Randomized controlled trial of ventricular elastic support therapy in the treatment of symptomatic heart failure: rationale and design.

Background: Despite the current drug and device therapies, heart failure remains associated with high rates of disability, morbidity, and mortality. There is a need for newer therapies. One investigational approach is the use of ventricular support devices.

Prospective evaluation of elastic restraint to lessen the effects of heart failure (PEERLESS-HF) trial.

Background: Left ventricular (LV) remodeling predicts poor outcomes in heart failure (HF) patients. The HeartNet(®) cardiac restraint device (Paracor Medical Inc., Sunnyvale, CA) may reduce LV remodeling and improve functional capacity, quality of life, and outcomes in HF patients.

Assessing historical compliance with medical recommendations among transplant candidates: preliminary findings.

Context: Noncompliance with medical recommendations by transplant candidates and recipients carries serious consequences for morbidity and mortality. Few patient-specific, objective measures for assessing historical compliance exist.

Objective: To address this gap, a psychometric and exploratory analysis of an interview-based, global measure of clinician-rated judgment of historical compliance was undertaken.

Safety and efficacy of ibutilide in heart transplant recipients.

In this report we describe our experience with ibutilide, a relatively new Class III anti-arrhythmic agent, in 8 heart transplant patients with supraventricular tachycardia in various settings (3 patients with rejection, 2 after endomyocardial biopsy). Ibutilide treatment was successful in all patients, with the arrhythmia recurring early in 1 patient. There were no complications.

Bradycardia and syncope as a presentation of cardiac allograft rejection involving the conducting system.

Post-heart transplantation bradycardic syncope and arrest could be due to preferential rejection of the conduction system. We present six heart transplant patients with this presentation, two of whom died. The autopsy of one of those patients demonstrated severe rejection of the conduction system, with only mild rejection throughout the rest of the myocardium.