Journal of the American Heart Association
-
Variability in the duration of attempted in‐hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is high, but the factors influencing termination of CPR efforts are unknown. ⋯ Age and sex were associated with attempted CPR duration in patients who do not experience ROSC after in‐hospital cardiac arrest but not in those who experience ROSC. Understanding the mechanism of these interactions may help explain variability in outcomes for in‐hospital cardiac arrest.
-
Hypertension is a frequent risk factor for the development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF). Progressive extracellular matrix accumulation has been presumed to be the fundamental pathophysiologic mechanism that leads to the transition to impaired diastolic reserve. However, the contribution of other mechanisms affecting active and passive components of diastolic function has not been comprehensively assessed. In this study, we investigated the potential role of impaired myocardial oxygen delivery in the pathophysiology of HFPEF. ⋯ The current study provides unique data suggesting that the abnormal diastolic reserve observed during exertion in HFPEF patients may, in part, be explained by impaired myocardial oxygen delivery due possibly to microvascular dysfunction. Further studies are required to confirm the structural and functional basis of these findings and to investigate the influence of potential therapies on this abnormality.
-
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been reported to increase the concentration of nitric oxide (NO) in the brain and can lead to loss of cerebrovascular tone; however, the sources, amounts, and consequences of excess NO on the cerebral vasculature are unknown. Our objective was to elucidate the mechanism of decreased cerebral artery tone after TBI. ⋯ The mechanism of profound cerebral artery vasodilation after TBI is a gain of function in vascular NO production by 60‐fold over controls, resulting from upregulation of the inducible isoform of NO synthase in the endothelium.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Early discharge after primary percutaneous coronary intervention: the added value of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide to the Zwolle Risk Score.
The Zwolle Risk Score (ZRS) identifies ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) eligible for early discharge. We aimed to investigate whether baseline N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is also able to identify these patients and could improve future risk strategies. ⋯ Baseline NT-proBNP identifies a large group of low-risk patients who may be eligible for early (48- to 72-hour) discharge, whereas optimal predictive accuracy is reached by the combination of both baseline NT-proBNP and ZRS.
-
Comparative Study
Socioeconomic inequalities in quality of care and outcomes among patients with acute coronary syndrome in the modern era of drug eluting stents.
The rapidly changing landscape of percutaneous coronary intervention provides a unique model for examining disparities over time. Previous studies have not examined socioeconomic inequalities in the current era of drug eluting stents (DES). ⋯ For the most well accepted procedural treatments for ACS, income inequalities have faded. However, such inequalities have persisted for DES use, a relatively expensive and until recently, controversial revascularization procedure. Differences in mortality are significantly associated with differences in time to primary PCI, suggesting an important target for understanding why these inequalities persist.