Extended heart failure clinic follow-up in low-risk patients: a randomized clinical trial (NorthStar).

Background: Outpatient follow-up in specialized heart failure clinics (HFCs) is recommended by current guidelines and implemented in most European countries, but the optimal duration of HFC programmes has not been established. Nor is it known whether all or only high-risk patients, e.g.

Prevalence and inter-relationship of different Doppler measures of dyssynchrony in patients with heart failure and prolonged QRS: a report from CARE-HF.

Background: Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) improves mortality and morbidity in heart failure patients with wide QRS. Observational studies suggest that patients having more left ventricular dyssynchrony pre-implantation obtain greater benefit on ventricular function and symptoms with CRT.

Aim: To provide an analysis of the prevalence and type of dyssynchrony in patients included in the CARE-HF trial.

Design and methodology of the NorthStar Study: NT-proBNP stratified follow-up in outpatient heart failure clinics -- a randomized Danish multicenter study.

Background: Randomized clinical trials have shown that newly discharged and symptomatic patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) benefit from follow-up in a specialized heart failure clinic (HFC). Clinical stable and educated patients are usually discharged from the HFC when on optimal therapy. It is unknown if risk stratification using natriuretic peptides could identify patients who would benefit from longer-term follow-up.

Effects of pentoxifylline on the vascular response to injury after angioplasty in rabbit iliac arteries.

Pentoxifylline (PTX) inhibits the effects of several cytokines and reduces injury-related collagen accumulation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of PTX on the vascular response to injury. We treated rabbits with PTX (100 mg/kg/day) or placebo (saline) subcutaneously from 2 days before angioplasty of an iliac artery until euthanasia 7 or 28 days later.

Detection of chromosomal abnormalities, congenital abnormalities and transfusion syndrome in twins.

Objective: To evaluate the outcome of screening for structural malformations in twins and the outcome of screening for twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) among monochorionic twins through a number of ultrasound scans from 12 weeks' gestation.

Methods: Enrolled into this prospective multicenter observational study were women with twin pregnancies diagnosed before 14 + 6 gestational weeks. The monochorionic pregnancies were scanned every second week until 23 weeks in order to rule out early TTTS.