Journal of the American College of Cardiology
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Jan 2007
Influence of blood pressure on the effectiveness of a fixed-dose combination of isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine in the African-American Heart Failure Trial.
This study sought to assess the effect of baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP) and changes in SBP on the effectiveness of treatment with fixed-dose combination of isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine (FDC I/H) in patients with heart failure (HF). ⋯ In A-HeFT, patients with lower SBP had a greater risk but a similar relative benefit from the use of FDC I/H as those with higher SBP. The FDC I/H treatment did not reduce SBP in patients with low SBP. An asymptomatic low SBP should not be considered a contraindication to use of FDC I/H in patients with HF.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Dec 2006
GuidelineAmerican College of Cardiology 2006 principles to guide physician pay-for-performance programs: a report of the American College of Cardiology Work Group on Pay for Performance (A Joint Working Group of the ACC Quality Strategic Direction Committee and the ACC Advocacy Committee).
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Dec 2006
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyRandomized double-blind comparison of sirolimus-eluting stent versus bare-metal stent implantation in diseased saphenous vein grafts: six-month angiographic, intravascular ultrasound, and clinical follow-up of the RRISC Trial.
We sought to compare, in a randomized fashion, sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) versus bare-metal stents (BMS) in saphenous vein grafts (SVGs). ⋯ Sirolimus-eluting stents significantly reduce late loss in SVG as opposed to BMS. This is associated with a reduction in restenosis rate and repeated target lesion and vessel revascularization procedures. (The RRISC Study; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show; NCT00263263).
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Dec 2006
Randomized Controlled TrialLate clinical events after clopidogrel discontinuation may limit the benefit of drug-eluting stents: an observational study of drug-eluting versus bare-metal stents.
We sought to define the incidence of late clinical events and late stent thrombosis in patients treated with drug-eluting (DES) versus bare-metal stents (BMS) after the discontinuation of clopidogrel as well as their timing and outcome. ⋯ After the discontinuation of clopidogrel, the benefit of DES in reducing target vessel revascularization is maintained but has to be balanced against an increase in late cardiac death or nonfatal MI, possibly related to late stent thrombosis.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Dec 2006
Role of Purkinje fibers in post-infarction ventricular tachycardia.
The objective of this study was to assess the role of Purkinje fibers in monomorphic, post-infarction ventricular tachycardia (VT). ⋯ The Purkinje system may be part of the re-entry circuit in patients with post-infarction monomorphic VT, resulting in a type of VT with a relatively narrow QRS complex that mimics fascicular VT.