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(Circulation. 2006;113:1271.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.
Issue Highlights
An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract. |
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HEMODYNAMIC EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM CARDIAC RESYNCHRONIZATION THERAPY: ANALYSIS BY PRESSURE-VOLUME LOOPS, by Steendijk et al. |
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Although it has been shown that chronic resynchronization therapy for heart failure exerts beneficial effects on clinical outcomes and cardiac remodeling, little is known about the long-term effects on myocardial function. Pressure-volume loop analyses were performed before and after 6 months of biventricular pacing in 22 patients with NYHA class III–IV heart failure. At 6 months there were improvements in left ventricular ejection fraction, dP/dtmax, and stroke work at both resting and increased heart rates. Of note, there were improvements in ventricular-arterial coupling and mechanical efficiency, as well. These data indicate that the initial improvements in myocardial function with resynchronization therapy are sustained during chronic therapy. See p 1295.
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IMPROVEMENT IN STROKE MORTALITY IN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES, 1990 TO 2002, by Yang et al. |
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The US Public Health Service recommended in September 1992 that all women of childbearing age consume 400 micrograms (µg) of folic acid daily to reduce their risk of having a pregnancy affected with spina bifida or other neural tube defects. Owing to the relationship between folic acid fortification and blood homocysteine levels, some experts have speculated that fortification may also have a favorable effect on cardiovascular health and stroke. The United States and Canada implemented policies of mandatory fortification in the late 1990s, and the populations of both countries experienced a reduction in blood homocysteine levels, a factor that appears to be related to the risk of stroke. Investigators from both countries collaborated to compare trends in stroke mortality in the United States and Canada, where these policies were mandatory, with England and Wales, where the policies were not.
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