A new organization has been formed in which ambulance personnel have been trained to recognize ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation (VF) and to defibrillate. Cardiac arrest (CA) occurred in 307 patients and 140 were defibrillated. Twenty-eight patients were resuscitated and admitted for further hospital care. A previous history of ischaemic heart disease was found in 24 patients. Twenty-two of the patients admitted were found to have VF, two asystole and four other rhythms. All 11 survivors regained circulation at the site of the CA. At the time of admission all but one of the patients were unconscious and one long-time survivor remained unconscious until the 5th day following admission. Seventeen patients died while still in hospital. In 16 cases a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction was established, a further six had VF without evidence of acute myocardial infarction and six had other diagnoses. Ten out of the 11 survivors were still alive six months after discharge. Only one case of recurrent VF was seen during a median follow-up period of 16 months. Prolonged coma, especially in combination with convulsions, was associated with a poor prognosis, while early return of circulation was significantly more common among survivors. Ongoing medication with beta-blockers, a high QRS rate on admission and VF without proof of any acute myocardial infarction were also found to be more common in survivors.

Adult↗

PubMed1981

Pre-beta 1-lipoprotein in patients with ischemic heart disease. Genetic determination and relation to early insulin response.

The genetic determination of pre-beta 1-lipoprotein and its relation to insulin response was studied in 18 male monozygotic and 13 male dizygotic twin pairs, aged 51-74. They had been selected from the Swedish Twin Registry by means of an angina pectoris questionnaire. Results revealed a heritability index for the pre-beta 1-lipoprotein, determined quantitatively, to be as high as 0.94. The subjects in whom pre-beta 1-lipoprotein was present exhibited a significantly delayed early insulin response compared to subjects without this lipoprotein fraction. Our data seem to justify the use of pre-beta 1-lipoprotein as a genetic marker. Data also indicate that important metabolic differences may exist between pre-beta 1+ and pre-beta 1- individuals, and it is possible that such differences may explain in part an increased susceptibility to ischemic heart disease for those possessing the pre-beta 1 fraction.

Aged↗

PubMed1977

Long-term aspects on essential hypertension.

Hypertension has been found to imply a disease entity since the beginning of this century. Effective treatment available in the last two decades has changed the outlook remarkably, especially in malignant hypertension. There are more and more evidence that less severe forms of hypertension will benefit from keeping the blood pressure under control.

Adult↗

PubMed1976

Coronary heart disease in male twins: seven-year follow-up of discordant pairs.

In an investigation in 1967 of about 100 male twin pairs collected from the Swedish Twin Register, discordance with respect to the presence of CHD was found in 37 pairs of which 19 were MZ. The investigation included physical examination, cholesterol measurements, and an interview regarding, among other things, smoking habits. In a follow-up study in 1974 -- seven years after the original investigation -- all but one of the 37 twins regarded in 1967 as free from overt CHD could be traced. Ten of the 36 twins had developed symptoms of overt CHD (angina pectoris or infarction); 18 twins were still healthy, 2 had died from other causes, and 6 had questionable complaints of breast pains. In a comparison of the two groups of twins with and without symptoms of overt CHD, no differences were found with respect to blood pressure, serum cholesterol, or smoking habits, as presented at the 1967 investigation. It is concluded that none of these factors seemed to influence the future development of CHD in twins apparently tainted with a heredity for this disease.

Adult↗

PubMed1972