Intermittent transdermal nitrates do not improve ischemia in patients taking beta-blockers or calcium antagonists: potential role of rebound ischemia during the nitrate-free period.

Objectives: This study was conducted to determine whether rebound ischemia occurs during nitrate-free periods with intermittent cutaneous nitroglycerin therapy in patients with angina pectoris who are receiving background antianginal therapy.

Background: Rebound angina has been suggested to be a complication of the nitrate-free period with long-term cutaneous nitroglycerin therapy given intermittently to prevent tolerance.

Methods: Fifty-two patients with stable effort angina taking either a beta-adrenergic blocking agent (n = 25) or diltiazem (n = 22) or their combination (n = 5) completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study of cutaneous nitroglycerin patches (50 mg).

Coronary artery reoperations using arterial conduits: immediate and early results.

This study deals with results of coronary artery reoperations in 21 males aged 54.4 +/- 6.6 years.

The upper limit of alveolar capillary recruitment in a young man with lung growth impairment.

In order to obtain further insight into the adaptive mechanisms relating to gas exchange in anatomically small lungs, tests of mechanical lung function and gas exchange were made in an active young man, whose lung growth had been severely impaired due to pectus excavatum developed in childhood. We found our patient to have small (total lung capacity, 59% of predicted) but mechanically normal lungs. He had a normal cardiac output, a normal single-breath diffusing capacity (100% pred), and a high diffusion coefficient (148% pred) associated with a high pulmonary capillary blood volume (131% pred) at rest.