Publications by authors named "L Madmon"

Racial differences have recently been described in hospital practice, most notably with regard to cardiac procedure utilization. To evaluate the possible reasons behind these differences, we analyzed statistics generated from a surgical referral conference at a large, tertiary care Veterans Affairs hospital between the years 1988 and 1996. In this setting, there is no financial incentive for physicians to recommend or perform invasive procedures, as all physicians are salaried employees of the Veterans Administration.

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Objectives: The purposes of this study were to identify the incidence of aortic smoke in an unselected cohort of patients and to determine the utility of this measurement as a clinical marker for future coronary events and long-term cardiac prognosis.

Background: Although spontaneous echo contrast detected within the cardiac chambers has been associated with an increased risk of thromboembolism, less is known about "smoke" within the thoracic aorta and its relation to progression of coronary artery disease.

Methods: We prospectively assessed 118 unselected, consecutive male patients (mean age 67 years, range 29 to 86) who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).

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Objectives: This study sought to assess the long-term prognostic utility of dobutamine stress echocardiography in predicting fatal and nonfatal cardiac events.

Background: Although dobutamine stress echocardiography has improved sensitivity and specificity for detection of coronary artery disease, little is known of its predictive value for long-term cardiac events. Therefore, we followed up 120 consecutive patients who underwent dobutamine echocardiography for suspected coronary disease from March 1989 to August 1991.

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