PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R Curiel

Publications and source records attributed to R Curiel.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Randomised trial of low-dose amiodarone in severe congestive heart failure. Grupo de Estudio de la Sobrevida en la Insuficiencia Cardiaca en Argentina (GESICA)

In severe heart failure many deaths are sudden and are presumed to be due to ventricular arrhythmias. The GESICA trial evaluated the effect of low-dose amiodarone on two-year mortality in patients with severe heart failure. Our prospective multicentre trial included 516 patients on optimal standard treatment for heart failure. Patients were randomised to 300 mg/day amiodarone (260) or to standard treatment (256). Intention-to-treat analysis showed 87 deaths in the amiodarone group (33.5%) compared with 106 in the control group (41.4%) (risk reduction 28%; 95% CI 4%-45%; log rank test p = 0.024). There were reductions in both sudden death (risk reduction 27%; p = 0.16) and death due to progressive heart failure (risk reduction 23%; p = 0.16). Fewer patients in the amiodarone group died or were admitted to hospital due to worsening heart failure (119 versus 149 in the control group; risk reduction 31%; 95% CI 13-46%; p = 0.0024). The decrease in mortality and hospital admission was present in all subgroups examined and independent of the presence of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia. Side-effects were reported in 17 patients (6.1%); amiodarone was withdrawn in 12. Low-dose amiodarone proved to be an effective and reliable treatment, reducing mortality and hospital admission in patients with severe heart failure independently of the presence of complex ventricular arrhythmias.

Amiodarone↗
PubMed1989

Positive inotropic effects mediated by alpha 1 adrenoceptors in intact human subjects.

The role of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors (adrenoceptors) on cardiac contractility was investigated in human subjects. The effect of methoxamine, a selective alpha-adrenoceptor agonist, and angiotensin II, on cardiac contractility was determined by means of noninvasive assessment of the slope of the end-systolic pressure (ESP)/end-systolic dimension (ESD) relationship. The slope (m) of this ratio was significantly higher with methoxamine (17.0; SD = 9.0 mm Hg/mm) than with angiotensin II (4.8; SD = 1.9 mm Hg/mm) (p less than 0.05). Slopes with methoxamine were higher when heart rates (HRs) were reflexly reduced, and were significantly diminished when reflex bradycardia was prevented by atropine (p less than 0.05) or atrial pacing (p less than 0.01). Previous treatment with propranolol did not modify m values with methoxamine (m = 15.5; SD = 4.4 mm Hg/mm). Phentolamine, given at peak methoxamine effect, did not consistently modify m values, resulting in an average slope not significantly different from that obtained with methoxamine alone. However, the addition of phentolamine did not cause an increase in ESDs at each level of ESP with respect to methoxamine. In the same subjects, infusion of phentolamine after angiotensin did not modify ESDs at comparable ESP levels. These findings suggest the existence of a positive inotropic effect mediated by alpha 1 adrenoceptors in the intact human heart.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

The cardiovascular effects of acute hypoxemia as a diagnostic aid.

Acute hypoxemia produces opposite effects on the pulmonary and systemic vascular resistance. To assess the influence of acute hypoxemia on cardiac murmurs, 36 patients with a single valvular or congenital heart lesion were studied. As expected from these hemodynamic effects, right-sided regurgitant type murmurs increased in intensity during acute hypoxemia, while stenotic type murmurs were reduced. In contrast, left-sided murmurs remained constant or changed in opposite direction to their equivalent type from the right side. Additionally, acute hypoxemia produced a marked reduction of the murmurs due to left-to-right shunts and allowed an adequate differentiation of the murmurs due to ventricular septal defect from those due to mitral incompetence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Effect of acute administration of propranolol on ventricular function in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy measured by non-invasive techniques.

Seventeen patients with hypertropic obstructive cardiomyopathy, were studied using non-invasive techniques before and after the intravenous injection of 5 mg propranolol. The folloeing were analysed: left ventricular ejection time index, derived from the carotid pulse and heart rate; the isovolumic relaxation time, derived from the apex cardiogram and phonocardiogram; the diastolic closure rate of the mirtal valve; and the left ventricular diameters, systolic and diastolic, both measured by echocardiography. Propranolol produced shortening of the isovolumic relaxation time, increase in both the diastolic closure rate of the mitral valve and left ventricular systolic and left ventricular diastolic diameters. These results show that propranolol increases the rate of filling and the volume of the left ventricle, indicating that an improvement in distensibility is produced by beta-adrenergic blockade.

Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic↗
PubMed1975

The use of echocardiography to measure isometric contraction time.

The current methods for estimating isometric contraction time were discussed. Ultrasonically derived isometric contraction time, using external carotid pulse tracing, phonocardiogram, and the B-point of the mitral echogram was also measured. Recordings were performed in 10 normal subjects, and 15 patients. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (5), congestive cardiomyopathy (6), and ischemic heart disease (4). In 11 patients, the results were correlated with the internal isometric contraction time. The ultrasound isometric contraction time showed good correlation with the internal isometric contraction time (r equals 0.92, P less than 0.01). The external isometric contraction time showed less correlation with the internal isometric contraction time and was significantly shorter (P less than 0.01). The ultrasound isometric contraction time showed a superior discriminating value to the external isometric contraction time for differentiation the normal subjects from the patients' group.

Adolescent↗