Knowledge and attitudes of primary care physicians in the management of patients at risk for cardiovascular events.

Background: Adherence to clinical practice guidelines for management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is suboptimal. The purposes of this study were to identify practice patterns and barriers among U.S.

Age-related determinants of outcome after acute myocardial infarction: a dobutamine-atropine stress echocardiographic study.

Objectives: To investigate the cause of worse survival in older patients after myocardial infarction (MI).

Design: Prospective 18-month and longer follow-up study of a cohort of 167 patients (mean age +/- standard deviation 58 +/- 12, including 71 aged >or=65) with acute MI for cardiac events, defined as cardiac death, recurrent MI, or resuscitated ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation (VT/VF).

Setting: Milwaukee County Medical Complex and the Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Use of Stress Echocardiography and Radionuclide Scintigraphy.

Stress echocardiography and radionuclide scintigraphy are effective diagnostic and prognostic techniques in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD), myocardial infarction (MI), chronic left ventricular dysfunction (LVD), and those undergoing noncardiac surgery. Both are sensitive and specific for the detection and extent of CAD. Negative tests confer a high negative predictive value for cardiac events irrespective of clinical risk.