The New England journal of medicine
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Retracted Publication
Nonsurgical reduction of the interventricular septum in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
In patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract, nonsurgical reduction of the septum is a treatment option when medical therapy has failed. We investigated the long-term effects of nonsurgical reduction of the septum on functional capacity and electrocardiographic and echocardiographic characteristics. ⋯ Nonsurgical septal reduction leads to sustained improvements in both subjective and objective measures of exercise capacity in association with a persistent reduction in resting and stress-induced left ventricular outflow tract gradients. It is also associated with a high incidence of procedure-related complete heart block, however, often requiring permanent pacing.
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Automated external defibrillators save lives when they are used by designated personnel in certain public settings. We performed a two-year prospective study at three Chicago airports to assess whether random bystanders witnessing out-of-hospital cardiac arrests would retrieve and successfully use automated external defibrillators. ⋯ Automated external defibrillators deployed in readily accessible, well-marked public areas in Chicago airports were used effectively to assist patients with cardiac arrest. In the cases of survivors, most of the users had no duty to act and no prior training in the use of these devices.