Andrew Michaels

..We examined the impact of second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure on symptomatic improvement in patients with chronic ischemic coronary disease undergoing enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP)...

..While clinical studies have demonstrated the usefulness of EECP in selected patients, these guidelines permit recommendations for the extended application of this important treatment to subsets of patients excluded from clinical trials...

..The increased preload counterbalanced the afterload reduction, resulting in a neutral effect on myocardial efficiency...

..We hypothesized that symptom improvement from enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) is related to improved heart rate variability (HRV)...

..Making the clinical diagnosis of constrictive pericarditis is challenging, as is accurate auscultation of the pericardial knock...

..Clinical assessment of diastolic heart sounds is challenging...

..We evaluated the degree of residual angina on the outcomes of enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) therapy for chronic stable angina...

..Of those who underwent repeat EECP, 70% had a decrease of >/=1 angina class at the end of repeat EECP with similar decreases in nitroglycerin use...

..We assessed the correlation between systolic dysfunction and EMAT calculated using computerized acoustic cardiography...

..The risk of stent fracture leading to restenosis and/or stent thrombosis should be considered when assessing the risks and benefits of coronary revascularization of a myocardial bridge...

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..We report the first use of ICE for baffle leak closure, which provided a good definition of the complex anatomy and guided the procedure...

..Poor performance by physicians-in-training and interobserver variability between physicians has diminished clinicians' confidence in the value of the fourth heart sound (S4)...

..However, the physiological effects of EECP have not been studied directly. We examined intracoronary and left ventricular hemodynamics in the cardiac catheterization laboratory during EECP...

..The phonocardiographic S3 is specific for left ventricular dysfunction and appears to be superior to the moderate specificity of the phonocardiographic S4...

..Although correlations were superior for phonocardiography, the associations between the S3 and abnormal markers of left ventricular function improved with each level of auscultator experience...

..We investigated the test characteristics of a combined score summarizing S3 and STI results for predicting LV dysfunction...

..001). In patients with nickel allergy, percutaneous interatrial shunt device closure with Helex device is safe, and is not associated with allergy to nickel...

..4%+/-3.4% vs 13.9%+/-8.5%; P=.004). Sustained-release dipyridamole improved hyperemic myocardial blood flow and left ventricular systolic function in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy...

..However, the clinical utility of phonoelectrocardiographic systolic time intervals for predicting heart failure using newer technology has not been evaluated...

..This manuscript discusses the strengths and weaknesses of several approaches for left heart catheterization in patients with a mechanical aortic valve...

..We hypothesized that the S(4) is associated with an upward- and leftward-shifted EDPVR, indicative of elevated end-diastolic stiffness...

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..002), and ET-1 remained 11 +/- 10% below baseline (p = 0.0068). Our data provides neurohormonal evidence to support the hypothesis that EECP improves endothelial function...

..However, little clinical or outcome data evidence exist for MXS. Though IVUS remains the gold standard for evaluation of the adequacy of stent expansion, MXS may be a viable adjunctive imaging tool in certain clinical scenarios...

..One- and two-center studies and a retrospective case series reported that EECP improves myocardial perfusion in stable angina pectoris. We sought to critically evaluate and quantify the effect of EECP on myocardial perfusion...

..Intragraft verapamil is effective in treating no-reflow during saphenous vein graft (SVG) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In this study, we assessed the use of intragraft verapamil given pre-PCI to prevent no-reflow...

..Of the patients without HF, 11% were correctly reclassified as having noncardiac dyspnea (p = 0.003). In conclusion, adjusting BNP levels for clinical covariates improves its diagnostic performance...

..Nesiritide, recombinant human B-type natriuretic peptide, has been shown to be efficacious in the treatment of decompensated heart failure. The effects of intravenous nesiritide on the human coronary vasculature have not been studied...

..HIT-related thrombosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chest pain in patients undergoing PCI...

..We sought to determine whether the ratio of early mitral inflow velocity to diastolic velocity of the mitral annulus (E/E') could confirm the proposed mechanism of the S(3)...

..Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) currently is used as an outpatient therapy for patients with refractory chronic angina...

..We tested the hypothesis that the use of motion-corrected fluoroscopic images results in enhanced coronary stent visualization and improved detection of inadequate stent expansion...

..In this report, the sequence of these events is discussed, and the literature is reviewed...

..We evaluated the association of baseline body mass index (BMI) on the outcomes of enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) therapy for chronic stable angina...

..The effects of intravenous levosimendan on the human coronary vasculature, together with myocardial wall stress and oxygen uptake, have not been adequately studied...

..To evaluate the clinical utility of images acquired from rotational coronary angiographic (RA) acquisitions compared to standard "fixed" coronary angiography (SA)...

..This case highlights the importance of recognizing nickel allergy as a cause of chest pain following implantation of certain types of devices used for closure of PFOs and other heart defects...

..We sought to evaluate the effects of nesiritide on left ventricular diastolic function in heart failure patients...

..We sought to create a model that adjusts B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) for specific covariates to better distinguish cardiac from non-cardiac dyspnoea...

..We evaluated intravenous electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings during PICC placement to assess the effectiveness of this guidance technique to reduce complications resulting from incorrect catheter placement...

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..There is no evidence that balloon valvuloplasty alters the natural history of aortic stenosis, although no randomized study has been performed...

..Low levels of circulating natriuretic peptides are thus associated with obesity and may contribute to the development of heart failure...

..Elevated levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammatory marker, have been associated with heart failure. However, it is not known which parameters of left ventricular dysfunction correlate with elevated levels of CRP...

..The lack of acute beneficial effects of nesiritide in patients with advanced precapillary PH may be related to their relatively fixed remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature...

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..Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) is a noninvasive treatment that is safe and effective immediately after a course of treatment. However, the duration of benefit is less certain...

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..Thus, enhanced external counterpulsation is a low-risk intervention that offers octogenarians the ability to return to more normal activity and a better quality of life...

..We sought to evaluate the correlates of pre- and post-PTCA coronary blood flow to shed light on potential modifiable determinants...

..This study examined the causes and results of retreatment of patients who failed to complete an initial 35-hour Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP) course...

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