Journal of cardiovascular medicine
-
J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown) · Dec 2007
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyPost-cardioversion transesophageal echocardiography (POSTEC) strategy with the use of enoxaparin for brief anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation patients: the multicenter POSTEC trial (a pilot study).
In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), we sought to evaluate the feasibility and safety of a new transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)-guided strategy, aimed at selecting, 7 days post-cardioversion, those patients who are at low risk (i.e. who can terminate anticoagulation after a second TEE) and those at high risk (i.e. who have to continue it). ⋯ The pre/post-cardioversion TEE strategy with enoxaparin in AF may constitute a feasible and safe approach in selecting patients at low thromboembolic risk who can benefit from precocious termination of anticoagulation (7 days after cardioversion). It may be also useful to identify those patients in whom a life-lasting anticoagulation could be beneficial. A larger trial to confirm these findings is under way.
-
J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown) · Aug 2007
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyInvestigation on Colchicine for Acute Pericarditis: a multicenter randomized placebo-controlled trial evaluating the clinical benefits of colchicine as adjunct to conventional therapy in the treatment and prevention of pericarditis; study design amd rationale.
Colchicine is safe and effective in the treatment and prevention of recurrent pericarditis after failure of conventional treatment. The recent guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology suggest that colchicine might be useful even in the treatment of the first episode. However, the use of the drug is not based on any strong evidence obtained from clinical trials, and no randomized placebo-controlled trial is available to guide the management of acute pericarditis. ⋯ The ICAP trial will be the first randomized placebo-controlled trial in this area. This trial will provide important evidence regarding the possible benefit of the early use of colchicine in the treatment of acute pericarditis and the primary prevention of recurrences, the most troublesome and commonest complication of pericarditis.