The Canadian journal of cardiology
-
Review Meta Analysis
Diagnostic Value of Neurological Studies in Diagnosing Syncope: A Systematic Review.
Syncope is common and approaches to establishing etiology remain a matter of clinical and financial importance. Patients often undergo comprehensive neurologic investigations despite a lack of compelling indications. The aim was to determine the prevalence of use and diagnostic yield of electroencephalography (EEG), head computed tomography (CT), head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and carotid Doppler ultrasound (CUS) examinations. ⋯ Neurologic investigations for assessment of patients deemed to have syncope are used widely and are widely ineffective. Neurologic investigations should be obtained only with a very high degree of clinical suspicion.
-
Review Meta Analysis
Diagnostic Value of Neurological Studies in Diagnosing Syncope: A Systematic Review.
Syncope is common and approaches to establishing etiology remain a matter of clinical and financial importance. Patients often undergo comprehensive neurologic investigations despite a lack of compelling indications. The aim was to determine the prevalence of use and diagnostic yield of electroencephalography (EEG), head computed tomography (CT), head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and carotid Doppler ultrasound (CUS) examinations. ⋯ Neurologic investigations for assessment of patients deemed to have syncope are used widely and are widely ineffective. Neurologic investigations should be obtained only with a very high degree of clinical suspicion.
-
Review Meta Analysis
Transcatheter vs Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement for Aortic Stenosis in Low-Intermediate Risk Patients: A Meta-analysis.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has emerged as the treatment of choice for patients with severe aortic stenosis at high surgical risk; the role of TAVR compared with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in the low-intermediate surgical risk population remains uncertain. Our primary objective was to determine differences in 30-day and late mortality in patients treated with TAVR compared with SAVR at low-intermediate risk (Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality < 10%). ⋯ Although there was no difference in 30-day and late mortality, the rate of complications differed between TAVR and SAVR in the low-intermediate surgical risk population.
-
Few topics in adult congenital heart disease have approached the level of scrutiny bestowed on pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) strategies late after tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) repair. Despite the successes of primary surgery for TOF, there is a growing group of adults with residual right ventricular outflow tract and pulmonary valve dysfunction. Patients with residual chronic pulmonic regurgitation as a consequence of earlier surgery can later develop symptoms of exercise intolerance and complications including heart failure, tachyarrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. ⋯ Surgical PVR and percutaneous pulmonary valve intervention are different techniques with specific advantages and disadvantages that require careful consideration for each individual patient, alongside the need for requisite reinterventions over the course of a patient's lifetime. Criteria pertaining to referral strategies are ever being refined as newer technologies for percutaneous therapies continue to evolve. In this article we review the literature surrounding the indications for, the optimal timing of, and the approaches to pulmonary valve procedures in adults with previously repaired TOF.
-
Review Meta Analysis
Warfarin and the Risk of Stroke and Bleeding in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Receiving Dialysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Patients with atrial fibrillation who receive dialysis are at a high risk of ischemic stroke. The role of warfarin in mitigating this risk in patients with atrial fibrillation who receive dialysis is uncertain. Our objective was to examine the safety and efficacy of warfarin in patients who have atrial fibrillation and receive dialysis. ⋯ Observational studies suggest that warfarin was not associated with a clear benefit or harm among patients who have atrial fibrillation and receive dialysis. These estimates were limited by study heterogeneity including the inability to account for a number of important confounders such as the time in the therapeutic range. Because of the high prevalence of atrial fibrillation, stroke, and bleeding complications in this population, well designed clinical trials of warfarin and other anticoagulants are urgently needed.