Publications by authors named "Catherine Rahilly-Tierney"
Objectives: Studies describing linkage of ambulance trips and emergency department (ED) visits of patients with opioid-related overdose (ORO) are limited. We linked records of patients experiencing ORO from ambulance trip and ED visit records in Massachusetts during April 1-June 30, 2017.
Methods: We estimated the positive predictive value of ORO-capturing definitions by examining the narratives and triage notes of a sample of OROs from each data source.
Background: The association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mortality in patients undergoing implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) placement has not been evaluated in US veterans.
Hypothesis: PTSD in veterans with ICD is associated with increased mortality.
Methods: We studied a retrospective cohort of 25 678 veterans who underwent ICD implantation between September 30, 2002, and December 31, 2011.
Background: The Afirma Gene Expression Classifier (GEC) risk stratifies The Bethesda System for the Reporting of Thyroid Cytopathology class III/IV (indeterminate) thyroid nodules (ITNs) as suspicious for malignancy or benign. Several authors have published studies describing the diagnostic accuracy of the GEC. However, the quality of these methods has not been rigorously examined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Inflammatory processes have been associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), potentially allowing for preventive therapy by anti-inflammatory agents such as aspirin. However, the effect of chronic aspirin on the incidence of AF has not been evaluated in a prospective cohort followed for an extended period.
Methods And Results: This study was comprised of a prospective cohort of 23 480 male participants of the Physicians' Health Study.
Background: Although previous studies have suggested that competitive athletes have a higher risk of atrial fibrillation than the general population, limited and inconsistent data are available on the association between regular physical activity and the risk of atrial fibrillation.
Methods And Results: A systematic, comprehensive literature search was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and COCHRANE until 2011. Extracted data from the eligible studies were meta-analyzed using fixed effects model.
Background: Few studies have examined the prevalence of permanent pacemaker (PPM) malfunction among patients with a previously implanted pacemaker admitted to the hospital with syncope.
Objective: This study sought to examine causes of syncope in patients with a previously implanted pacemaker admitted to our hospital with syncope.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our hospital admission database for patients who had both keywords "syncope" and "pacemaker" as their diagnoses from January 1, 1995 until June 1, 2012.
High-density lipoprotein and mortality before age 90 in male physicians.
Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes
May 2012
Background: In cross-sectional and some cohort studies with shorter follow-up, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) has been associated with longer life. We sought to examine the relationship between HDL-C and death before age 90 in the Physicians' Health Study (PHS).
Methods And Results: Of PHS enrollees who had blood collected at PHS II baseline (approximately 1997), we selected 1351 men old enough to reach age 90 by March 4, 2009, and with complete data on HDL-C and total cholesterol, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities.
Background: We sought to determine whether lifestyle modifications are associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) change in a cohort with long-term follow-up.
Hypothesis: Changes in alcohol consumption, smoking, or body mass index (BMI) are associated with within-individual changes in HDL-C.
Methods: We selected 1420 men with ≥2 HDL-C measurements from the US Department of Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study (NAS).
Background: Most incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) occurs after patients reach the age of 65. The additive benefits of aggressive risk factor management with advancing age are not well established.
Objective: To evaluate the relationship between control of four modifiable risk factors (smoking, non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure, and aspirin use) and risk of CVD in a primary prevention population of older men.
Background: We sought to examine whether ε4 carrier status modifies the relation between body mass index (BMI) and HDL. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study included 657 families with high family risk scores for coronary heart disease and 588 randomly selected families of probands in the Framingham, Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities, and Utah Family Health Tree studies. We selected 1402 subjects who had ε4 carrier status available.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although cross-sectional studies have identified lifestyle factors associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), no studies have examined the association between changes in lifestyle factors and long-term changes in HDL-C.
Methods: We examined the association between changes in lifestyle factors and changes in HDL-C over a 14-year period in a cohort of 4,168 US male physicians, followed up between 1982 and 1997 and with HDL-C measured at both time points. Using linear regression, we examined the association between HDL-C change and categorized changes in alcohol consumption, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), and smoking, adjusting for age, baseline HDL-C, and other covariates.
No previous researchers have sought to determine whether high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels are associated with survival to 85 years of age in a prospective cohort of aging men. We selected 652 men (mean age 65 years) enrolled in the VA Normative Aging Study who had ≥ 1 HDL cholesterol level documented during the study and who were old enough on the date of HDL cholesterol measurement to reach 85 years of age by the end of follow-up (July 1, 2008). We categorized initial HDL cholesterol into < 40 mg/dl (reference group), 40 to 49 mg/dl, or ≥ 50 mg/dl.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: We examined the effect of the magnitude of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction across subjects of various ages in a retrospective cohort study.
Methods And Results: We selected 20,132 male veterans at high risk for an acute cardiovascular event and who had 2 or more LDL-C measurements before their first documented acute myocardial infarction, revascularization, death, or censoring date. LDL-C reduction was categorized as no reduction (<10 mg/dL; reference), small reduction (between 10 and 40 mg/dL), moderate reduction (between 40 and 70 mg/dL), or large reduction (> or =70 mg/dL).
The authors examined the relationship between the magnitude of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction and the magnitude of cardiovascular risk reduction. From the Veterans Integrated Service Network 1 databases, the authors selected 54,611 patients with prevalent ischemic heart disease, peripheral vascular disease or diabetes mellitus, and >or=2 documented LDL-C levels who were followed between 1997 and 2006. The outcome was defined as acute myocardial infarction or revascularization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe association between change in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and risk of subsequent coronary heart disease (CHD) is unclear. Change in HDL cholesterol was calculated in a prospective cohort of 4,501 male physicians enrolled in the Physician's Health Study (PHS) I who had HDL cholesterol measured in 1982 and again approximately 14 years later. Subjects were divided into categories of those with a decrease (>or=-2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Few researchers have examined the perceptions of physicians referring cases for angiography regarding the degree to which collaboration occurs during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) decision-making. We sought to determine perceptions of physicians concerning their involvement in PCI decisions in cases they had referred to the cardiac catheterization laboratory at a major academic medical center.
Methods: An anonymous survey was mailed to internal medicine faculty members at a major academic medical center.