Single-blind and Double-blind Randomized Controlled Trials of Palmtherapy(R), an Alternative Medical Approach, for Anxiety before Cardiac Catheterization.

Alternative medicine is widely used, but lacks consensus regarding its amenability to scientific investigation. Anxiety increases morbidity and mortality in ischemic heart disease. We performed two studies of Palmtherapy(R), an alternative treatment, for anxiety before cardiac catheterization. In the first study, patients were randomized to receive pressure at particular points on the palm, or at incorrect locations, for about 50 min, while the therapist conversed with them. In the second study, the conversation was conducted by a second, 'blind' investigator. In both studies, patients and nurses, all blind to treatment assignment, completed visual analog scale and National Institute of Mental Health measures of anxiety, respectively. Twenty-three subjects completed study 1, and 17 completed study 2. In study 1, palm therapy was superior to sham therapy for both outcome measures. In study 2, palm therapy was superior for self-reported anxiety, but not for nurses' assessments of anxiety. Future studies should attempt to separate possible mechanistic effects of Palmtherapy(R) from therapist-related variables. Whether alternative medicine deserves to be studied at all remains controversial. Palmtherapy(R) may offer anxiolytic benefit without the harm attributable to drugs.

Clinical and hemodynamic effects of bosentan dose optimization in symptomatic heart failure patients with severe systolic dysfunction, associated with secondary pulmonary hypertension--a multi-center randomized study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of bosentan on echo-derived hemodynamic measurements, and clinical variables in symptomatic heart failure (HF) patients. METHOD: Multi- center, double-blind, randomized (2:1), placebo-controlled study comparing bosentan (8-125 mg b.i.d.) to placebo in patients with New York Heart Association class IIIb-IV HF, left ventricular ejection fraction <35% and systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP) >40 mm Hg. Primary and secondary endpoints were change from baseline to 20 weeks in SPAP and cardiac index, respectively. Safety endpoints were treatment emergent adverse events (AEs), change in body weight, hemoglobin, hematocrit, systolic blood pressure and diuretic use. RESULTS: Ninety-four patients enrolled: 60 to bosentan, 34 to placebo. There was no significant difference between the 2 arms in SPAP change (0.1 +/- 11.5 mm Hg , 95% confidence limit (CL) -5.4 to 5.2, p = 0.97), cardiac index shift (0.12 +/- 0.45, 95% CL -0.09 to 0.33 , p = 0.24 ) or any of the other 22 echocardiographic measurements obtained. Therapy-duration was longer in the placebo arm, while more patients in the bosentan arm experienced adverse and serious AEs. CONCLUSION: In HF patients with left ventricular dysfunction and secondary pulmonary hypertension, bosentan did not provide any measurable hemodynamic benefit, and was associated with more frequent AEs, requiring drug discontinuation.

"Benign" course and malignant clinical presentations of congenital long QT syndrome.

This report describes the "benign" clinical course of a congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) simulated acute coronary event in an 85 year old woman who had a history of recurrent syncope accompanied by numerous severe traumatic events from childhood. Her daughter died suddenly. LQTS was diagnosed on the basis of characteristic ECG findings, including a permanently prolonged QT interval, typical dynamic T-wave changes, and runs of torsades de pointes. A permanent DDDR pacemaker was implanted. Eighteen months after implantation there have been no further complaints of dizziness or syncope.