Revue médicale suisse
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Revue médicale suisse · May 2006
Review[The Polypill: between myths and reality in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus].
The Polypill: between myths and reality in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus The concept of "Polypill" was developed from modeling analyses and the data were extracted from randomized-control trials and epidemiological studies. This "Polypill" should be a combination of three antihypertensive drugs associated to aspirin, a statin and folic acid. This "Polypill" would allow to reduce of more than 80% the cardiovascular events. ⋯ Numerous positive and negative reactions showed themselves further to this publication. Other approaches based on the change of lifestyle seem so effective. Nevertheless, to have a really effective approach the therapeutic educational dimension should be also included in the basic strategy.
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Revue médicale suisse · May 2006
Review[Radiofrequency ablation in ventricular tachycardia: an alternative to implanted cardioverter defibrillator?].
Patients with ventricular tachycardia (VT) are subject to frequent recurrences despite antiarrhythmic drug therapy. Radiofrequency ablation is a useful alternative. Implantable defibrillators terminate episodes of VT but do not prevent them. ⋯ There are two situations: VT in patients without identifiable structural heart disease or idiopathic VT and VT related to structural heart disease. After catheter ablation, idiopathic VT has a good prognosis and implantable defibrillators are usually not indicated. Scar-related VT are more difficult to treat with catheter ablation, but this technique is particularly useful for controlling frequent defibrillator shocks and incessant VT.