Publications by authors named "Carolien Lucas"
Article Synopsis
- Constrictive pericarditis is a rare complication of pericarditis that can be challenging to diagnose, often leading to symptoms of right-sided heart failure due to a stiff pericardium impacting heart function.
- In this case, a patient misdiagnosed with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) showed persistent symptoms despite treatment, revealing the need for deeper investigation after specific echocardiogram findings.
- Timely identification of constrictive pericarditis is crucial because it can often be treated effectively, especially in patients with persistent right-sided heart failure symptoms unresponsive to diuretics.
Objective: The number of patients with heart failure (HF) and corresponding burden of the healthcare system will increase significantly. The Dutch integrated model, 'Transmural care of HF Patients' was based on the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines and initiated to manage the increasing prevalence of HF patients in primary and secondary care and stimulate integrated care. It is unknown how many HF patients are eligible for back-referral to general practitioners (GPs), which is important information for the management of chronic HF care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Efficient incorporation of e-health in patients with heart failure (HF) may enhance health care efficiency and patient empowerment. We aimed to assess the effect on self-care of (i) the European Society of Cardiology/Heart Failure Association website 'heartfailurematters.org' on top of usual care, and (ii) an e-health adjusted care pathway leaving out 'in person' routine HF nurse consultations in stable HF patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - The study investigates how exercise training benefits patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and suggests that somatosensory nerve stimulation may play a role in these benefits.
- - Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial involving periodic electrical somatosensory stimulation (TENS) and compared it to traditional exercise training and usual care, measuring various health indicators like blood pressure, baroreflex sensitivity, and quality of life.
- - Results showed that the TENS group experienced improvements in health measures comparable to or better than those in the exercise training group, indicating that non-traditional exercise methods might effectively address autonomic issues in CHF patients.
Background: One of the beneficial effects of exercise training in chronic heart failure (CHF) is an improvement in baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), a prognostic index in CHF. In our hypothesis-generating study we propose that at least part of this effect is mediated by neural afferent information, and more specifically, by exercise-induced somatosensory nerve traffic.
Objective: To compare the effects of periodic electrical somatosensory stimulation on BRS in patients with CHF with the effects of exercise training and with usual care.
Aims: The effects of beta-blockers in daily practice patients with advanced chronic heart failure (CHF) and a broad range of ejection fraction (EF) are not well established. We aimed to assess, first, the association between beta-blocker prescription at discharge and mortality in a cohort of patients with advanced CHF, and second, whether this association is modified by the age of the patient.
Methods: Patients diagnosed with advanced CHF (n = 625) were prospectively followed after discharge from the Cardiology Department.
Background: The effects of beta-blockers in patients with heart failure (HF) and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) are not well established.
Aims: To assess the association between beta-blocker prescription at discharge and mortality in a cohort of patients with advanced HF and preserved LVEF.
Methods And Results: We prospectively studied a cohort of 443 patients with advanced HF and preserved LVEF (LVEF> or =40%).