Louise Pilote

..This study will investigate the clinical presentation, prognosis, and health care use in young men and women with ACS...

..Among Canadians with type 2 diabetes, we postulate that declines in walking associated with colder temperatures and inclement weather may contribute to annual post-winter increases in A1C levels...

..This study compares a nested case-control approach for the study of time-dependent exposure with cohort analysis using Cox regression including time-dependent covariates...

..The objective of this study was to determine the discordance in interpretations when meta-analysts are presented with identical data...

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..There is mounting pathologic and immunologic evidence that Chlamydia pneumoniae plays a role in the atherogenic pathway. However, very few clinical studies have supported these findings...

..The aim of this study was to compare outcomes after acute myocardial infarction between regions with low and high catheterization access...

..The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of SES on access to cardiac procedure after AMI in a universal health care system...

..Publication of population-based analyses of medication use after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) could encourage the use of effective secondary prevention medications...

..Geographical variations in the use of invasive cardiac procedures have been documented. It remains unclear to what extent these variations exist across the Canadian provinces...

..However, existing data from trials do not address whether all ACE inhibitors benefit patients similarly...

..However, the interaction between sex-and gender-related factors and CVD outcomes in women remains largely unknown...

..However, the proportion of the general population for which treatment is cost-effective has not been evaluated...

..Little is known about whether treatments and outcomes are changing differently over time in the two countries, and whether the differences vary with patient age...

..Despite their widespread use, however, practice guideline evaluation lacks a rigorous scientific methodology to support its development and application...

..Our objective was to describe trends in revascularization procedures and outcomes in a provincial cohort of very elderly patients who had experienced acute myocardial infarction...

..We assessed the impact of this drug policy reform on prescribing patterns for essential cardiac medications, utilization of medical care and related health outcomes after acute myocardial infarction...

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..07, 95% CI 0.01-0.87, p = 0.04). Cardiac medical therapy among patients undergoing AAA repair is low throughout all periods of hospitalization. ACE inhibitor and ss-blocker use may be associated with decreased in-hospital mortality...

..INTERPRETATION: Our results suggest that, under current usage, statins are equally effective for secondary prevention in elderly patients after AMI...

..Increased restrictions may reduce access to evidence-based therapy among patients with chronic disease. We sought to evaluate the impact of increased restrictions on medication use among heart failure (HF) patients...

..Discharge from hospital provides a unique opportunity for physicians to modify the use of cardiovascular medical therapy among patients undergoing CABG surgery...

..Norm-referenced equations that predict the 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) according to age, height, weight, and gender have been proposed for healthy patients. We explored whether these equations apply to CHF patients...

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..Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as a class have been shown to increase the risk of congestive heart failure (CHF) compared with celecoxib. The magnitude of the risk for individual NSAIDs is not known...

..03 to 1.1, p <0.01). Thus, despite less frequent cardiologist assessment, fewer cardiac-related procedures, and less frequent use of standard medical therapy, clinical outcomes in women and men who had CHF were similar...

..There is a debate as to whether universal drug coverage confers similar access to care at all socioeconomic status (SES) levels. Experiences in Canada may bring light to questions raised regarding access...

..The objective of this study was to investigate the relation between lipophilic statin use and cancer occurrence...

..We evaluated and compared the risk of thyroid dysfunction between patients using brand-name versus generic formulations of amiodarone and identified risk factors for thyroid dysfunction...

..This variation appeared to affect readmission rates for unstable angina, but had no impact on mortality or other cardiac complications post-AMI...

..To examine the class effect of angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) on mortality in patients with heart failure who were aged 65 years or older...

..However, whether ACE inhibitors benefit both sexes is not adequately addressed...

..It is unclear whether routine or selective functional testing is optimal following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in high-risk patients...

..However, it is unclear how functional testing results have an impact on anti-anginal medication prescription patterns...

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..Women with AF are at higher risk of stroke compared with men. Reasons for this higher stroke risk in women remain unclear, although some studies suggest that undertreatment with warfarin may be a cause...

..Provincial governments independently establish reimbursement plans. We sought to describe variations in publicly funded provincial drug plans across Canada and to examine the impact of this variation on patients' annual expenditures...

..Long-term treatment with statins reduces mortality in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Whether statin agents exert a class effect is unknown...

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..We wish to determine whether there are sex-related differences in the optimal treatment of congestive heart failure...

..Therefore, a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed to determine the efficacy of behavioural therapy and pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation in cardiac patients...

..The study sought to measure the prevalence, disease burden, and determinants of mortality in geriatric adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD)...

..Although the management found at hospitals without on-site catheterization does not lead to increased mortality, little it known about its impact on resource utilization and non-fatal outcomes...

..We sought to determine whether there is a difference in in-hospital outcomes and costs for coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) between the United States and Canada...

..Death was infrequent, with no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups...

..We sought to determine rates and risk factors for hospital readmission within 1 month among children with CHD...

..CONCLUSION: Although cardiac drugs are under-prescribed to patients with AMI, once prescribed, patients are likely to adhere to these prescriptions, with high rates of compliance and persistence...

..We compared the cost-effectiveness of lipid level modification in the primary prevention of CVD with and without these indirect costs...

..However, current data do not support the use of beta-blockers, CCBs, and nitrates, and more evidence is needed regarding the use of ACE inhibitors...

..Hospital readmissions are common during the 6 months following AAA repair. Patients who are readmitted experience long lengths of stay and high mortality rates, and their care incurs high costs...

..The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension (PH) on mortality, morbidity, and health services utilization (HSU) in an adult congenital heart disease (CHD) population...

..However, the use of these agents among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) remains poorly understood...

..Method 5 used a time-dependent variable for treatment initiation. Methods 4 and 5 better controlled for survival bias and yielded similar results, suggesting a 20% risk reduction of recurrent myocardial infarction or death events...

..Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) in women has been associated with worse clinical outcomes than CABG in men. However, little is known about the impact of sex on the cost of CABG...

..08, 95% CI 2.00 to 2.17). In conclusion, adults with CHD have high rates of health care resource utilization, particularly those with severe lesions. Appropriate resource allocation is required to serve this growing population...

..However, few direct or indirect comparisons of such interventions have been conducted. We performed a meta-analysis to compare the treatment effects of 7 approved pharmacologic interventions for smoking cessation...

..To produce evidence on the longitudinal evolution of risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)...

..Our aim was to describe 1-year outcomes in men and women attending specialized HF clinics...

..Due to the rising incidence of these comorbid conditions, it is important to examine the synergistic impact of diabetes mellitus and AMI on QOL...

..In this patient population, we conducted a longitudinal cohort study to objectively quantify seasonal variations both in walking and in two vascular risk factors associated with activity levels, hemoglobin A1C and blood pressure...

..Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a common cause of hospitalization and has a poor prognosis. Specialized multidisciplinary clinics are effective in the management of CHF...

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..This study sought to characterize temporal trends in all-cause mortality in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD)...

..However, trials with long-term follow-up should be repeated in the current clinical context and should include both hard and softer outcome measures...

..CONCLUSION: In practice, antiplatelet and anticoagulant combinations lead to modest increases in bleeding risk in elderly patients, but the overall risk is small...

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..Given the aging North American population, these results have important implications for health care planning for the next several decades...

..CONCLUSIONS: Celecoxib seems safer than rofecoxib and NSAIDs in elderly patients with congestive heart failure. Differences were found among cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors...

..This differential reflects increased nonsurgical costs among patients undergoing nonelective CABG rather than surgical costs...

..We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of isolated aerobic exercise programs in overweight and obese populations...

..Such information would be useful for "dosing" daily steps in clinical practice. This study aimed to quantify decrements in blood pressure and glycated hemoglobin (A1C) per 1,000 daily step increments...

..3%) and procedures (6.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Because routine functional testing 1 year after CABG is associated with extremely low event rates, this strategy does not appear to be warranted...

..The higher rate of CABG in low-volume hospitals and the higher rate of repeat PTCA in high-volume hospitals may represent different physician preferences for the treatment of failed PTCA rather than higher complication rates...

..The sex specificity of this finding is unclear. We therefore undertook an evaluation of sex differences in rehospitalization for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or chest pain in patients with "angiographically normal" coronaries...

..Procedural rates did not differ significantly between the two groups. These results suggest that routine post-PCI FT in patients with diabetes is of little clinical value...

..The results suggest that coronary risk assessment can be improved by utilizing updated risk factors and that the optimal frequency of updating may vary across subpopulations...

..Adults with congenital heart lesions constitute a rapidly growing group of patients with cardiovascular disease. We hypothesized that atrial arrhythmias increase with age and impair health outcomes in this population...

..Therefore, the new method improved the overall accuracy of IV estimates in studies with unobserved confounding and time-varying prescribing preferences...

..Although mortality rates do not differ, it is unknown if quality of life (QOL) and functional status differ...

..There have been major advances in the treatment of this condition over the past two decades, yet little information is currently available regarding the current status of CHF management in Canada...

..However, little is known about medication use among patients with coronary artery disease who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)...

..Beta-blockers have been shown to improve survival in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). However, few studies have looked at the effects of these medications specifically in women...

..High systolic blood pressure (SBP) occurs more frequently both among men and boys than among women and girls. No longitudinal study has investigated whether the impact of SBP determinants differ according to sex in youth...

..The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of amiodarone in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of bradyarrhythmia requiring a permanent pacemaker...

..Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs vary in their antithrombotic properties, with naproxen having a particularly effective antithrombotic potential...

..In conclusion, we demonstrate that 1 regional ACHD center for a population of 2.0 million adults appears to be closer to what is required for improving access to specialized care for patients with ACHD in the United States and Canada...

..We determined the prevalence, age distribution, and proportion of adults and children with severe and other forms of CHD in the general population from 1985 to 2000...

..It is anticipated that these indicators will be useful to clinicians and researchers who want to measure and improve the quality of AMI patient care in Canada...

..The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in depressive symptoms, as they relate to health-related quality of life outcomes following an AMI...

..This study suggests that there is a dose dependent increased risk of permanent pacemaker insertion associated with amiodarone use that appears to be greatest during the initial months of treatment...

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..This article serves as an introduction to the Atlas project and describes the rationale for and objectives of the CCORT national cardiac Atlas project...

..Little information is available on recent population-based trends in the outcomes of patients who have had an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Canada...