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Biomedical subjects

A Bouchard

Publications and source records attributed to A Bouchard.

45 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Exercise testing in the early period after myocardial infarction in the evaluation of prognosis.

Prognosis for the patient recovery from an acute myocardial infarction is related mainly to electrical instability, left ventricular function, residual ischemia, and extent of coronary atherosclerosis. Many procedures now exist that allow investigation of these various aspects of cardiovascular function and stratification of risk. No ideal marker of prognosis exists because prognosis is not related to a single factor, because the various determinants are often interdependent, and also because they are time dependent. Thus, the presence of ischemia may be particularly important in the first year when the risk is greater, whereas left ventricular function may be the most important factor thereafter. For this reason, an active strategy for detecting ischemia, by exercise testing or other means, may add to clinical observation. Exercise testing is a safe and noninvasive method that can provide information not only on residual ischemia but also on other aspects of cardiovascular function. Many parameters can be studied, such as ST segment elevation or depression, chest pain, ventricular arrhythmias, tolerance to exercise, completion or not of the test, and the heart rate and blood pressure responses. Some of these data are not specific and must be complemented by further investigation. Such as approach should allow an overall evaluation of the cardiovascular function of the patient and an assessment of risk, and help institute an optimal treatment.

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMed1983

Spontaneous remission is a frequent outcome of variant angina.

To assess the prevalence of spontaneous remission in variant angina, 100 patients with this diagnosis who had undergone coronary arteriography in the hospital and a follow-up of at least 1 year were studied. Patients with coronary bypass surgery or myocardial infarction were excluded. Remission was diagnosed in 45 of the 100 patients who had been angina-free and had had no treatment for more than 3 months (mean 18.3). The other 55 patients were receiving medical treatment; 37 had been angina-free for at least 6 months (mean 22.5) and angina persisted in 18. The persistent angina group had a lower prevalence of organic coronary stenoses 70% or greater: 4 of 18 versus 22 of 45 and 22 of 37 for the other two groups (p less than 0.05), and a longer history of rest angina before admission. The remission group contained more patients (17 of 45 versus 4 of 55 [p less than 0.001]) whose attacks had been documented only by provocative testing. Rest angina recurred when calcium antagonist drugs were discontinued in 15 of 51 instances, within 1 month in 11 patients and later in 4 patients. Remission was eventually attained in 35 of the 38 patients in whom these drugs were stopped. These results indicate that remission is a frequent outcome of variant angina. This fact should be considered in the evaluation of the long-term results of treatment and in the planning of care for an individual patient.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Factors influencing the long-term prognosis of treated patients with variant angina.

To determine the prognosis of variant angina and the factors influencing it, 169 consecutive patients hospitalized in our coronary unit were followed for a mean of 15.3 months (range 1 to 68). Survival at 1, 2, and 3 years was 95%, 90%, and 87%, respectively; survival without myocardial infarction was 80%, 78%, and 75%. Twenty of the 22 myocardial infarctions and eight of the 14 deaths occurred within the first 3 months. Mantel-Haenszel log-rank analysis demonstrated that coronary disease, ventricular function, and the degree of disease activity were significant interdependent variables that influenced both survival and survival without infarction. At 1, 2, and 3 years, survival for patients with multivessel disease was 81%, 76%, and 66%; for patients with one-vessel disease, 97%, 92%, and 92%; and for patients without stenoses greater than or equal to 70%, 98% at each year (p = .0003). Survival without infarction at 1 year was 88% in patients with no stenoses greater than or equal to 70% and 82% in patients with single-vessel disease; it did not change thereafter in either group, but was 62%, 58%, and 50% at 1, 2, and 3 years in patients with multivessel disease (p = .001). Treatment did not influence survival in any subgroup (only 14 patients died overall) or survival without infarction in patients with multivessel disease. However, in patients without multivessel disease, treatment with nifedipine, diltiazem, and verapamil improved survival without infarction compared to treatment with perhexiline maleate or long-acting nitrates alone (92% vs 67% at 1, 2, and 3 years; p less than .005). Thus in addition to preventing angina, nifedipine, diltiazem, and verapamil appear to reduce complications in patients with variant angina without multivessel disease.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of regional ventricular wall motion by ECG-gated CT.

A conventional whole body CT scanner equipped for electrocardiographic gating was used to evaluate regional left ventricular function and the findings were compared with a corresponding analysis by two-dimensional echocardiography and left ventriculography. Twenty-two patients between the ages of 40 and 77 years with a documented anterior or posterolateral myocardial infarction were studied together with a control group comprising 10 patients. The gated CT studies were obtained using three 1 cm levels selected through the mid, apical, and basal regions of the left ventricle. Qualitative analysis of segmental wall motion (p less than 0.0001) correlated with angiography in 82% and with two-dimensional echocardiography in 86% (p less than 0.0001). Computed tomography correctly identified the location of prior myocardial infarction in all but one patient. The results of this study suggest that gated CT may provide an accurate assessment of regional left ventricular function (for anterior and posterolateral myocardial infarction) and that this technique may prove to be clinically useful if these early results are confirmed by further experience.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Failure of ketanserin, a serotonin inhibitor, to prevent spontaneous or ergonovine-induced attacks of variant angina.

Six patients hospitalized with active variant angina were treated for 3 days with the serotonin antagonist ketanserin after a 3 day control period on no medication. The number of variant angina episodes per patient per day was 1.52 +/- 1.42 during the control period and 2.05 +/- 2.30 during ketanserin therapy (p = NS). Ergonovine was administered in incremental doses of 0.0125 mg to 0.4 mg in the control period, during intravenous ketanserin administration and after 3 days of oral treatment. All 6 patients developed ST elevation during all 3 ergonovine tests. The ergonovine dose at which ST elevation developed was similar in each of the 3 periods. It is concluded that ketanserin is of no value in the treatment of variant angina and that both spontaneous and ergonovine-induced coronary spasm in man are unlikely to be mediated by a serotonergic mechanism.

Aged↗