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Biomedical subjects

K R Bailey

Publications and source records attributed to K R Bailey.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Circulating N-terminal atrial natriuretic peptide as a marker for symptomless left-ventricular dysfunction.

Early identification of patients with symptomless left-ventricular dysfunction and early pharmacologic intervention may have an impact on the outlook of patients with heart failure. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is a cardiac hormone that is released as a C-terminal (C-ANP) and an N-terminal peptide (N-ANP). Since N-ANP has reduced clearance rates compared with C-ANP, N-ANP circulates at higher concentrations. Based on the known increased concentration of C-ANP in symptomatic congestive heart failure, our study was designed to evaluate prospectively N-ANP profile and left-ventricular function in subjects with symptomless and symptomatic heart failure, and the role of plasma N-ANP as a marker for early identification of patients with heart failure. 180 patients who were referred for rest and exercise radionuclide angiography for evaluation of left-ventricular function were studied. Blood was taken for measurement of C-ANP and N-ANP before angiography. Patients were grouped according to New York Heart Association (NYHA) heart failure classification and left-ventricular function. Mean (SD) plasma N-ANP concentration in patients with symptomless left-ventricular dysfunction (NYHA class I, n = 70) was 243 (256) pmol/L (range 27-922 pmol/L), and was higher (p < 0.001) than in 25 control subjects (28 pmol/L). A plasma N-ANP concentration above 54 pmol/L (mean +/- 1.96SD of the control group) had a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 92% for detection of patients with symptomless left-ventricular dysfunction. We have shown that plasma N-ANP concentrations are significantly increased in patients with symptomless left-ventricular dysfunction and that this peptide can serve as a marker for diagnosis of such patients.

Adult↗

The changing in-hospital mortality of women undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.

OBJECTIVE: To compare in-hospital mortality among women and men undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and determine whether mortality differences have changed recently. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Tertiary referral institution. PATIENTS: Consecutive series of 3557 patients (27% women) who underwent 4071 PTCA procedures. Two cohorts were analyzed: patients treated between 1979 and 1987 (n = 1970) and those treated between 1988 and 1990 (n = 2101). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: In-hospital and periprocedural mortality. RESULTS: Women were older than men (P < .001) and more had class III or IV angina (P < .001), unstable angina (P < .001), angina at rest (P < .001), cardiac failure (P < .001), and diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia (P < .001). The PTCA was successful in 85% of women and 86% of men with an in-hospital mortality rate of 4.2% and 2.7%, respectively (P = .005). No significant change in mortality occurred in men between the early (2.2%) and late (3.1%) eras in contrast to a significant increase among women, 2.9% to 5.4% (P = .04). Periprocedural mortalities for women and men between 1979 and 1987 were 1.0% and 1.2% (P = not significant) and between 1988 and 1990 were 2.9% and 1.4% (P = .02), respectively. The multivariate odds ratio of in-hospital mortality for women vs men was 1.51 (95% confidence interval, 1.00 to 2.29; P = .05), although six other baseline variables were more powerful predictors of in-hospital mortality. Accounting for body surface area resulted in no significant association between gender and in-hospital mortality. Periprocedural mortality was not independently associated with gender. CONCLUSIONS: In-hospital mortality among women has increased in recent years, but their higher mortality compared with men is related more to the severity of their underlying disease rather than gender alone.

Aged↗

Immediate angioplasty compared with the administration of a thrombolytic agent followed by conservative treatment for myocardial infarction. The Mayo Coronary Care Unit and Catheterization Laboratory Groups.

BACKGROUND: Immediate angioplasty and the administration of a thrombolytic agent followed by conservative treatment are two approaches to the management of acute myocardial infarction, but these methods have not been compared prospectively. METHODS: We enrolled 108 patients with acute myocardial infarction in a randomized trial designed to test the hypothesis that immediate angioplasty (without previous thrombolytic therapy) may result in greater myocardial salvage than the administration of a thrombolytic agent followed by conservative treatment. The primary end point was the change in the size of the perfusion defect as assessed at admission and discharge by tomographic imaging with technetium-99m sestamibi, a myocardial perfusion agent that can measure myocardium at risk and final infarct size. RESULTS: End-point data were available for 56 patients randomly assigned to receive tissue plasminogen activator (mean [+/- SD] time to start of infusion, 232 +/- 174 minutes after the onset of chest pain) and 47 patients randomly assigned to receive angioplasty (first balloon inflation at 277 +/- 144 minutes). In the case of anterior infarction, myocardial salvage as assessed by imaging with technetium-99m sestamibi was 27 +/- 21 percent of the left ventricle for 22 patients in the thrombolysis group, as compared with 31 +/- 21 percent for 15 patients in the angioplasty group. For infarcts in all other locations, myocardial salvage was 7 +/- 13 percent for 34 patients in the thrombolysis group and 5 +/- 10 percent for 32 patients in the angioplasty group. After adjustment for infarct location, the difference in mean salvage between groups was 0 (P = 0.98), with a 95 percent confidence interval of +/- 6 percent of the left ventricle. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with acute myocardial infarction, immediate angioplasty does not appear to result in greater myocardial salvage than the administration of a thrombolytic agent followed by conservative treatment, although a small difference between these two therapeutic approaches cannot be excluded.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary↗

A population-based estimate of candidacy rates for the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.

The implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) increases survival of patients who receive the device. However, candidacy rates have not been calculated for a defined population, and the potential effect of the device on the survival of all patients with heart disease has not been estimated. To make these calculations, medical records were reviewed for 1976 to 1988 in a population demographically similar to the white population of the United States. Definite and possible candidates were identified on the basis of American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines. Candidacy rates ranged from 3.3/100,000 (counting only definite candidates for the entire period) to 8.7/100,000 (counting definite and possible candidates after 1980). Extrapolated to the 1990 U.S. population, estimates ranged from 8,207 to 21,637 new candidates each year. During an average follow-up of 5 years, half of all deaths among candidates had the potential to be delayed by an ICD. In a similar population that has a death rate from heart disease of approximately 280/100,000, 0.6 to 1.6% of subjects have the potential to have their deaths delayed to some extent by an ICD.

Actuarial Analysis↗

Effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition on neointimal proliferation in a porcine coronary injury model.

To assess the effectiveness of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition in a proliferative porcine coronary restenosis model, 35 animals received orally administered trandolapril (10 mg) or captopril (200 mg) or no drug (control group) for 6 days before and 28 days after injury by oversized metallic coils in one or more coronary arteries. Twenty arterial lesions in the trandolapril group, 17 in the captopril group, and 18 in the control group were evaluated. There was no significant difference in neointimal thickness or percentage luminal area stenosis for the groups as a whole. However, in quantitative comparisons in which vessel injury score was used as a covariate, the fractional increase in mean neointimal thickness per unit of injury was significantly less for the trandolapril group (p = 0.019) but not for the captopril group when compared with control animals. In this model, neointimal proliferation from arterial injury was inhibited by angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition with trandolapril but only modestly. Such an effect may not be clinically significant.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary↗

The effect of systemic hypertension on exercise tomographic thallium-201 imaging in the absence of electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy.

This study was designed to assess the effect of systemic hypertension on exercise thallium-201 imaging. The study group consisted of 38 patients with systemic hypertension who were compared with 68 normotensive patients. All patients had a low pretest likelihood of coronary artery disease to minimize the influence of selection bias. Patients with electrocardiographic evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy were excluded. Single-photon emission computed tomographic thallium-201 images were obtained immediately after exercise and 4 hours after exercise. Thallium tomographic images were assessed qualitatively by 14 short-axis segments and were grouped into three coronary distributions. Regional and global quantitative analysis was also performed by using a reference study group at low risk for coronary artery disease. The hypertensive group demonstrated higher resting systolic blood pressure (137 +/- 26 mm Hg vs 120 +/- 14 mm Hg in the normotensive group, p = 0.0002) immediately before exercise. There was no significant difference between hypertensive and normotensive groups in peak exercise systolic blood pressure (181 +/- 31 mm Hg vs 172 +/- mm Hg, p = NS). The normotensive group achieved a significantly higher peak exercise heart rate (162 +/- 18 vs 146 +/- 20 beats/min in the hypertensive group, p = 0.0001) and higher estimated oxygen uptake (11.0 +/- 3.4 vs 9.1 +/- 2.7 metabolic equivalents [METS] in the hypertensive group, p = 0.003). However, rate-pressure products for both groups were nearly identical.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Color flow imaging compared with quantitative Doppler assessment of severity of mitral regurgitation: influence of eccentricity of jet and mechanism of regurgitation.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the influence of jet eccentricity and mechanism of mitral regurgitation, we examined 1) the relation between jet extent and severity of mitral regurgitation, and 2) the use of Doppler color flow imaging for quantitation of mitral regurgitation. BACKGROUND: Doppler color flow imaging is widely used to assess mitral regurgitation. However, whether, how and in which subgroups it can quantify regurgitation remain controversial. METHODS: In 80 patients with mitral regurgitation, results of color flow Doppler studies obtained in two orthogonal apical views were prospectively compared with quantitative Doppler measurement of the regurgitant volume and the regurgitant fraction. Comparisons were made according to the eccentricity of the jet (group 1 eccentric jets, n = 29; group 2 central jets, n = 51); group 2 was subdivided according to the mechanism of mitral regurgitation (group 2a organic, n = 27; group 2b ischemic or functional, n = 24). RESULTS: Globally, weak correlations were found between regurgitant volume and jet area (r = 0.57) and regurgitant fraction and jet area/left atrial area ratio (r = 0.65). Groups 1 and 2 showed a correlation between regurgitant volume and jet area (r = 0.68 and r = 0.65, respectively, p < 0.0001), but the slope was steeper in group 2 than in group 1 (0.22 vs. 0.06, p < 0.0001). The same jet area corresponded to more severe regurgitation in group 1 than in group 2 (jet > or = 8 cm2, regurgitant volume 113 +/- 55 vs. 43 +/- 21 ml, p < 0.0001). Similarly, for comparable regurgitant volumes (24 +/- 22 vs. 29 +/- 11 ml, p = NS), group 2a had a smaller jet area than did group 2b (5.3 +/- 6 vs. 9.6 +/- 6 cm2, p < 0.02). Quantitation of regurgitation by Doppler color flow imaging was unreliable in group 1; in group 2b, the regression line between regurgitant fraction and jet area/left atrial area ratio was close to the identity line. CONCLUSIONS: Mitral regurgitant jet eccentricity and mechanism influence jet extent. The same regurgitant volume produces smaller jet areas for eccentric compared with central jets and for central organic compared with ischemic or functional regurgitation. Quantitation of regurgitation using Doppler color flow imaging is possible in ischemic or functional regurgitation but inappropriate in eccentric jets, where quantitative Doppler study should be recommended.

Aged↗

Natural history of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy: effect of referral bias and secular trend.

OBJECTIVES: The current study was designed to determine the effect of secular trend and referral bias on the natural history of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. BACKGROUND: In a previous study of 104 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy conducted in a referral population at the Mayo Clinic between 1960 and 1973, the 1- and 5-year mortality rates were 31% and 64%, respectively. A recent study of 40 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy conducted in a population-based cohort at the Mayo Clinic between 1975 and 1984 reported 1- and 5-year mortality rates of 5% and 20%, respectively. We hypothesized that improvements in diagnosis and therapy have occurred since the original referral cohort was described and that these improvements have altered the apparent natural history of the disease. We refer to this effect as secular trend. Alternatively, the presence of more advanced disease in the referral population (referral bias) may also contribute to the differences in survival. METHODS: Two sequential referral populations with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy seen at the Mayo Clinic between 1976 and 81 (n = 85) and 1982 and 1987 (n = 137) were identified. Outcome was compared between these cohorts and the 1960-1973 referral cohort to examine the effect of secular trend. Outcomes were compared with that of the population-based cohort to examine the effect of referral bias. RESULTS: Survival in the 1976-1981 referral cohort did not differ from that in the 1960-1973 referral cohort, suggesting little impact of secular trend during these time periods. Survival in the more recent 1982-1987 referral cohort was significantly better than that in the earlier referral cohorts, suggesting that improvements in diagnosis and treatment in the 1980s altered the natural history of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Survival in the 1982-1987 referral cohort was still worse than that of the population-based cohort, suggesting an effect of referral bias on studies of the natural history of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. CONCLUSIONS: The current study demonstrates that secular trend and referral bias affect the apparent natural history of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Survival in referral patients with this disease is significantly better than previously described.

Bias↗

Coronary restenosis: prospects for solution and new perspectives from a porcine model.

Coronary restenosis, a major unresolved problem for percutaneous coronary revascularization procedures, has thus far been resistant to all therapeutic strategies. In part, ineffective treatment or prevention of coronary restenosis may be due to reliance on a conceptualization of the restenosis process that incompletely reflects the pathophysiologic factors associated with neointimal formation after arterial injury. In a porcine coronary restenosis model, three stages of neointimal growth after arterial injury have been identified: an early thrombotic stage, with platelets, fibrin, and erythrocytes; a cellular recruitment stage, with endothelialization and an infiltration by lymphocytes and monocytes; and a proliferative stage, in which smooth muscle cells migrate into and proliferate within the fibrin-rich degenerating thrombus. Evaluation of basic mechanisms responsible for neointimal formation has been possible with this model. In particular, a direct relationship exists between the depth of arterial injury and subsequent neointimal thickness. This relationship can be used for investigating the efficacy of new therapies. Treatment strategies for restenosis should be directed toward interference with the cellular or humoral events that lead to neointimal formation, with the specific goal of decreasing the neointimal volume. These strategies may include delivery of drugs to the site of arterial injury to limit the amount of early mural thrombus or decreasing subsequent cellular recruitment and proliferation as well as synthesis of extracellular matrix.

Animals↗

The incidence and prevalence of congestive heart failure in Rochester, Minnesota.

Although congestive heart failure is a fairly common clinical syndrome and the societal costs associated with its care are high, relatively little is known about the incidence or prevalence of the condition in the community. Using the resources of the Rochester Epidemiology Project, we identified all 46 persons 0 through 74 years of age who had a new diagnosis of congestive heart failure during 1981 and all 113 persons with a prevalent diagnosis on Jan. 1, 1982, in the city of Rochester, Minnesota. After confirming the diagnosis in the medical record by using criteria similar to those in the Framingham study, we found the annual incidence of congestive heart failure to be 110 per 100,000 after adjusting for age. Incidence rates were higher among male than among female study subjects (157 versus 71 per 100,000). In both male and female subjects, the incidence generally increased with advancing age, reaching 1,618 per 100,000 and 981 per 100,000, respectively. Prevalence rates on Jan. 1, 1982, demonstrated similar patterns. Overall, the prevalence of congestive heart failure was higher among male than among female subjects (327 versus 214 per 100,000) and increased exponentially with advancing age, reaching almost 3% in both sexes. Survival after a diagnosis of congestive heart failure was extremely poor, with only 80% alive at 3 months and 66% at 1 year. These data underscore the effect of congestive heart failure in the community and provide estimates of the number of persons who might benefit from early intervention.

Adolescent↗

Quantitative Doppler assessment of valvular regurgitation.

BACKGROUND: Quantitation of valvular regurgitation remains a challenge. The accuracy of quantitative Doppler is controversial, and its ability to measure regurgitant volume is unknown; therefore, it is not widely used. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 120 patients (20 without regurgitation, 19 with aortic regurgitation, and 81 with mitral regurgitation), the stroke volume through the mitral annulus and left ventricular outflow tract were measured using pulsed-wave Doppler concurrently with left ventricular stroke volume calculated using left ventricular volumes measured by two-dimensional echocardiography Simpson's biapical method. Regurgitant volume and fraction were thus computed using Doppler or ventricular methods. In normal patients there were good correlations between Doppler and left ventricular measurements of stroke volume. Doppler regurgitant volume and fraction were 4.4 +/- 4.4 mL and 5.3 +/- 4.5%, respectively. In patients with aortic regurgitation, there were good correlations between Doppler and left ventricular measurements of stroke volume, regurgitant volume, and regurgitant fraction (r = 0.97, r = 0.95, and r = 0.93, respectively; p < 0.0001). In patients with mitral regurgitation, despite good correlations between Doppler and ventricular methods for stroke volume, regurgitant volume, and regurgitant fraction (r = 0.94, r = 0.93, and r = 0.94, respectively; p < 0.001), these variables were overestimated by Doppler. However, in the last 54 patients compared with the first 27, overestimation decreased significantly for regurgitant volume (5 +/- 10 mL versus 18 +/- 27 mL, p < 0.05) and regurgitant fraction (3.3 +/- 6.7% versus 6.2 +/- 6.8%, p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative Doppler can be performed in large numbers of patients in a clinical laboratory. Its potential limitation was identified as overestimation of mitral regurgitation, which is overcome with increased experience. Its achieved accuracy in mitral and aortic regurgitation allows measurement not only of regurgitant fraction but most importantly of regurgitant volume.

Adult↗

A population study of the natural history of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1953-1989.

BACKGROUND: Virtually all natural history studies of Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome have been case series and, as such, have been constrained by referral biases, skewed age and sex distributions, or brief follow-up periods. The purpose of our study was to examine the natural history, the development of arrhythmias, and the incidence of sudden death in an entire cohort of pediatric and adult WPW patients from a community-based local population. METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified 113 residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, during the period 1953-1989 using the centralized records-linkage system provided by the Mayo Clinic and the Rochester Epidemiology Program Project. Medical records and ECGs were reviewed to confirm the diagnosis and to establish pathway location by ECG criteria. Follow-up, via record review and telephone interview, was complete in 95% of subjects through 1990. The incidence of newly diagnosed cases was approximately four per 100,000 per year. Preexcitation was not present on the initial ECG of 22% of the cohort. Approximately 50% of the population was asymptomatic at diagnosis, with 30% subsequently having symptoms related to arrhythmia at follow-up. Two sudden cardiac deaths (SCD) occurred over 1,338 patient-years of follow-up, yielding an overall SCD rate of 0.0015 (95% confidence interval, 0.0002-0.0054) per patient-year. No SCD occurred in patients asymptomatic at diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of sudden death in a local community-based population is low and suggests that electrophysiological testing should not be performed routinely in asymptomatic patients with WPW syndrome. Nevertheless, young, asymptomatic patients, particularly those < 40 years old, should return for medical follow-up should symptoms develop.

Adolescent↗

Predicting early and intermediate-term outcome of coronary angioplasty in the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Although the technical success rate of coronary angioplasty in the elderly in high, very old patients have increased risk of procedure-related death and late recurrence of severe angina. We proposed to determine baseline variables that predict early and intermediate-term failure of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in patients more than 65 so we could effectively stratify risk. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 982 patients at least 65 years old who had urgent or elective PTCA (1980 through 1990). Follow-up (mean, 25 months) was obtained for all patients. Multiple baseline variables were analyzed with univariate and multivariate logistic regression to select independent ones to fit predictive models for in-hospital death or myocardial infarction (overall rate, 6.3%), total in-hospital adverse outcome (overall rate, 18.7%), cumulative survival free of myocardial infarction (overall rate, 15% at 3 years), and cumulative survival free of late nonfatal myocardial infarction, bypass surgery, repeat PTCA, or recurrent severe angina (overall rate, 47% at 3 years). The most heavily weighted parameter in the probability regression equation for each end point was the number of diseased coronary artery segments with at least 70% stenosis. Advanced age was less important. The number of concomitant medical illnesses was predictive of late outcome but not early in-hospital events. Lowest risk quintile versus highest risk quintile event rate was 2.9% versus 14% for acute myocardial infarction or death and 17.2% versus 29% for cumulative in-hospital events. For posthospital events at 3 years' follow-up, lowest risk quintile death or myocardial infarction rate was 4% versus 33% for highest risk quintile. For cumulative late adverse events at 3 years, the event rate was 28% versus 63% for the highest risk quintile. CONCLUSIONS: These results stratify patients at high and low risk of early and intermediate-term success after PTCA and identify elderly patients in whom PTCA is most appropriate.

Age Factors↗

Prognosis with abnormal thallium images in the absence of significant coronary artery disease.

In the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD), thallium imaging has been reported to add prognostic information that is independent of coronary anatomy. To investigate the prognostic importance of thallium imaging in the absence of significant CAD, 87 patients (65 men, 22 women) with abnormal thallium images without significant CAD were followed for a median duration of 22 months (range 11 to 50). Tomographic thallium images obtained immediately and 4 hours after exercise were interpreted by 2 experienced observers who graded thallium uptake in 24 segments in 3 views (short axis, horizontal long axis, vertical long axis) on a 5-point scale (normal; mildly, moderately, or severely reduced; absent). All patients had an abnormal thallium study, defined as a reversible defect of at least mild severity or a fixed defect of at least moderate severity seen in > or = 2 views, or a combination of these, and a coronary angiogram with stenosis not > or = 70% in diameter narrowing. Eighty-two patients had at least 1 reversible segment, and 26 patients had defects in > or = 2 coronary artery distributions. During follow-up there were no deaths or myocardial infarctions. Coronary angioplasty and bypass surgery were performed in 2 patients. Three-year survival without myocardial infarction or revascularization was 97%. Patients with abnormal thallium images in the absence of significant CAD have an excellent short-term prognosis.

Adult↗

Noninvasive identification of severe coronary artery disease using exercise tomographic thallium-201 imaging.

The ability of exercise thallium-201 tomographic imaging to predict the presence of left main or 3-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) was examined in 688 patients who underwent both exercise thallium-201 testing and coronary angiography. Significant differences existed for multiple variables between patients with (n = 196) and without (n = 492) severe left main or 3-vessel CAD. Logistic regression analysis identified 4 variables as independently predictive of left main or 3-vessel CAD. These variables were the magnitude of ST-segment depression with exercise, the number of visually abnormal short-axis thallium-201 segments, the presence or absence of diabetes mellitus, and the change in systolic blood pressure with exercise. Using these variables, patients were classified by nomograms into low-, intermediate- and high-probability groups. Patients at high probability (n = 205) had a 52% prevalence of 3-vessel or left main CAD, whereas those at low probability (n = 170) had only a 12% prevalence. Only 53 patients (29%) with 3-vessel or left main CAD had perfusion abnormalities in all 3 coronary territories. Clinical and exercise parameters provide important independent information in the identification of left main or 3-vessel CAD by exercise thallium-201 tomographic imaging, because thallium scintigraphy alone is suggestive of extensive CAD in few patients.

Aged↗

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in patients with cardiogenic shock.

In cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty has been reported to significantly improve the modest survival benefits afforded by emergency surgical revascularization and thrombolytic therapy. The records of all patients who underwent angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock were retrospectively reviewed to determine whether coronary angioplasty improves survival. Of the 45 patients, 28 (group 1, 62%) had successful dilation of the infarct-related artery and 17 (group 2, 38%) had unsuccessful angioplasty. The groups were similar in extent of coronary artery disease, infarct location, incidence of multivessel disease and hemodynamic variables. The overall hospital survival rate was 56% (71% in group 1 and 29% in group 2). Group 1 patients had more left main coronary artery disease, and group 2 patients were older and had a higher incidence of prior myocardial infarction. Multivariate analysis showed that the survival advantage in patients with successful angioplasty was statistically significant (p = 0.014) when these factors were taken into account. At a mean follow-up interval of 2.3 years (range 1 month to 5.6 years), there were five deaths (four cardiac and one noncardiac), for a 2.3-year survival rate of 80% in patients surviving to hospital discharge. During the follow-up period, 36% of hospital survivors had repeat hospitalization for cardiac evaluation, 8% had myocardial infarction, 8% had coronary artery bypass surgery and 24% had angina.

Actuarial Analysis↗

Long-term follow-up of patients undergoing closed transventricular mitral commissurotomy: a useful surrogate for percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the long-term outcome and multivariate predictors of late events in patients who underwent transventricular mitral commissurotomy at the Mayo Clinic in the early 1960s. BACKGROUND: Percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty is an important new procedure for which long-term follow-up data are not yet available. However, such data do exist for patients who have undergone transventricular mitral commissurotomy, a similar but older and more invasive procedure. METHODS: Follow-up data (mean duration 13.9 years) for 207 women and 60 men who underwent transventricular mitral commissurotomy were obtained from medical records, referring physicians, questionnaires and telephone interviews. Survival and survival free of repeat commissurotomy or mitral valve surgery were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine predictors of survival and repeat mitral valve surgery. RESULTS: Postoperatively, 92% of patients had symptomatic improvement, which was sustained for at least 3 to 4 years in 78%. At 10, 15 and 20 years postoperatively, 79%, 67% and 55%, respectively, of patients were alive and 57%, 36% and 24%, respectively, were alive and free of repeat mitral valve surgery. At 10 years, 90% of all patients were free of transient or fixed cerebrovascular events. In multivariate analyses, atrial fibrillation, age and male gender were independently associated with death, whereas mitral valve calcification, cardiomegaly and mitral regurgitation independently predicted repeat mitral valve surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term results after transventricular mitral commissurotomy are excellent in selected patients with symptomatic mitral stenosis. Because of similarities in patient selection and mechanisms of mitral valve dilation, similar favorable long-term outcomes may be expected after percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty.

Adult↗