Manesh R Patel

..The relative effectiveness of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) for lowering blood pressure is unknown...

..The drug may have its greatest impact in providing a much-needed and attractive alternative to warfarin. Further data (especially large Phase III trials) are required...

..Finally, study designs for obesity therapy, including populations, control arms, sample size, and duration of therapy, are discussed...

..Information on practice patterns and outcomes in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) in Canada vs United States is limited...

..We also assessed the association between serious infections and 90-day death or death/myocardial infarction (MI)...

..The impact of polyvascular disease (peripheral arterial disease [PAD] and cerebrovascular disease [CVD]) on long-term cardiovascular outcomes among older patients with acute myocardial infarction has not been well studied...

..The purpose of this study was to describe hospital variability in the rate of finding obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) at elective coronary angiography...

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..Intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (IABC) is an adjunct to revascularization in patients with cardiogenic shock and reduces infarct size when placed prior to reperfusion in animal models...

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..Downstream procedures and subsequent outcomes among symptomatic patients without known coronary disease referred for stress testing are not well characterized in contemporary community practice...

..Rivaroxaban, an oral factor Xa inhibitor, may provide more consistent and predictable anticoagulation than warfarin...

..The degree to which financial factors may influence use of cardiac stress imaging procedures is unknown...

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..This study sought to assess percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) stenosis in routine U.S. clinical practice...

..We examined geographic variation in and predictors of carotid endarterectomy and carotid stenting...

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..This study sought to investigate the long-term effectiveness of drug-eluting stents (DES) versus bare-metal stents (BMS)...

..This study sought to examine quality of care and warfarin use at discharge in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF)...

..Recently, 30-day readmission rates have been proposed as a metric for care of patients with STEMI. However, international rates and predictors of 30-day readmission after STEMI have not been studied...

..It is anticipated that these results will have an impact on physician decision making and patient education regarding expected benefits from revascularization and will help guide future research...

..Invasive and noninvasive cardiovascular imaging is beneficial in the care of patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction. Little is known about patients' cumulative radiation exposure...

..An evidence-based approach to the treatment of elderly patients with ACS without persistent ST segment elevation will help to improve the use of beneficial therapies and interventions that are recommended by current practice guidelines...

..Baseline and serial measurements of WBC counts and temperature were correlated with infarct size and clinical outcome...

..We evaluated the temporal trends and variation in invasive Cath, PCI, and CABG across hospital systems in North Carolina...

..The purpose of the study was to understand determinants of infarct size in a primary percutaneous intervention (PCI) population treated with pexelizumab compared with placebo...

..We determined patterns of noninvasive testing and the diagnostic yield of catheterization among patients with suspected coronary artery disease in a contemporary national sample...

..We sought to identify hospital characteristics associated with high levels of adherence in order to gain insight into successful processes of care...

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..This study sought to characterize temporal trends, patient-specific factors, and geographic variation associated with amputation in patients with lower-extremity peripheral artery disease (LE PAD) during the study period...

..We describe the association between transfusion and 90-day mortality among patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention...

..The purpose of this study was to determine the pattern of cardiac stress testing after coronary revascularization in community practice...

..We examined temporal trends and geographic variation in the use of carotid ultrasound, carotid magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), and carotid x-ray angiography...

..In conclusion, in this observational analysis of stent use from a large primary percutaneous intervention for acute MI trial, DESs appear as safe as BMSs with similar 6-month clinical outcomes with regard to death and recurrent MI...

..As more endovascular procedures are being done by cardiologists, knowledge of aberrant anatomy is essential in the approach to diagnosis and treatment of patients with PAD. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc...

..The Amplatzer vascular plug should be considered as a potential treatment strategy for AVFs alongside other endovascular and surgical techniques...

..CONCLUSIONS: Thirty-day mortality rates were higher for Medicare patients hospitalized with acute MI in December than in other months, although the use of evidence-based therapies was not significantly lower...

..We sought to determine the prevalence, predictors, and outcomes of patients with NSTEMI and insignificant CAD...

..To retrospectively determine the safety of cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) imaging performed early (<14 days) after coronary stent implantation in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI)...

..27, 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 1.56, p = 0.017), whereas VPCs during stress were not (p = 0.128). In conclusion, VPCs during the recovery phase of an exercise study are predictive of ischemia on myocardial perfusion imaging...

..Time from symptom onset to treatment strongly predicted the development of tamponade, underscoring the need for continued efforts to increase speed to treatment in acute MI...

..Thus, unwarranted and potentially risky thoracic surgery was avoided by the incorporation of a systematic evaluation by cardiac MRI...

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..Propensity analysis was used to match patients. Transdermal nicotine therapy appears safe and does not have an effect on the mortality of patients with acute coronary syndromes...

..This case of a left-sided silicone breast implant interfering with nuclear imaging of the myocardium highlights the importance of understanding the potential interference from silicone breast implants...

..The purpose of this study was to determine whether state-mandated continuing medical education (CME) requirements affect the use of evidence-based therapies and outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI)...

..The paper compares the speed, validity, and applicability of two different protocols for searching the primary medical literature...

..A case of a 19-year-old man with congenitally acquired HIV infection who was found to have a large intracardiac mass is presented. Presurgical imaging studies and subsequent pathologic findings and histology are discussed...

..This article outlines a diagnostic approach for the primary use of CMR in the phenotypic characterization, risk stratification, and therapeutic management of patients with HF...

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..In this review, we discuss the risk factors and strategies for prevention and management of cardiovascular complications in older women with breast cancer...

..The second American College of Cardiology-Duke University Think Tank continued the process of the development, dissemination, and adoption of quality improvement initiatives for all cardiovascular imaging modalities...

..Intraaortic balloon counterpulsation (IABC) is an adjunct to revascularization and has reduced microvascular obstruction and infarct size in animal models of AMI...

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..Animal models of ischemia/reperfusion have demonstrated that single-dose erythropoietin may reduce infarct size, decrease apoptosis, and increase neovascularization, possibly through mobilization of endothelial progenitor cells...

..These analyses were designed to determine the incidence of major cardiovascular (CV) events and the natural history of CV complications in patients with Fabry disease...

..Delayed-enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance (DE-CMR) can detect minute amounts of myocardial damage. We sought to compare DE-CMR with standard clinical evaluation for the identification of cardiac involvement...

..This analysis raises concerns regarding the safety of using morphine in patients with NSTE ACS and emphasizes the need for a randomized trial...

..The current standard of care for significant carotid artery stenosis can include carotid stenting and carotid endarterectomy, but medical therapy may have a role also...

..The operational paradigm of this effort should be considered in future investigations so that important advances in clinical care of disease can be realized efficiently...

..It is anticipated that these results will have an impact on physician decision making and patient education regarding expected benefits from revascularization and will help guide future research...

..62, p = 0.011). Patients with PAD and HF had deceased baseline exercise capacity and decreased response to exercise training. In conclusion, PAD is an independent predictor of all-cause death or hospitalization in patients with HF...

..The purpose of this document was to propose a multimodality CV imaging curriculum to improve training of future CV imaging specialists...

..It is anticipated that these results will have a significant impact on physician decision making and performance, reimbursement policy, and will help guide future research...

..Informed clinical and policy decision making will require further study of these technologies in well-characterized clinical contexts, in typical practice settings, and with attention to impact on management and health outcomes...

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..This study sought to assess the prevalence and markers of left ventricular (LV) thrombus among patients with systolic dysfunction...

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..It is anticipated that these results will have a significant impact on physician decision making and performance, reimbursement policy, and will help guide future research...

..It is anticipated that these results will have a significant impact on physician decision making and performance, reimbursement policy, and will help guide future research...

..Long-term implications of this shift remain uncertain, especially in patients with 3VD...

..These results are expected to have a significant impact on physician decision making and performance, reimbursement policy, and future research directions. Periodic assessment and updating of criteria will be undertaken as needed...