American heart journal
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American heart journal · Apr 1995
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialIntravenous sotalol for the termination of supraventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation and flutter: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Sotalol Multicenter Study Group.
Sotalol is an antiarrhythmic agent with combined beta-blocking and class III antiarrhythmic properties. This study was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of sotalol in terminating supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), atrial fibrillation (AFib), and atrial flutter (AFl). Ninety-three patients with spontaneous or induced SVT (n = 45) or AF (AFib or AFl; n = 48) with a ventricular rate of > or = 120 beats/min were studied. ⋯ The most common adverse events were hypotension and dyspnea. During the double-blind phase they occurred in 10% of patients who received placebo, 9% of those who received 1.0 mg/kg i.v. sotalol (p = NS vs placebo), and 10% of those who received 1.5 mg/kg i.v. sotalol (p = NS vs placebo). Most of these events were mild to moderate, but all were transient and clinically manageable.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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American heart journal · Apr 1995
Comparative StudyDoppler evaluations of left ventricular diastolic filling and pulmonary wedge pressure provide similar prognostic information in patients with systolic dysfunction after myocardial infarction.
Previous studies have demonstrated that in patients with various types of cardiac diseases and left ventricular dysfunction, left ventricular filling patterns assessed by Doppler of mitral flow are correlated to ventricular filling pressure, the prognostic value of which is well known. The current study was carried out to determine the prognostic importance of a noninvasive evaluation of left ventricular filling by Doppler of mitral flow in patients with systolic dysfunction after myocardial infarction and to compare its value with that of pulmonary wedge pressure. One hundred seven patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction < 40% were studied 3 to 12 weeks after myocardial infarction. ⋯ Cox analysis revealed that the combination of early to late diastolic peak flow velocity ratio of mitral flow and New York Heart Association functional class were the strongest noninvasive independent predictors of cardiac events. One-year event-free probability of survival was 90% in patients with an early to late diastolic peak velocity ratio < or = 1 (all but 1 in New York Heart Association functional class I or II) but was significantly less in patients with an early to late diastolic peak velocity ratio > 1 (64% in functional class I or II and 36% functional class III). Similar results were obtained when mean pulmonary wedge pressure was considered instead of the ratio between peak flow velocities of mitral flow.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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American heart journal · Jan 1995
Comparative StudyDoppler echocardiographic pulmonary venous flow-velocity pattern for assessment of the hemodynamic profile in acute congestive heart failure.
The hemodynamic profile of congestive heart failure (CHF) is best described in terms of its two primary sets of hemodynamic parameters, that is, left atrial pressure and cardiac output, each of which has a specific and independently variable hemodynamic cause. To assess whether analysis of the mitral and/or pulmonary venous flow-velocity patterns provides valuable information in the noninvasive assessment of the hemodynamic profile of CHF, these patterns were obtained by using the transthoracic approach in 18 patients with acute CHF with simultaneous measurements of catheter-derived mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and thermodilution cardiac index. ⋯ Peak systolic pulmonary venous forward flow velocity and time-velocity integral of the systolic pulmonary venous flow wave were greater in patients with larger cardiac index (r = 0.80, n = 36, p < 0.01; r = 0.62, n = 36, p < 0.01). In conclusion, two primary sets of hemodynamic parameters, that is, left atrial pressure and cardiac output, can be estimated with Doppler pulmonary venous flow parameters in patients with acute CHF.
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American heart journal · Nov 1994
Comparative StudyDoes exercise reduce mortality rates in the elderly? Experience from the Framingham Heart Study.
Regular physical activity decreases the mortality rate in middle-aged men and probably in middle-aged women. It is unknown whether this is also true in the elderly. We studied 285 men and women aged 75 years or older who were free of cardiovascular disease. ⋯ There appeared to be an excess of sudden cardiac deaths in the most active women, although this group still lived longer than the least active women. We conclude that women aged 75 years or older who are more active live longer. This benefit may be attenuated in those who are extremely active.