Heart failure clinics
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Heart failure clinics · Oct 2011
ReviewReporting of clinical trials: publication, authorship, and trial registration.
Transparency is the foundation on which all of research integrity rests. The public trust from patients, providers, and policy makers depends on fidelity to the mandates of accountability and access. Two important foundational practices for maintaining transparency in research and the reporting of clinical trials discussed in this review concern manuscript authorship and clinical trial registry, recognizing recent controversies regarding honorary and ghost authorship in the publication of industry-sponsored studies.
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Heart failure clinics · Oct 2011
ReviewCovariate adjustment in heart failure randomized controlled clinical trials: a case analysis of the HF-ACTION trial.
Randomized controlled clinical trials are predominantly used to determine the benefit of a therapeutic intervention in patients with congestive heart failure (HF). These trials are commonly lengthy and expensive, and enroll patients with baseline imbalances that may influence outcome, even after randomization. ⋯ Covariate adjustment may provide more individualized effect estimates and a potential improvement in power and reduction in type 1 error. This article reviews the HF-ACTION trial to better understand whether covariate adjustment should be prespecified as the primary end point in HF clinical trials.
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Heart failure clinics · Jul 2011
ReviewCardiac disease and heart failure in cancer patients: is our training adequate to provide optimal care?
The care of patients with cancer who have cardiac disease is dispersed both sequentially and concurrently across multiple providers, and an important goal of education is communication among the providers regarding change of therapy, toxicity of therapy, and symptom assessments. Changes must be made to improve the delivery of cardiac care in patients with cancer and cancer survivors. Therefore, the authors propose a multilevel approach that includes short, targeted curriculum for housestaff training programs in internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, cardiology and oncology; increasing presence at national meetings of internists, oncologists and cardiologists; and an Internet-based repository of core information.
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Heart failure clinics · Apr 2011
ReviewThe role of ventricular tachycardia ablation in the reduction of implantable defibrillator shocks.
Frequent shocks from an implantable defibrillator (ICD) can have adverse cardiac affects and lead to increased pain, anxiety, and a decreased quality of life. Pharmacologic attempts and ICD reprogramming strategies aimed at reducing ICD shocks have modest results, with frequent discontinuation of medicines because of side effects. Ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation is recommended in the treatment of patients with frequent ICD shocks caused by VT. VT ablation may also be considered in patients with an initial ICD shock and as prophylactic treatment in patients with a history of sustained VT who are undergoing ICD implant.
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In the United States, 250,000 people die from a cardiac arrest every year. Despite a well established emergency medical response system, survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains poor in United States cities. Paramount to achieving successful resuscitation of a cardiac arrest victim is provision of early defibrillation. ⋯ In 1995, the American Heart Association challenged the medical industry to develop a defibrillator that could be placed in public settings, used safely by lay responders, and provide earlier defibrillation to cardiac arrest victims. Over the last decade, there have been significant technological advancements in automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and clinical studies have demonstrated their benefits and limitations in various public locations. This article discusses the technologic features of the modern AED and the current data available on the use of AEDs in public settings.