American heart journal
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American heart journal · May 2017
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyReduced duration of dual antiplatelet therapy using an improved drug-eluting stent for percutaneous coronary intervention of the left main artery in a real-world, all-comer population: Rationale and study design of the prospective randomized multicenter IDEAL-LM trial.
Continuous improvements in stent technology make percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) a potential alternative to surgery in selected patients with unprotected left main coronary artery (uLMCA) disease. The optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in these patients remains undetermined, and in addition, new stent designs using a bioabsorbable polymer might allow shorter duration of DAPT. ⋯ IDEAL-LM is designed to assess the safety and efficacy of the novel Synergy stent followed by 4 months of DAPT vs the Xience stent followed by 12 months of DAPT in patients undergoing uLMCA PCI. The study will provide novel insights regarding optimal treatment strategy for patients undergoing PCI of uLMCA disease (www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT 02303717).
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American heart journal · May 2017
Factors associated with rhythm control treatment decisions in patients with atrial fibrillation-Insights from the NCDR PINNACLE registry.
Decisions to use rhythm control in atrial fibrillation (AF) should generally be dictated by patient factors, such as quality of life, heart failure, and other comorbidities. Whether or not other factors affect decisions about the use of rhythm control, and catheter ablation in particular, is unknown. ⋯ One in 5 AF patients in the PINNACLE registry received rhythm control, and 1 in 50 received catheter ablation, suggesting that rhythm control may be underused. A variety of measured and unmeasured practice factors unrelated to patient characteristics play a disproportionate role in the use of rhythm control treatment decisions. Understanding the drivers of these decisions may identify inappropriate treatment variation and better inform optimal use of these therapies.
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American heart journal · Apr 2017
The impact of body mass index on the wearable cardioverter defibrillator shock efficacy and patient wear time.
The impact of body mass index (BMI) on the shock efficacy and patient adherence among patients using a wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) is unknown. ⋯ The WCD first-shock success rate and post-event 24-hour survival were high and independent from BMI. TTI was positively correlated with BMI but did not impact early clinical outcome. WCD was safe to all BMI groups and the patient wear time was excellent across all groups.
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American heart journal · Apr 2017
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyAerobic exercise training and general health status in ambulatory heart failure patients with a reduced ejection fraction-Findings from the Heart Failure and A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training (HF-ACTION)trial.
Although aerobic exercise improves quality of life as assessed by a disease-specific instrument in ambulatory HF patients with a reduced ejection fraction (EF), the impact of an exercise intervention on general health status has not been previously reported. ⋯ Ambulatory HF patients with a reduced EF had impaired health status at baseline which was associated with increased morbidity and mortality, in part mitigated by a structured aerobic exercise regimen.
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American heart journal · Apr 2017
Trends in health care expenditure among US adults with heart failure: The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 2002-2011.
Population-based national data on the trends in expenditures related to heart failure (HF) are scarce. Assessing the time trends in health care expenditures for HF in the United States can help to better define the burden of this condition.