Journal of the American College of Cardiology
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Aug 2003
Comparative StudyBrain natriuretic peptide and n-terminal brain natriuretic peptide in the diagnosis of heart failure in patients with acute shortness of breath.
This study sought to compare the utility of measurement of plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (N-BNP) in the diagnosis of heart failure (HF) in patients with acute dyspnea. ⋯ Measurement of BNP or N-BNP is useful in the diagnosis of HF in acute dyspnea. Commercially available assays compare favorably with well-validated laboratory assays. Differences in sensitivity and specificity may influence the assay choice in this setting.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Aug 2003
Echocardiographic prediction of left ventricular dysfunction after mitral valve repair for mitral regurgitation as an indicator to decide the optimal timing of repair.
This study sought to determine whether echocardiography before mitral valve repair (MVR) for mitral regurgitation (MR) was predictive of postoperative left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and useful for deciding the optimal timing of repair. ⋯ In patients with MR, the echocardiographic data of LVEF and LVDs were good predictors of postoperative LV dysfunction. When a decrease in LVEF or an increase in LVDs is detected, MVR should be considered to preserve postoperative LV function.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Aug 2003
Comparative StudyTriphasic waveforms are superior to biphasic waveforms for transthoracic defibrillation: experimental studies.
Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of triphasic waveforms for transthoracic defibrillation in a swine model. ⋯ Triphasic transthoracic shocks composed of equal duration pulses were superior to biphasic shocks for VF termination at low energies and caused less VT and asystole.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Jul 2003
Myocardial velocity gradient as a noninvasively determined index of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
We investigated the utility of the peak negative myocardial velocity gradient (MVG) derived from tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) for evaluation of diastolic dysfunction in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). ⋯ A reduced peak negative MVG reflects both prolonged relaxation and elevated LVEDP. The peak negative MVG might thus provide a noninvasive index of diastolic function, yielding unique information about auxotonic relaxation in patients with HCM.