortic valvuloplasty in adults: failure of procedure to improve long-term survival.
This study sought to determine the long-term outcome of adult patients undergoing percutaneous balloon aortic valvuloplasty. ⋯ Long-term event-free and actuarial survival after balloon aortic valvuloplasty is dismal and resembles the natural history of untreated aortic stenosis. Aortic valve replacement may be performed in selected subjects with good results. However, the prognosis for the remainder of patients who are not candidates for aortic valve replacement is particularly poor.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Nov 1995
Cardiologists' practices compared with practice guidelines: use of beta-blockade after acute myocardial infarction.
Our purpose was to measure cardiologists' level of adherence to guidelines for long-term use of beta-adrenergic blocker therapy after acute myocardial infarction. ⋯ Cardiologists currently exhibit a low level of compliance with their specialty's guidelines for postinfarction beta-blockade. Slightly fewer than 50% of the study patients who were eligible for treatment actually received a beta-blocker after hospital discharge. This result, combined with the drug's known level of effectiveness in preventing recurrent myocardial infarction, suggests that increased use could avert approximately 1,900 deaths annually nationwide.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Nov 1995
Effects of verapamil and propranolol on early afterdepolarizations and ventricular arrhythmias induced by epinephrine in congenital long QT syndrome.
This study used monophasic action potentials to investigate the effects of verapamil and propranolol on epinephrine-induced repolarization abnormalities in congenital long QT syndrome. ⋯ These results indicate that both verapamil and propranolol can improve repolarization abnormalities induced by epinephrine in congenital long QT syndrome.
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This study reviews the clinical outcome of a series of patients with recurrent pericarditis before and after immunosuppressive therapy. ⋯ The dose and duration of steroid treatment are critical factors in preventing recurrent pericarditis. High dose prednisone with aspirin should be considered in the treatment of recurrent pericarditis resistant to anti-inflammatory therapy. Cyclophosphamide or azathioprine should be reserved for patients who do not respond to high dose prednisone or who experience severe complications related to steroid therapy.