Journal of the American College of Cardiology
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Apr 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyCoronary arterial 18F-sodium fluoride uptake: a novel marker of plaque biology.
With combined positron emission tomography and computed tomography (CT), we investigated coronary arterial uptake of 18F-sodium fluoride (18F-NaF) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) as markers of active plaque calcification and inflammation, respectively. ⋯ 18F-NaF is a promising new approach for the assessment of coronary artery plaque biology. Prospective studies with clinical outcomes are now needed to assess whether coronary 18F-NaF uptake represents a novel marker of plaque vulnerability, recent plaque rupture, and future cardiovascular risk. (An Observational PET/CT Study Examining the Role of Active Valvular Calcification and Inflammation in Patients With Aortic Stenosis; NCT01358513).
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Apr 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyTargeted left ventricular lead placement to guide cardiac resynchronization therapy: the TARGET study: a randomized, controlled trial.
This study sought to assess the impact of targeted left ventricular (LV) lead placement on outcomes of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). ⋯ Compared with standard CRT treatment, the use of speckle-tracking echocardiography to the target LV lead placement yields significantly improved response and clinical status and lower rates of combined death and heart failure-related hospitalization. (Targeted Left Ventricular Lead Placement to Guide Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy [TARGET] study); ISRCTN19717943).
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Apr 2012
Comparative StudyNoninvasive programmed ventricular stimulation early after ventricular tachycardia ablation to predict risk of late recurrence.
The goal of this study was to evaluate the ability of noninvasive programmed stimulation (NIPS) after ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation to identify patients at high risk of recurrence. ⋯ When patients with VT and structural heart disease have no VT or nonclinical VT only inducible at the end of ablation or their condition is too unstable to undergo final programmed stimulation, NIPS should be considered in the following days to further define risk of recurrence. If clinical VT is inducible at NIPS, repeat ablation may be considered because recurrence over the following year is high.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Apr 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyAssessment of dyspnea in acute decompensated heart failure: insights from ASCEND-HF (Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure) on the contributions of peak expiratory flow.
This study hypothesized that peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) would increase with acute heart failure (AHF) treatment over the first 24 h, related to a Dyspnea Index (DI) change and treatment effect. ⋯ PEFR increases over the first 24 h in AHF and could serve as an AHF endpoint. Nesiritide had a greater effect than placebo on PEFR, and this predicted patients with moderate/marked improvement in dyspnea, thereby providing an objective metric for assessing AHF. (Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure [ASCEND-HF]; NCT00475852).