Cardiology

We evaluated the prevalence of primary aldosteronism in subjects newly diagnosed with hypertension who were referred to specialized hypertension centers. An aldosterone-producing adenoma was diagnosed in the subjects with lateralized aldosterone secretion, adenoma at surgery and on pathologic evaluation, and a blood pressure fall after adrenalectomy. Evidence of excess autonomous aldosterone secretion without such criteria led to a diagnosis of idiopathic hyperaldosteronism. Aldosterone-producing adenoma and idiopathic hyperaldosteronism were conclusively diagnosed in 4.8% and 6.4% of the subjects, respectively. Thus, with a prevalence of 11.2%, primary aldosteronism is quite common in patients with newly diagnosed hypertension.

Traditionally, a diagnosis of primary hyperaldosteronism is considered when a patient has hypokalemia, either spontaneous or caused by a diuretic.

To determine whether alcohol-associated hypertension carries risks similar to those of hypertension in abstainers or light drinkers, we prospectively studied cardiovascular sequelae separately in heavy drinkers, light drinkers, and abstainers. The risk of all outcomes was progressively higher for increasing blood pressure categories, with similar associations in each alcohol category. These data indicate that the risks of hypertension are independent of the amount of alcohol intake.

Klatsky reports a link between elevated blood pressures and increased risk of hospitalizations for coronary heart disease and stroke that is independent of alcohol intake.

A number of electrocardiographic abnormalities have been described in athletes.1 Among these are sinus bradycardia and varying degrees of atrioventricular (AV) block. These findings have been attributed to the "athlete's heart," and are felt to be due to enhanced vagal tone seen with excellent physical conditioning. Secondarily it has also been suggested that there are intrinsic changes within the sinoatrial and AV nodes themselves, including prolonged sinus node recovery time and AV nodal Wenckebach, and these abnormalities persist following autonomic blockade.

Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFA) is a cost-effective approach that has modified the treatment of patients with supraventricular tachycardia. In the Loire-Ardèche-Drôme-Isère-Puy-de-Dôme (LADIP) study, we compared RFA treatment with amiodarone therapy after the first episode of symptomatic atrial flutter. Results showed that RFA should be considered a first-line treatment, especially in elderly patients, because it has a better long-term success rate, the same risk of subsequent atrial fibrillation as amiodarone, and fewer secondary effects compared with amiodarone. Radiofrequency catheter ablation first-line therapy should be recommended in routine clinical practice, even when the atrial flutter is isolated without a previously documented atrial fibrillation episode.

Atrial flutter is an arrhythmia that occurs less commonly than atrial fibrillation and is often resistant to rate control and termination.

We compared the incidence of late clinical events after withdrawal of clopidogrel between subjects treated with drug-eluting stents (DES) and those treated with bare-metal stents. Death and myocardial infarction occurred more frequently among DES-treated subjects during the follow-up period. The results of this study indicate that there may be a penalty for the lower rate of restenosis and reinterventions after DES implantation, in particular, an increased rate of late stent thromboses.

The study by Handke et al focuses on one of the most controversial areas of interventional cardiology—the clinical downside of treatment with drug-eluting stents (DES).

A total of 114 patients with an intermediate pretest likelihood of coronary artery disease were evaluated with both multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). Results showed that in the majority of cases, a normal MSCT scan was associated with normal perfusion. However, only half of patients with significant stenoses showed abnormal perfusion. Accordingly, MPI and MSCT are intrinsically different techniques and appear to be complementary rather than overlapping as they provide information on atherosclerosis versus ischemia, respectively.

The study by Schuijf and Bax, which compares multislice computed tomography (CT) versus myocardial perfusion imaging, is very timely, as this new cardiac imaging modality has gained rapid acceptance by cardiologists for managing patients.

We conducted a meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials involving 17 963 subjects to determine the effect of intensive statin therapy instituted within 14 days of hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome. Results showed that early, intensive statin therapy is safe and significantly decreases cardiovascular death and recurrent ischemia following acute coronary syndrome after 6 months of treatment.

There is now substantial evidence that treatment with statins improves clinical outcomes in patients with acute as well as chronic coronary heart disease, and in older1 as well as younger patients

We evaluated the effectiveness of the current American Diabetes Association guidelines for the detection of coronary artery disease (CAD) in asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes and assessed whether a more aggressive diagnostic strategy would permit detection of silent CAD at an earlier stage. The prevalence of myocardial perfusion defects and CAD in asymptomatic diabetic patients was high independent of risk factor profile, and an aggressive diagnostic approach in patients who would normally be excluded from screening permitted identification of CAD at an earlier stage, when coronary anatomy is more likely to respond to treatment.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) accounts for approximately 75% of deaths in patients with diabetes.1

A 67-year-old man with positive results on a stress myocardial perfusion test was found to have isolated anomalous origin of the left anterior descending coronary artery from a separate coronary ostium of the right sinus of Valsalva. This anomalous artery was not stenotic and coursed over the anterior free wall of the right ventricle, in front of the pulmonary artery. It did not appear to have an intra-arterial or intramyocardial course.

The case report by Gandhi and Rosenberg illustrates some of the concerns regarding coronary anomalies.

Diuretic use is associated with activation of neurohormones and disease progression in heart failure. Yet, diuretics are commonly prescribed, although little is known about their long-term effects. We performed a study based on propensity score matching, which indicated that in subjects with ambulatory, chronic, mild-to-moderate heart failure, diuretic use was associated with increased mortality and hospitalization. These findings call into question the wisdom of using long-term diuretic therapy in heart failure patients who are asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic.

Diuretic use has long been a mainstay in the management of symptomatic heart failure with pulmonary or systemic congestion, or both.

We investigated whether a program based on diffuse deployment of automated external defibrillators operated by trained volunteers and laypersons across the largest county in Italy would safely and effectively improve the current survival rate among patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Compared with historical control subjects, the new strategy resulted in a 3-fold increase in 1-year survival free of neurologic impairment.

Cardiac arrest (CA) is a leading cause of death in industrial countries, with approximately 350 000 fatal episodes each year in the United States alone.