Heart : official journal of the British Cardiac Society
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Multicenter Study
Clinical outcome of patients treated with spinal cord stimulation for therapeutically refractory angina pectoris. The Working Group on Neurocardiology.
To determine morbidity and mortality characteristics in patients treated with electrical neuromodulation for refractory angina pectoris. ⋯ The clinical outcome of patients with intractable angina is not adversely affected by the chronic use of neurostimulation.
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To evaluate the combined assessment of reflow and collateral blood flow by myocardial contrast echocardiography after myocardial infarction. ⋯ Combined assessment of reflow and collateral blood flow enhanced the sensitivity of myocardial contrast echocardiography in predicting myocardial viability after acute, reperfused myocardial infarction. The simultaneous presence of reflow and collateral blood flow was highly specific of recovery of segmental dysfunction.
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To assess the impact of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) on the need for acute admissions for chest pain in patients with refractory angina pectoris. ⋯ SCS is effective in preventing hospital admissions in patients with refractory angina, without masking serious ischaemic symptoms or leading to silent infarction.
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Incidence of secondary pulmonary hypertension in adults with atrial septal or sinus venosus defects.
To examine the incidence of raised pulmonary artery pressure and resistance in adults with isolated atrial septal defect within the oval fossa (so called secundum defect) or sinus venosus defect. ⋯ Patients with sinus venosus defect have higher pulmonary pressures and resistances and develop these complications at younger age than patients with atrial septal defects. Thus they should be managed differently than patients with "simple" atrial septal defects.
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Multicenter Study
Death on the waiting list for cardiac surgery in The Netherlands in 1994 and 1995.
To describe the causes and circumstances of death regarding patients who died in 1994 and 1995 while on a waiting list for cardiac surgery in the Netherlands. ⋯ The causes and circumstances of death are waiting list related for approximately 100 patients per year in the Netherlands. At least half of the deaths may occur within the first six weeks. Waiting lists for cardiac surgery engender high risks for the patients involved.