Heart : official journal of the British Cardiac Society
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Review Meta Analysis
Atrial fibrillation and thromboembolism in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: systematic review.
HCM is commonly associated with AF. Current guidelines for AF management omit detailed advice for HCM because of a lack of clinical prediction tools that estimate the risk of developing AF and an absence of adequately powered treatment studies. ⋯ AF is common in HCM and associated with high thromboembolic risk. LA dimension and age are independently associated with AF but the literature is insufficient to create robust clinical tools to predict AF or thromboembolism. Most data suggest that AF patients should be anticoagulated.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Benefit of β-blocker treatment for patients with acute myocardial infarction and preserved systolic function after percutaneous coronary intervention.
β-blockers are the standard treatment for myocardial infarction (MI) based on evidence from the pre-thrombolytic era. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of β-blocker treatment in patients with acute MI and preserved systolic function in the era of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). ⋯ β-blocker treatment was associated with reduced long term mortality in patients with acute MI and preserved systolic function who received PCI.
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Review Meta Analysis
Safety and efficacy of dabigatran versus warfarin in patients undergoing catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Dabigatran etexilate, a new thrombin inhibitor, has been shown to be comparable to warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, there is a limited body of evidence on the efficacy and safety of using dabigatran among patients undergoing AF catheter ablation. ⋯ In the specific setting of AF catheter ablation, this first pooled analysis suggests that patients treated with dabigatran have a similar incidence of thromboembolic events and major bleeding compared to warfarin, with low event rates overall.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of intravenous and oral β-blockade in persistent asthmatics controlled on inhaled corticosteroids.
Despite their benefits in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, β-blockers are seldom used to treat asthmatics. We assessed the safety and tolerability of acute dosing with esmolol and propranolol in patients with asthma. ⋯ Intravenous esmolol was administered without any adverse effects on pulmonary function in selected, stable, mild-to-moderate asthmatics controlled on inhaled corticosteroids. Tiotropium prevented propranolol induced bronchoconstriction after acute dosing during up-titration to 80 mg with no adverse impact on asthma control.