Journal of the American College of Cardiology
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Feb 2007
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyEffect of darbepoetin alfa on exercise tolerance in anemic patients with symptomatic chronic heart failure: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
This study sought to investigate whether darbepoetin alfa, an erythropoiesis-stimulating protein (ESP), improves exercise capacity in patients with symptomatic chronic heart failure (CHF) and anemia. ⋯ In patients with symptomatic CHF and anemia, darbepoetin alfa increased and maintained hemoglobin concentrations and improved health-related quality of life. A trend toward increased exercise time but not peak VO2 was observed. (Impact of Darbepoetin Alfa on Exercise Tolerance and Left Ventricular Structure in Subjects With Symptomatic Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) and Anemia; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00117234?order = 1; NCT00117234).
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Feb 2007
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyEffects of perioperative nesiritide in patients with left ventricular dysfunction undergoing cardiac surgery:the NAPA Trial.
The purpose of this study was to determine the role nesiritide might play in patients with left ventricular dysfunction undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). ⋯ Nesiritide in the setting of CABG with CPB is associated with improved postoperative renal function and possibly enhanced survival. (The NAPA Trial; ; ).
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Feb 2007
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyUltrafiltration versus intravenous diuretics for patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure.
This study was designed to compare the safety and efficacy of veno-venous ultrafiltration and standard intravenous diuretic therapy for hypervolemic heart failure (HF) patients. ⋯ In decompensated HF, ultrafiltration safely produces greater weight and fluid loss than intravenous diuretics, reduces 90-day resource utilization for HF, and is an effective alternative therapy. (The UNLOAD trial; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00124137?order=1; NCT00124137).
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Feb 2007
Increased risk in patients with high platelet aggregation receiving chronic clopidogrel therapy undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: is the current antiplatelet therapy adequate?
We sought to determine whether patients receiving chronic clopidogrel therapy undergoing nonemergent stenting who display high on-treatment preprocedural platelet aggregation measured by standard light transmittance aggregometry and thrombelastography (TEG) will be at increased risk for poststenting ischemic events. ⋯ Patients receiving chronic clopidogrel therapy undergoing nonemergent percutaneous coronary intervention who exhibit high on-treatment ADP-induced platelet aggregation are at increased risk for postprocedural ischemic events. These findings might have implications for the alteration in clopidogrel maintenance dose and use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors in selected patients.