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Ezra A Amsterdam

Publications and source records attributed to Ezra A Amsterdam.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Electrocardiogram differentiation of benign early repolarization versus acute myocardial infarction by emergency physicians and cardiologists.

OBJECTIVES: ST-segment elevation (STE) related to benign early repolarization (BER), a common normal variant, can be difficult to distinguish from acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The authors compared the electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretations of these two entities by emergency physicians (EPs) and cardiologists. METHODS: Twenty-five cases (13 BER, 12 AMI) of patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain were identified. Criteria for BER required four of the following: 1) widespread STE (precordial greater than limb leads), 2) J-point elevation, 3) concavity of initial up-sloping portion of ST segment, 4) notching or irregular contour of J point, and 5) prominent, concordant T waves. Additional BER criteria were 1) stable ECG pattern, 2) negative cardiac injury markers, and 3) normal cardiac stress test or angiography. AMI criteria were 1) regional STE, 2) positive cardiac injury markers, and 3) identification of culprit coronary artery by angiography in less than eight hours of presentation. The 25 ECGs were distributed to 12 EPs and 12 cardiologists (four in academic medicine, four in community practice, and four in community academics [health maintenance organization] in each physician group). The physicians were informed of the patients' age, gender, and race, and they then interpreted the ECGs as BER or AMI. Undercalls (AMI misdiagnosed as BER) and overcalls (BER misdiagnosed as AMI) were calculated for each physician group. RESULTS: Cardiologists correctly interpreted 90% of ECGs, and EPs correctly interpreted 81% of ECGs. The proportion of undercalls (missed AMI/total AMI) was 2.8% for cardiologists (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.09% to 5.5%) compared with 9.7% for EPs (95% CI = 4.8% to 14.6%) (p = 0.02). The proportion of overcalls (missed BER/total BER) was 17.3% for cardiologists (95% CI = 11.4% to 23.3%) versus 27.6% for EPs (95% CI = 20.6% to 34.6%) (p = 0.03). The mean number of years in practice was 19.8 for cardiologists (95% CI = 19 to 20.5) and 11 years for EPs (95% CI = 10.5 to 12.0) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Although correct interpretation was high in both groups, cardiologists, who had significantly more years of practice, had fewer misinterpretations than EPs in distinguishing BER from AMI electrocardiographically.

Atrial Function↗
PubMed2006

Heart rate recovery in heart failure patients after a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation program.

Heart rate recovery (HRR) after maximal exercise is a predictor of all-cause mortality. It was hypothesized that aerobic exercise training would increase HRR in patients with heart failure (HF), because it has been shown to be accelerated in athletes and improved in patients with coronary artery disease after cardiac rehabilitation. To date, no study has examined the effects of exercise training on HRR in HF. This was a retrospective study of patients with HF who had completed a phase II aerobic cardiac rehabilitation program with entry and exit maximal stress tests (n = 46). Thirty-five patients exhibited a training effect, 18 had abnormal HRR of < or =12 beats/min and the lowest initial functional capacity (L12), and 17 had HRR of >12 beats/min before training (G12). A group of 11 other patients did not achieve a training effect. After training, the L12 and G12 groups improved their estimated peak oxygen uptake (by 6.7 +/- 3.1 and 8.6 ml/kg/min, respectively) and treadmill time (by 117 +/- 62 and 181 +/- 108 seconds, respectively) compared with the no-training effect group (p <0.05). Only the L12 group demonstrated improvement in HRR (7 +/- 1 to 12 +/- 2 beats/min). In conclusion, the results indicate that short-term aerobic training can favorably modify HRR in patients with HF with low exercise capacity.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Changes in the numeric descriptive scale for pain after sublingual nitroglycerin do not predict cardiac etiology of chest pain.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We determine whether the change in numeric descriptive scale for pain after sublingual nitroglycerin use can predict cardiac etiology of chest pain. METHODS: A prospective study of a convenience sample of patients who had chest pain, presented to the emergency department from May 24, 2001, to April 30, 2002, and received sublingual nitroglycerin during their evaluation was performed. The 11-point numeric descriptive scale for chest pain was recorded before and after the initial dose of sublingual nitroglycerin. Cardiac-related pain was defined as chest pain in a patient with a discharge diagnosis of myocardial infarction or the diagnosis of coronary artery disease based on a positive diagnostic study (cardiac catheterization or noninvasive stress imaging). Change in the numeric descriptive scale was divided into 4 categories: (1) significant/complete reduction; (2) moderate reduction; (3) minimal reduction; and (4) no change. RESULTS: The study cohort was composed of 664 patients: 345 women (52%) and 319 men (48%), mean age 52 years (+/-12.4 years). Cardiac-related chest pain was identified in 122 patients (18%). In the overall patient population, 125 (19%) patients had no change in pain, 206 (31%) patients had minimal reduction, 145 (22%) patients had moderate reduction, and 188 (28%) patients had significant or complete reduction in pain. There was no significant difference in any subgroup of numeric descriptive scale response to sublingual nitroglycerin administration in patients with and without a diagnosis of cardiac chest pain. CONCLUSION: In this convenience sample, the response of chest pain to sublingual nitroglycerin was not a reliable indicator of a cardiac etiology.

Administration, Sublingual↗
PubMed2005

Newer imaging methods for triaging patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain.

The usefulness of electron beam CT (EBCT) for the risk stratification of patients in the emergency department (ED) who have possible acute coronary syndrome has been evaluated in three small studies. The results of these studies are promising, as patients who have no coronary calcium detected by EBCT essentially had no adverse cardiac events. Although the negative predictive value of EBCT was excellent, the limited positive predictive value that would lead to further diagnostic testing makes this strategy less attractivei f applied to a broad population. Further larger studies may help define which patients in the ED who have chest pain and nondiagnostic ECGs can be effectively evaluated by EBCT. Recent advances in noninvasive coronary angiography by multislice computed tomography are of considerable interest in the ED evaluation of patients with undefined chest pain, but the utility of this method in this setting awaits clinical studies.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2005

Chest pain units: management of special populations.

Chest pain units provide an important alternative to traditional hospital admission for patients who present to the emergency department with symptoms compatible with acute coronary syndrome and a normal or inconclusive initial evaluation. Although patient subgroups such as women, diabetics, those with established coronary artery disease,and those with symptoms related to stimulant use present unique challenges,management in a chest pain unit appears to be appropriate in these populations. Judicious application of accelerated diagnostic protocols and current testing methods can promote safe, accurate, and cost-effective risk stratification of special populations to identify patients who can be safely discharged and patients who require hospital admission for further evaluation.

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMed2005

Exercise testing in chest pain units: rationale, implementation, and results.

Chest pain units are now established centers for assessment of low-risk patients presenting to the emergency department with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome. Accelerated diagnostic protocols, of which treadmill testing is a key component, have been developed within these units for efficient evaluation of these patients. Studies of the last decade have established the utility of early exercise testing,which has been safe, accurate, and cost-effective in this setting. Specific diagnostic protocols vary, but most require 6 to 12 hours of observation by serial electrocardiography and cardiac injury markers to exclude infarction and high-risk unstable angina before proceeding to exercise testing. However, in the chest pain unit at UC Davis Medical Center,the approach includes "immediate" treadmill testing without a traditional process to rule out myocardial infarction. Extensive experience has validated this approach in a large, heterogeneous population. The optimal strategy for evaluating low-risk patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain will continue to evolve based on current research and the development of new methods.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2005

Bedside evaluation of cardiac markers. Point-of-care testing can differentiate acute coronary syndromes.

Accurate and rapid diagnostic tests can help identify high-risk patients with ACS among those presenting to the emergency department with chest pain. Such tests can also differentiate low-risk patients with chest pain who are suitable for early emergency department discharge. In this article, Drs Amsterdam and Deedwania elucidate the varieties of ACS, their pathophysiology, and the methods used for diagnosis. The authors also explore the potential of point-of-care testing for cardiac injury markers in the timely and accurate identification of ACS.

Angina, Unstable↗