American heart journal
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American heart journal · May 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyVariations in practice and outcomes in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention in the United States and Canada: insights from the Assessment of Pexelizumab in Acute Myocardial Infarction (APEX AMI) trial.
Information on practice patterns and outcomes in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) in Canada vs United States is limited. ⋯ Compared with US patients, Canadian patients had shorter door-to-PCI time but similar 90-day outcomes. These data suggest an opportunity for US sites to examine and learn from the Canadian systems of processes of care and implement changes so as to improve the timeliness of primary PCI.
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American heart journal · May 2012
Comparative StudyCombined use of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T and N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide improves measurements of performance over established mortality risk factors in chronic heart failure.
Heart failure still maintains a high mortality. Biomarkers reflecting different pathophysiological pathways are under evaluation to better stratify the mortality risk. The objective was to assess high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) in combination with N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) for risk stratification in a real-life cohort of ambulatory heart failure patients. ⋯ hs-cTnT provides significant prognostic information in a real-life cohort of patients with chronic heart failure. Simultaneous addition of hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP into a model that includes established risk factors improves mortality risk stratification.