European heart journal
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European heart journal · Apr 2005
Prevalence of pulmonary vein disconnection after anatomical ablation for atrial fibrillation: consequences of wide atrial encircling of the pulmonary veins.
Anatomical and wide atrial encircling of the pulmonary veins (PVs) has been proposed as a cure of atrial fibrillation (AF). We evaluated the acute achievement of electrical PV isolation using this approach. In addition, the consequences of wide encircling of the PVs with isolation were assessed. ⋯ Anatomically guided circumferential PV ablation results in apparently coalescent but electrically incomplete lesions with residual conduction in 45% of PVs. Wide encircling of the PVs was associated with left atrial macrore-entry in 20% of patients.
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European heart journal · Apr 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialIntense metabolic control by means of insulin in patients with diabetes mellitus and acute myocardial infarction (DIGAMI 2): effects on mortality and morbidity.
Patients with diabetes have an unfavourable prognosis after an acute myocardial infarction. In the first DIGAMI study, an insulin-based glucose management improved survival. In DIGAMI 2, three treatment strategies were compared: group 1, acute insulin-glucose infusion followed by insulin-based long-term glucose control; group 2, insulin-glucose infusion followed by standard glucose control; and group 3, routine metabolic management according to local practice. ⋯ DIGAMI 2 did not support the fact that an acutely introduced, long-term insulin treatment improves survival in type 2 diabetic patients following myocardial infarction when compared with a conventional management at similar levels of glucose control or that insulin-based treatment lowers the number of non-fatal myocardial reinfarctions and strokes. However, an epidemiological analysis confirms that the glucose level is a strong, independent predictor of long-term mortality in this patient category, underlining that glucose control seems to be an important part of their management.
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European heart journal · Apr 2005
Multicenter StudyReduction of treatment delay in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction: impact of pre-hospital diagnosis and direct referral to primary percutanous coronary intervention.
The majority of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are admitted to local hospitals without primary percutaneous coronary intervention (primary PCI) facilities. Acute transferral to an interventional centre is necessary to treat these patients with primary PCI. The present study assessed the reduction in treatment delay achieved by pre-hospital diagnosis and referral directly to an interventional centre. ⋯ In a cohort of patients scheduled for admission to a local hospital and subsequent transferral to an interventional centre for primary PCI, those diagnosed pre-hospitally had shorter treatment delay compared with those diagnosed in hospital, both in the setting of initial admission to a local hospital, and to an even larger extent in the setting of referral directly to the interventional centre.