Circulation
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International guidelines recommend differentiation between cardiac and noncardiac causes of cardiac arrest. The aim of this study was to find the rate of agreement between primarily postulated and definitive causes of cardiac arrest. ⋯ Cause of cardiac arrest is not as easily recognized as anticipated, especially when the initial rhythm is different from ventricular fibrillation. This might affect comparability of study results, therapeutic strategies, prognosis, and outcome. Patients in whom the presumed cause was confirmed as being correct had significantly better survival and neurological outcome.
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Preformed anti-HLA antibodies reacting specifically with donor lymphocytes have been associated with acute vascular rejection and early cardiac allograft failure. However, the effect of preformed anti-HLA antibodies directed against allogeneic major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I or II antigens of a donor panel on heart transplantation outcome has not been extensively studied. ⋯ These results emphasize the importance of specifically screening heart transplantation candidates for the presence of IgG antibodies directed against MHC class II molecules and suggest that strategies aimed at their reduction may have an impact on the onset and frequency of high-grade cellular rejections after transplantation.
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We sought to describe the resuscitation preferences of patients hospitalized with an exacerbation of severe congestive heart failure, perceptions of those preferences by their physicians, and the stability of the preferences. ⋯ Almost one quarter of patients hospitalized with severe heart failure expressed a preference not to be resuscitated. The physician's perception of the patient's preference was not accurate in about one quarter of the cases. but communication was not associated with greater agreement between the patient and the physician. A substantial proportion of patients who did not want to be resuscitated changed their minds within 2 months of discharge.
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Comparative Study
RR interval dynamics before atrial fibrillation in patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
Atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF) is a frequent complication of coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) that leads to increased costs and morbidity. We hypothesized that heart rate variability (HRV), an indicator of cardiac sympathovagal balance, is altered before the onset of postoperative AF. Because nonlinear methods of HRV analysis provide information about heart rate dynamics not evident from usual HRV measures, we also hypothesized that approximate entropy (ApEn), a nonlinear measure of HRV, might have predictive value. ⋯ In the hour before AF after CABG surgery, higher heart rate and lower heart rate complexity compared with values in control patients were independent predictors of AF. Decreased ApEn occurs in patients with either increased or decreased HRV by traditional measures and may provide a useful tool for risk stratification or investigation of mechanisms.
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Review Historical Article
Landmarks in the development of coronary artery bypass surgery.