Journal of the American College of Cardiology
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Apr 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialEconomic analysis of a transesophageal echocardiography-guided approach to cardioversion of patients with atrial fibrillation: the ACUTE economic data at eight weeks.
The aim of this study was to compare the relative cost of a transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)-guided strategy versus conventional strategy for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) >2 days duration undergoing electrical cardioversion over an eight-week period. ⋯ In patients with AF >2 days duration undergoing electrical cardioversion, the TEE-guided group showed little difference in patient costs compared with the conventional group. The TEE strategy had higher initial treatment costs but lower outcome-associated costs. Cumulative costs were 24% higher in the conventional group, primarily due to bleeding. The TEE-guided strategy is an economically feasible approach compared with the conventional strategy.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Apr 2004
Comparative StudyThe prognostic significance of exercise-induced atrial arrhythmias.
The purpose of the study was to determine if atrial ectopy (AE) or atrial arrhythmias during exercise are predictive of an increased risk of cardiac events and death. ⋯ In this large cohort of patients, the occurrence of AE was predictive of an increased risk of MI. However, the association did not persist after adjustment for clinical and exercise variables known to predict adverse long-term cardiovascular outcomes. The rate of long-term cardiac death or revascularization was not influenced by the development of stress-induced atrial arrhythmias.