Journal of the American College of Cardiology
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Colchicine, a natural and ancient drug still used today, is traditionally considered the staple therapy for gout and a second-line treatment for pericarditis, as well as a basic part of familial Mediterranean fever and Behcet's disease management. It is commonly classified as an anti-inflammatory agent, although its mechanism of action does not involve the arachidonic acid pathway affected by non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs and glucocorticoids. ⋯ Recent studies suggest that colchicine may prove to be useful in a much wider spectrum of cardiovascular diseases than previously suspected, rekindling the interest in this old drug. In this review we briefly present the biochemical characteristics, mechanism of action and side-effects of colchicine, as well as examine what is currently known about the promising role of colchicine in cardiovascular medicine beyond pericardial disease.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Nov 2013
Efficacy, safety, and outcomes of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
This study sought to investigate the efficacy and safety of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF). ⋯ Our results suggest that AF can be effectively and safely treated with a composite of repeat procedures and pharmaceuticals in patients with HFPEF. However, the current study was a single-arm analysis; therefore, larger randomized control studies are needed to verify the benefit of AF ablation in this cohort.