PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Alexander Parkhomenko

Publications and source records attributed to Alexander Parkhomenko.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Evaluation of eplerenone in the subgroup of EPHESUS patients with baseline left ventricular ejection fraction <or=30%.

AIMS: Because of the prognostic importance of LV dysfunction following an AMI and the increasing use of electrical and/or mechanical interventions in patients with LV systolic dysfunction, this retrospective analysis of EPHESUS patients with LVEF <or=30% at baseline was conducted to determine the value of eplerenone in this setting. METHODS AND RESULTS: In EPHESUS, 6,632 patients with LVEF <or=40% and clinical heart failure (HF) post-AMI who were receiving standard therapy were randomized to eplerenone 25 mg/day titrated to 50 mg/day or placebo for a mean follow-up of 16 months. Treatment with eplerenone in the subgroup of patients with LVEF <or=30% (N=2106) resulted in relative risk reductions of 21% versus placebo in both all-cause mortality (P=0.012) and cardiovascular (CV) mortality/CV hospitalization (P=0.001), and 23% for CV mortality (P=0.008). The relative risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) was reduced 33% (P=0.01) and HF mortality/HF hospitalization was reduced 25% (P=0.005) with eplerenone compared with placebo. Within 30 days of randomization, eplerenone resulted in relative risk reductions of 43% for all-cause mortality (P=0.002), 29% for CV mortality/CV hospitalization (P=0.006), and 58% for SCD (P=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with eplerenone plus standard therapy in patients with post-AMI HF and LVEF <or=30% provided significant incremental benefits in reducing both early and late mortality and morbidity.

Adult↗

Recommendations for the structure, organization, and operation of intensive cardiac care units.

Two major changes in patient characteristics and management occurred recently that demand distinctive alterations in the function of the intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU). These changes include the introduction of an early invasive strategy for the treatment of acute coronary syndromes, enabling early recuperation and shorter need for intensive care on the one hand, while the number of older and sicker patients requiring prolonged and more complex intensive care is steadily increasing. A task force of the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Acute Cardiac Care was set to give a modern updated comprehensive recommendations concerning the structure, organization, and function of the modern ICCUs and intermediate cardiac units. These include the statement that specially trained cardiologists and cardiac nurses who can manage patients with acute cardiac conditions should staff the ICCUs. The optimum number of physicians, nurses, and other personal working in the unit is included. The document indicates the desired architecture and structure of the units and the intermediate cardiac unit and their relations to the other facilities in the hospital. Specific recommendations are also included for the minimal number of beds, monitoring system, respirators, pacemaker/defibrillators, and necessary additional equipment. The desired function is discussed, namely, the patients to be admitted, the length of stay, and the relocation policy. A uniformed electronic chart for ICCUs is advised, anticipating a common European database.

Coronary Care Units↗

Two-year outcomes in patients admitted with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome: results of the OASIS registry 1 and 2.

BACKGROUND: Acute coronary syndrome continues to have significant long-term morbidity and mortality. This study sought to compare baseline characteristics, practice patterns and clinical outcomes for patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome from a broad range of low-, middle- and high-income countries. METHODS AND RESULTS: We compared the data from a prospective registry of patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome involving 4615 patients from 65 centers in 8 low and middle income countries (OASIS registry 2) with those obtained from 7987 patients from 95 centers in 6 middle and high income countries (OASIS registry 1). Patients in the OASIS registry 2 were younger, were more often males and smokers, presented later to the hospital after symptom onset and had a lower prevalence of diabetes at admission [with the exception of India, which had the highest age-adjusted prevalence (39.1%)]. There were marked variations in the angiography and intervention rates during the hospital stay, but the uses of proven pharmacological therapies were comparable. The two-year mortality rates adjusted for baseline covariates ranged from 6.9% to 15%. Patients from China had the lowest two-year mortality rate (6.9%) and patients from India had the highest rate (15%). Combining the two registries, the covariate-adjusted rate of death or myocardial infarction did not differ across countries with in-hospital angiographic rates of > or = 50% (17.1%), 25-49% (16.7%) or < 25% (16.5%). However, the covariate-adjusted rates for subsequent myocardial infarction (7.6%, 9.2% and 10.8% respectively, p < 0.0001), refractory angina (21.3%, 27.7% and 35.4% respectively, p < 0.0001) and the composite of death, myocardial infarction or refractory angina (34.9%, 40.7% and 46.8% respectively, p < 0.0001) differed depending on the angiographic rates. CONCLUSIONS: Among the participating countries there was a marked heterogeneity in patient characteristics, coronary interventions, resulting in differences in the two-year composite rates of death, myocardial infarction and refractory angina among patients admitted with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome.

Age Distribution↗