A novel process for integrating patient stories into patient education interventions: incorporating lessons from theater arts.

Objective: Patient narratives, or stories, are an effective means of educating patients because they increase personal relevance and may reduce counter-arguing. However, such stories must seamlessly combine evidenced-based health information while being true to real patient experiences. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of developing an educational intervention using African-American patients' success stories controlling hypertension.

Association of smoking, sleep apnea, and plasma alkalosis with nocturnal ventricular arrhythmias in men with systolic heart failure.

Background: Excess sudden death due to ventricular tachyarrhythmias remains a major mode of mortality in patients with systolic heart failure. The aim of this study was to determine the association of nocturnal ventricular arrhythmias in patients with low ejection fraction heart failure. We incorporated a large number of known pathophysiologic triggers to identify potential targets for therapy to reduce the persistently high incidence of sudden death in this population despite contemporary treatment.

Sex differences in medical care and early death after acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Women receive less evidence-based medical care than men and have higher rates of death after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). It is unclear whether efforts undertaken to improve AMI care have mitigated these sex disparities in the current era.

Methods And Results: Using the Get With the Guidelines-Coronary Artery Disease database, we examined sex differences in care processes and in-hospital death among 78 254 patients with AMI in 420 US hospitals from 2001 to 2006.

Impact of time of presentation on the care and outcomes of acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Prior studies have demonstrated an inconsistent association between patients' arrival time for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and their subsequent medical care and outcomes.

Methods And Results: Using a contemporary national clinical registry, we examined differences in medical care and in-hospital mortality among AMI patients admitted during regular hours (weekdays 7 am to 7 pm) versus off-hours (weekends, holidays, and 7 pm to 7 am weeknights). The study cohort included 62,814 AMI patients from the Get With the Guidelines-Coronary Artery Disease database admitted to 379 hospitals throughout the United States from July 2000 through September 2005.

Central sleep apnea, right ventricular dysfunction, and low diastolic blood pressure are predictors of mortality in systolic heart failure.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine whether central sleep apnea (CSA) contributes to mortality in patients with heart failure (HF).

Background: Cheyne-Stokes breathing with CSA commonly occurs in patients with systolic HF. Consequences of CSA, including altered blood gases and neurohormonal activation, could result in further left ventricular dysfunction.

Sleep apnea is linked to heart failure, but does treatment improve outcome?

One of the factors that contribute to the progressively declining course of heart failure could be sleep apnea. Whether treating sleep apnea improves the clinical outcomes of patients with heart failure needs to be tested in randomized clinical trials.

Prevalence and treatment of breathing disorders during sleep in patients with heart failure.

Heart failure is a highly prevalent disorder, with significant economic impact, and is associated with excess morbidity and mortality. One factor that may contribute to the progressively declining course of heart failure is the occurrence of recurrent episodes of apnea and hypopnea. There are two major kinds of sleep-related breathing disorders: obstructive and central sleep apnea.