Heart, lung & circulation
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Heart, lung & circulation · Nov 2018
ReviewRapid Access Cardiology (RAC) Services Within a Large Tertiary Referral Centre-First Year in Review.
Rapid Access Cardiology (RAC) services are hospital co-located cardiologist-led outpatient clinics providing prompt assessment and management of chest pain. This service model is part of chest pain management in the United Kingdom. However, little data exists on RAC services in Australia. Our aim was to describe the introduction of RAC services to an Australian tertiary centre (utility, safety, and acceptability). ⋯ Outpatient RAC services are an accepted, effective and safe pathway for management of low-intermediate risk chest pain.
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Heart, lung & circulation · Apr 2018
Review Meta AnalysisThe Efficacy of Danshen Injection as Adjunctive Therapy in Treating Angina Pectoris: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
During the last 40 years, Danshen injection has been widely used as an adjunctive therapy for angina pectoris in China, but its efficacy is not yet well defined. The objective of this study was to verify the efficacy of Danshen injection as adjunctive therapy in treating angina pectoris. ⋯ This study showed that Danshen injection as adjunctive therapy seemed to be more effective than antianginal agents alone in treating angina pectoris. However, more evidence is needed to accurately evaluate the efficacy of Danshen injection because of the low methodological quality of the included RCTs.
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Heart, lung & circulation · Apr 2018
Review Meta AnalysisThe Efficacy of Danshen Injection as Adjunctive Therapy in Treating Angina Pectoris: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
During the last 40 years, Danshen injection has been widely used as an adjunctive therapy for angina pectoris in China, but its efficacy is not yet well defined. The objective of this study was to verify the efficacy of Danshen injection as adjunctive therapy in treating angina pectoris. ⋯ This study showed that Danshen injection as adjunctive therapy seemed to be more effective than antianginal agents alone in treating angina pectoris. However, more evidence is needed to accurately evaluate the efficacy of Danshen injection because of the low methodological quality of the included RCTs.
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Heart, lung & circulation · Apr 2018
Review Meta AnalysisHeart Valve Surgery Performed by Trainee Surgeons: Meta-Analysis of Clinical Outcomes.
Cardiac surgical units must balance trainee education with the duty to provide optimal patient care. This is particularly challenging with valvular surgery, given the lower volume and increased complexity of these procedures. The present meta-analysis was conducted to assess the impact of trainee operator status on clinical outcomes following valvular surgery. ⋯ Valvular surgery cases performed primarily by trainees were not associated with adverse perioperative outcomes. These findings suggest the rigorous design of cardiac surgical trainee programs can sufficiently mitigate trainee deficiencies. However, studies with longer follow-up duration and echocardiographic data are required to assess long-term durability and safety.
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Heart, lung & circulation · Mar 2018
ReviewLeft Heart Disease and Pulmonary Hypertension: Are We Seeing the Full Picture?
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is common, under diagnosed and associated with a high mortality. There are significant delays in the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension leading to increased morbidity and delays in the initiation of treatment. ⋯ Regardless of the underlying pathophysiology of LHD, the sequelae lead to pressure overload on the left heart and a reactive increase in pulmonary pressures. In this review article, we will discuss the prevalence of PH, examine the pathophysiology of PH-LHD, establish how echo can be used to identify patients with PH-LHD and discuss surrogate echo markers of PVR.