A randomized clinical trial of chiropractic treatment and self-management in patients with acute musculoskeletal chest pain: 1-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: We have previously reported short-term follow-up from a pragmatic randomized clinical trial comparing 2 treatments for acute musculoskeletal chest pain: (1) chiropractic treatment and (2) self-management. Results indicated a positive effect in favor of the chiropractic treatment after 4 and 12 weeks. The current article investigates the hypothesis that the advantage observed at 4 and 12 weeks would be sustained after 1 year. In addition, we describe self-reported consequences of acute musculoskeletal chest pain at 1-year follow-up. METHODS: In a nonblinded, randomized controlled trial undertaken at an emergency cardiology department and 4 outpatient chiropractic clinics, 115 consecutive patients with acute chest pain of musculoskeletal origin were included. After the baseline evaluation, patients were randomized to 4 weeks of either chiropractic treatment or self-management, with posttreatment questionnaire follow-up 52 weeks later. The primary outcome measures were change in pain intensity (11-point box numerical rating scale) and self-perceived change in pain (7-point ordinal scale). RESULTS: Both groups experienced decreases in pain, positive global, self-perceived treatment effect, and increases in the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey scores. No statistically significant differences were observed between groups at the 1-year follow-up, and we could not deduce a common trend in favor of either intervention. CONCLUSIONS: At the 1-year follow-up, we found no difference between groups in terms of pain intensity and self-perceived change in chest pain in the first randomized clinical trial assessing chiropractic treatment vs minimal intervention for patients with acute musculoskeletal chest pain. Further research into health care utilization and use of prescriptive medication is warranted.

Chiropractic treatment vs self-management in patients with acute chest pain: a randomized controlled trial of patients without acute coronary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The musculoskeletal system is a common but often overlooked cause of chest pain. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the relative effectiveness of 2 treatment approaches for acute musculoskeletal chest pain: (1) chiropractic treatment that included spinal manipulation and (2) self-management as an example of minimal intervention. METHODS: In a nonblinded, randomized, controlled trial set at an emergency cardiology department and 4 outpatient chiropractic clinics, 115 consecutive patients with acute chest pain and no clear medical diagnosis at initial presentation were included. After a baseline evaluation, patients with musculoskeletal chest pain were randomized to 4 weeks of chiropractic treatment or self-management, with posttreatment questionnaire follow-up 4 and 12 weeks later. Primary outcome measures were numeric change in pain intensity (11-point box numerical rating scale) and self-perceived change in pain (7-point ordinal scale). RESULTS: Both groups experienced decreases in pain, self-perceived positive changes, and increases in Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-Item Health Survey scores. Observed between-group significant differences were in favor of chiropractic treatment at 4 weeks regarding the primary outcome of self-perceived change in chest pain and at 12 weeks with respect to the primary outcome of numeric change in pain intensity. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first randomized trial assessing chiropractic treatment vs minimal intervention in patients without acute coronary syndrome but with musculoskeletal chest pain. Results suggest that chiropractic treatment might be useful; but further research in relation to patient selection, standardization of interventions, and identification of potentially active ingredients is needed.

Reconstruction of the decision-making process in assessing musculoskeletal chest pain: an exploratory study using recursive partitioning.

OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to identify the most important determinants from the patient history and clinical examination in diagnosing musculoskeletal chest pain (MSCP) in patients with acute noncardiac chest pain when supported by a structured protocol and to construct a decision tree for identification of MSCP in acute noncardiac chest pain. METHODS: Consecutive patients with noncardiac chest pain (n = 302) recruited from an emergency cardiology department were assessed. Using data from self-report questionnaires, interviews, and clinical assessment, patient characteristics were associated with the MSCP diagnosis, and the decision-making process of the clinician was reconstructed using recursive procedures in the tradition of constructing Classification and Regression Trees. RESULTS: Thirty-eight percent of patients had MSCP. There was no single determinant that predicted the condition completely. However, many items with high associations could be identified, mainly with high negative predictive value. The decision-making process was reconstructed giving rise to a 5-step, linear decision tree without branches. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians use a combination of indicators including systematic palpation of the spine and chest wall and items from the case history to diagnose MSCP. However, the high negative predictive values of the main determinants suggest that the MSCP diagnosis may be a diagnosis by exclusion.

Myocardial ischemia, carotid, and peripheral arterial disease and their interrelationship in type 2 diabetes patients.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. We examined the relationship between CVD in different vascular territories. METHODS: T2DM patients without known or suspected CVD (n = 305) referred consecutively to a diabetes clinic for the first time and age-matched nondiabetic reference subjects (n = 40) were screened for myocardial ischemia, carotid, and peripheral arterial disease by means of myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, carotid artery ultrasonography, and peripheral ankle and toe systolic blood pressure measurements. RESULTS: In the T2DM patients, the prevalence of myocardial ischemia, carotid, and peripheral arterial disease was 30%, 42%, and 15%, respectively, almost three times higher than in the reference subjects (P = 0.007, P = 0.001, and P = 0.09, respectively). T2DM patients with myocardial ischemia, carotid, or peripheral arterial disease had a significantly increased risk of CVD in other vascular territories as well (OR: 1.99, 2.09, and 3.09, respectively). However, 40%, 52%, and 22% of the T2DM patients with myocardial ischemia, carotid, or peripheral arterial disease demonstrated exclusively this particular type of CVD manifestation. CONCLUSIONS: In T2DM patients, signs of CVD in one vascular territory carry a significantly increased risk of CVD in other territories, although many patients only presented one manifestation.

Are there long-term benefits in following stable heart failure patients in a heart failure clinic?

OBJECTIVES AND DESIGN: This study describes the long-term outcome of 163 patients with stable mild to moderate heart failure (NYHA II-III), who already were enrolled in a heart failure clinic and now were randomized to continued follow-up in the heart failure (HF) clinic or else to usual care (UC). The primary outcome was unplanned hospitalisations and death, the secondary endpoints were pharmacological therapy, NYHA class, six-minute-walking distances and NT-pro BNP level. RESULTS: At the end of follow-up we found no significant differences in total number of hospitalisation (p = 0.2) or mortality (16% vs. 16%) between the two groups. Patients in the HF clinic cohort achieved a significantly better NYHA score (p < 0.01), significantly longer walking-distances (p = 0.04) and received a significantly higher dose of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (p < 0.001) and beta-blockers (p < 0.001). No significant difference was found on the level of NT-pro BNP (p = 0.4). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with mild to moderate HF may benefit from long-term follow-up in a HF clinic in terms of pharmacological therapy and functional status, but we found no significant impact on unplanned hospitalisations or death.

A randomised trial of a pre-synaptic stimulator of DA2-dopaminergic and alpha2-adrenergic receptors on morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure.

BACKGROUND: By pre-synaptic stimulation of DA(2)-dopaminergic and alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors, nolomirole inhibits norepinephrine secretion from sympathetic nerve endings. We performed a clinical study with nolomirole in patients with heart failure (HF). METHODS: The study was designed as a multicentre, double blind, parallel group trial of 5 mg b.i.d. of nolomirole (n=501) versus placebo (n=499) in patients with severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction, recently in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III/IV. The primary endpoint was time to all cause death or hospitalisation for HF, whichever came first. The study was event driven and required 420 primary events. The study was completed as scheduled. RESULTS: Mean age of patients was 70 years, and 73% were male. Heart rate and blood pressure were not different in the two treatment groups. There were no changes in blood pressure. There were 233 primary events in the nolomirole group versus 208 in the placebo group (p=0.1). There were 142/145 deaths and 369/374 all cause hospitalisations in the nolomirole/placebo groups. There were no differences in walking distance, quality of life or NYHA class. CONCLUSION: A dose of 5 mg b.i.d. of nolomirole was not beneficial (or harmful) in patients with heart failure.

Diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal chest pain: design of a multi-purpose trial.

BACKGROUND: Acute chest pain is a major health problem all over the western world. Active approaches are directed towards diagnosis and treatment of potentially life threatening conditions, especially acute coronary syndrome/ischemic heart disease. However, according to the literature, chest pain may also be due to a variety of extra-cardiac disorders including dysfunction of muscles and joints of the chest wall or the cervical and thoracic part of the spine. The diagnostic approaches and treatment options for this group of patients are scarce and formal clinical studies addressing the effect of various treatments are lacking. METHODS/DESIGN: We present an ongoing trial on the potential usefulness of chiropractic diagnosis and treatment in patients dismissed from an acute chest pain clinic without a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. The aims are to determine the proportion of patients in whom chest pain may be of musculoskeletal rather than cardiac origin and to investigate the decision process of a chiropractor in diagnosing these patients; further, to examine whether chiropractic treatment can reduce pain and improve physical function when compared to advice directed towards promoting self-management, and, finally, to estimate the cost-effectiveness of these procedures. This study will include 300 patients discharged from a university hospital acute chest pain clinic without a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome or any other obvious cardiac or non-cardiac disease. After completion of the clinic's standard cardiovascular diagnostic procedures, trial patients will be examined according to a standardized protocol including a) a self-report questionnaire; b) a semi-structured interview; c) a general health examination; and d) a specific manual examination of the muscles and joints of the neck, thoracic spine, and thorax in order to determine whether the pain is likely to be of musculoskeletal origin. To describe the patients status with regards to ischemic heart disease, and to compare and indirectly validate the musculoskeletal diagnosis, myocardial perfusion scintigraphy is performed in all patients 2-4 weeks following discharge. Descriptive statistics including parametric and non-parametric methods will be applied in order to compare patients with and without musculoskeletal chest pain in relation to their scintigraphic findings. The decision making process of the chiropractor will be elucidated and reconstructed using the CART method. Out of the 300 patients 120 intended patients with suspected musculoskeletal chest pain will be randomized into one of two groups: a) a course of chiropractic treatment (therapy group) of up to ten treatment sessions focusing on high velocity, low amplitude manipulation of the cervical and thoracic spine, mobilisation, and soft tissue techniques. b) Advice promoting self-management and individual instructions focusing on posture and muscle stretch (advice group). Outcome measures are pain, physical function, overall health, self-perceived treatment effect, and cost-effectiveness. DISCUSSION: This study may potentially demonstrate that a chiropractor is able to identify a subset of patients suffering from chest pain predominantly of musculoskeletal origin among patients discharged from an acute chest pain clinic with no apparent cardiac condition. Furthermore knowledge about the benefits of manual treatment of patients with musculoskeletal chest pain will inform clinical decision and policy development in relation to clinical practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT00462241 and NCT00373828.

A comparison of coronary angioplasty with fibrinolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: For the treatment of myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation, primary angioplasty is considered superior to fibrinolysis for patients who are admitted to hospitals with angioplasty facilities. Whether this benefit is maintained for patients who require transportation from a community hospital to a center where invasive treatment is available is uncertain. METHODS: We randomly assigned 1572 patients with acute myocardial infarction to treatment with angioplasty or accelerated treatment with intravenous alteplase; 1129 patients were enrolled at 24 referral hospitals and 443 patients at 5 invasive-treatment centers. The primary study end point was a composite of death, clinical evidence of reinfarction, or disabling stroke at 30 days. RESULTS: Among patients who underwent randomization at referral hospitals, the primary end point was reached in 8.5 percent of the patients in the angioplasty group, as compared with 14.2 percent of those in the fibrinolysis group (P=0.002). The results were similar among patients who were enrolled at invasive-treatment centers: 6.7 percent of the patients in the angioplasty group reached the primary end point, as compared with 12.3 percent in the fibrinolysis group (P=0.05). Among all patients, the better outcome after angioplasty was driven primarily by a reduction in the rate of reinfarction (1.6 percent in the angioplasty group vs. 6.3 percent in the fibrinolysis group, P<0.001); no significant differences were observed in the rate of death (6.6 percent vs. 7.8 percent, P=0.35) or the rate of stroke (1.1 percent vs. 2.0 percent, P=0.15). Ninety-six percent of patients were transferred from referral hospitals to an invasive-treatment center within two hours. CONCLUSIONS: A strategy for reperfusion involving the transfer of patients to an invasive-treatment center for primary angioplasty is superior to on-site fibrinolysis, provided that the transfer takes two hours or less.

Using the Platelet Function Analyzer-100 for monitoring aspirin therapy.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to evaluate the test characteristics of the Platelet Function Analyzer-100 (PFA-100) in patients treated with aspirin. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study consisted of two sub-studies. In study 1, 10 patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and 10 controls had platelet function assessed by optical platelet aggregation and the PFA-100 method in two 5-week periods. Patients with IHD were treated with aspirin 150 mg/day (first 5-week period), and 300 mg/day (second 5-week period), whereas the controls only received aspirin (150 mg/day) during the second 5-week period. From the results of study 1, we found that a cut-off value for the PFA-100 collagen/epinephrine cartridge <165 s identified patients not taking aspirin (sensitivity 0.91, specificity 1.00). A good agreement between the PFA-100 method and optical platelet aggregation was found. Within-subject variation for the PFA-100 collagen/epinephrine cartridge was +/-28%, as compared to +/-17% for the optical platelet aggregation. Study 2 included 298 aspirin treated patients who were admitted with symptoms suggestive of an acute myocardial infarction. Platelet function was assessed in duplicate by the PFA-100 collagen/epinephrine cartridge, and a 95% Limit of Agreement interval at [-65%, 65%] indicated a limited precision. CONCLUSION: We defined a cut-off value below which patients not taking aspirin can be identified. However, due to imprecision of the PFA-100 method repeated duplicate assessment of the collagen/epinephrine Closure Time is recommended.

Variation and importance of aspirin resistance in patients with known cardiovascular disease.

AIM: To investigate whether aspirin resistance is a persistent condition, and to evaluate if aspirin resistance affects one-year clinical outcome. METHODS AND RESULTS: Previously we studied 298 patients admitted to hospital with symptoms suggestive of an acute myocardial infarction (MI) despite treatment with aspirin, and 70 patients (23.5%) were aspirin resistant. In the present study, platelet function was reassessed by use of a Platelet Function Analyzer-100 one year later. A total of 187 patients were re-examined, and 17 (9.1%) demonstrated aspirin resistance. Of these 17 patients, 12 also exhibited aspirin resistance at baseline resulting in a 6% (12/187) prevalence of persistent aspirin resistance. A total of 34 patients had changed from aspirin resistant at baseline to aspirin sensitive at follow-up. We found a significant decrease in the prevalence of aspirin resistance from baseline (43%) to follow-up (11%) in patients with MI at baseline (p=0.0018). Furthermore, a significant decrease was found for patients without MI at baseline (20% to 9%, p=0.0009). During follow-up, 17% (12/70) of the patients with aspirin resistance at baseline suffered death, MI or stroke compared to 16% (37/227) of aspirin sensitive patients (p=0.868). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of aspirin resistance varies with the clinical status of the patients, and indeed an acute MI is associated with temporary aspirin resistance. We also found that 6% of patients demonstrate persistent aspirin resistance. The presence of aspirin resistance did not affect one-year clinical outcome.

Prevalence of aspirin resistance in patients with an evolving acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence and importance of aspirin resistance in patients with an evolving acute myocardial infarction (AMI) by use of the Platelet Function Analyzer-100. INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have demonstrated the existence of aspirin resistance, but the clinical relevance of the phenomenon remains to be clarified. If aspirin resistant patients comprise a high-risk subgroup, it might be expected that the prevalence of aspirin resistance in patients with AMI would be higher than in patients without AMI. We hypothesized that the prevalence of aspirin resistance in patients with AMI was twice the prevalence in patients without AMI. METHODS: We included 298 consecutive patients with known cardiovascular disease who were admitted to hospital with symptoms suggestive of an AMI. All had been taking aspirin 150 mg/day for at least 7 days prior to hospital admission. Platelet function was measured immediately at admission, and aspirin resistance was defined as a collagen/epinephrine Closure Time (CT(CEPI))<165 s. RESULTS: We found that 70 (23.5%) patients were aspirin resistant, and 70 (23.5%) patients ended up with the diagnosis of an AMI. The prevalence of aspirin resistance was significantly higher in patients with AMI as compared to patients without (36% versus 20%, OR 2.26, CI 95% 1.19-4.22, p=0.0058). The CT(CEPI) measured at admission was an independent factor associated with an AMI. CONCLUSIONS: Aspirin resistance is present in almost one fourth of patients admitted to hospital with symptoms suggestive of an AMI, and aspirin resistance is significantly associated with the diagnosis of a definite AMI.

Revascularization compared to medical treatment in patients with silent vs. symptomatic residual ischemia after thrombolyzed myocardial infarction--the DANAMI study.

AIMS: The aim was to compare the effect of revascularization to conservative treatment in patients with residual silent and with residual symptomatic ischemia following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The study was a subanalysis of the DANAMI (DANish AMI) randomized study of invasive vs. conservative treatment in patients with inducible ischemia after thrombolysis in AMI. METHODS AND RESULTS: One thousand and eight patients were randomized to invasive or conservative treatment, stratified by the type of ischemia: silent, i.e. ST depression during an exercise test prior to discharge in 56%, or symptomatic, i.e. chest pain occurring either spontaneously during admission or during the exercise test, with or without ST changes, in 44%. Compared to a conservative strategy, invasive treatment reduced the incidence of nonfatal reinfarction, after in median 2.4 years, in both symptomatic patients (13.3-7.2%, p < 0.006) and patients with silent ischemia (10.1 vs. 5.7%, p < 0.05), and of admissions with unstable angina in symptomatic (44.5-27.6%, p < 0.0001) and silent ischemia (21.6-13.3%, p < 0.0006). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to conservative strategy, invasive treatment reduces the risk of nonfatal reinfarction and hospital admissions for unstable angina in thrombolyzed post-AMI patients with silent as well as symptomatic exercise-induced ischemia.

High probability of disease in angina pectoris patients: is clinical estimation reliable?

BACKGROUND: According to most current guidelines, stable angina pectoris patients with a high probability of having coronary artery disease can be reliably identified clinically. OBJECTIVES: To examine the reliability of clinical evaluation with or without an at-rest electrocardiogram (ECG) in patients with a high probability of coronary artery disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective series of 357 patients referred for coronary angiography (CA) for suspected stable angina pectoris were examined by a trained physician who judged their type of pain and Canadian Cardiovascular Society grade of pain. Pretest likelihood of disease was estimated, and all patients underwent myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) followed by CA an average of 78 days later. For analysis, the investigators focused on the approximate groups of patients with more severe disease, ie, typical angina (n=187), Canadian Cardiovascular Society grade 2 pain or higher (n=176) or high (higher than 85%) estimated pretest likelihood of disease (n=142). RESULTS: In the three groups, 34% to 39% of male patients and 65% to 69% of female patients had normal MPS, while 37% to 38% and 60% to 71%, respectively, had insignificant findings on CA. Of the patients who had also an abnormal at-rest ECG, 14% to 21% of men and 42% to 57% of women had normal MPS. Sex-related differences were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical prediction appears to be unreliable. Addition of at-rest ECG data results in some improvement, particularly in male patients, but it makes the high probability groups so small that the addition appears to be of limited clinical relevance.

Tei index and neurohormonal activation in patients with incident heart failure: serial changes and prognostic value.

BACKGROUND: Natriuretic peptides and Tei index are useful indices for risk stratification in advanced left ventricular dysfunction (LVD). Their role in early stages is less clear. AIMS: In relation to first diagnosis of LVD to assess the relation of plasma B-type-natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with Tei index, assess serial changes in indices, and to assess the value of indices to predict functional status. METHODS: Doppler echocardiography and neurohormonal analysis were performed (n=150). NYHA class was registered. RESULTS: Tei index correlated with p-NT-proBNP (r=0.75, p<0.0001), and changes in indices correlated (r=0.36, p=0.001) in LVD (n=80). No functional improvement (n=47) was related to a median increase in Tei index (-0.2, -0.16; 0.09); an improvement (n=31) to a reduction (0.06; -0.19; 0.35), p=0.02. In the group with functional improvement, more patients had >/=30% reduction in p-NT-proBNP (75% vs. 45%, p<0.01). Addition of NT-proBNP or Tei index to a clinical model, of no functional improvement, improved log-likelihood chi(2) from 9.32 to 20.18 (p=0.001) and 20.67 (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Tei index and p-NT-proBNP demonstrated a fair correlation. Unimproved NYHA class was related to progressive LVD and might be identified by monitoring Tei index or p-NT-proBNP. Advanced LVD and high pre-treatment p-NT-proBNP levels indicated a potential of improvement in functional status.

Effect of simvastatin on coronary flow reserve in patients with atherosclerosis and hypercholesterolemia: an intracoronary Doppler study.

BACKGROUND: Early stages of coronary atherosclerosis are accompanied by a functional impairment of coronary vasodilator capacity and endothelial dysfunction. Reduced coronary flow reserve has been reported in patients with hypercholesterolemia, despite angiographically normal coronary arteries. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of simvastatin on coronary flow reserve. METHODS: The study was an open non-placebo-controlled serial investigation in which every patient acted as his own control: 36 male patients with hypercholesterolemia and a non-significant coronary artery lesion in a not previously revascularized coronary artery. Intracoronary Doppler measurements were performed. Coronary flow reserve, relative coronary flow reserve and average peak velocity were performed at baseline, after 3 months on a lipid-lowering diet (control period), and after another 12 months of simvastatin 40 mg/day. In the same patient cohort, significant reduction in lesion plaque plus media has been demonstrated by intravascular ultrasound. RESULTS: Changes in coronary flow reserve were not influenced by either diet or simvastatin (2.5+/-0.6 vs. 2.6+/-0.5 vs. 2.6+/-0.6, P=ns). Maximum hyperemic flow (34.8+/-12.2 vs. 36.7+/-12.5 vs. 42.5+/-13.1, P<0.001) as well as resting flow (14.3+/-5.3 vs. 14.5+/-4.4 vs. 16.6+/-4.6, P<0.001) increased significantly after 12 months simvastatin therapy. CONCLUSION: Despite plaque plus media, regression simvastatin therapy for 12 months does not affect coronary flow reserve obtained using serial intracoronary Doppler studies. Simvastatin, however, increases the hyperemic flow velocity.

Short- and long-term influence of diet and simvastatin on brachial artery endothelial function.

BACKGROUND: Endothelium-dependent dilation (EDD) has often been studied in patients with hypercholesterolemia without overt coronary atherosclerosis where an improvement after statin treatment has been documented within few weeks. The aim of the study was to assess the short-term effect of diet as well as short- and long-term effect of simvastatin on EDD in patients with hypercholesterolemia and ischemic heart disease. METHODS: In 43 male patients with hypercholesterolemia and ischemic heart disease, EDD of the brachial artery was measured at baseline, after 3 months on a lipid-lowering diet, and after another 1, 3 and 12 months on simvastatin at 40 mg/day. RESULTS: Three months changes in EDD were neither influenced by diet nor short-term simvastatin therapy (4.9% vs. 4.9% vs. 4.8%, p=ns). Twelve months simvastatin treatment, however, significantly improved EDD by 32.7% (4.9% vs. 6.5%, p=0.007). By regression analysis an individual adjusted increase in EDD during the simvastatin treatment period was seen (coefficient 0.132 a month, p=0.002). A significant reduction in total cholesterol of 31.0% (6.1+/-0.8 vs. 4.2+/-0.7, p<0.001) and LDL cholesterol of 42.6% (4.0+/-0.8 vs. 2.2+/-0.6, p<0.001) was observed. CONCLUSION: EDD is improved after long-term simvastatin therapy; however, neither did 3 months diet or 3 months simvastatin therapy has influence on the EDD.

Neurohormonal activation and diagnostic value of cardiac peptides in patients with suspected mild heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Data describing activation of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) system relative to the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) are sparse in the early phase of heart failure (HF). AIMS: To compare activation of BNP system relative to RAAS hyperactivity and to assess diagnostic accuracy of cardiac peptides to detect any left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) in patients referred from primary care with suspected HF before institution of medical therapy. METHODS: Of 166 referred patients 150 were consecutively included (14 were excluded and two refused consent). Echocardiography and measurements of neurohormonal activity were performed. Systolic dysfunction (LVSD) was defined as an ejection fraction

Observer reproducibility and validity of systems for clinical classification of angina pectoris: comparison with radionuclide imaging and coronary angiography.

OBJECTIVE: To assess reproducibility and validity of clinical classification of angina pectoris (AP) patients. DESIGN: Fifty-six patients scheduled for coronary angiography because of stable AP were classified by two independent observers with regard to (i) type and (ii) severity of chest pain (Canadian Cardiovascular Society, CCS) and (iii) cardiac functional status (New York Heart Association, NYHA). Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) was performed in 55 including measurement of ejection fraction in 46, angiography was undertaken in 51. RESULTS: Observers agreed 100% on the presence (n = 45) or absence (n = 11) of angina. They agreed in 52 (93%), 48 (86%), and 42 (75%) patients with regard to type of pain, CCS grade, and NYHA class, respectively. In the remaining patients, they disagreed by one class only. The positive and negative predictive values of typical/atypical angina for perfusion abnormalities and coronary disease were 55%/82% and 53%/ 82%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Observer agreement was excellent for presence, type, and severity of chest pain but moderate with regard NYHA class. Clinical judgment could not predict with reasonable accuracy abnormal perfusion or coronary artery disease.

To what degree is amelioration of angina following coronary revascularization associated with improvement in myocardial perfusion?

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between changes in chest pain and changes in perfusion following revascularization as assessed by clinical evaluation and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in patients with stable angina. DESIGN: In a prospective series of 380 patients (58.8 +/- 8.8 years) referred to angiography because of known or suspected stable angina, changes in chest discomfort and changes in perfusion after 2 years were assessed in 144 patients, who underwent revascularization, and 236, who did not. The decision to treat invasively was made without knowledge of the result of MPI. RESULTS: In revascularized patients, the presence of typical/atypical angina was reduced from 93% to 36% and the improvement was associated with improvement in perfusion. A small improvement in perfusion induced a high frequency of change from angina to no pain, whereas a further reduction caused little extra change. In non-revascularized patients the change in chest discomfort was not related to changes in perfusion, which were rarely present. CONCLUSION: Alleviation of chest discomfort 2 years after revascularization is associated with improvements in perfusion. This association appeared to be an all-or-nothing phenomenon. Non-revascularized patients also exhibited improvements in chest discomfort despite insignificant changes in perfusion.

Prognostic value of myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with known or suspected stable angina pectoris: evaluation in a setting in which myocardial perfusion imaging did not influence the choice of treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Previous investigations on the prognostic value of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) were performed under circumstances in which the test result was known to the patient's physician. We wanted to examine the prognostic value of MPI in patients with known or suspected stable angina in a setting in which MPI could not influence the diagnostic and therapeutic strategy. DESIGN: A prospective series of 507 patients referred to coronary angiography for this condition were examined by MPI before angiography. Management was based on symptoms and angiographic findings, as the results of MPI were not communicated. Patients were followed for a mean of 45.3 +/- 7.7 months. RESULTS: During follow-up, 20 patients (3.9%) suffered from myocardial infarction, 19 (3.8%) died and eight (1.6%) were revascularized >1 year after MPI resulting in a combined annual event rate of 2.5%. Patients with normal MPI had a low annual event rate of 1.6% (or 1.1% with regard to myocardial infarction or death only). In contrast, event rates in patients with reversible or mixed ischaemia were 4.0% per year. MPI added independent prognostic value to standard clinical data in a multivariate Cox model. CONCLUSION: We could confirm that in patients with known or suspected stable angina, MPI is a valuable risk stratifying tool.