Journal of the American College of Cardiology
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · May 2011
ReviewHeart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease the quandary of Beta-blockers and Beta-agonists.
The combination of heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease presents many therapeutic challenges. The cornerstones of therapy are beta-blockers and beta-agonists, respectively. Their pharmacological effects are diametrically opposed, and each is purported to adversely affect the alternative condition. ⋯ Beta-agonists are associated with incident heart failure in patients with pulmonary disease and with increased mortality and hospitalization in those with existing heart failure. These purported adverse effects require further investigation. In the meantime, clinicians should consider carefully the etiology of dyspnea and obtain objective evidence of airflow obstruction before prescribing beta-agonists to patients with heart failure.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · May 2011
Association of annular calcification and aortic valve sclerosis with brain findings on magnetic resonance imaging in community dwelling older adults: the cardiovascular health study.
The objective of this study was to investigate the associations of mitral annular calcification, aortic annular calcification, and aortic valve sclerosis with covert magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-defined brain infarcts. ⋯ Left-sided cardiac annular and valvular calcifications are associated with covert MRI-defined brain infarcts. Further study is warranted to identify mechanisms and determine whether intervening in the progression of annular and valvular calcification could reduce the incidence of covert brain infarcts as well as the associated risk for cognitive impairment and future stroke.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · May 2011
ACCF/AHA 2011 expert consensus document on hypertension in the elderly: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation Task Force on Clinical Expert Consensus documents developed in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology, American Geriatrics Society, American Society for Preventive Cardiology, American Society of Hypertension, American Society of Nephrology, Association of Black Cardiologists, and European Society of Hypertension.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · May 2011
Comparative StudyResults of the post-U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approval study with a continuous flow left ventricular assist device as a bridge to heart transplantation: a prospective study using the INTERMACS (Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support).
The aim of this study was to determine whether results with the HeartMate (HM) II left ventricular assist device (LVAD) (Thoratec Corporation, Pleasanton, California) in a commercial setting are comparable to other available devices for the same indication. ⋯ The results in a post-market approval, actual patient care setting BTT population support the original findings from the pivotal clinical trial regarding the efficacy and risk profile of the HM II LVAD. These data suggest that dissemination of this technology after approval has been associated with continued excellent results.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · May 2011
Review Comparative StudyCentral obesity and survival in subjects with coronary artery disease: a systematic review of the literature and collaborative analysis with individual subject data.
The aim of this study was to examine the association of central (waist circumference [WC] and waist-hip ratio [WHR]) and total obesity (body mass index [BMI]) measures with mortality in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. ⋯ In subjects with CAD, including those with normal and high BMI, central obesity but not BMI is directly associated with mortality.