American heart journal
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American heart journal · Nov 2004
Prognostic value of low-level cardiac troponin-I elevations in patients without definite acute coronary syndromes.
Low-level cardiac troponin-I (cTn-I) elevations predict adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with definite acute coronary syndromes (ACS), as defined by the presence of chest pain accompanied by ischemic electrocardiographic changes. However, their prognostic value in other clinical situations remains unclear. ⋯ Low-level cTn-I elevations identify a subset of patients at increased risk for future cardiovascular events, even when obtained outside the context of definite ACS or presentation with chest pain.
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American heart journal · Nov 2004
Effect of age on the use of evidence-based therapies for acute myocardial infarction.
Previous studies have documented an underuse of evidence-based therapies in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, many of these studies failed to consider contraindications to therapy, the effect of age (ie, elderly vs non-elderly patients) on use, or both. The objective of this study was to determine whether elderly patients are less likely than non-elderly patients to receive evidence-based AMI treatments, both before and after the consideration of contraindications to therapy. ⋯ Despite adjustments for contraindications to therapy, the underuse of AMI treatments, particularly in elderly patients, was found.