Journal of the American College of Cardiology
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Nov 1995
Cardiologists' practices compared with practice guidelines: use of beta-blockade after acute myocardial infarction.
Our purpose was to measure cardiologists' level of adherence to guidelines for long-term use of beta-adrenergic blocker therapy after acute myocardial infarction. ⋯ Cardiologists currently exhibit a low level of compliance with their specialty's guidelines for postinfarction beta-blockade. Slightly fewer than 50% of the study patients who were eligible for treatment actually received a beta-blocker after hospital discharge. This result, combined with the drug's known level of effectiveness in preventing recurrent myocardial infarction, suggests that increased use could avert approximately 1,900 deaths annually nationwide.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Nov 1995
Effects of verapamil and propranolol on early afterdepolarizations and ventricular arrhythmias induced by epinephrine in congenital long QT syndrome.
This study used monophasic action potentials to investigate the effects of verapamil and propranolol on epinephrine-induced repolarization abnormalities in congenital long QT syndrome. ⋯ These results indicate that both verapamil and propranolol can improve repolarization abnormalities induced by epinephrine in congenital long QT syndrome.
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This study reviews the clinical outcome of a series of patients with recurrent pericarditis before and after immunosuppressive therapy. ⋯ The dose and duration of steroid treatment are critical factors in preventing recurrent pericarditis. High dose prednisone with aspirin should be considered in the treatment of recurrent pericarditis resistant to anti-inflammatory therapy. Cyclophosphamide or azathioprine should be reserved for patients who do not respond to high dose prednisone or who experience severe complications related to steroid therapy.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Oct 1995
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialDual-chamber pacing with a short atrioventricular delay in congestive heart failure: a randomized study.
This prospective study assessed the initial hemodynamic effects and long-term clinical benefits of dual-chamber pacing with a short atrioventricular (AV) delay in patients with chronic heart failure who had no traditional indication for pacemaker implantation. ⋯ Dual-chamber pacing with a short AV delay does not improve hemodynamic and clinical status or ejection fraction measured on the day after pacemaker implantation in patients with chronic congestive heart failure. Routine use of pacemaker therapy with a short AV delay aas a primary treatment of heart failure in patients without standard arrhythmic indications is unwarranted.